ASET Competitions

2020 Student Competition Winners announced
These have been testing times for all, not least for students undertaking a Placement/Internship/ Work experience during the last academic year, whether that was in person or virtually . With this in mind, the ASET Trustees thought it was particularly important for students to have the opportunity reflect on their experiences – and to have a chance of winning some prize money too.
Entries to this year’s competition revealed the challenges faced and skills developed, not least how to persevere under pressure. Our team of judges, led by ASET Trustee Vicki O’Brien, UCLan, were particularly keen to hear how students overcame adversity faced due to Covid-19, as well as finding out what the entrants learnt about themselves, their strengths, and how able they were to adapt to change. The entries told some excellent stories of working with colleagues, some face to face, and others remotely, and reflected with insight on how their experiences have shaped their plans for the future.

This year the winning entry, and prize of £400, was awarded to:

Katarzyna Komarowska, Anglia Ruskin University (BSc (Hons) Zoology 2017-2021) who completed her placement with the Institute of Biochemistry and BioPhysics, as an Ecological Surveyor, based in Antarctica.

Vicki and her team of judges also awarded two Highly Commended awards of £100 each to inspiring and insightful entries from:

Patrick Brennan, BA Politics, Philosophy & Economics with Placement Year,
Lancaster University on placement at Gist Ltd

David Sharp, BSc Computer Science with a Year in Industry, University of Kent
on placement at Ideaworks

Congratulations to all, and a very big thank you to all who supported students’ entries this year.

The ASET Student Competition is launched in September each year, and open to students at all ASET member institutions. Students must have completed a Placement or Internship in the previous academic year/summer. Entries can only be accepted using an ASET Student Competition entry form which is available for download at the end of September each year here.

2019 Competition Winners
Last year the judges  were pleased to award cash prizes to the following students:
For Placement/Internship/Work Experience undertaken in the UK or Ireland
Winner : £400   Oliver Symes, Cardiff University 

Highly Commended
£100 Emma Scriven, Anglia Ruskin University 

For Placement/Internship/Work Experience undertaken Overseas

Winner : £400   Tiffany Cavinato-Ward, Queen Mary, University of London

Highly Commended
£100 Hannah Phillips, University of Manchester

Previous Years’ Winners
2018 UK & Ireland -Holly Kembrey, Nottingham Trent University
(Highly Commended – Sophie Compton, University of Kent)
Overseas – Karen O’Connell, University College Dublin
(Highly Commended -Holly Hinds, University of Hertfordshire)
2017 UK & Ireland – Andreas Kangari, University of Nottingham
(Highly Commended – Grace Kilpatrick, University of Exeter)
Overseas – Clare Farrell, University College Dublin
(Highly Commended -Harriet Meakin, Nottingham TrentUniversity)
2016 UK & Ireland – Harvey Steele, Loughborough University
(Highly Commended – Sophie Hazelden, Nottingham Trent University)
Overseas – Nikita Crane, Sheffield Hallam University
(Highly Commended -Victoria Powell, Glasgow University)
2015  UK & Ireland – Charlotte Cheesely, Bournemouth University
Overseas – Savannah Mukeshi, Sheffield Hallam University
2014  Kishan Somani, De Montfort University
(Highly Commended – Andrew Head, UCLan and Callum Blumire, University of Bournemouth)
2013  Stephanie Arnold, Royal Veterinary College
(Highly Commended – Julie Forbes, Queen’s University Belfast and Richard Lira, University of Salford)
2012  Chetan Kotur, Loughborough University
(Highly Commended – Shea O ‘Sullivan and Blake Keinanen, NTU, David Jones, Derby University and Danial Chowdhury, Loughborough University)
2011   Paul Brack, Loughborough University
2010  Laura Boggeln, University of Sheffield
(Runner Up – Rebecca Murphy, NTU)
2009  Lucy Armstrong, University of Bath
(Runner Up – Christopher Pagett, LJMU)
2008  Tim Chapman, University of Kent
(Runner Up – Alyxandra Milne, LJMU and Stephanie Rostron Leeds Metropolitan)
2007  Clare Dinham, University of Surrey
(Runner Up – Joshila Oree, Brunel)
2006  Grant Wilson, Robert Gordon University
(Runner Up – Ian Graney, Sheffield Hallam)
2005  Jonathan Walton, University of Kent
2004  Stacey Shepherd, University of Surrey
2003  Georgios Christos Fragiadakis, University of Kent
2002  Timothy White, Sheffield Hallam University