Rebecca Dracup GradIEAust is a sustainability engineer with Wood and Grieve Engineers. She graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2014 with a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering and Bachelor of Economics. She is the Life Cycle Assessment specialist in Wood and Grieve, providing detailed environmental impact assessments for the lifetime of buildings, and played a central role in the development of CChangeAP, a free online tool for developing climate change risk assessments and adaptation plans.
Outside of work, Rebecca was an elected general committee member on the Young Engineers Australia Sydney Committee for the year 2016 to 2017. Rebecca has also been awarded Young Environmental Engineer of the Year by Engineers Australia.
Hi Rebecca! What are your qualifications, and where do you work now?
I graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2014 with a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering and Bachelor of Economics. I’ve been a sustainability engineer with Wood and Grieve Engineers for three and a half years.
What industry do you work in? / What is your area of expertise?
I work in sustainability engineering, which is a discipline grounded in the philosophy of improving the living standards of future generations. My area of expertise is in the sustainability of buildings, and spans across Green Star sustainability ratings, energy modelling, life cycle analysis, and climate change risk assessments.
Where did you start your career?
My first exposure to engineering was an internship as an environmental engineer with the Water Corporation in Western Australia. My first full-time position was with Wood and Grieve Engineers.
What is the significance of winning The Young Environmental Engineer of the Year Award to you and your career?
To me, the significance of the award lay within developing the application. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on what my milestones were since starting my career, and clarify what actions were improving my abilities as an engineer and contributing to the reasons I want to pursue a career in sustainability engineering.
What is your current job title and function?
I’m a sustainability engineer and our main role is to assist built environment projects to achieve their sustainability goals. This could include reducing their environmental impacts through reduction in the consumption of resources such as energy and water, or promoting healthier environments for the building’s occupants with improved thermal comfort or indoor air quality.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love the people I work with. They’re brilliant critical thinkers, they listen and share, and they know how to make me laugh. I’m glad I get to work in a strong team with a proactive and collaborative culture.
What project(s) are you currently working on?
I’m always working on multiple projects at once, at various stages of their development. Currently I have several retail fitouts preparing for Green Star ratings, a couple of schools and a hospital which are undergoing energy modelling, and a Life Cycle Assessment of an office building.
What has helped you get ahead and what strategies have helped give you the edge?
I’m a yes person, so I’ve somehow found myself on the environmental committee, organising social club events and women in engineering events, and contributing to the development of our first Reconciliation Action Plan. Being approachable, saying yes, and following up are the strategies I focus most on, challenging me to learn new things and build myself as a person.
What inspired you to get involved in environmental engineering?
It was my lecturers at university who helped make my decision. They were all passionate about what they did, and world leaders in their areas. They were also very approachable and had teaching styles which deserve to be in lecturing 101 for new teachers.
Do you have any advice for young engineers just starting their career?
Back yourself. I’ve started reading Gail Kelly’s autobiography and that’s the overarching theme in the book. I think it’s a powerful one and is a reminder to remain genuine, accountable, and true to yourself in your life and work.
Who is your engineering hero?
Danielle Brunton, who was actually featured in an EA magazine this year. I met Dani in Perth through Engineers Without Borders, she is a leader who is driven to make the world a better place, is seemingly fearless, has a generous spirit and a wicked sense of humour to top it off.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I go running with my partner and Nick’s run club on a weekly basis. I’ve also started turning our apartment into a jungle with plants and caring for the plants takes more time that I initially thought it would. I’ve also started learning photography and enjoy taking photos for my friends and family.
Image: courtesy of Rebecca Dracup.