The Nuclear Institute Cumbria Branch and the YGN (Young Generation Network) held their annual Young Persons Speaking Competition on Tuesday 28th June. This competition provides an opportunity for young people to share a topic they are passionate about with the general public.
This year had an exceptionally high standard of entries with presentations from Andy Kiang (Newcastle University), Gemma Andrews(Atkins), Jatinder Sahota (Sellafield Ltd), Dorothy Stonell (Sellafield Ltd) and Mark Tognarelli (Sellafield Ltd).
The judging panel included representation from Cockermouth Speaking Club, Nuclear Institute Cumbria Branch, Sellafield Ltd and LLWR.
The winner was Dorothy Stonell of Sellafield Ltd who gave a talk on ‘Lets Simulate!’ Dorothy will now be invited to move onto the national final on 29th September in Manchester. Reflecting on the experience Dorothy noted that “It was a great opportunity to speak to a public audience and help portray nuclear industry in a positive light. I am delighted to have won the Cumbria contest and am looking forward to the chance to compete in the national final in September.“
Second place was Andrew Kiang from Newcastle University speaking on Molten Salt Reactors and third place was Jatinder Sahota who shared his experiences developing thermal waste treatments. Jatinder stated that “‘Being able to explain a complicated idea in a simple way is vital in a technical industry, and taking part in events like these highlights the importance of developing this skill.”
Matt Aukett (Nuclear Institute Cumbria Branch) and lead judge commented “I’d like to pass on my congratulations to all the entrants. Once again we’ve had an excellent range of presentations that were accessible to a broad audience. The entrants showed enthusiasm, passion and a broad knowledge for their chosen subjects and took both the audience and the judges along with them through the journey of their presentations. As with recent year’s they’ve once again raised the bar for the quality of the presentation and should be proud of their achievements.”
The event was organised by a team of young volunteers including Rebecca Sparkes and Leanne Rossiter (Sellafield Ltd) alongside Robert Alford (NNL).
The competition was sponsored by Nuvia.
If you’d like to get involved with organising events for the Nuclear Institute in Cumbria please get in touch with Matt Aukett (Events.Cumbria@Nuclearinst.com)