Measuring up to the challenge

Graham Green, technical marketing engineer at National Instruments, opens a window onto his career so far

I graduated four years ago now. At the time, I remember there were three main worries on my mind: where should I live; what kind of job should I apply for; and did I have time to backpack round the world first? Of these, the second was the most important, as it had the most serious long-term implications. It was also the hardest to answer. To be at the forefront of technology across multiple industries, I chose a career in test and measurement and haven't looked back since.

When designing a product, whether a suspension system, a jet engine or an oil pipeline, half the battle is understanding its behaviour and this means measuring it. This simple fact makes test and measurement one of the most interesting and varied engineering disciplines thriving in the UK today. Working for a global leader in test and measurement such as National Instruments (NI), with over 30,000 customers worldwide, has taught me skills relevant to every type of engineering. The key to many modern systems is the close integration of both hardware and software. Systems, once purely mechanical, are now synchronised though deterministic protocols. Circuit board logic is software reconfigurable and even some fridges have embedded Wi-Fi communication built in! The design, build and test of these systems is a multidisciplinary engineering challenge.

Thankfully, if there is one thing I have learnt in my five years at NI, it is that, as software-defined engineering challenges get more complex, then the software-defined tools and instrumentation available to address them progress as fast, if not faster. With high-level graphical development environments like LabVIEW, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with software-defined instrumentation, I'm working on applications that were barely imaginable when NI was founded more than 30 years ago.

From Formula One teams to satellite research, battlefield robots to wind turbines, measurements must be taken and systems controlled, and LabVIEW is often the tool of choice. As a test and measurement engineer and a LabVIEW guy, I work closely with all these people to help make them successful.
University seems a long time ago now and my three big worries are no more. I did manage a few months backpacking and moved house twice, but one thing is for sure: I'm set up for an exciting and varied life in an industry that I was oblivious to five years ago. For someone who enjoys new challenges, new people and new technology, I landed on my feet. Sometimes, the paths less trodden offer the greatest rewards. So, next time you are measuring something, take a moment to think of the technology behind your actions and consider it not only as a task, but maybe as a career.

Serious playtime!

To give an insight into life within the test and measurement industry, I caught up with James McNally, currently on the Engineering Leadership Programme at National instruments and a recent Systems Engineering graduate from Loughborough University:

So, why engineering in the first place?

It's the toys predominantly! I was looking at chemical engineering, but all the robots and computers drew me in and I haven't stopped playing with them since.

How long have you been with NI?

I came here as an intern for one year, which I enjoyed. After graduation, I applied to come straight back and have been full time for 10 months now.

What does your job involve at NI?

Currently, I am doing a lot of technical support and prototyping proof of concepts for customers, as it gives me maximum exposure to all the different products and applications out there. You have to be prepared for anything; everyone has different problems and is a domain expert in their own area. It's my job to understand enough of their application, whether it be a robot, missile or medical device, to help them with the control or measurement aspects involved. Often you get to catch up with them later in the project and see how it's progressed.

Can you give me an example?

Yeah, so I'm working with one customer called Eugene. He is based over on the west coast of Ireland and is prototyping an offshore wave farm energy converter called 'Wavebob' (see Engineering Apprentice, Autumn 2011) that could have major impact on green energy production. He is using NI products for the control systems, among other things, so this is where I can help, though I love talking with him about other aspects of the project, too. It's pretty complex and has to be rugged enough to deploy into the Atlantic, but I think we have it working; I even got to work with him to produce a case study that has been published (uk.ni.com/casestudies).

Do you use your systems engineering degree working in a measurement company?

Yes, definitely – not only the technical aspects of engineering, but project management, too, as I am supported to work on projects of my own choice. For example, I'm currently building a robotic marble maze as a demo of embedded technology. Getting hands-on is a big advantage here, as, with test and measurement applications, there must always be real-world interaction. I enjoy the software, but the ability to cross the barrier and integrate hardware really appeals.

What do you enjoy about NI?

We are a company of like-minded people. You talk to the managers and they understand what you're up to, as they started where I am now – everyone has been in the same boat at some point. I also love the way you never stop learning at NI: there is so much to know. We have people from every discipline on my team: electrical and mechanical engineering, physics, computer science and more; each person adds to the mix. Everyone helps each other out, as they all have their own interests. It's a pretty relaxed atmosphere. I like it that I get to work with a lot of smart people and everyone enjoys it, too. We were in the Financial Times 50 best UK workplaces for the 6th year in a row this year and in the top 25 for the world! I think that's a great achievement for both the company and staff.

Have you got any plans for the future?

Systems engineering looks interesting. I'd like to keep technical, but work on larger architectures and specialise further, possibly into embedded control and monitoring. I think robots are where the challenges are. It's a great frontier of problems just waiting to be solved. But I'm still relatively new to the industry. I could end up in marketing or sales, I might specialise into a new area like communications or even move to another branch and catch the sunshine somewhere hot. I'm keeping my options open.

Author
Brian Wall

Related Companies
National Instruments

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