Last night (Tuesday 21^st February), we were honoured to join Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra and other esteemed guests, at the inaugural Young Women’s Trust awards ceremony. 

The Young Women’s Trust, is a charity supporting women aged 16 to 30 on low or no pay. The ceremony was held to recognise three amazing young women who have overcome barriers to success to make substantial progress in their lives.

In contrast to traditional awards, these awards sponsored by WMG, Venn Group and Clarion Housing Group, celebrate women starting out, rather than those at the top of their professions, to highlight how difficult it can be to get a foot in the door. Young Women’s Trust offers direct services to support young women into work and campaigns for fair financial futures.

Margaret Low, Principal Teaching Fellow at WMG, has been selected by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) for a National Teaching Fellowship.

Margaret was recognised by the HEA for her individual excellence, raising the profile of excellence and developing excellence in teaching.

Margaret is an inspirational educator with 30 years’ experience in the HE sector. She teaches on both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. She is also our Widening Participation Officer, coordinating activities across the department and collaborating with other colleagues within the University.

A National Teaching Fellowship is the HEA’s most prestigious individual award for excellence in teaching in higher education.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman of WMG said "I am delighted that Margaret has had her dedication to teaching recognised by the HEA. Her contribution to WMG has had a significant impact on the students she has taught and the department as a whole."

Warwick received three Fellowships (the most that any institution can be awarded) which makes it the only institution to achieve this distinction in 2016.

WMG was pleased to welcome 22 girls from the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, to a special ‘Magnificent Women and their Flying Machines’ event, in celebration of National Women in Engineering Day.

The event was set up by the Women's Engineering Society (WES) to commemorate the work of early women engineering pioneers during the First World War. At the workshop the girls were tasked with designing and building aircraft wings, taking inspiration from the work of these women.

Shaheen Charlwood, Senior Teaching Fellow at WMG, explained: “The event was designed to inspire the next generation of female engineers, and in turn encourage them to consider engineering as a possible career.

Dr Rebecca Cain, Associate Professor and Head of the Experiential Engineering Research Group at WMG, University of Warwick, has been selected to join the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Early Career Forum in Manufacturing Research.

The EPSRC Early Career Forum (ECF) for Manufacturing Research has a strong focus on advancing the UK's international reputation in manufacturing research, through developing inter-disciplinary research agendas, and impacting upon research policy development. Ten new members are selected each year, in a competitive application process. Members of the Early Career Forum have the opportunity to interact with other early career researchers from across the breadth of engineering and the physical sciences, forming new professional networks that may generate future innovative research programmes.

Shaheen Charlwood, Senior Teaching Fellow, was thrilled to represent WMG at the official opening of the new WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) HQ at the Leeds College of Building by HRH The Princess Royal.

Shaheen joined leading figures in industry and education, to hear a series of inspirational speeches from WISE Chief Executive Helen Wollaston, Commercial Director HS2 Beth West. The guest of honour, HRH the Princess Royal, unveiled a commemorative plaque. Each speech focused on girls and women studying and building careers in science, technology, engineering and manufacturing (STEM), and the need to improve links between schools and employers.

WMG has appointed Sue Parr as its Business Development Director to develop the Professional and Executive Programmes.

Sue, who joined WMG in December, brings a wealth of knowledge with her, after 12 years at the Open University where she was Director of Executive Education. It was there that she successfully created and developed a division responsible for delivering customised solutions for private and public sector organisations from SMEs to global businesses. She also developed an impressive portfolio of innovative online and blended programmes.

Prior to the Open University, Sue spent many years working with organisations in management learning and development, also coaching middle and senior managers in a range of organisations. Sue began her career in publishing, holding senior management and board roles in international companies. She later ran a small business creating e-learning courses, some of which were award winning, for organisations.

WMG’s Margaret Low and Diane Burton will be taking part in the Skirting Science Solihull event on Friday 26 June for 200 teenage girls from schools across the town.

WMG student Hannah Sugrue is thrilled to be joining the Motorsport presenting panel at this year’s National Women in Engineering Day seminar at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) in London.

The special Motorsport themed session takes place on the evening of Tuesday 23 June and will explore how exciting, challenging and truly rewarding the Motorsport industry can be.

Hannah was selected after recently being celebrated as the 50,000th competitor of the world’s largest student motorsport event, Formula Student. Formula Student, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineering, is in its 18^th year and challenges student engineers to design, build and race a single seat racing car in one year. The event takes place in Silverstone 8-12 July.

Hannah Sugrue, originally from Coventry and a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Warwick, is being celebrated as the 50,000th competitor of the world’s largest student motorsport event, Formula Student.

Formula Student, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, is in its 18th year and challenges student engineers to design, build and race a single seat racing car in one year. The event will take place in Silverstone on 8-12 July. The cars are judged on their speed, acceleration, handling and endurance in a series of time-trial races, while the teams are tested on their design, costing and business presentation skills.

Hannah, 24, attended Bablake School in Coventry and is hoping to pursue a career in Project Management.

The Institute of Digital Healthcare (IDH) at the University of Warwick welcomes the appointment of the Chief Medical Officer for University Hospital Coventry as a new Professor of Practice. Meghana Pandit, who is also Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the UHCW NHS Trust, has taken up a new professorial teaching fellow role at WMG.

The IDH is a partnership between the NHS, WMG and Warwick Medical School which aims to improve people's health and wellbeing through the development, evaluation and use of innovative digital technologies and services.

Meghana’s role is to provide leadership and undertake teaching, training and clinical innovation.

She will also be involved in the design, development and delivery of a range of programmes of study, particularly in Healthcare Management, and assist with clinical engagement for IDH projects.

Meghana said: “I am honoured to take up this part-time role as Professor of Practice and delighted to be working with WMG. Hopefully these roles can help bring further innovation into UHCW and strengthen our partnership with the University of Warwick.