The winner of a prestigious award from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East is aiming to improve links between the industry and education.
Ana Walpole was awarded the Institution of Civil Engineers Prize 2012 upon graduating from Durham University, marking her success as the top civil engineering student in the third and fourth specialist years of her MEng course.
Originally from Gerrards Cross, in Buckinghamshire, Ana studied general engineering in the first two years of the course, focussing on civil engineering in the final years. Ana has now embarked on a graduate training programme, Teach First, to become a teacher in disadvantaged areas.
Over the course of the next two years, she will work in a secondary school in North Yorkshire, after which she hopes to return to civil engineering, yet maintain links with education.
Ana said: “Working with students at the school, I hope to engage them and give an insight into the world of civil engineering, using a range of activities, including bridge building with simple materials, and designing such things as wind turbines and generators. Even if the students do not decide to become civil engineers, this will help them to learn more about the way the world works and give them a greater appreciation of what it takes to run a civilisation such as the one we inhabit.”
Stephen Larkin, regional director of ICE North East said: “Ana completed her degree with first class performance and marks and it is great that she is planning to become an ambassador for our industry.
“One of the key roles of the Institution of Civil Engineers is to educate and encourage young people, with the aim of bringing through the talent which will become the workforce of the future, so Ana’s ambitions are something we will be very happy to support as she progresses her career.”
Image (L-R): ICE North East Director Stephen Larkin, Ana Walpole and Professor David Toll, School of Engineering and Computing Sciences at Durham University
Picture by: Julie Morgan Dodds