STEM award for the determined engineer inspiring young minds

Based at Cummins’ manufacturing plant in Darlington in the north of England, Amit, in addition to being a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Ambassador, has been a tremendous advocate for the remarkable work being done by Greenpower Education Trust, a charity that gets young people enthusiastic about STEM by challenging them to design, build and race an electric car.

Years of dedication to the Greenpower mission, helping to develop the technical content, plus his all-round work as a STEM Ambassador earned Amit special recognition in the 2022 North-East STEM Awards.

The judging panel noted that Amit has notched up 121 STEM activities and more than 570 STEM hours over the past five years. Amit supported the Tees Valley Trailblazers enterprise competition at very short notice and has provided numerous online mentoring support for students during the Covid pandemic.

Although he wasn’t there to receive his award in person due to customer needs, few people in the room at the Crowne Plaza in Newcastle were unaware of Amit’s contribution to opening young minds to the possibilities of engineering as a career path.

“I am very grateful for the award,” said Amit, “and I am proud that with the support of Cummins and our volunteers, the learning content we helped create can be shared around schools and with teachers across the country, as well as at the Greenpower’s Centres of Excellence.”

Amit explained that there are two types of Greenpower cars that can be assembled: a basic one for primary schoolchildren and one for secondary schoolchildren where the frame can accommodate more adjustments, for example with throttle control and gear ratios.

“What I love about the project is that the children so obviously enjoy the work and the teachers love it too. We must be doing something right because year on year, the number of children taking part is increasing and schools are taking on more and more cars.” In fact, Cummins employees have volunteered more than 2,800 hours to support Greenpower projects with partner schools over the years.

“We’ve had lots of diversity in our teams, and it was wonderful to see a school for children with special education needs taking part recently.”

The arrival of the Covid pandemic threw an enormous challenge out to Amit and Greenpower but the project was successfully transitioned online, where students were supported with the project by volunteers using virtual platforms.

Emily Johnson, Corporate Responsibility Director for Cummins Europe, acknowledged the role Amit had played in maintaining Cummins’ links with schools in the north-east at a most difficult time.

“Amit is just a fantastic advocate for STEM,” she said. “He’s amazing at finding support for schools from a variety of companies, including Cummins.”

Emily said Amit was a leader of “incredible humility” but also one of the most determined people she knows. “He doesn’t take no for an answer. He may seem quiet and understated but when he has a goal, he is going to make it happen.

“Amit is our resident expert so that when people are thinking about a Greenpower project and they need some guidance, he’s there to help. He is a great resource for our business.”

Amit, who is a chartered engineer, joined Cummins in the UK in 2012 as a Technical Validation Leader for Euro VI. He became Technical Territory Manager covering India and the Middle East in 2015 and for CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) in 2017.

“My role is a technical one, but it is also customer-facing, making sure our products are functioning whenever they are needed and keeping downtime to a minimum. It’s a wonderful job in a great industry, and I want to play my part in helping Cummins reach tomorrow’s talent by getting young people excited about engineering and science from an early age.”