The best female engineers in the UK have been honoured at the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award 2009.
Sally Walters, a senior civil engineer with Pell Frischmann Consulting Engineers in Exeter, was named Young Woman Engineer of the Year at the awards ceremony held in London. Sally received a trophy and cheque for £1000, and will be an ambassador and spokesperson for the industry.
Sally gained her MEng 1st class Honours degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nottingham and an MPhil in Engineering from Exeter University in 2008. She said: “It is a privilege to win this award, and I am excited about the opportunities it will open up to promote engineering as a valuable, rewarding and exciting career.
“The award will also enable me to highlight the achievements of women within the Industry across all the engineering sectors. I also hope that through winning Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award my enthusiasm and passion will inspire others to seek careers in engineering.”
The runner-up award — Women’s Engineering Society Prize — was awarded to Farah Azirar, solutions manager at Sony-Electronics, Basingstoke. Farah received a trophy and cheque for £500. The Special Award for Merit, an additional award in view of the exceptional standard of finalists, was presented to Flight Lieutenant Gemma Lonsdale, Officer in Charge, Tornado Engineering Flight at RAF Lossiemouth. The Mary George Memorial Prize for an outstanding female Engineering Apprentice who has made a contribution within the workplace beyond the realms of her normal duties was awarded to Cassandra Butcher, engineering Apprentice at Rolls Royce, Bristol.
Professor Christopher Snowden, President of the IET, said: “These young women are not only pushing the boundaries of engineering and technology, they are also powerful role models to other aspiring young women and their influence and inspiration will not be limited solely to the engineering field. I offer my sincere congratulations to the finalists — they are all winners in their own right.”
