Postgraduate Researcher of the Year 2017 winner donates prize money
Sikiru Mohammed, postgraduate researcher in the School of Mechanical Engineering has been awarded 2nd place at the University of Leeds Postgraduate Researcher of the Year 2017 conference.
Sikiru presented his research 'Investigating pitting corrosion in low carbon steel ' to an audience and external judging panel, and won a prize of £200. He has donated his winnings to the remotely situated Community Senior High School, Akodo, Nigeria, who have used the money to purchase new furniture for the students, which will create an inspiring and engaging learning environment - a far cry from the facilities they originally had.
Sikiru explained his motivations behind this remarkable gesture:
"I once drove past the Community Senior High School and was lucky to interact with some kids. I wasn’t impressed with the standard I saw in terms of facilities and students response to basic questions on elementary sciences. I observed that the kids could do better if the school was well resourced in terms of staff and essential facilities. The school was given priority over others that I have in mind due to its' remote location.
I donated the money to the head teacher of the school, who I have never met before. I was touched by the appreciation message received with the picture of the project executed with what I thought was just a token. I am really moved by this and I hope to do more in the nearest future."
Further information on Sikiru's research
Pitting corrosion is the most devastating form of corrosion attack and it often progresses undetected until catastrophe occurs. Sikiru's research works to understand pitting corrosion and how to avert its menace. Three key gaps were identified over the course of his research; one of the key gaps is the need to generate stochastic stress-free pitting of predictable depth to be utilised for pitting propagation studies. A novel potentiostatic polarisation technique was proffered which entails the application of Faraday Laws of electrolysis and profilometry technique to reliably generate pitting and establish a relationship between general and pitting corrosion. The research is applicable to the military in areas of assets management and predicting time to failure of sensitive combat supplies such as ammunition shell and propellants in order to minimise the risk of unplanned detonation/explosion.
Find out more about Sikiru's experience studying at Leeds.
The University of Leeds Postgraduate Researcher of the Year
The University of Leeds Postgraduate Researcher Conference is an annual showcase of postgraduate research and a celebration of the significant contribution postgraduate researchers make to the research profile of the University. The conference aims to: celebrate the success of postgraduate research, provide a showcase of postgraduate research and engage the academic community across multiple disciplines. Read more about the other winners here.
Further information
Find out more about the Faculty of Engineering and the postgraduate research opportunities available accross the schools of Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical and Process Engineering, Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Computing.
