Newbury College HNC students, George Collins and Christopher Prozzo, have both been awarded the Institute of Engineering Designers (IED) annual student award for their final year projects.
Annual IED prizes are awarded to students members on HNC/HND courses who produce exceptional final year projects, which have to achieve at least two distinction grades. Each year, colleges and universities put candidates forward to be considered by a panel of IED judges. Out of all the nominations, only a limited number of students are given the accolade.
George's project, creating a gearing assembly for a hydrochloric acid level gauge, was supported by his employer, Bayham Ltd in Basingstoke. The process saw George investigate, design and analyse three initial concepts, taking one design through to the field testing stage. The results from his final design were so successful that Bayham added it to its product catalogue.
Commenting on his project, George said: For me, the process was fun not just because I was working towards creating a well-designed end product, but because there was so much research required throughout. There were a lot of opportunities to learn something new.
For his project, Christopher designed, built and tested an Echelon ankle vacuum management system for prosthetic limbs. This was carried out with the support from his employer, rehabilitation providers Blatchford, in Basingstoke. After design and prototyping, Christopher's adjustable valve was fitted to the limb systems of volunteer amputees, who tested it in a real-world environment. By offering an adjustable product, Blatchford can cater for the needs of many customers at once, so Christopher's design will go on to be developed further.
Commenting on his project, Christopher said: It was an interesting project to work on ' challenging me to think about mechanics in a different way than I usually do. There were also plenty of opportunities to work closer with the amputees whose lives we strive to improve.
Newbury College engineering lecturer, Richard Willis is delighted that both students have been recognised for their hard work, and said: The students worked very well to present professional technical projects. Only two could be submitted to the IED and it was very difficult to select from what was an exceptionally high standard within the group ' I could have put at least six projects forward for consideration. Congratulations to George and Chris."
George and Christopher were interviewed by BBC Radio Berkshire's Bill Buckley during the October half term, ahead of their awards being officially presented by a member of the IED at the College's graduation event in December.
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