IET: Electrical Engineering student from County Durham wins prestigious scholarship

An Electrical Engineering PhD student from Newcastle University has been awarded a prestigious scholarship from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Christopher Spargo, 25, from County Durham, was awarded the £2,500 grant after impressing the IET judges with his work on combatting global warming through ‘green’ electrical vehicles. Christopher and his colleagues are focusing on developing novel electric motors for future electric vehicles.

As part of Newcastle University’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Christopher hopes his work will contribute to lower CO2 emissions as well as the on-going development of greener transport.

Christopher said: “It is an honour to be awarded the IET postgraduate scholarship. I feel that to be the recipient of such an award from an internationally renowned and respected institution is, for me, a great personal achievement.

“This achievement highlights the recognition of my academic work, and for a man of science, to be honoured by such distinguished peers for their own scientific work, is the ultimate accolade.”

IET Awards and Prizes Manager, Linda Deleay said: “These scholarships are awarded only to the most outstanding candidates and to be in receipt of one of these awards is a particular distinction.

“I would like to congratulate Christopher for the contribution he has made, and will make, to improve the lives of those around us and the world in which we live.”

Christopher also co-founded a school outreach programme in Newcastle, which involved supporting secondary school pupils in the North East and promoting the career opportunities within engineering. Christopher has stated that he hopes to inspire young people to become engineers, as well as improving the public perception of engineering within society.

Jeannette Heiligers from Glasgow was also rewarded an IET postgraduate scholarship of £2,500. Jeanette was commended for her ground-breaking research on polar satellites and space telecommunications.

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Notes to editors:

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Katie Stanton, Communications Executive
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