Solveig Fiskaa (Norway)
| Hello,
my name is Solveig. I'm writing my master thesis in engineering at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. |
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Have you ever peeled an orange and tried to put the peel flat on a table? If so, you might have realised that it is not very easy and the peel must be bowed and bended. The same problem arises when we're trying to map the spherical earth. There's a lot of mathematics behind the calculations to map the earth onto a flat surface.
I decided to become an engineer when I was attending upper secondary school. Actually, at the time I didn't know much about the work that an engineer does but I enjoyed the challenges in mathematics and physics, even though they were pretty tough sometimes. Studying engineering sounded like a good idea, especially as my aunt and my uncle are engineers and I've always looked up to them. I also got the impression that being an engineer is a profession with many interesting possibilities and I liked the idea of keeping my options open.
Presently, I'm soon to be finished with my engineering degree. It's taken quite some time, but I had a lot of fun on the way and of course, some tough moments in between! I've had the opportunity to stay abroad; firstly, for a year at upper secondary school in Geneva, Switzerland. Later I went to Toulouse in France to study and now I'm back in Geneva. I'm writing my master thesis at CERN - the European Laboratory for Particle Physics. The physicists at CERN are trying to find out what happened just after the "Big Bang". By understanding what happened then, they hope to understand more about the smallest particles on earth and how they are connected. By the way, did you know that the World Wide Web was developed at CERN?
The theme of my master thesis is photogrammetry. Photogrammetry is about measuring objects and distances with the help of photos of the measured object. You take photos from different sides of the object and the computer recognises them in the photo. Then it calculates a three dimensional model of the object. I can almost call myself a 'mathematical photographer!' In my master thesis, I'll be doing a lot of work with accuracy in photogrammetric measurements. It is related to statistics, a subject which I started to enjoy during my studies at NTNU in Trondheim. Accuracy is an important issue in all surveying measurements. It is important that a measurement is as accurate as possible, but making accurate measurements costs time and money, so it is also important not to be more accurate than necessary.
I have travelled a lot in Norway and abroad during my studies and have mastered both English and French, which has helped a lot during my travels. I have many interests outside the field of engineering and often enjoy going to concerts with friends. In the winter, Geneva is a great place to be for skiing as it is so close to the Alps and in the summer, I'll be doing a course in windsurfing on the lake by the city.
I'll become an engineer in six months, once I've handed in my thesis. I'm not sure what I'll be doing then, since it's so far away! Luckily, there are many possibilities for finding a job in Norway and abroad. Maybe I'll continue as a 'mathematical photographer' or maybe I'll construct maps, do surveying for the construction of roads or buildings or develop new applications in geographical information systems. The possibilities are endless. At least I'm sure of one thing: As an engineer, I'm stepping into an exciting future!
Schools:
Birkenlund Skole Arendal
Blussuvoll Skole Trondheim