Member Article

Talented graduate receives national recognition in civil engineering

A talented graduate engineer has been awarded a prestigious civil engineering accolade after reaching the final six of a national civil engineering competition.

Amy Wright, 23, who was the only female engineer and only contracting engineer to reach the final of the New Civil Engineer (NCE) Graduate Awards, was highly commended after impressing judges throughout the competition and received a prize of £350.

Amy, from Houghton-le-Spring, has been a site engineer at Sir Robert McAlpine in Newcastle since October 2012, having spent the three previous summers on work placements with the firm. More than 120 people entered the NCE Graduate Awards, which consisted of a written application and a presentation, as well as an interview with a panel of 20 judges from a wide range of companies and projects, including the Project Manager of the HS2 project and the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Amy, who graduated with a First Class Masters Degree with Honours in Civil Engineering from the University of Nottingham, said: “I am delighted to have been highly commended in the NCE awards, as it was so unexpected. I didn’t think that I would get through to the final, so it was a nice surprise to be honoured at such a respected competition.”

Throughout her studies, Amy was supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers and Sir Robert McAlpine through an ICE Queen’s Jubilee Scholarship Trust (QUEST) scholarship.

In addition to her NCE Graduate Award, Amy also received a Recent Graduate Award at the Nottingham University 2013 Alumni Laureate Awards for outstanding contribution to her chosen field. NUSTREAM, a project founded and managed by Amy since 2011, has completed its aim of constructing a small scale hydropower and solar power scheme in a small rural village in Malawi, Africa.

Amy has travelled to Malawi twice and the scheme provides electricity, in an area that previously had none, and powers lighting in a Primary School, Health Centre and Community Centre. In addition, a vaccinations fridge has been supplied to store life saving medicines and an Energy Kiosk Business created where 100 rechargeable, portable batteries are charged and rented out to provide lighting in the local village houses and other nearby schools: It is estimated over 1,000 people have benefitted from the initiative.

Amy added: “I wanted to work on a meaningful project that would use my engineering skill set, but was having difficulty finding one, so I set up my own! Over 50 students from the University of Nottingham have been involved over two years and have gained a great experience on a worthwhile project. It has been very difficult and challenging, but the end result of improving people’s quality of living has made it all worth it!”

Penny Marshall, Interim Director of the Institution of Civil Engineers North East, said: “I am delighted for Amy that she has received this recognition at the NCE Graduate Awards, which is fully deserved. To be shortlisted out of 120 applicants is a fantastic achievement and one that she should be very proud of.

“Amy is a great asset to civil engineering and I would like to wish her all the best with her career.”

For more information on NUSTREAM, visit nustreamonline.com

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This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Penny Marshall .