Fielding student awarded engineering scholarship

Fielding student awarded prestigious national engineering scholarship

A passion for building and racing motor bikes and problem solving has landed Fielding High School student Ryan Stewart the Maintenance Engineering Society of New Zealand (MESNZ) Bill Buckley Scholarship Award.

The presentation was announced today at the Society’s annual conference in Hamilton. Stewart was the outstanding candidate from over 30 finalists submitted by high schools from throughout the country.

“His presentation stood out from the rest” said Bill Sole, Industry Engagement Manager of Competenz and one of MESNZ panel members making the selection. “Ryan has both the academic results plus the hands on skills and ambition to become an engineering leader of the future. He clearly has a good mechanical aptitude and we are sure this scholarship will set him up for his future studies”.

On hand to make the presentation, was the award namesake, Bill Buckley. Bill Buckley is the patron of MESNZ and founder of Auckland based Buckley Systems Limited (BSL), the world’s leading supplier of precision electromagnets used in the manufacture of silicon chips, flat-panel screens, high-end medical machinery and particle accelerators used in medical proton and photon therapy – systems that will revolutionise cancer treatments of the future.

Buckley spoke of his time as an engineering apprentice and his desire “to go after the stuff that is too complicated for the average engineer”.

Stewart was rapt with the award and confirmed the $5000 would be of tremendous value for his engineering studies at the University of Canterbury next year. In his application, Stewart said his “dream was to become an engineer” and “I have always had a talent for problem solving and applying it to real situations”.

One of Stewart’s achievements was winning the water cooled class in the Mini Moto GP motorcycle he designed and built.

The Stuart Tolhurst Award for the engineering apprentice of the year was presented to Ravensdown Fertiliser’s Marlane Harmer, from Rotorua.

The National Maintenance Engineering Conference (NMEC) is the annual conference of the Maintenance Engineering Society of New Zealand, a technical interest group of IPENZ (Institute of professional Engineers). Over 150 delegates are attending the conference along with 50 exhibitors in the adjacent trade show.

ENDS

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