Hear from the previous YPPC winners
There's not long left to get your entries in for the YPPC 2024. There's a whole heap of benefits that come from entering the competition.
From building your confidence, earning that extra boost on your CV or broadening your career prospects, entering the YPPC could benefit you in a variety of ways.
We spoke to some of our previous winners to see how it has benefitted their careers.
Matthew Maclennan won the YPPC in 2017 which he remembers fondly. He said: "Taking part in the YPPC pushed me to present highly technical information to a broad audience in a way that was engaging and memorable.
"I didn't realise that I would spend the next 8 years presenting highly technical information to broad audiences!"
In 2022, Emily Mulcair won the YPPC in 2022 with her paper: Can green hydrogen solve the intermittency issue of wind energy in Ireland?
Emily's skills have expanded rapidly since winning. She said: "The YPPC gave me a unique opportunity to improve my technical presentation skills whilst also increasing my industry knowledge.
"Through the YPPC I have developed a much wider professional network and as a result am aware of the many gas industry feats and challenges happening around the world.
"The competition prize, a trip to the Gastech Conference in Singapore, was an incredible opportunity, exposing me to the latest technology advancements, industry debates and political standpoints from across the globe while also allowing me the opportunity to explore the futuristic Singapore City."
We also spoke to Sikander Mahmood who won our 2020 YPPC final.
He talks of his memorable experience: "Taking part in the YPPC competition is one of my most memorable experiences, never mind winning it!
"I remember a few of my colleagues pushing me to submit my project summary into IGEM and I was initially reluctant as I’d not done anything like this before. It’s the people who support and encourage you without wanting anything in return who get you to where you want to be.
“Taking part in the regional and national competitions gave me the opportunity to share my work with hundreds of people.
"Listening to others present and learning about the various projects we are doing in the gas industry was also very fascinating. Finally, to top it all off, I was awarded with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to South Korea for the World Gas Conference. I returned from the trip at the start of June, and I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life (bar the 13-hour flight!)."
Get your entries in before 29 February: YPPC Submission (igem.org.uk)