Teenager's lifesaving scientific work earns her national award

Jun 12 2007 By Iain Laing, The Journal

Teenagers are getting a head start in the race for top jobs with the Year in Industry scheme, as Iain Laing discovered.

**********

Talented teenage engineer Lindsey Dew has scooped a national award for her outstanding work to improve safety in the oil and gas industry. She developed a test rig to check for costly and potentially dangerous leakage of hydrogen and sulphide gas from high pressure valve seals while on a year's work experience at engineering specialist BEL Valves in Newcastle.

Lindsey won the best engineering and science project at The Year in Industry Contribution to Business Awards at a ceremony at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London.

She received a £500 prize and framed certificate. The award is a huge boost for Lindsey, 19, who is in her first year at Cambridge University to study general engineering before embarking on an engineering career.

"I was shocked to win, given the competition I was up against," said Lindsey, of South Shields. "I had to give a PowerPoint presentation to six judges and answer their questions. I was absolutely terrified, but to win the award made it all worthwhile."

Lindsey spent 12 months working for BEL Valves at St Peter's, Newcastle, as part of The Year In Industry programme.

Such was the success of her test rig, which uses helium gas, that BEL Valves is now well placed to win new orders for its valves in the next three years.

Lindsey said: "The Year in Industry programme has been excellent. I thought I may just be given menial tasks to do, but instead I was given the chance to work on the test rig project with lots of support from BEL Valves."

The Year in Industry programme is a charity devoted to developing young people's careers in engineering. It has been finding good quality, paid, degree-relevant work placements for students since 1987. More than 250 UK companies take part each year and the scheme has placed more than 8,500 students to date.

It helps talented pre-university and undergraduate students find the best work placements in the UK. Placements generally last about 12 months and in that time participants can expect to earn competitive salaries.

It offered Lindsey a one-year placement with BEL Valves after she left South Tyneside College with straight A grades in A-level maths, further maths, chemistry and physics.

She was the regional finalist at the London ceremony - up against nine of the brightest young engineering talents in the country. Regional director of The Year in Industry scheme David Robinson said: "Lindsey's hard work and dedication has paid off and I'm sure she is destined for a successful career in engineering when she leaves Cambridge."

Colin Herron, of the North-East Productivity Alliance, which is backed by development agency One NorthEast and helps North-East manufacturers boost their output through lean manufacturing techniques, sat on the judging panel which gave Lindsey the regional award that qualified her for the national final.

"Lindsey is an outstanding talent and a great advocate for the career opportunities that lie in engineering for young people in the North-East," he said.

A former North-East student has also picked up two awards from the scheme in a year working for BAA Edinburgh Airport.

Former Berwick High School pupil Murray MacPherson won the Scottish final of the Year in Industry contribution to the business awards in Glasgow last July, picking up £500, then won the national final, scooping £1,000.