Connect Connect Autumn 2017 | Page 27

New Campus Tackling Gender Imbalance Focus on STEM Scottish Young Engineer of the Year One of our students triumphed in the most recent Institute of Road Transport Engineers’ competition. The Scottish Young Engineer of the Year contest is held annually at our Kilmarnock Campus, and Jack Middleton was the first winner from Ayrshire College since the competition was re-instated in 2015. Benches delivered to Dean Park Access to Construction student Lewis McGinn said “We worked on a number of projects over the year that involve working on your own and working as part of a team. Horticulture, tree surgery and garden and landscaping students at Dean Castle Country Park will be able to better enjoy their well-earned rests this year, thanks to construction students at the Kilmarnock Campus who built two new benches for them. Eight competitors were given overall scores after they worked on eight different vehicles to test: braking systems, cooling systems, engine technology, fuel systems, transmission systems, steering systems, vehicle inspection, and electrical diagnostics. Jack and the two other finalists in the competition were presented with a new set of tools for their performance on the day. “These benches will benefit the students at Dean Castle Country Park. It’s great to work together with the rest of the joinery class to complete projects that we know will be appreciated and used well.”   The magazine of Ayrshire College 27