Gill Cooke — 150 year interview

Gill Cooke was applying for a new job at an aerospace company when the manager interviewing her brought up her Whitworth Scholarship. She had finished her apprenticeship, qualified as an engineer and had no idea of the door her recently-obtained Whitworth medal was about to open.

"The managing director actually said to me that it was the scholarship that made the difference," Cooke recalls. "His professor at Cambridge had been a Whitworth Scholar — and had been more proud of that than his PhD and his research."

Later in life, being a Whitworth Scholar would help make important connections as Cooke secured consulting work, before moving into academia. Professor Cooke, now head of teaching at the engineering school at The University of Warwick, is responsible for every aspect of what she calls the "student journey".

With a background in quality engineering and machine tools, she feels a strong connection to Sir Joseph Whitworth's work in the field of standardisation and precision measurement. But for her, Whitworth's legacy stretches beyond his technical creations to the scholarship he founded in 1868.

"Engineering is the most worthwhile and rewarding career you can follow. It has the potential to impact many, many people in a positive way. It's not an easy route. It's a hard qualification to get. But that's what makes it valuable. So hold on to your dreams, work hard and go for it!"