Institution of Mechanical Engineers' President visits Omani engineering students

Patrick Kniveton CEng FIMechE met members of the Caledonian College of Engineering’s Team Oryx – who this year became the first team from the country to compete in Formula Student UK at Silverstone race circuit.

The president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers has visited the Sultanate of Oman to congratulate some of the country’s most talented young engineers.

Patrick Kniveton CEng FIMechE met members of the Caledonian College of Engineering’s Team Oryx – who this year became the first team from the country to compete in Formula Student UK at Silverstone race circuit.

Among the young engineers present was Shamla Majid Al Kindi, an affiliate member of the Institution and the only female member of Team Oryx. Supporters and sponsors were also among the guests.

Mr Kniveton, who spent a week visiting the region, said: “For Team Oryx to compete in Formula Student UK, and to perform so well, is a huge achievement and testament to the quality of engineers – and engineering – in the Sultanate of Oman.

“They were a great addition to Formula Student UK and I know they impressed a number of the judges with their engineering potential, team work and positive attitude.

“The Institution is a global organisation with more than 100,000 members around the world, and it’s a great pleasure to visit countries like the Sultanate of Oman and meet the engineers of tomorrow.”

Ms Al Kindi said: “Without the support from the Institution, my team and I would have taken a long time to understand how to design, build and operate the car because we do not have automotive and sports engineering in Oman.

“I am currently the first female to join a Formula Student team in Oman, as well as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and I hope in future it will encourage the Omani and Gulf women to show their ability and the talent that they have.”

Formula Student UK, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, is the world’s largest student motorsport competition, challenging engineering students from across the globe to design and build their own single-seater racing car before pitting it against over 100 other teams at the world-famous Silverstone circuit.

This year’s event – which is celebrating its 15th year – saw more than 2,000 students from 32 countries pack out the Silverstone paddocks on 4-7 July.