RAeS Member and Chartered Engineer, Lt Cdr Hannah West, received the Society's nomination for the 2103 Karen Burt Award in recognition of her work in managing complex engineering projects, her commitment to professional development, and her role as a STEM ambassador and mentor.
Karen Burt Award
The
Karen Burt Award is presented annually to a high calibre newly-chartered female engineer, applied scientist or IT professional by the Women in Engineering Society (
WES)
Each year the RAeS nominates one person for the Karen Burt Award, and this nominee is put forward for consideration along with nominees from other Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs). There were strong candidates from the RAeS membership and Hannah West MRAeS CEng was put forward as the nomination from the Royal Aeronautical Society.
An engineering role model
Hannah is currently the Requirements Manager in the Air Platform Systems Project Team for
MoD Defence Equipment and Support, where she is responsible for ensuring that the military requirements are correctly defined and delivered in support of the Mode 5 and Mode S Maritime Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Project and the NATO Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff Project. After completing a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering, Hannah served as Air Engineering Officer at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose before she was deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 as SO3 Civil Effects Plans and part of the Military Stabilisation Support Group. Returning to the UK she performed the role of Chinook Mk 4 Test and Evaluation Manager within MoD Defence Equipment and Support before taking up her current post.
Following regular attendance at the
RAeS Women in Aviation & Aerospace Conference series, Hannah was enthused to initiate a Conference on Future Naval Engineering: A Gender Perspective which attracted over 150 delegates. She has also been involved in developing and delivering presentations in local schools to raise awareness of the role of the naval air engineer and inspiring young people to consider STEM careers.
Importance of Chartered Engineer status
Becoming a chartered engineer is an important step in an engineer's career, allowing them to demonstrate their competence and commitment to professionalism. In accepting the nomination, Hannah said,
“achieving Chartered Engineer status has provided me with a recognised benchmark which demonstrates to those I work with my experience as a professional engineer. Working alongside colleagues from the military, civil service and industry with diverse education, training and experiences, CEng is a universal language which is understood by all. I take pride in and draw confidence from having achieved this prestigious status which assesses and recognises the competence I have gained throughout my career in professional standards which range from engineering problem solving to leadership and personnel management.”
For more information on working towards chartered engineering status, please visit our pages on professional development and registration.
Award Winner
The 2013 Karen Burt Award was presented at the WES Conference on 4 October when Molly Stevens from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining was announced as the winner of the award.