Top Female Engineer Wins International Prize
Being recognised as a top female engineer, final year student Chenchen Wu has been awarded the Soroptimist International St Albans & District Peggy Hodges Prize, as the highest performing female student to complete the second year of a full-time engineering degree.
The award
Receiving this award in November 2012, as the fourth recipient, Chenchen said: “To have been presented with such a special award was a fantastic feeling and a massive achievement. It also is a way of remembering the great efforts made by Peggy Hodges to engineering and to encourage more female students to get involved in this industry.”
Peggy Hodges was a highly acclaimed British engineer who was awarded an OBE for her services to engineering at a time when it was even rarer than it is today for a woman to work in the industry. As well as President of the Women’s Engineering Society from 1970-1971, Peggy was a member of the global women’s organisation, Soroptimist International. Soroptimists are committed to a world where women and girls together achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in creating strong, peaceful communities worldwide. One of the Soroptimist goals is to: “improve the lives and status of women and girls through education, empowerment and enabling opportunities”.
The prize money comes from the legacy from Peggy to Soroptimist International St Albans & District, the Club she was a member of for more than 40 years. This award was created to make a lasting Soroptimist legacy and to honour her life.
As well as the prize money, Chenchen and future winners of Soroptimist International St. Albans and District Peggy Hodges Prize, will now receive a one year’s free membership to the Women’s Engineering Society.
University experience
As an international student, adjusting to life in another country can be difficult, but Chenchen has thoroughly enjoyed her time here so far. She said: “The students and tutors at the University of Hertfordshire are very kind and the study environment is brilliant. My new friends are very friendly and have helped me a lot with my studies and my life here in the UK.”
Support, advice and aspirations
Achieving high success at university, which in turn resulted in her award win, Chenchen explained: “I am really appreciative of my tutors who have helped me with my academic achievement. The facilities at the University enable me to get access to desired learning resources whenever I want.”
She continued: “The LRC offers me the perfect study environment and it is my favourite place in the University of Hertfordshire.” As advice to other students, Chenchen advises to work hard and to be patient: “Persist on what you want to achieve and never give up.”
As specific advice to prospective female engineers, Chenchen added: “You have to trust yourself – it is not as difficult as you think. Do not be afraid and you will succeed.”
Chenchen has received an offer from the University of Surrey to complete a PhD and hopes in the future she will be an excellent engineer like Peggy Hodges.
Find out more
To find out more about the Soroptimist International St Albans & District Club, please visit www.sigbi.org/st-albans
To find out more about the Women's Engineering Society, please visit www.wes.org.uk
To find out more about studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire, please visit www.herts.ac.uk/courses/subjects/aerospace_engineering/undergraduate.cfm
Contact
Rebecca McAleese
T: 01707 286 476