Sky is not the limit for UHI Mechanical Engineering graduate

The sky is most definitely not the limit for UHI North, West and Hebrides graduate, Joshua Begent, whose thesis from his first-class BEng (hons) Mechanical Engineering degree was recently published in The Journal of the British Interplanetary Society (JBIS).

As the oldest surviving Space Technology Journal in the world, it is rare to feature an undergraduate’s work and adds to the long list of Joshua’s achievements including winning The Institution of Engineering and Technology Award in 2024.

His academic journey began on the mainland gaining a Certificate in Games Design, graduating with distinction and an outstanding Grade Point Average (GPA) before moving on to the engineering course on the Stornoway campus of UHI North, West and Hebrides where Joshua really found his feet. He worked with Engineering lecturer, Christopher Macleod on the ASPIRE engine which is an advanced jet-like engine which will allow airplanes to fly from London to Auckland in just three hours or straight into space. Joshua said:

“I came into the engineering course here in Stornoway and I loved it, especially working with my lecturer Chris on the ASPIRE engine. It was just so much fun.”

As part of his final year thesis, Joshua’s project was focused on advanced engines called "scramjets" which will be key in the current space-race and power the next generation of spacecraft beyond the atmosphere. Christopher Macleod, Engineering Lecturer at UHI North, West and Hebrides, said:

“Joshua was an exceptional student in all respects, who did an equally exceptional project. A mark of its quality was that his results were published in a professional peer-reviewed Journal, which is very rare for an undergraduate project.

“Our engineering degree at UHI is unique in that it allows such opportunities. This is because of the student-centred nature of our educational style, which uses project work to tailor the engineering programme to our students' interests." 

Speaking about his journey at UHI, Joshua added:

“It’s definitely been a positive experience with a mix of on-campus and online. You always have the support of the lecturers here for anything you wanted to go over and they are good at covering a wide range of subjects.”

He is now looking to the future with a plan to go into the aerospace sector but for now, he has no immediate plans to make his own journey into space:

“I think it would be really cool,” he said, “and I think most of them are quite safe.”

Watch this space….

To find out more about the engineering opportunities available at UHI North West and Hebrides, please visit: Engineering - UHI North, West and Hebrides

For more information, please contact Michelle Macleod, UHI North, West and Hebrides. Email communications nwh@uhi.ac.uk or telephone 01847 889 000.