Loughborough College students completing the country’s only post-16 Space Engineering course have been honoured at a glittering ceremony marking their achievements, held at the National Space Centre.
Amongst the group receiving trophies and certificates, including for commitment and academic performance as well as for stand-out ambassador work, was Emily Bradley who earlier this year talked to British astronaut Tim Peake via Sky News in the first live broadcast conversation of his mission on the International Space Station. She was joined by her College classmates Richard Jones and David Thomson,
Loughborough College has established a unique programme, in association with the National Space Academy, pioneering space engineering for 16 to 18 year olds with previous graduates from the two-year course including Jessica Bains, who received a full scholarship to study for a Masters degree at the University of South Florida and Nigel Grainger, who won a place with top aerospace company Airbus.
Presenting the award for Space Engineering Ambassador, Loughborough College Engineering Progress Tutor Celia Barsby paid tribute to nominees Emily Bradley and Manveer Sanghera and their “exceptional generosity with their time and enthusiasm.” And on announcing winner Manveer Sanghera, commended his “passion for engineering and space technology.”
Alongside Lewis Toon, Manveer was also in the running for the Outstanding Commitment to Study award. Presenting the award to Lewis Toon, Dr Sarah Hill - Regional Network Manager, for STEMNET – praised his “consistently mature and reflective approach”, whether working, studying or “attempting challenging engineering tasks” which has enabled him to “develop and improve his work and will ensure his success as he progresses to university.”
Samuel Abell and Ryan Mawby were nominated for the coveted George Fraser Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. Presenting the award was John Holt , Research Engineer and lead investigator for the Small Planetary Linear Impulse Tool (SPLIT), being developed for Mars Sample Return, at the Space Research Centre Leicester University who highlighted winner Ryan Mawby as an “outstanding physicist. He has an inquisitive mind and a deep understanding of how things work. Couple this with excellent mathematical ability and a quiet steely determination to succeed and we get a student who will achieve the highest grades.”
Speaking after the awards evening, hosted by Loughborough College in partnership with the National Space Academy, Head of Advanced Manufacturing and Technology at Loughborough College, Dr Martin Killeen, said: “This is the fifth year of our pioneering programme and our Awards evening gives staff, family and friends the chance to gather and celebrate the success of our space engineering students.
“The space industry is growing rapidly and is expected to be worth £40 billion inside the next two decades. Our post-16 Space Engineering course together with our 18+ Higher Apprenticeship in Space Engineering – which offers work-based, degree-level training developed with the National Space Academy, the University of Leicester and the space sector - are creating brand new pathways into this exciting sector."
Pictured: Loughborough College students at the 2016 Space Engineering awards ceremony (left to right): Christopher Simpson, Ryan Mawby, Kelsey Lewis, Emily Bradley, Jacob Russell, Manveer Sanghera, Lewis Toon, Samuel Abell