Personal Stories
Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue38 1–31 March 2023
Grace McGinness
Hi, I’m Grace and I recently joined the AITC as a mechanical engineer. I am someone who is excited to try almost anything. In my free time you may find me bushwalking, cycling, jogging, swimming, or climbing rocks, doing something with my hands like woodworking, sewing or painting, or something else like singing, seeing friends or encouraging young people to get involved in STEM.
As a child I was constantly designing and making things. I started out with paper and sticky tape, and there were often bags of cereal in the pantry because I couldn’t wait to use the cardboard box. I progressed to wood and rope, and was often setting up make-shift rope bridges, swings and stilts. I loved solving problems. It only made sense that I study engineering. As a Canberra local, it made sense to study at ANU. I am second-generation ANU, with both my parents and my brother attending before me. I greatly enjoyed my studies; I learnt so many things and met so many great people. I found I had a particular interest in mechanical and material engineering.
When I was told about a position at Stromlo being advertised, I had so many good reasons to go for it. The position was in mechanical engineering, which I enjoyed when I studied and was missing in my previous role. My grandfather, Brian Crook, was an amateur astronomer (at Stromlo), and I remember seeing binary star systems in his backyard observatory. So far I have had a great time here; I have come across many new ideas, been challenged with new problems and met so many awesome people. If you are not one of them, feel free to come and say hello!
Monique Cockram
I never really knew what I wanted to do at uni, and just chose physics and maths because I was good at it. I ended up loving it and my experience at Macquarie University. It was a great experience being able to learn with such a small cohort and get to know a majority of the people in the department. Through summer research projects, I discovered my interest in research, often leaning towards astronomy based projects. In particular, working on the Huntsman Telescope was exciting, as I was able to be involved in an initial commissioning run at SSO. After that, I didn't know what path I wanted to take (and felt underqualified for all of them), so I decided to gain more practical skills with a Master's degree in instrumentation here at ANU, and ended up at the AITC for my thesis. This introduction into optical communications and some related fields in astronomy caught my interest.
After my degree was completed, I knew I wanted to try and stay at the AITC so it was perfect when job opportunities here came up a few months later, so I could continue to explore these interests. I am currently working as a Research Officer on a project working on tip-tilt retrieval for adaptive optics using laser guide stars. I am excited to be able to have such a research focused role.
Outside of work, I enjoy nature (both outdoors and house plants), going on picnics, and trying to convince myself to do more exercise. I am often driving up north to visit friends and family. When I am home, I'm usually enjoying the (according to my housemate) co-dependent relationship I have with my cat.
Lu Wang
I grew up in Gobi Desert in Xinjiang, China, the most inland city in the world. I saw the ocean for the first time at age 10, feeling scared and swearing I would never swim in the sea or even learn to swim. I moved to Australia to study in 2016 (surrounded by the ocean now, I love it).
I finished my university study at UNSW Sydney as an industrial Engineer, then worked in the Kraft Heinz company manufacturing ketchup, baby cereal, etc. After moving to Canberra, I worked in the Canberra milk plant, which sadly closed recently. I worked with process improvement, quality assurance etc. Solving engineering problems in the rapid changing environment is, for me, the best part of working as an engineer. When I dig into the process finding the root cause, I feel like I am roaming in the universe. I enjoy working with the machines, getting them to run “perfectly”. This encouraged me to explore my career possibilities in the mechanical filed. I joined the AITC Mechanical Engineering team almost two months ago. Entering a new field of work and study is challenging and interesting, especially changing from making “ketchup” to precise instruments that target within 1 micron tolerance. I cannot wait to see how it will change my way to look at the world (must with more details).
Outside work I spend my time in different activities. I like paddling, though I am still learning how to swim. I go to dance class every week to see myself dance like a zombie, which is so funny. I go camping when I really want to eat instant noodle (they taste totally different when camping). I love watching stand-up comedy with my two cats, Dodo and Toto, 7 yrs old and 7 months old. They look like two grumpy potatoes.
I am so excited to join RSAA and see everyone around Mt Stromlo!
Picture left to right: Lu Wang, Grace McGinness, Monique Cockram
