Rural Indonesia to nuclear sites in NSW: Bijay's expeditions

For Nepalese student Bijay, studying engineering at CDU has been a family affair. And as an external student who’s now pursuing a Master’s degree, his studies have taken him from a rural village in Indonesia to a nuclear energy site in NSW. Read on to find out about Bijay’s experience as a CDU student—and where he hopes it will lead.

Bijay Lamsal is a man who enjoys a personal challenge. “I’ve always enjoyed solving problems and testing my limits,” he said. And he did just that by following in the footsteps of three uncles and a cousin who all did their Bachelor of Engineering at CDU.

“The course covers technical content which gets more complex each semester. It’s a matter of perspective on how to interpret this. As course work gets more complex, it makes the next semester more fun than the previous one. After all, no one wants to study the same material for four years,” Bijay said.

And once he’d completed a Bachelor of Engineering at CDU, Bijay challenged himself even further. “I applied for a Master’s degree because I liked the flexibility CDU offers for online study, and also because I really enjoyed my experience during my bachelor degree," Bijay said.

"You can access lectures anytime and anywhere. And lecturers are supportive, approachable and always respond quickly via email or phone,” he added.

Studying for his Master’s has been a journey for Bijay—literally. “You can take part in research that takes you places! I had the opportunity to conduct my research project in a rural village in Indonesia. It was incredibly memorable, fun—and most importantly—helped the village to develop,” he said.

Along the way Bijay also received a scholarship from the Australian Institute for Nuclear Science and Education. “Charles Darwin University is an Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation member, and as part of my research I got to travel to Sydney to support my research,” he said.

"As an external student, I enjoy CDU’s flexibility around attendance. Residential sessions are packed together so students can easily set aside a week per semester to study in Darwin."

So, what does Bijay have in mind once he’s completed his Master’s degree?

“I’d like to work on rail, bridges, high rises, and hydro power projects. Snowy Hydro 2.0 in NSW is also a hot project I would be interested in getting involved with. 

"Where I’m from, Nepal, there’s still a lot of work in civil infrastructure that needs to be done. My thought was to study engineering and hopefully contribute there one day, too," he said. 

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