The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal was awarded to Edge Hill’s Engineering Department for their work on the National Leaders Award competition for young people aged 3 to 19, entitled ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do’.
BEng (Hons) Electronic Engineering students Spencer Asamoah and Samuel Molyneux picked up the award for their involvement in building a prototype of the ‘Anti-Waste Fridge’ designed by Leonardo, a Liverpool College pupil and a winner in the 2022 Leaders Awards Competition.
The project was designed to reduce food waste, and the prototype hosted a range of innovations, including image recognition technology that can log the food inside, track use-by dates and provide reminders to use food via a mobile app.
Associate Head of Engineering Professor Ray Sheriff said: “It is an honour to have received the MacRobert Medal, marking Edge Hill as a leader in public engagement and inspiring the next generation of engineers.
“The University is committed to fostering innovation, creativity, and inventiveness in engineering. These skills are already an integral part of many careers, and their importance will only grow as new technologies and artificial intelligence are integrated into more and more workplaces.
“It is vital that young people are encouraged to nurture essential engineering skills and discover the joy and creativity that stems from working with cutting-edge technologies.”
Nathalie Cachet-Gaujard, Head of Partnership at Primary Engineer for North England said: “I am truly delighted that Edge Hill Engineering Department was awarded the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal.
“This is a well deserved recognition of their commitment and comprehensive approach to engineering, well illustrated by this winning prototype that brought together Leonardo, the designer, and students and academic staff from the University. Engineers inspiring pupils who in turn inspire engineers. And let’s not forget teachers from Liverpool College who take part every year in the Leaders Award competition.
“As a final note, the real commercial potential was well appreciated by many in the room who commented ‘I want one.’.”
The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal is supported by both The MacRobert Trust and the WEIR Group to celebrate the innovation of young people and help inspire the next generation of engineers. For further information, please visit www.leadersaward.com.
Following the success of the 2022 Leaders Award competition, Edge Hill University’s engineering students are currently working on creating a prototype of one of the winning designs to be unveiled in 2024.
To discover more about Edge Hill’s courses, visit ehu.ac.uk/study.
November 10, 2023
