Agnes Blom, last year's winner of the Boeing-sponsored engineering student of the year award, has enjoyed new-found recognition, which she has tapped to promote aerospace engineering as a career.
Last week the Dutch doctoral student attended the opening of a new composites centre, and she was recognised from a newspaper article which ran a year ago. "There is a lot of positive attention there," she says with a bashful smile.
Blom received her award at last year's Farnborough air show in recognition for her PhD research into advanced composites. "I received emails and Facebook messages from people I knew and people I didn't know, saying well done," says Blom. "I was even told I was an inspiration to all women in aerospace. People who don't know you read about you."
Blom is researching the use of curved fibres in composites, meaning the stiffness and load paths can be varied. This orientation leads to weight savings and could deliver up to 18% gains against existing technology. "Right now we are at the point of testing to see if it works in reality," says Blom. "If you can even realise part of those structural gains, you're home free."
- For more information on the 2009 Engineering Student of the Year Award or to submit an entry.
Source: Flight Daily News
