The students were nominated for the awards by Lancaster University’s Engineering department and are given annually to reward academic excellence.
The awards were presented by IMechE representatives Euan Mason, David Terry and Dr David Ball at a presentation ceremony in Lancaster.
The six award recipients and their projects were:
Zane Brough - Project prize (Certificate plus bronze medal) for the most outstanding project (Mechatronic Engineering) – for developing a novel concept for a deployable solar panel system for space satellites.
Joseph Spencer - Best Project Certificate (Mechatronic Engineering) – for developing a flap actuation system suitable for wind turbines.
Jon Hutchinson - Best Project Certificate (Sustainable Engineering) – for the development of a modular horizontal axis Gorlov-style helical tidal stream turbine.
Katie Mitton - Best Project Certificate (Nuclear Engineering) – for exploring the potential for a reinforcing bar in concrete to be explored non-destructively with fast neutrons.
Anita Crompton - Best Student Certificate (Mechatronic Engineering) – for designing and building a computer control scanning platform to support digital mixed-field radiation imaging.
Sean Petley - Best Student Certificate (Sustainable Engineering) – the group project, which Sean led, was on the development of a novel overtopping wave energy convertor.
Dr George Aggidis said he was delighted with the students’ success: “The depth and breadth of the engineering teaching at Lancaster, with its project-based focus, produces outstanding engineers, who attract recognition by both industry and academia.” Dr Aggidis is a Fellow of the IMechE and Board Member of its Power Industries Fluid Machinery Group and is the Director of Lancaster University Renewable Energy Group (LUREG), which carries out research into conversion of energy from renewable sources and mainly water sources, including waves, tides and land-based hydro power.
Lancaster is ranked 8th in the UK for Mechanical Engineering in the latest Guardian University Guide.