27 September 2007
High-flying Sheffield graduate lands top award
A graduate from the University of Sheffield´s Faculty of Engineering has been named as Best Aeronautical Engineering Student 2007 at the national Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) awards, for a project which looked into the manufacture quality of turbine blades and how this affects their aerodynamic performance.
Edward Spalton, 22, who has recently completed a MEng degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University, was presented the Airbus sponsored award trophy, by Robin Brown, from Airbus UK, who was one of the judges. The judges assessed the technical quality and achievement of the applicants´ projects, together with the students´ personal qualities, their overall knowledge of their discipline and their ability to be an ambassador for the discipline.
Edward´s project focused on how defects produced during the manufacture of turbine blades might affect their aerodynamic performance in operation and whether some flaws could be tolerated, potentially saving the industry millions of pounds in reducing the number of blades that have to be scrapped after manufacture.
His achievement was announced at a ceremony attended by more than 500 students, academics and business leaders at London´s Alexandra Palace. Record numbers of entries were received from every major university in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and judges paid tribute to the exceptional quality of this year´s work. Forty-five students were shortlisted in 15 different categories.
This is just one of several prizes Edward has received during his time at the University of Sheffield, others include, the Sir Harold West Award for academic and personal promise, two Hatfield Memorial Awards in concurrent years and The Mappin Medal in his final year.
Edward said: "I was extremely flattered to be nominated by my university for this award and to make it through the successive rounds and win the award is a dream come true. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the projects I have completed during my time at university and I am very grateful for all the support and guidance I have received from my faculty, my tutors and fellow students during my studies. In particular I´d like to thank my dissertation supervisor Dr Robert Howell who was central in making all this happen."
"I am now looking forward to travelling for a year and then joining the Rolls-Royce graduate scheme in 2008."
Professor Geof Tomlinson, Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Sheffield, said: "This is a fantastic achievement and we are all extremely proud of Edward. He is an excellent student, with boundless enthusiasm, who is an asset to his faculty and the University of Sheffield. I wish him every success with his future career."
Robin Brown, Technical Advisor at Airbus UK, added: "Edward is an articulate and enthusiastic student who is committed to an engineering career. All these qualities make him an excellent ambassador for engineering and a worthy winner of this award."
Notes for Editors: The SET Awards are organised by the World Leadership Forum and sponsored by Airbus, AstraZeneca, AWE, Balfour Beatty, Bentley Motors, Cadbury Schweppes, e2v Technologies, GKN, GlaxoSmithKline, The Institution of Engineering & Technology, Laing O´Rourke, Lloyd's Register Educational Trust, Microsoft Research, Morgan Crucible, The National Physical Laboratory and SAGE.
They are supported and judged by The British Computer Society, The British Pharmacological Society, The Institute of Biology, The Institute of Food Research, The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, The Institute of Physics, The Institution of Chemical Engineers, The Institution of Civil Engineers, The Institution of Engineering & Technology, The Institution of Mathematics and its Applications, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, The London Mathematical Society, The Royal Aeronautical Society, The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and The Royal Society of Chemistry.
For further information please contact: Jenny Wilson, Media Relations Officer on 0114 2225339 or email j.c.wilson@sheffield.ac.uk
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