We are very pleased to announce that our student Meenakshi Parameshwaran was recently named UCL Engineering Engager of the Year - Postgraduate Student. The prize was awarded at the annual Provost's Engineering Engagement Award Ceremony, which this year took place at Woburn House.

In his welcome address to the audience, Professor Nigel Titchner-Hooker, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, thanked all those involved in the major engagement effort within UCL Engineering: "The Engagement project is a huge part of the Faculty's 'Change the World' mission. I am constantly blown away by the diversity of what people do in schools to help children understand the relevance and transformative power of engineering. I am delighted to see such innovation demonstrated by these worthy prize winners."

Meena, an MSc student in Computational Statistics and Machine Learning, was nominated for the award for her dedication to tutoring students at Chobham Academy every week. She formed a particularly strong bond with one student (see picture above), who, originally disengaged from STEM subjects, showed remarkable change and improvement as a consequence of Meena's perseverance, patience and kindness.

“Working with students from Chobham Academy has been a really rewarding experience," said Meena. "I’ve especially enjoyed working with young people in Year 11, who are at such a pivotal stage of their education. By tutoring students in the run up to their exams, I’ve been able to provide targeted topic-based help for pupils, whilst also showing them the value and relevance of mathematics in university education and later life."

"I know that role models are hugely important for young people, so I hope I’ve helped show Chobham students that engineers come in all shapes and sizes, and from all walks of life - anyone can be an engineer if they work hard to achieve their goals. I wish the Chobham students and staff all the best for the rest of the academic year and every success in the future.”

Please join us in congratulating Meena on her well-deserved award!

We would also like to thank Elpida Makrygianni. UCL's Engineering Education Developer & Coordinator, for her boundless energy and drive to continue improving and broadening the Engagement programme.

Read more on UCL Engineering's Engagement Strategy on their website.

Find out more about Chobham Academy in Newham on their website.

Find out more about CSML, Meena's postgraduate degree course, here.