Joseph Bister, an A-level pupil at The Leys, Cambridge, has been awarded a prestigious Arkwright Scholarship.
The award recognises young talents and supports their career ambitions in the fields of engineering, computing or technical design. Joe was one of 400 recipients selected out of 1,375 applicants from across the UK.
He now receives £600 as part of the scholarship in the autumn term to put towards materials and projects. He will be assigned to a mentor who is a professional engineer. The Leys receives £400 for equipment, materials or teacher training to enhance the delivery of STEM subjects.
Joe did very well in his GCSEs, securing top grades in STEM subjects. He also has a keen interest in aeronautics, and has attended Royal Aeronautical Society lectures at the University of Cambridge’s department of engineering. He hopes to make a career in this field.
Joe was nominated for the scholarship by Nicola Perkins, head of DT at The Leys. As part of his application he had to undertake a project unrelated to his GCSE coursework and give a written account of his work. He chose to do a watchmaking course in Munster, Germany, during a family holiday. He completed two watches, and is pictured holding one of them.
“I’ve always liked watches and mechanical things, the movements and taking things apart,” he explained. “I would like to become an engineer because I find learning and applying the knowledge and skills satisfying. I hope to study aeronautical engineering at Cambridge or RWTH Aachen University.”
Ms Annett said: “We have been so impressed with Joe’s keen interest to use his knowledge and skills from class as a springboard to more demanding and more challenging projects.”
