Three UHI Inverness students to receive top academic awards at graduation

Three UHI Inverness graduates will have an extra special reason to celebrate at next week’s graduation ceremonies when they will be honoured with academic prizes in recognition of their exceptional achievements.

Kirsty Ross-Baker, who will be graduating with BSc (Hons) Geography, has won the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) University Medal for being the outstanding graduating honours geography student at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

Zoe Nicoll, who studied BA (Hons) Criminology, has been awarded the Stewart Fraser Social Science Dissertation Prize for producing the best social science dissertation at UHI. It is presented each year in memory of the late Dr Fraser, a key member of the Humanities and Social Sciences academic staff at UHI Perth.

Thomas Inglis, a BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering graduate, is this year’s recipient of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Student Prize for being the best performing UHI Inverness civil engineering undergraduate with ICE student membership.

All three will be presented with their awards at the UHI Inverness graduation ceremonies on Friday, 31 October at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness.

Kirsty (22) from Dornoch joins a distinguished list of academics, explorers and cartographers who have received honours from the RSGS, which is one of Scotland’s oldest academic institutions. Her academic achievements include her dissertation which investigated how the presence of a greenspace affected a microclimate within Inverness.

Kirsty said: “I was really taken back when I received the email saying that I had not only been nominated for an award but had won. It really added to the sense of accomplishment I felt from gaining my degree. More so, it made standing outside in the rain for hours collecting data for my dissertation feel worthwhile.”

Her lecturer Jamie MacManaway said:

“Kirsty is the type of geography graduate that grasps the complex relationships between living and non-living, human and other. She can look calmly at situations, and this leads to her coherently engaging with topics, like that of her dissertation. She has made a positive and kind contribution to our learning community, from the field to the tutorial room. I can imagine Kirsty enhancing her future workplaces and communities with the intelligent and inclusive behaviours I have seen her exhibit in her studies.” 

The Stewart Fraser Social Science Dissertation Prize was established to honour Dr Fraser, whose commitment, tenacity and academic leadership transformed the development of social sciences at UHI Perth and the wider UHI partnership. 

This year it was awarded to Zoe (24) from Keith for her final-year dissertation on discussions around reintroducing the death penalty that demonstrated a richness in providing novel findings and thorough analysis. 

Zoe said: “It means a lot to me to have been awarded this prize for my dissertation. I feel honoured that my effort, passion and persistence have been recognised, and I would like to thank my advisors and those around me, who have supported me throughout these last four years of hard work.”

The ICE Student Prize is an annual award for undergraduates in the last two years of their civil engineering degree course. 

Thomas (23) from Dingwall gained his degree as a Graduate Apprentice with AmcoGiffen, where he now works as a qualified site engineer in the railway industry.

Thomas said: “I’m very grateful to be receiving the ICE student prize. I want to extend a very big thanks to all the lecturers who supported me throughout my time at UHI Inverness. I’d also like to thank my workplace for their unwavering support throughout the past four years with a special mention to my manager Michael, who has given me so much of his time and effort, for which I will be forever grateful.”

His lecturer John MacLachlan said:

“As a student, Thomas has always managed his time well, often submitting assignments ahead of schedule with a strong desire to produce a high standard of work. His final-year dissertation was about earthworks failures on Britain's railways, looking at the increased frequency of occurrence and investigating the root causes of failures. This was an interesting topic and highly relevant to his line of work.”

For information about the UHI Inverness Graduation visit: https://www.inverness.uhi.ac.uk/study/students/graduation/

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