Strathclyde student Callum Wilson wins Speak Out for Engineering

Scotland Region champion wins the UK SOFE Final 2019. Runners up from Yorkshire and East Midlands.

Callum Wlison, a PhD student at the University of Strathclyde, won the UK final of Speak Out For Engineering (SOFE) competition which challenges young engineers to develop their public speaking skills by presenting on a technical subject in an engaging and informative way to a general audience.

Callum will now represent the UK at the international final of Speak Out for Engineering in 2020. The runners up were Yorkshire Region winner Abhinav Paul Kongari, who came second and third-placed Aleksandar Ferrari representing the East Midlands Region.

The diverse range of presentation topics this year highlights the breadth of mechanical engineering as a discipline. This is something the Institution is promoting through participation in the Government’s Engineering: Take a Closer Look campaign, which builds on the success of 2018’s Year of Engineering.

Engineering Policy Adviser and judge, Matt Rooney, said:

“The top three presentations could not have been more different, but all were brilliant in their own way.  Our two runners-up covered advanced engine design and a new method for finding and fixing blockages in arteries.

"In his winning presentation, Callum explored the concept of artificial intelligence and its applications in engineering. To produce an engaging and entertaining presentation for a general audience on such a complicated and often misunderstood concept is a fantastic achievement.

Callum will represent the UK at next year’s world final of Speak Out for Engineering and I wish him the best of luck.”