Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group alumni recognised with national award for excellence in Environmental Science

Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) alumni Emily Rizk has been recognised with a national award celebrating her outstanding project work which she completed during her time at Newcastle College.

Emily, who achieved outstanding grades of A*A*A*A* in A Level English Literature, Biology, Environmental Science, and an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), was honoured with the prestigious AQA Project Excellence Award at the 2024 Association of Colleges’ (AoC) Student of the Year Awards.

The award celebrates her EPQ work, which explored the question “Can Fungi be used to decompose pollutants?” Emily has since followed her passion to the University of Edinburgh, where she now studies Ecological and Environmental Sciences as well as being a member of the university’s Fungi Society.

Emily was presented with the award during the AoC Annual Conference held at The International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham earlier this week, which will be followed by a special Spring celebration at the House of Commons in 2025.

Emily studied her EPQ as part of the NSCG Honours Programme, which is an additional pathway for students who are aiming to progress onto top universities and highly competitive courses, such as Medicine, Veterinary or Dentistry.

Students get involved with extra and super-curricular activities, including visits to Oxford and Cambridge universities, as well as tasks to develop their skills, knowledge and confidence.

Speaking on her award, Emily said:

“I genuinely didn’t expect my EPQ journey to go this far and achieve this much. I’m so grateful to the staff who supported me in my EPQ and encouraged me to just go for it and to now be carrying on my studies at university makes all the hard work worthwhile!”

Dr Laura Brennan, EPQ Coordinator at NSCG, commented on Emily’s award:

“Emily demonstrated creativity both in relation to her initial exploration of ideas for her EPQ and in dealing with problems and setbacks as they arose. The way she synthesised her research findings into a coherent foundation for the planning and analysis of her experiment was excellent. Her success in the AoC Awards is well deserved.”

NSCG Principal and Chief Executive, Craig Hodgson, added:

“I am so delighted that Emily’s work has been recognised on a national stage and share in the immense pride her family, friends and lecturers will be feeling. 

“I’d like to say a huge congratulations to Emily on her success and wish her all the best in her next steps.”