Sarah Springman facts for kids

Sarah Springman (2019)

Dame Sarah Marcella Springman is a British-Swiss triathlete, engineer, and academic. She was born in 1956 and has spent much of her career in Switzerland. She used to be the head (Rector) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. Currently, she is the Principal of St Hilda's College at the University of Oxford.

Early Life and Education

Sarah Springman was born in London in 1956. She went to Wycombe Abbey school. Later, she studied engineering at Girton College, Cambridge, from 1975 to 1978. She continued her studies, earning a master's degree in soil mechanics in 1983. She then completed her doctorate (PhD) in how soil and structures interact, finishing in 1989.

Before becoming a full-time academic, Sarah worked as an engineer. From 1979 to 1983, she worked on projects in England, Australia, and Fiji. One of her main projects was the Monasavu Dam in Fiji. In 1983, she became a certified engineer. She is married to Rosie Mayglothling.

Academic Achievements

Sarah Springman started her academic career at Cambridge University. She was the first female research fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge. In 1990, she became a university lecturer. Since 1997, she has been a professor of geotechnical engineering at ETH Zürich in Switzerland. Geotechnical engineering is about how buildings and structures interact with the ground.

From 2015, she served as the Rector of ETH Zürich. This means she was in charge of the university's academic affairs. She helped create projects like CALICE and GeoTIP. These projects used computers to help students learn about soil mechanics.

Her research focuses on understanding how structures like bridges and buildings interact with the soil. She uses special models and tests to study this. For example, her team uses a large machine called a geotechnical centrifuge. This machine helps them test how soil behaves under different conditions.

Sarah Springman is also a strong supporter of women in STEM fields. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. She works to encourage more girls and young women to study these subjects. In 2022, she became the Principal of St Hilda's College, Oxford.

Sporting Career

Besides her engineering career, Sarah Springman is also a talented athlete. From 1983 to 1993, she was an elite triathlete for Great Britain. Triathlon is a sport that combines swimming, cycling, and running. She competed in the 1990 Commonwealth Games and won many medals in European Triathlon Union (ETU) Championships.

She played a big part in making triathlon an Olympic sport. She was the Vice-President of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) from 1992 to 1996. She also led British Triathlon until 2012. In 2013, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to sports.

In 2016, she was an official at the Olympic triathlon medal ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. In 2019, she was added to the International Triathlon Union Hall of Fame.

After her triathlon career, she started rowing in 1994. She has won medals at British and Swiss national rowing championships. She has also won several World and European Masters Championships in rowing. She holds world and British indoor rowing records for her age group.

Awards and Recognition

Sarah Springman has received many honors for her work in engineering and sports.

• 1997: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
• 2012: Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• 2009: Became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
• 2013: Received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sunday Times and Sky Sports Sportswomen of the Year Awards
• 2022: Appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to engineering and international sports.

She also has honorary doctorates from several universities and is an Honorary Fellow of her Cambridge Colleges.

See also

In Spanish: Sarah Springman para niños