UHI Inverness student wins two memorial scholarship prizes

A final-year degree student at UHI Inverness has won two separate memorial awards in recognition of her dedication to her studies.

Charlotte Bailey, who is studying BEng (Hons) Energy Engineering, is the first ever winner of the Calum Davidson Marine Energy Prize. She has also received the Sidney Black Memorial Engineering Award.

They are both bespoke £500 scholarship prizes that have been gifted to UHI by donors.

Charlotte (25) of Talisker on the Isle of Skye began studying at UHI Inverness in 2018 after working as a chef in hospitality. She attended classes on campus until the pandemic and since then has studied remotely.

The prizes are helping to fund her final year, allowing her to buy materials and undertake additional training ­in business management.

She has already secured a graduate position with SSEN Transmission which is responsible for the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland.

Professor Chris O’Neil, Principal and Chief Executive of UHI Inverness, said: “It’s a tremendous testament to Charlotte’s diligence, talent and dedication to her studies that she has been chosen as the recipient of two prizes in memory of gifted practitioners in her chosen field. I hope this recognition inspires Charlotte to follow in the footsteps of Sidney and Calum to build a notable career that will encourage future students. I am sure she will have a fantastic career with SSEN Transmission.”

Calum Davidson served as Director of Energy and Low Carbon at Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The Calum Davidson Marine Energy Prize was established in his memory in recognition of his dedication to the early development of the marine energy sector and his belief in the potential for the Highlands and Islands to be recognised as a world-class region for marine activity.

Charlotte said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have won this award. Having progressed into my final year, this acts as a boost to my confidence and encourages me to keep working hard and to progress my career on my desired path. This award will allow me to undertake additional training this year and to keep bettering my CV.”

Throughout his life, Sidney Black was driven by his passion for engineering. An annual £500 award is given in his name to inspire new female engineers to achieve their full potential.

The Sidney Black Memorial Engineering Award is offered to a graduating female engineering student who has demonstrated a combination of academic achievement, personal attributes or a contribution to society/student life.

Charlotte said: “This fund gives me extra motivation to continue my hard work over my final year of studies and will help me to buy materials such as textbooks and other supplies. I am very grateful to receive this, and my thanks goes out to Lois Gray who has donated the prize in memory of her father.

“All the lecturers who I have spent time with over the course of the past few years have provided me with a great deal of knowledge and motivation to keep learning and pursuing my goal to be an engineer working in climate change reducing technologies.”

Lois Gray, the daughter of Sidney Black, said that achieving excellent grades after a significant career change demonstrated to her that Charlotte is dedicated to engineering, evidenced by her summer placement at SSE and her desire to solve problems. Lois also noted that Charlotte’s Personal Academic Advisor described her as a delight to teach with high motivation and positive interaction.

Lois said: “I think Charlotte will be a great role model for other women engineers. This is the reason I have donated this award in my father’s name.  My father encouraged me, at a time when very few women studied engineering, and even now, gender imbalance negatively impacts design quality and availability of professional staff.”