Blog

Gareth Meirion-Griffith, Systems Engineer

How is living in Chicago different than living in England?

I actually prefer living in the states and I even like American football. There is a lot of positivity and so much to see in the U.S. I enjoy the diverse geography of having access to desert, pastures, cities, and mountains in one country. I do miss my American bulldog, Bella, who lives in England.
 
What are your favorite spots in Chicago?

I’ve lived in the South Loop for four years and it’s still one of my favorite Chicago neighborhoods. It’s got the convenience of being close to downtown while being a bit quieter. My favorite meal involves heading to the Signature Room for their delicious filet mignon.
 
It’s great to hang out on at the lakeshore, and I actually joined a sailing team last year to do just that. We race about two times a week from May to October. The routes vary and are chosen on race day based on wind conditions. I’m still pretty new, but I’ve been effective at grinding and in the pit. I guess I chose the right team to join, because we’ve won the cup for fastest boat many times!
 
What do you like best about working at DMC?

The variety; the project challenges are incredibly varied so you never stop learning. It’s great to work with people I have so much in common with and who like to have fun! 

What’s been your favorite project at DMC so far?

One of my first projects at DMC was an automated touch-screen kiosk. It was interesting because I played a large role in developing the extensive software from the ground up 
 
Do you have any engineering hobbies?

I’m surprisingly un-nerdy.
 
What do you like to do for fun?

I’ve been practicing martial arts since I was 15, and have taken up mixed martial arts again after a year hiatus. It’s a 100% better workout than going to the gym and I like the adrenaline rush and feeling of really pushing yourself. If both people know what they are doing, the challenge can be like a game of chess. My go-to move is probably the same as most people’s – a jab. 

Playing acoustic guitar is a hobby of mine, although I won’t play for anyone else. I mostly like playing singer-songwriter music like James Taylor or Ryan Adams. I also enjoy freshwater fishing, and I usually head to Illinois and Wisconsin lakes for bass and walleye.
 
What did you work on before joining DMC?

I was getting my PhD and working with unmanned robotic vehicles. I actually had two equations published deriving the pressure distribution below robotic vehicle wheels based on the terrain, like you would find in the Mars exploration rovers.
 
I also worked in mission control for European weather satellites. Our imaging was able to predict critical weather events, like the Indonesian tsunami. I also got to re-orbit a spacecraft into the “graveyard orbit” when it was retired. It was pretty cool to orbit it to an altitude above that which scientists use and let it drift off into space.
 
What is your favorite programming language?

C# is probably my favorite language. It’s easy to read and has a diverse range of applications
 
I hear you’ve got some moves?

I’ve been swing dancing for about a year and a half. I watched the movie Swingers and I thought it looked like a lot of fun. I had always wanted to take a dance class and I liked that swing was freeform with no fancy posing. It’s a very social activity and is all about having fun! I don’t know if I have a favorite song to dance to, but I like any kind of big band swing music from the 1920’s to 40’s.
 
How much validity is there to British stereotypes?

We don’t all have awful teeth and we’re not all soccer fans. Brits do not love the royal family as much as Americans do. Our food is not that terrible, although we do drink a lot of tea.