- University of Sheffield engineering student Flora Hippisley-Cox has been named Siemens’ Intern of the Year
- Flora has been honoured in recognition of her work to train the next generation of engineers, promote women in STEM and help students access Siemens’ state-of-the-art technologies to aid their studies
- The Sheffield engineer rebuilt Siemens’ Digital Innovation Zone - a world first laboratory where students can gain hands-on experience of Siemens’ latest digital technologies used by industry
- Flora has led a range of educational initiatives, including a robotics programming challenge, while continuing her role as president of a women in engineering society, working to inspire more girls to study STEM subjects
A University of Sheffield student who has dedicated the past year to inspiring the next generation of engineers, working tirelessly to support and champion women in STEM, has been named Intern of the Year.
Flora Hippisley-Cox, who is studying mechanical engineering with biomechanics, has been awarded the prize by Siemens - one of the world’s leading technology companies.
The young engineer has spent the past year working at Siemens on a 12 month internship programme - engineering students at Sheffield have the opportunity to spend a year working in industry as part of their degree.
During her time with the company, Flora created and delivered a series of educational initiatives to help her fellow engineering students enhance their digital skills and gain hands-on experience of design tools used by industry.
Flora rebuilt the Siemens Digital Innovation Zone (DIZ) - a world first laboratory at Sheffield that enables students to use some of Siemens’ very latest digital technologies and apply them to their studies. She trained and managed more than 25 student volunteers who now assist in the DIZ’s daily operations.
Among the initiatives Flora developed was a robotic programming competition. This challenged students to learn how to programme a robotic arm so it could navigate around an obstacle course. The competition, called The Innovate and Navigate challenge, helped students gain practical experience of using industry technology, such as 3D scanners and CAD software.
Whilst working full time at Siemens, Flora also continued in her role as President of the University of Sheffield’s Women in Engineering Society. The society supports female engineers at the University and runs a range of outreach events in both primary and secondary schools throughout the South Yorkshire region to inspire more girls to study STEM subjects.
Flora beat more than 30 other interns to be awarded the prize, which was judged by several members of Siemens UK Executive Board.
On being awarded Intern of the Year, Flora said: “I was both thrilled and humbled to be named Intern of the Year. It’s incredibly rewarding to see that the dedication and hard work I put into my role have been recognised. This experience has made me more excited about my future career in engineering. I've truly enjoyed working at Siemens. The company's supportive ethos and dynamic environment made for a rewarding experience. Witnessing firsthand how an internationally recognized company operates behind the scenes was both exciting and insightful.”
Dave Moss, Head of Research & Innovation Ecosystems at Siemens UK, who nominated Flora for the award, said: “Quite simply, Flora has been the embodiment of Siemens’ values and has made a major contribution to our strategic priorities. During her internship, she has educated others and herself, strongly promoted Women in STEM and actively promoted access to Siemens technologies for our customers, students and our future workforce.
“Flora has delivered significant value to Siemens all whilst continuing her work with the Women in Engineering team at the University of Sheffield. This included STEM outreach into primary and secondary schools and at science fairs, publishing their own books to encourage girls that engineering is a valuable career, and winning National Society of the Year. Flora has used her experiences at Siemens to encourage the next generation of female engineers and is an incredible role model for anyone who is thinking about becoming an engineer. She fully deserves this award and I wish her every success in her future career.”
The University of Sheffield has a longstanding relationship with Siemens. The partnership helps shape the way Sheffield teaches engineering, ensuring its degree programmes enable students to develop the skills needed by industry and have access to state-of-the-art facilities and cutting edge technologies during their studies. The partnership has given a boost to graduate outcomes, helped students develop links with industry and gain valuable experience during their studies.
More information on the University’s relationship with Siemens.
