University student named as Midlands communicator of the year
An Aston University PhD student has been named as the best young communicator in the Midlands.
Alice Johnson (pictured) from the University’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences won the regional heat of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Speak Out for Engineering (IMechE SOfE) 2024 challenge.
The global competition was established in 1964 by the Young Members Institution of Mechanical Engineers to challenge young professionals to prove that they can communicate technical and mechanical engineering-related subjects.
Alice’s award-winning talk was about optimising scaffolds for cultivated meat bioprocessing, and she will now represent the Midlands in the UK & Ireland 2024 final.
Competitors give a 20-minute oral presentation on a subject relating to mechanical engineering, and 90 per cent of the total marks are given for the delivery, with only 10 per cent for the technical content. It provides them with the opportunity to demonstrate and develop their presentation skills and competence in public speaking. Presentations are judged by a panel of professionals from industry and each entry receives feedback on their presentation.
Jean-Luc Bulber, chairman of the IMechE Birmingham area committee, said: “Alice definitely impressed all the judges and the audience with the animated presentation she had built using Canva rather than the more conventional PowerPoint software. The aesthetic appeal and rich modern design helped her share her research work and make it accessible to a wider public. She also truly engaged with the audience, which is a key aspect of this challenge. Be good in the work you do, and even better at sharing it with others.”
Alice said: "I aimed to paint a picture of a sustainable food future that everyone can understand, illustrating how cultivated meat can go from biopsy to bowl.
“Communicating STEM topics is just as important as the research itself because public understanding and acceptance are key to advancing technologies like these. Without that foundation, we risk slowing down progress towards meaningful change."
Her PhD supervisor Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez said: “This is a tremendous achievement by Alice, after only the first year of her PhD, and we are delighted to see her passion and enthusiasm for her research and communication with the public rewarded with a win in this competition.
“She clearly conveyed to the audience of significance of her work in an engaging and accessible manner, and we wish her the very best of luck in representing Aston University at this year’s nationals.”
The regional final was hosted by the University recently. The competition is open to any affiliate, associate or young member of the Institution who has been professionally registered for ten years or less. Alice’s success follows the 2023 competition in which two students from Aston University, Golnaz Shahrestani and Fatima Khanom, took home prizes in the challenge.
