News Isha in the Lower Sixth awarded the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship 08.10.2020

Congratulations to Isha in the Lower Sixth who was awarded the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship for the custom violin tuner she designed and created as part of her project.

Isha explained her entry and how the Arkwright Scholarship will help her to progress into a future career in engineering below:

‘During the first few terms of Year 11, I worked on my application for the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. In order to complete the application, I was required to demonstrate creativity and an interest in engineering by designing and developing my own project. Being a violinist, I decided to code/create my own violin tuner which would guide a violinist to tune the instrument. If the sound detected by the device was higher or lower than the expected frequency for the selected string, a certain command would display, and an LED would light up to alert the player to adjust the tuning. Following on from completing my project, I sat an aptitude exam in February which tested both problem solving skills including some technical knowledge, by presenting a series of scenarios which required practical and logical engineering solutions. Conventionally, there would also be an interview stage for those who passed the exam, however due to COVID-19, my interview was cancelled.

Going forward, the scholarship provides engineering opportunities and various other initiatives for scholars to partake over the course of the sixth form. Each scholar is linked to a sponsor (and a mentor) who is responsible for financial support to assist with technical studies and the wider experience of engineering. The sponsor can also offer practical experience e.g. work experience or other opportunities. The main aim of the scholarship is to help to provide a firm foundation on which to progress into post-school education and future careers in engineering. Anyone interested in a future in these fields should consider applying as it is an excellent opportunity to develop your experience and learning outside of school.’

Congratulations Isha on your fantastic achievement.