IET names UK’s top female engineers

The accolade was awarded to the 29 year old aircraft engineering officer, who works with the 4 Regiment Army Air Corps. The ceremony took place last night at Savoy Place in London to celebrate the very best female talent in UK industry. A graduate of the University of Bristol, Joyce supplies battle winning helicopters on worldwide operations and leads professional engineering soldiers in dangerous and challenging environments. As the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year, Joyce received a trophy and a cheque for £1000 and will act as an ambassador and spokesperson for the industry. Speaking to Eureka magazine, she said she revels in meeting a different engineering challenge each day, whether it be restoring airworthiness following battle damage in Afghanistan, or investigating saline corrosion whilst at sea off the coast of Libya. "It's a huge honour to win such a prestigious award," she said. "This is a great opportunity to inspire a range of young people to take up the exciting career that engineering is and I hope to use this opportunity as an ambassador for the IET to demonstrate the diversity of engineering careers available and the security this profession has to offer." The awards ceremony also recognised Laurie-Ann Benner, a reliability engineer at PEME Process Control, and Kelly-Ann Walker, a combustion engineer at E.ON New Build & Technology. Benner received the Mary George Memorial Prize for an outstanding female engineering apprentice as well as a trophy and cheque for £750, while Walker was honoured with the Women's Engineering Society Prize and a cheque for £500. IET chief executive, Nigel Fine, said: "These awards clearly demonstrate that women in engineering and technology can enjoy exciting and world changing careers. Seeing the best female engineers and technicians recognised and rewarded for their ground breaking achievements is a great way to inspire the next generation of women into this exciting field." Last year's winner, Arlene McConnell, a systems engineer with defence firm Selex Galileo, spoke to Eureka magazine about her efforts over the past year to attract more young people into engineering. "It's no secret that we need to change the perceptions people have about the industry," said McConnell. "Most young people think being an engineer means building bridges and getting your hands dirty. What they don't realise is that it's everything you touch. It's our clothes, our cars, even the food we eat. "For me, it's about making young people part of the dialogue, introducing STEM subjects to them at an early age and showing them that when they put their mind to something, anything is possible. "The truth is, you don't need awards or titles to make a difference; you just have to be passionate about what you do as an engineer and have a willingness to share this with others."