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Abbie Hutty

CEng
Abbie Hutty at Google, Mountain View.jpg
Abbie Hutty at Google Mountain View in 2017
Born
Abigail Hutty
Known for Work on ESA's ExoMars project
Scientific career
Fields Mechanical Engineering
Institutions European Space Agency

Abigail Hutty is a British engineer who designs machines. She lives in Stevenage, England. She was the main engineer for the structure of the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover, which is a robot designed to explore Mars. In 2016, she became the youngest person ever to be named a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. This is a special honor for engineers. Abbie loves to encourage young people to study science and technology. She also promotes careers in the space industry. You might have seen her on TV shows like the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures or The Sky at Night.

Abbie's Early Life and Education

Abbie Hutty grew up in Kent, England. She finished her high school studies in 2005. Abbie became interested in engineering when she was younger. She watched the Beagle 2 mission, which was a spacecraft sent to Mars.

She studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Surrey. She graduated in 2010. After that, she worked for a year at Surrey Satellite Technology. Then, she joined a training program at Airbus Defence and Space.

Abbie's Career in Space

ExoMars prototype rover
A prototype ExoMars rover at a meeting in England.

Abbie joined Airbus Defence and Space in 2010. She focused on how spacecraft parts handle forces and stress. She was offered a permanent job in the Spacecraft Structures Engineering Group. This is where she started working on the Rosalind Franklin rover. This rover is planned to launch to Mars in the mid-2020s. Her job was to help turn the rover's design into a real machine that could be built.

In 2014, she became a Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. This means she is a highly qualified and experienced engineer. Later, she became the Senior Spacecraft Structures Engineer for the ExoMars project at Airbus.

Awards and Recognition

Abbie Hutty has received several awards for her amazing work:

  • 2010: IMechE Frederick Barnes Waldron Best Student Award
  • 2012: Astrium STEM Ambassador Award
  • 2013: IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year
  • 2013: IMechE Young Member of the Year
  • 2014: Royal Academy of Engineering Rising Star Award
  • 2016: Became the youngest Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Talking About Engineering

Abbie spends a lot of time working with the media. She wants to help people understand engineering better. She has appeared on BBC shows like Sky at Night and Stargazing Live. She has also been on Euronews.

Abbie is a great ambassador for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). She has been a guest judge at national STEM fairs. She also gives talks at schools, museums, and learning centers.

In 2014, she was part of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. She talked about the ExoMars mission. She also helps correct common misunderstandings people have about engineering. In 2017, Abbie gave a TEDxLondon talk. It was called "Why we need new role models in science and engineering." She also appeared on BBC 2's Horizon. She discussed if people could really travel to Mars. Abbie is very excited about the chance of finding life on Mars.

Encouraging Diversity

After winning the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year award in 2013, Abbie became more active. She started campaigning for more diversity in engineering. This means she wants to see more people from different backgrounds become engineers.

In 2016, she was listed as one of the top 20 influential women engineers to follow on Twitter. That year, she was on the "Finding Ada" podcast. This podcast highlights the work of women in STEM. Abbie talked about her job at Airbus. She is a role model for many young women and engineers. She often writes blogs about her experiences in the industry.

In 2015, she took part in the "#ILookLikeAnEngineer" social campaign. This campaign aimed to show what real engineers look like. It helped to change the public's idea of engineers. In 2017, she was invited to speak at the United Nations Expert Meeting on Space for Women.

See Also

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