Female power engineer from Nottingham scoops prestigious national award

10 January 2008

The IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) has today announced that Alice Delahunty, age 26 from Nottingham, is the winner of the 2007 IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards.

Alice, who was selected from more than 100 entrants to claim the award, has also become the 30th female engineer to be awarded the accolade which aims to celebrate the best female engineering talent in the UK as well as highlighting the severe shortage of women working in engineering and technology.

As an electrical engineering programme co-ordinator for E.ON UK, Alice spearheads the development of innovative solutions within the power industry.

As well as being responsible for driving forward development and promotion of new technology within the Power industry, Alice is also actively involved in technical consultancy and operational support to ensure the vital role of keeping the E.ON’s UK’s power station fleet running. Her responsibilities include giving advice on how to ensure the stations continue to supply power in the most efficient, cost effective and environmentally sound way possible.

Robin McGill, chief executive of the IET said: “I would like to congratulate Alice on this fantastic achievement. Alice is a very enthusiastic, dedicated and bright young woman who is passionate about her job and committed to demonstrating this to others. A great role model for other young women considering a role in engineering, I wish Alice all the very best for the future.”

McGill continued: “This year’s IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year competition has attracted hundreds of high calibre candidates, clearly demonstrating the impressive quality of young women now following successful careers in engineering. However, the IET is concerned that only 5.4 per cent of the UK’s engineers are women and more needs to be done to demonstrate that engineering provides an excellent career choice with many great opportunities. The IET is committed to raising the profile of engineering and encouraging more young people, including women, to consider a wider participation within the profession. In particular, we hope the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards will help to address the shortage of female role models within engineering, especially in light of the current skills shortages within the industry.”

Alice has been instrumental in encouraging other young people to consider a career in engineering. One of her most recent ventures involved suggesting and setting up a sustainable design project for second year degree students at Loughborough University to design a radical street lighting system. Alice is now acting as a technical consultant to the students who are working to progress there designs to prototype stage.

Two years ago Alice was also a presenter for the IET’s Faraday Lecture 2006, Emission Impossible Can Technology Save the Planet - an interactive touring show for 13-15 year olds to encourage young people into science and engineering.

Alice remembers being told that she would make a great engineer after spending an entire weekend wiring up her dolls house with 15 tiny lights and a master dimmer switch, despite burning a hole in the carpet! She later spent a work experience placement at a company building armoured cars for NATO and spaceship parts for NASA.

Alice will receive a cheque for £1,000 and an engraved trophy at the BT Centre, London presented by scientist and TV presenter Dr Maggie Aderin, The Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award is the most prestigious honour of its kind in the UK and attracts prominent supporters and sponsors including BT, Women’s Engineering Society, Shell and Arup. The awards are this year celebrating their 30th anniversary. To mark this special milestone some of the previous winners from the past 30 years will be attending the event.

All media enquiries to:

Jenny Bond

T: 020 7344 5445

E: jennybond@theiet.org