The Alfred Clayton Hill Award was created in the will of the late Walter Sacker Hill (1866-1932), a former mayor of Redcar (1926-27), in memory of his father. Alfred Clayton Hill had died at the age of 54; his son’s will describes him as “one of the pioneer engineers of the Cleveland iron trade”. His memorial in Eston Cemetry is inscribed “Erected by Workmen and Friends”.
The Will bequeathed a sum of money to what was then the Cleveland Technical Institute, to be invested “for the promotion and encouragement of the technical and scientific education and advancement of young men who are being trained as blast furnace engineers or managers, being preferably natives of Cleveland”. Successful candidates received an annual award of £100.
Times have changed; the Cleveland Technical Institute has become the Cleveland Scientific Institution, there are no longer young men being trained as blast furnace engineers on Teesside, the restriction of the award to “young men” would now be illegal, and £100 is nothing like as valuable in the 21st
century as it was in 1932. The criteria for the award have been amended on more than one occasion to allow for such changes. Currently, the Alfred Clayton Hill award is presented to “an outstanding final year undergraduate student of Teesside University, who has shown most promise and drive in finding additional STEM-related skills and experience beyond their academic studies, for example through voluntary work, summer placement, extra-curricular activity, etc.”
Candidates must be registered on a degree course which has been accredited by a Professional
Engineering Institution that is recognised by the Engineering Council as being eligible for
Chartered Engineer or Incorporated Engineer status.
The James Winship Jackson Presidential Award was instituted in the 1990s, and is named for a former president of the Institution. The criteria for this award are the same as those given above for the ACH Award, except that candidates must be studying “a degree course in physical, computer or life sciences, or mathematics, which has been accredited or otherwise recognised by a Professional Scientific Institution”.
Teesside University identifies a shortlist of up to four candidates for each Award, who are interviewed by a panel comprising members of CSI Council; the panel determines the award winner.
The value of both Awards is £600; unsuccessful shortlisted candidates receive an award of £50.
ACH Award winner 2024
Kundai Moyo received the 2024 ACH Award
Kundai obtained her MEng degree in Aerospace Engineering. She consistently demonstrated dedication to her studies and has excelled. She has actively applied her STEM expertise by volunteering for various events, including the Space 2101 space camp alongside NASA Astronaut Susan Kilrain. During this camp at Teesside University, she served as a mentor to school children. Additionally, Kundai participated in the Aviation conference of 2024, where she contributed to a panel interviewing Sir Stephen Hillier, Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority. She also collaborated with Ambasat on her final year project, focusing on the development of a CubeSat satellite to analyse power generation and thermal management.
JWJ Award winners 2024
In 2024 the JWJ award was shared between Pranav Pathiyarappattu and Lucy Fawcett
Pranav Pathiyarappattu
Pranav obtained his BEng (Hons) degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Industry. He joined the university in September 2019 and had the unfortunate experience of working remotely within six months of commencement of his studies. During this period, he still maintained high standards of engagement with online learning material and managed to navigate his studies to achieve excellent grades at levels 4 and 5. Following the completion of his second year he was successful in gaining an industrial placement with Ocado Technology. The placement started in the summer of 2021 and concluded in the summer of 2022. During this time the feedback from his industrial mentor was that Pranav was an exceptional intern. This was underpinned by Ocado offering him a graduate position to commence in June 2024. In his final year Pranav worked as the IET student ambassador, supporting on campus activities and liaising with the IET local network, Teesside branch.
Lucy Fawcett
Lucy obtained her BSc (Hons) degree in Animal Science and Welfare. She organised a placement herself with a small family-owned farming business. She jumped head-first into her placement and ended up working in and around every department within the organisation. Her enthusiastic attitude and her desire to explore the company led to her being able to accompany visits to animal shows to promote the food and feed production facility, as well as talk to farm managers all around the country. Lucy used skills from her learning to help grow the company, as well as learning a great deal about animal nutrition. Her employers were very pleased with Lucy and the connections she made will provide her with fantastic industrial opportunities in the future.
Cleveland Scientific Institution Teesside University Scholarship
Recipients 2024
Emma Murphy – Year 2 BSc Biomedical Science
Emma aspires to be a microbiologist in the NHS. She has used her scholarship funds to purchase a second-hand light microscope to familiarise herself in more depth with microscopy and explore the fascinating world of microorganisms such as tardigrades, ciliates, algae and nematodes.
Rhiannon Gwynne – Year 1 BSc Crime Scene Science
The funds awarded will allow Rhiannon to work fewer hours and have more time to dedicate to her course.
Caela-Louise Reilly – Year 1 BSc Crime Scene Science
The financial aware to Caela-Louise will help her better to afford to live independently at university.
