The engineer charged with helping to conserve one of Bristol’s most iconic landmarks, the SS Great Britain, has been named among the UK’s Top 50 Women in Engineering for 2018.
Chartered mechanical engineer Nicola Grahamslaw joined the SS Great Britain Trust as the ship’s conservation engineer in February. She was selected for the accolade by The Telegraph newspaper in partnership with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES).
Launched two years ago, the Top 50 is published annually and this year features women who are succeeding in the industry after taking a break or making a career switch.
Nicola has achieved both, working for eight years in mechanical engineering for Frazer-Nash Consultancy before taking a 15-month career break to work as a digital technology educator with young people in New Zealand.
She said: “Conservation of the SS Great Britain is a unique challenge, and an application of several engineering disciplines.
“The combination of problem-solving, research, project management and outreach makes it a really interesting and varied job – in the short time I’ve been working here I have already found that skills learned both in engineering and during my career break have been invaluable.”
Nicola’s role is to optimise conservation of the SS Great Britain for the very long term and act as principle design authority for the ship’s conservation and climate control systems. She advises the Trust on energy efficiency and helps to educate others regarding conservation engineering and related technologies.
For example, last week she helped the Trust celebrate International Women in Engineering Day with an event for secondary school students called Explore Engineering.
Nicola added: “For me, engineering is about using science to find solutions to real-world problems. I am keen to encourage others to consider the wide variety of careers available not just in engineering, but in science, technology and maths too. I am proud to be selected for this Top 50 alongside other such accomplished women.
“Changing career or returning from a break can seem daunting, so I hope that the list will inspire others to consider the value of transferable skills which can be developed on whatever career path they choose.”
SS Great Britain Trust acting director of education, collections and conservation Dr Rachel Roberts added: “Brunel pushed the boundaries when he built the SS Great Britain more than 175 years ago and it is the innovative application of science and engineering that will enable us to conserve the ship for the future too.
“Nicola’s skills blend technical expertise with a passion for education, helping us to inspire others with the ship’s unique story while optimising our conservation methods for the longer term. We are delighted to see Nicola featured as one of the UK’s Top 50 Women in Engineering.”
Nicola’s role is supported by Heritage Lottery Fund through its Catalyst: Endowment programme.
