Inspiring Curiosity
Every year, Heriot-Watt’s alumni and donor community helps support hundreds of small (but no less exciting!) faculty and student projects across the University. Here, we shine the spotlight on a few standout projects from the last couple of years.
A big thank you to everyone who supported our project funds. Each project is another step towards discovery and a better, brighter future.
One Tree Island and Reef
2021–2023
A rubble cay on the southern side of the Great Barrier Reef, One Tree Island is a marine biologist’s dream: it features an emergent reef crest and three separate lagoons. One lucky Heriot-Watt postgraduate researcher received a project grant to join researchers from the University of Sydney, Macquarie University, and the Australian Diving Accreditation Service (ADAS) on a research trip to the reef, where they collected underwater photographs and video footage of the coral reefs and local fauna.
The researchers are working to create an algorithm that identifies coral species across the Great Barrier Reef down to the genus level, allowing future researchers to quantify and compare coral cover, abundance, and feeding patterns across the Great Barrier Reef. Once complete, this will help scientists track the impacts of climate change on oceanic reefs.
The researchers published their initial findings in a 2022 article in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Heriot-Watt ESL Programme for Ukraine
July 2022–May 2024
The Heriot-Watt English as a Second Language (ESL) Programme for Ukraine came in response to the arrival in Scotland of 20,000 refugees from Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February 2022. Heriot-Watt accommodated dozens of refugees that first summer and allocated funds to launch a programme of ESL classes covering all proficiency levels.
Mrs Hanna Dyka and Mrs Nadia Karpenko, themselves teachers from Ukraine, led the classes and were paid using funds from Watt Club donations. Over 100 pupils enrolled, and though numbers fluctuated, both the scheduled programmes of morning and evening classes were well attended. Many pupils (lots of them mothers looking for jobs while their children attended school) were able to use their new language skills to find work locally or to enrol in Edinburgh College courses.
“The courses were and still are a form of aid rendered to Ukrainian refugees,” Mrs Dyka explained. “These classes helped many of them to improve their English (some didn’t know the language at all) but also served as a sort of psychological help.”
Furthermore, the community fostered by the programme helped the enrolled pupils in other, less tangible ways; a weekly conversation hour hosted by Professor Vasily Demyanov helped answer participants’ questions about adapting to life in Scotland, while social events held at the Chaplaincy provided a safe, fun space for entertainment.
HWRacing Annual Fund
July 2022–February 2023
Every year, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) runs Formula Student, a global competition in which students from universities around the world compete to design and build the best race car. Teams are assessed by industry professionals on their design, reasoning, and the cost-effectiveness of their business plans.
Project funding from Heriot-Watt donors (via The Watt Club) allowed HWRacing to compete in 2022. The team designed and manufactured all components in-house and their final electric car performed admirably, placing 20th worldwide.
Out of the 27 teams who, like HWRacing, opted to use an electric powertrain, only three managed to pass all the checks required to prove the legality and safety of the car. The judges declared HWRacing’s vehicle the ninth best electric vehicle overall (of 27) and the third-best electric vehicle from a first-year team.
These achievements paved the way for the team’s success in the 2022/2023 competition: following a rocky start, the team placed 12th of 36 teams in the Concept Class. Well done, team!
To learn more about helping Heriot-Watt enact targeted change in the world through small projects, please contact Senior Development Executive, Eve MacDonald at E.MacDonald@hw.ac.uk, and learn more about Heriot-Watt's campaign for global ipact, Shaping Futures.
This piece originally appeared in the HW Donor Impact Report 2023/2024. To get your copy, contact Stewardship Officer, Frederick Johnson - f.johnson@hw.ac.uk.