Winners announced in 'STEM Behind Everything' contest

The judging panel for the poster competition

Schools from across Tayside and Fife took part in a poster competition from Abertay University to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day.

The schools were challenged to create posters explaining ‘The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Behind Everything’, with winners in three categories including Polly Morns from St Leonard’s School in Fife (Originality), Cally Lorimer from Balmerino Primary School in Fife (Graphic Design) and Alex Connah from Perth Academy (Concept and Creativity).

Run by Abertay’s Division of Civil Engineering, the annual poster competition - which encourages children to consider a career in STEM - came to a close on International Women in Engineering Day 2018.

Around 60 posters were submitted on themes ranging from ‘Who Invented the Times Tables?’ and ‘What are Dreams?’ to ‘Are Aliens Real?’ and ‘Is Time Travel Possible?’

Dr Margi Vilnay, Structural Engineer and Programme Leader for Abertay’s BSc (Hons) Civil Engineering, organised the competition with Research Assistant Alison Duffy.

Dr Vilnay said: “International Women in Engineering Day is a great time to reflect, not only on the status of women in the profession, but also on the future of engineering.

“At its heart, engineering is all about inquisitive minds and creativity and looking at these outstanding posters we can all rest assured that the future of engineering and science in Scotland will be very bright.

“Abertay is the only University in Scotland to offer a guaranteed work placement with every Civil Engineering degree, ensuring our graduates are ready for their future careers in the world of STEM.”

Competition prizes were sponsored by the Dundee and Fife branch of the Institution of Civil Engineers, with chairperson Alan Hutchison taking part in the judging.

He said: “The quality and diversity of issues covered in these posters is fantastic.

“It has been a privilege but also a very difficult task to choose winners from amongst all these entries.”

Picture shows judging panel members (L-R), Abertay Research Assistant Alison Duffy, Chair of ICE Dundee and Fife Alan Hutchison, Abertay lecturer Dr Cornelia Doerich-Stavridis and Abertay programme leader Dr Margi Vilnay

Full list of winners:

Originality: