Jose and Tony interview Diego about his path in engineering and migration. Diego, a mechanical engineering graduate from Venezuela, moved abroad in 2017, first to Argentina seeking automotive work but joining Spirax Sarco in the steam and heat-transfer industry. He describes working in thermodynamics-driven steam systems across many industries, first as a project coordinator managing turnkey boiler and steam distribution projects from design through installation and commissioning, then later moving to Valencia, Spain. After a year in a fast-paced startup environment, he returned to Spirax Sarco as a field service engineer, troubleshooting boilers, instrumentation, and commissioning onsite with fewer resources and greater customer pressure. He shares a stressful boiler level-control commissioning case ultimately traced to a design sizing issue, and reflects on cultural differences, reinvention, flexibility, resilience, and advice to keep a vision while staying open to unexpected opportunities.

00:00 Meet Diego 00:47 Early Engineering Spark 01:59 Leaving Venezuela 05:03 Landing First Job 06:21 Steam Industry Basics 08:38 Mechanical Skills Applied 10:40 Back to Spain 14:05 Project Manager Life 18:25 Two Countries One Company 20:32 Reinventing Yourself 24:08 Startup Teaser 24:39 Startup Laundry Franchises 27:14 US Expansion and COVID Crash 28:48 Startup Business Model Talk 29:52 Engineering When Things Fail 32:11 Boiler Commissioning Nightmare 35:55 Root Cause Design Sizing 39:22 Career Advice Stay Flexible

41:44 Always Explore Opportunities 42:52 Thanks and Wrap Up

Music credit: DaFuq!?Boom! - YouTube

Show Notes NLE012 - Linkedln

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In this episode, Tony and Jose sit down with Joe, a principal technical advisor and advisory lead for Natural Power Ireland, to discuss his extensive background in energy and environmental engineering. Joe shares his academic journey from undergraduate studies focused on converting natural energy into electricity, to his work in consultancy and asset management in the UK's energy sector. He delves into his groundbreaking postgraduate research on using lunar soil to create reflective surfaces for solar PV systems, which gained recognition from the European Space Agency and led to a PhD. Joe explains the intricacies of due diligence in renewable energy projects and reflects on the importance of passion in one's career #continue to our LinkedIn

00:00 Introduction and Greetings 00:19 Jose's Professional Background 01:24 Early Career in Energy Consultancy 02:06 Transition to Asset Management 03:06 Academic Pursuits and Teaching 03:34 Postgraduate Research and PhD Journey 04:06 Lunar Regolith Research 07:13 Teaching and Lecturing Experience 08:12 Challenges and Rewards of Teaching Mathematics 15:16 PhD Research and Its Impact 15:58 Lunar Regolith as a Construction Material 27:17 Complexities of Scientific Research 28:57 Reflective Surfaces and Solar PV Systems 35:24 General Misconceptions About Science 39:24 Efficiency in Engineering and Its Implications 42:15 Rebound Effects of Energy Efficiency Policies 47:39 Historical Context of Climate Change 51:14 Challenges in Renewable Energy Development 56:59 The Role of Due Diligence in Renewable Projects 01:08:40 Career Advice and Personal Reflections 01:23:42 Concluding Thoughts and Reflections

Music credit: DaFuq!?Boom! - YouTube

Show Notes NLE011 - Linkedln

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In this episode, Jose and Tony invite Oscar Herrera-Granados, a Hydraulic Engineer and Senior Lecturer at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, as a special guest on the pod.

Oscar started his engineering career after graduation in his home country Mexico. He moved to Europe more than 20 years ago to pursue his career, initially to Germany for further study and eventually settled in Poland. In addition, he had collaborated with Brunel University for hydraulic engineering research while he was in England recently .

The conversation touches on several fascinating topics, including several severe floods events in Europe, climate change impacts and the importance of natural flood management as a mitigation going forward. At the end, he even admitted his ‘regret’ of not listening to his older colleagues when he was young, and how to bridge the gaps #continue to our LinkedIn

Music credit: DaFuq!?Boom! - YouTube

Show Notes NLE010 - Linkedln

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