Welcome to the Meet our Sustainability Scholars blog!
The Sustainability Scholars are international students that were awarded the DMU Sustainability Scholarship. Our scholars are from all across the world and are extremely passionate about the Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability. The scholars sat down with Dennis (Learning for Sustainability Frontrunner) to answer a few questions to get to know them better. Here’s our second scholar, Gritty!
Dennis: Hey Gritty! Thanks for taking the time out to talk to me. So let’s get started! Tell me about yourself?
Gritty: Hey! My name is Gritty, and I am from India. After graduating in Electronics and communication Engineering and master’s in business administration, I was working as a Pre-sales Engineer in Building Management System in UAE where I learned the importance of sustainable building design and the role of energy managers in solving sustainability related issues. Here, at DMU, I am doing a Masters in Energy and Sustainable Building Design. A fun fact would be I am tired of convincing others that the Building Management System is all about automation and it is not necessary that everything with the word building would be related to civil engineering.!!
Dennis: Wow! You worked in UAE? It’s my dream to travel there one day. How have you been settling in to DMU and the UK?
Gritty: The UK has been one of the top places which gives emphasis to sustainability and DMU offers a broad range of courses on sustainability and energy. The tutors for my course are from IESD and each day we are introduced to new opportunities like site visits, membership in EI and so on. DMU hosts several activities related to sustainability in the campus which is very rare in other places. The campus is so student friendly and welcoming and I am proud to be a part of DMU family.
Dennis: The campus is really undeniably friendly. Really happy that you are settling in well. You’ve mentioned a lot about sustainability so far, can you tell me why you are interested in sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals?
Gritty: Being an engineer, I am aware of the energy crisis and interested in SDGs. I believe energy efficient buildings plays a pivotal role in achieving sustainable development. I am particularly interested in building automation and energy management as I think this is related to every other goal and if we could achieve energy efficiency then we could go a long way in the sustainability path.
Dennis: Wow! That’s pretty great to hear. As an engineer, how can the SGD’s assist you in your career development?
Gritty: It has always been my dream to become an energy manager or an energy consultant. I am interested in the monitoring and auditing of energy consumption data and in energy management systems and the role of energy managers in sustainability. I recently cleared the certified energy manager (CEM) exam, and along with that I think the SDG7.3 will provide more opportunities in my career.
Dennis: Congratulations on your achievement! To end our little chat today, If you had one wish that you could only use on sustainability & the SDGs, what would it be?
Gritty: My only wish would be to give more importance to SDG7 and as I believe it is interlinked to all the other goals. Integrated Building automation and energy management systems could contribute more in the sustainability pathway of a nation.
Dennis: Thanks for sharing that and taking the time out to speak with me. Wishing you all the best on your journey to becoming an energy manager.
For more information about the DMU Sustainability Scholarship, please contact the Sustainability Team at sustainablility@dmu.ac.uk. Don’t forget to follow us on all our social media sites @SustainableDMU.