If You Were an Engineer, What Would You Do?
Rebecca’s original competition entry
At 12, Rebecca Young answered with compassion
Rebecca Young, from Glasgow, Scotland, was just 12 when she set out to design something that could help homeless people struggling through her city’s freezing winter nights.
Rebecca at the Scotland West award ceremony hosted at Barony Hall in June 2023
In 2023, Rebecca entered the UK Primary Engineer competition, which asks students a simple question: “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”
Rebecca’s answer was a design for a solar-powered heated blanket, inspired by her concern for homeless people in her city with no warm place to sleep. It was not only inventive but deeply compassionate — a young person’s vision of how science can be used in the service of others.
Her idea went beyond recognition; it was brought to life. Working with engineers at Thales, the company that sponsored the competition, Rebecca saw her design turned into a working model: a blanket that folds into a backpack and is powered by a lightweight solar panel and battery pack, with safety and practicality in mind. Prototypes have already been distributed in Glasgow, with further production planned.
On September 30, SPI will record Rebecca for our Pioneers in Science collection, which features voices ranging from Nobel Prize laureates and National Book Award recipients to National Geographic Explorers and other remarkable individuals. By joining their company, Rebecca’s story highlights that science is not only about discovery and innovation but also about humanity and care for others, affirming to young people that these values belong at the heart of science.
In recognition of her design, Rebecca was recently named one of Time Magazine’s 2025 Girls of the Year.
Prototype, progression
Her story will become part of the SPI Learning Lab, giving students everywhere the chance to listen, learn, and be inspired.
We look forward to our conversation with Rebecca, who, at 13, is the youngest voice ever added to our collection. That distinction was previously held by Deepika Kurup, honored at 17 for her work on clean drinking water.
We are grateful to Rebecca’s family and school for their support of her participation.
About Story Preservation
Our Mission: Story Preservation Initiative believes in the transformative power of story to connect people around our common humanity and create a better future.
Our Work: We are a leading producer and online distributor of original, content-rich audio-based narratives for K-12 students. SPI stories are the raw materials of history, roadmaps to scientific discovery, and windows to the minds of artists and skilled tradesmen and women.
What We Achieve: SPI brings listeners into personal contact with extraordinary people whose stories engage their hearts and minds, imparting content knowledge and fostering curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking as they open doors to possible career paths in professions associated with the arts, sciences, humanities, and skilled trades. We are fully open-source.
When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.
Visit us here www.storypreservation.org