The IET’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards

Yewande Akinola - 2012 IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award winner

Yewande is an Environmental Services Engineer with ARUP. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Design and Appropriate Technology from the University of Warwick and a Masters in Innovation and Design for Sustainability from Cranfield University.

She has a passion for innovation and sustainable water supply and enjoys the challenge of taking engineering ideas from concept right through to manufacture. She combines her career with media roles through which she shares the thrills of life as an Engineer.

Yewande also has interests in water and sanitation for underdeveloped and developing countries. In 2009 she was awarded Society of Public Health Engineers ‘Young Engineer of the Year’. In her spare time, she enjoys building models, settling into a good book, writing, travelling and exploring new places.

Charlotte Tingley - 2012 WES Prize winner

Charlotte started with BAE Systems in 2006 as an Advanced Technical Apprentice after finishing her GCSEs. She completed a 3 year apprenticeship gaining experience and qualifications in the Aerospace Engineering Industry.  During her apprenticeship she was a finalist for the BAE Systems Apprentice of the Year 2010 and won the Category for Community Achievement.

On completion of her apprenticeship Charlotte was employed as a Test technician for Helmet Production at Rochester, Working on some fantastic technology such as the Harrier Jump Jet Helmet and the world’s most advanced pilot’s helmet the Euro Fighter Typhoon Aircraft.  Within 3 months of being a Test Technician she was promoted to Leading Hand, being the Youngest ever to achieve this role at Rochester.

After two years being a Leading Hand, Charlotte was selected from the entire pool of manual workers to harness test knowledge by electronically analysing test failure data and recommend corrective actions that contribute to product reliability and safety, this known as Real Time FRACAS (Failure Review and Corrective Action System) at Rochester.

Outside of work Charlotte likes to volunteer and give back something to those less fortunate. She had the privilege of spending 12 weeks on a remote island in Fiji last October, involved in a Marine Conservation Project to Educate the Local Fijians about their surrounding Marine Life on the coral reefs, this being their primary source of food. During her 12 weeks Charlotte conducted daily reef surveys utilising her scuba qualifications.

Another interesting fact! – Charlotte is the Lead Vocalist for the music band Charlie and the Stone Ages heroes gigging at Functions and Pubs around the region.

Jessica Jones - 2012 Intel Inspirational Award for Entrepreneurship winner

Jessica Leigh Jones is an eighteen year old student who has recently been accepted to study Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Cardiff University in 2012.

Jessica enjoys both physics and electronics equally and has recently been involved in designing a portable, electronic foetal contraction monitor for Huntleigh Healthcare Diagnostics.

Independent of this, she is currently in the process of patenting a form of fibre optic sensing technology and setting up a limited company to market this product. In her free time she is an enthusiastic STEM Ambassador and promoter of females in the engineering disciplines.