North-West University (NWU) alumna and IT boffin Bianca Blomerus’ balanced approach to work, relaxation, and the ability to seize opportunities, has put her on the fast track to success as an engineer at South Africa’s state-owned freight rail operator, Transnet.
Through her hard work and tenacity at school, Bianca was awarded a Transnet bursary for her undergraduate studies, and she completed a degree in computer and electronic engineering in 2017 at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus. It was a field she was all too eager to pursue, thanks to the support and encouragement of her high school teachers.
Thereafter, Transnet appointed her as an engineer in training (EIT) in the signalling field, where she was exposed to the various railway disciplines.
Bianca has since been appointed as a signalling engineer, and is now working with a multidisciplinary team of engineers on technological solutions to combat the theft and vandalism of railway infrastructure.
Stopping theft in its tracks
“These projects are a first of their kind at Transnet, which is very exciting! I am currently working on a type of technology called distributed acoustic sensing. This makes use of fibre optics as a sensor and, by means of machine learning, the system can be trained to identify various theft activities within the railway environment,” she explains.
Bianca is passionate about the role of women in engineering. “One of the highlights during my university years was the opportunity to be involved with organising the annual Femmegineering event.
“This really is a phenomenal initiative to inspire young high school girls and to show them that women are more than capable to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” she says.
“I also had multiple opportunities to mentor other students in various subjects, and although there was a financial incentive to it, it really was a very rewarding experience.”
But it was not all work and no play, and her favourite spot on campus was definitely a dining hall called Dampad.
“I miss the delicious food, especially the pumpkin fritters and just taking a break and eating lunch with my friends. There is absolutely no situation, test or practicum, no matter how dire and difficult, that cannot be dealt with after some fresh perspective offered by a plate of home-cooked Dampad food,” Bianca adds.
Embrace every experience
Reflecting on her time at university, Bianca shares that the NWU, and especially the engineering faculty staff, teach students so much more than just academic competency.
“Students learn about ethics, professional conduct, the importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle, adaptability, flexibility and how to work in multidisciplinary teams, as well as handling difficult conflict situations within a group.
“Embrace all these experiences, even if you don’t always like them,” she advises.
“Before you know it you’ll be starting your first job with the degree that you worked so hard for. It is an awesome feeling, but remember to stay humble. To earn respect and be accepted, you also have to treat everybody else with respect, no matter if they have a degree or not,” she concludes.
NWU alumna Bianca Blomerus is passionate about engineering.
