National prize for Year in Industry student

He received the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Award for Innovation at The Year in Industry Contribution to the Business Awards, sponsored by The Lloyd's Register Educational Trust.

The Aeronautics and Astronautics student worked at engineering company Ingimex last year. It is a family-owned company in Shropshire which designs, manufactures and fits bodies for light commercial vehicles, including box vans, dropsides and tippers.

His project looked at how to bring the manufacture of box vans in-house.

JM Gallen, Engineering Director at Ingimex, says, "Throughout Adrian's time here, he demonstrated a tremendously high level of initiative and enthusiasm; we feel this has been a key factor in his success on this project."

"I would very much recommend undergraduates consider taking a year out to get real experience in industry," says Adrian. "I learned a great deal from working at Ingimex on how to put engineering principles into practice."

During his studies, he took advantage of the University of Southampton's Study Abroad scheme to spend the second semester of his third year studying at the French university Estaca in Paris. "Although we were taught in English, it was a great opportunity to improve my French. I also made many friends from all over the world."

Before starting at University, Adrian spent another Year in Industry at fuel injection specialists Delphi Diesel Systems in Gloucestershire. They are sponsoring him throughout his studies, with a view to offering him a job on graduation.