Over the last five years, Queen’s has played a huge role in how Caitlin Chee has developed not only as an engineer, but also as a person. It has given her opportunities she never thought possible and opened doors to a future she is excited about. 
 
Developing skills outside of her discipline, Engineering Master’s graduate Caitlin is a recognised leader – in April 2023 she received the gradireland ‘Female Leadership Undergraduate of the Year’ award. This accolade recognised the leadership skills Caitlin developed and demonstrated through the programmes she took part in while at Queen’s, including the Real-World Consultancy Programme, or ‘Innovation Bootcamp’ as it was known at the time. 
 
Another of these programmes was the Students’ Union-led InnovateHer programme. With sustainability and innovation at the forefront, Caitlin and her team developed a business idea to use mushrooms to create a faux leather as an alternative to animal leather, in a bid to improve sustainability in the fast-fashion industry. 
 
While at Queen’s, Caitlin also had an active part in student life, taking on the roles of course rep and student ambassador, ensuring the student voice would be heard in matters relating to the student learning experience. It was through these extracurricular roles that she was able to further develop her communication, leadership, and negotiation skills. 
 
Shortly after her gradireland win, Caitlin had the opportunity to travel to North America for the first time as part of the University’s Future-Ready Skills for Leaders programme. Chosen as one of just 25 out of a student population at Queen’s of 25,000, Caitlin travelled to Boston to meet with industry leaders from a range of organisations which influenced the overall project, as well as developing skills to enable her to become a changemaker back home both at Queen's and in the wider community. 
 
Caitlin returned to Belfast from Boston, briefly, before crossing the Atlantic again to North America – this time she was off to Canada to undertake a three-month research internship at Polytechnique Montréal, a public research university in Quebec. The internship saw Caitlin design and create a proof-of-concept prototype using 3D printing of an upper-limb exoskeleton for children aged 2-6 years old who have arthrogryposis (a medical condition which causes stiffening of the muscles). The project is still ongoing further development at Polytechnique Montréal. 
 
Now finally back home, Caitlin is reflecting on the journey so far and is excited about what’s next to come:

“I am so grateful for the funding and support from Queen’s and its staff, which has given me a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel and pursue my passions in engineering. These last five years at Queen’s have led me to return to the University in October to begin my PhD in polymer research with the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, combining my engineering passions with my desire to work towards better sustainability in the materials and packaging industry."

 

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