Amy Johnson (1903-1941) was a famous English aviator and former WES President, and the first woman pilot to fly solo from Britain to Australia
There is still an opportunity to put your nominations forward for two upcoming awards organised by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), which closes on Friday 22 September 2017.
Both the Amy Johnson Inspiration Award and Men as Allies Award are seeking entries for individuals who have gone ‘above and beyond’ their work remit or role to improve diversity within engineering.
The winners will be presented their award at the WES Caroline Haslett Prestige Lecture in London on 5 October 2017.
The Amy Johnson Inspiration Award serves to recognise the efforts of an individual (including male nominees and those with no engineering qualifications) who has inspired more women to enter and/or remain in the engineering and technical professions.
In 2016 Jane Priston became the first winner of the award for her work on The Amy Johnson Project. She worked tirelessly to make Amy Johnson’s story known and get an Amy Johnson Bronze erected in Herne Bay, in Canterbury, UK, which has proved a striking landmark and will ensure that Amy Johnson, her life and her achievements, will be known to future generations.
A life-size bronze statue of Amy Johnson was commissioned by the Amy Johnson Project to mark the 75th anniversary of her tragic death, which took place in a crash landing on 5 January 1941. The wreckage of her plane has never been found
The Men as Allies Award, new for 2017, seeks to celebrate a male engineer, or professional male working within the engineering, technical and applied sciences sectors, who enthusiastically supports his female colleagues and aspires to address the gender imbalance within engineering.
This is an important award for WES because with men holding the majority of roles within engineering and applied sciences, it is crucial that they are involved making the cultural changes needed to attract and retain women in engineering. The nomination form can be downloaded here.
