Mech. Eng. student wins 25th anniversary WISE award
Durham University undergraduate Zoe Burton is the winner of this year's Ford WISE (Women Into Science and Engineering) prize, the 25th year this has been awarded.
The annual award is backed by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Ford.
Burton, 22, who will graduate in mechanical engineering from the University of Durham in the summer, received her £1,000 prize from HRH Princess Anne at the WISE awards ceremony in London.
Burton said: "To win the Ford WISE Prize was such a wonderful surprise. I am passionate about engineering, and to have my enthusiasm recognised in the form of such a prestigious award was a huge honour for me. I've loved motorsport for as long as I can remember, and to embark on a degree in engineering seemed the logic step to combine my hobby and a potential career. After several years of work experience and a gap year in Formula One, I can't imagine committing my life to anything else. The academic and research staff at my university have been hugely supportive."
Other finalists were Elaine Cornell and Katherine Bexfield, both at Loughborough University. All three finalists will tour Ford's Dunton technical centre in Essex.
