Innovation and invention celebrated at WRTI Awards 2014
Southampton Solent University welcomed local business and industry giants to a celebration of final-year students’ work at the Wessex Round Table of Inventors (WRTI) Technology and Innovation Awards 2014.
The WRTI were invited to judge students’ work on their commercial, technical and innovative value. Four students were honoured for their impressive final-year projects and received cash prizes donated by the WRTI and the University’s Employability and Enterprise service.
They were joined by industry guests - including Rolls Royce Motor Cars Ltd, Selex ES and Barker Brettell LLP - as well as friends and families of students at an awards evening at the University’s conference centre on Wednesday 11 June.
James Robinson was awarded the Geoff Thomson Memorial Award for engineering for his remote control of a miniature circuit breaker. The judges were impressed by the BEng (Hons) Electronic Engineering student’s research, analysis and creation of a product with excellent commercial possibilities.
BSc (Hons) Computer Systems and Networks student, Luke Shirnia, was presented with the award for computing by WRTI Chairman, Bob Jackson. The judges were impressed by the research, innovation and commercial possibilities of his medium interaction ‘honeypot’ designed to ‘trap’ and identify attackers of corporate and customer data.
Robert Henderson’s portable, sustainable refrigeration system was highly commended for its potential to assist with the safe transport of vaccines in the third world; and Mobin Zadeh Kochak was named runner-up in the computing category for his accessible automotive monitoring and tracking system for racing drivers.
Bob Jackson, chairman of the WRTI praised the exceptional standard of all of the work on display and said, “We live in a world that faces huge technical challenges - global warming, clean energy and food shortages are just a few of the most pressing. To overcome them we need to harness the great passion, enthusiasm and determination of talented and creative people like you.”
During his keynote speech Bob Urie, chairman and founder of medical devices company Mediplus, gave the graduating students advice on marketing their innovations and setting up their own business.
He welcomed them to an exciting future saying, “Engineering innovation is better than I’ve seen in many years. There are interesting developments for you to look forward to in your careers.”
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE MEDIA OFFICE ON 023 8031 9040 or press.office@solent.ac.uk
About Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University offers more than 23,000 students over 200 qualifications ranging from HND to PhD, in subjects such as maritime education and training, fashion and design, media and television, music, health, sport and leisure, business, IT and technology. The University was awarded the 2013 Quality Assurance kitemark for quality and standards of teaching and learning. Solent was voted one of the most creative universities in the UK in a Which? University 2013 poll of students. Solent Business School has been awarded ‘Gold approval’ by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Small Business Charter Award, which is supported by the Association of Business Schools and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
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