A bulk porous structure made from carbon glass and coated with nanoscale iron particles to form a nano-composite filter material
The Science, Engineering and Technology Student of the Year Awards, a prestigious event supported by industry and institutions, recognises the achievements of some of the brightest undergraduates in Europe.
This year over 600 applicants for the 15 award categories were shortlisted to just three students per category. Within these 45, the University of Bristol was well represented with three students making their respective shortlists, including Sarah Tesh from the School of Physics. Sarah was shortlisted for the Morgan Crucible Award for Best Materials Student for her undergraduate Masters project on the Degradation of aqueous pollutants using support nanoscale iron particles. The project, with Dr Tom Scott, took place in the Interface Analysis Centre (IAC) and involved the development of a method to create a nanocomposite porous water filter.
Sarah, when talking about the awards, said "To be nominated for the award was an honour but to actually make the shortlist was a fantastic surprise. After putting so much work and effort into the project it was a great feeling to realise that professionals within the industry see potential, not only in the research, but also in me. I found the project itself very interesting as it is a fascinating area of up and coming research and I enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm with the judging panel."
Once shortlisted, students attended an interview where they presented their project and took questions and the results were announced at a grand awards ceremony on 23 September.
Unfortunately, Sarah did not win overall. "I was naturally a bit disappointed but the competition was exceptional and I am still immensely proud of getting so far. The awards event was very enjoyable and a fantastic opportunity to make contacts within Morgan Crucible, all of whom were friendly and keen to stay in touch to follow my progress as I continue the project as a PhD student within the Interface Analysis Centre.
"It was a great honour to reach the final three for my category and I am so thankful to the great support system I had from the IAC, Physics and my lab partner, Julia Greenwood, as well as my family."
Congratulations also to Stephen Thompson, from the Department of Civil Engineering, who won the Laing O’Rourke Award for Best Civil Engineering Student of the Year with his project entitled Redevelopment of Colston Hall, and to Michael Salter from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering who was shortlisted for the ARM Award for Best Electronic Engineering Student for his project on Radio transmission through the Greenland ice sheet.