Profile
Jonathan Allen
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About Me:
I am an engineer living near Bristol. During the day I work on nuclear power stations to make them work better. When I’m not at work I like to play music, sports, have fun with my son and watch exciting movies.
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My pronouns are:
he/him/his
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My Work:
I am an engineer who helps design, run and fix nuclear power stations. I do this so that they can safely produce clean electricity by nuclear power instead of having to use fossil fuels. I work in an office and at the power stations with lots of other scientists. My work involves a lot of maths, science and technology.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up and have breakfast before taking my son to nursery. I then drive to an office, a power station or stay at home to start work at 9am. I work mostly at a computer or in meetings with other engineers to talk about problems and answers to those problems. I go for a relaxing walk at lunchtime then back to the computer afterwards or out in flashy clothing to walk around the power station. I finish work at 5pm and go back home.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
If I won the prize money I would build a big model of a power station to show you how electricity is generated, in particular how difference sources like nuclear, wind, wave, tidal and fossil fuels are all used in the same way to make electricity.
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Education:
I went to school in small town called Ponteland near Newcastle in the north east of England. I went to Ponteland First School, then Ponteland Middle School and last Ponteland High School. After leaving school I worked in a factory for a year before going to Durham University where I got two engineering degrees.
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Qualifications:
My GCSEs were in Maths, Physics, Design & Technology, Biology, Chemistry, English Language, English Literature, French, German, History and Music – I got 2 A*s, 9As and 2Bs. I then did A-levels in Maths, Physics, French and History – I got 1 A and 3Bs. I then did a Masters of Engineering (MEng) in aeronautical (aircraft) engineering at university followed by a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) also in aeronautical engineering.
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Work History:
After finishing at university I joined Frazer-Nash – an engineering consultancy based in the UK and Australia – and I’ve been working for them ever since! Before that, I worked in different companies during my summer holidays at university (including one summer holiday working on a flight simulator in France!) and I worked in another factory for a whole year between finishing school and starting university.
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Employer:
I work for Frazer-Nash Consultancy. We are an engineering company with several offices in the UK and also some in Australia. The company works in many different subjects, including clean energy. We are owned by a huge American company called KBR.
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My Interview
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What did you want to be after you left school?
When I was little I wanted to be an astronaut or a rock star - when I left school I decided I was most interested in how things work which is why I became an engineer (and I still get to play my rock guitar at the weekend!)
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I did not get in trouble much at school - but when I did it was usually because I was daydreaming in lessons!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I applied to be an astronaut for the European Space Agency recently but sadly did not get the job
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I don't have a favourite singer or band - I like all kinds of music and love hearing new bands
What's your favourite food?
Sausage rolls!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. To not be scared of asking silly questions because there are no such things as silly questions! 2. To have more time to spend with such interested minds as school children to tell them about engineering. 3. To enjoy every day because every day is different and you will never get to live it again.
Tell us a joke.
Why is wind power popular? Because it has a lot of fans!
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