We are delighted that third year Mechanical Engineering student Gemma Cox has been named as the winner of this year's Ricardo Prize which recognises the most promising female engineering student.

Each year, with its Engineering Prize, Ricardo sets out to encourage talented female engineering students by recognising their technical achievements, ability to solve complex problems, and their communications skills. Through a work placement at Ricardo, the company also gives them the opportunity to take a positive first step in their professional engineering career and make a contribution to the future of technology.

Gemma says: “I really want to use this opportunity to encourage people who also wouldn't usually fit the mould or haven't really considered engineering as a career. Don’t feel like you have to have been fixing your Dad’s car or dismantling computers since you were in nursery because I definitely didn't do that! I just enjoyed and had a natural aptitude for maths and sciences but also really enjoyed doing very creative things as well. If you enjoy making things or putting things together then engineering could well be something that you would enjoy. I really enjoyed designing and making clothes and that has actually got a lot in common with the processes that are involved for engineering. It's very creative, and you often need to come up with novel solutions for unexpected problems.”

“Also, I’d encourage people from as many diverse backgrounds and with as much varied experience as possible to get involved in engineering. Working in a team with many different viewpoints leads to really exciting and surprising ideas and better results.”

“If you’re already studying engineering I would encourage you to put yourself forward for competitions like the Ricardo Engineering Prize or any others. They do take up a little bit of time - and I know sometimes in an engineering course time is not abundant - but the process of applying does make you think about what you're good at so that you can work out what areas of work might best suit you.”

Read the full interview here.