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Published: 07 March 2018

Undergraduate named Ricardo Most Promising Female Engineer

Second year Mechanical Engineering student Rachael Ker has been awarded the highly prestigious Ricardo Engineering Prize for the UK’s most promising female engineer.

Rachael Kerr

Rachael was shortlisted for the award along with fellow Surrey student Joy Wingrave from among hundreds of students nominated by UK universities. She wins a prize of £1,000 as well as a 12 month placement with global engineering consultancy Ricardo.

The ‘Most Promising Female Engineer’ prize is awarded by Ricardo annually with the aim of encouraging talented female engineering students to remain in the field and contribute to the future of technology.

Rachael exhibits an exceptional all-round skill set which sets her apart from others and that is required from an engineering leader of the future.

Dr Mark Baker, Reader in Surface Science and Engineering

After a day of presentations and interviews, Rachael was judged as the Year 2 female engineering student who shows the most promise in three areas: technical excellence, outstanding communication, and ability to solve complex problems. A top performing student, Rachael has also been a finalist in the National Engineering and Science competition 2016 and winner of a Gold CREST award.

Reader in Surface Science and Engineering Dr Mark Baker, who nominated Rachael for the award, said: “Rachael exhibits an exceptional all-round skill set which sets her apart from others and that is required from an engineering leader of the future. She is a very talented and dynamic young engineer who fully deserves this award.”

Rachael commented: "I was really excited to find out I had made it to the final of the Ricardo competition. The assessment day included a site tour and the chance to talk to employees on Ricardo’s graduate scheme, which gave me an amazing insight into the company. I was so pleased to hear that I had won the competition as that meant I would be spending my upcoming 12 month placement with Ricardo. I really can't wait to get started."

Ricardo is a global engineering, strategic and environmental consultancy employing around 3,000 engineers, scientists and consultants around the world.

Why not explore our courses in Mechanical Engineering Sciences, including our BEng and MEng programmes in Mechanical Engineering?

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