A Principal Technician with Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Engineering Design Service has made it through to the final of an international competition, which challenges contestants to explain an aspect of civil engineering in just 200 seconds.
Lauryn Steel, who lives just outside Annan, produced a film detailing different types of bridges built across Scotland, including Devorgilla Bridge, the Queensferry Crossing and the Kirkpatrick MacMillan Bridge.
Now Lauryn is up against seven other civil engineers or students from around the world to see who will get the highest numbers of votes and claim the top prize from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
The aim is to raise public awareness of civil engineering and its positive role in shaping and improving communities and tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. The competition also seeks to highlight the creativity and communication skills of civil engineers and encourage more young people to think about joining the profession.
Lauryn said: “I think the unique mix of strength and beauty that a lot of bridges have is very representative of engineering as a whole and even someone who is not involved in engineering can appreciate a great bridge!
“When you think about the function that bridges provide society it’s all about connecting places and ultimately connecting people so it’s a very fitting topic for Pitch 200 which is all about connecting with people to show them how great engineering is!”
ICE Scotland Director, Hannah Smith, commented: “We’re really excited that Lauryn is representing Scotland in this international competition. I know how passionate she is about inspiring the next generation of civil engineers and I hope as many people as possible show their support by voting for her.
“I would encourage everyone to watch the Pitch 200 videos. They are bite-size and accessible – you’ll definitely learn something new about civil engineering.”
Watch the videos, and vote, at www.ice.org.uk/pitch200
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