A Scottish schoolgirl has won a top national award for designing a solar-powered blanket to help the homeless.
Rebecca Young, 12, is a second year pupil at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, and beat 70,000 other entrants to win the coveted MacRobert Commendation Medal at the UK Primary Engineer competition.
Rebecca won the award, voted for by the public, for her heated blanket design inspired by her seeing rough sleepers on the streets of Glasgow.
Her design integrated the blanket into a backpack. Solar panels are then used to power the heated blanket, the Times reports.
Speaking about her award win, she said: “To think something I’ve designed could one day help somebody on the streets is amazing.
“Unfortunately, you see so many people sleeping rough on the streets of Glasgow, and I always felt bad seeing how cold they were. It was obvious to me that this could help.
“It felt amazing to see my drawing turn into something real. I never thought that could happen. Homelessness is a big problem that needs fixing, and if you see a homeless person, help in any way you can.”
Off the back of her win, engineering firm Thales chose to develop a prototype based on Rebecca’s design. They then brought this to Kelvinside Academy, giving the youngster the chance to see her incredible idea come to life.
Praising the 12-year-old’s achievement, Rebecca’s teacher Leigh Goldie said: “Rebecca’s success feels incredible. It’s so unusual to see this level of awareness and creativity at such a young age, and to apply that to a real-world issue is truly special.
“Rebecca’s story shows how creativity and compassion can lead to meaningful innovation, even at this stage of life. If she decides to pursue STEM further, who knows how far she could go?”
Colin Scouller, head of Engineering Early Careers at Thales UK, added: “Thales in the UK is proud to be national sponsors of Primary Engineer. Their mission to get more young people involved in STEM and inspire the next generation of engineers is something we truly value.
“We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership with Primary Engineer as it continues to grow.”
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