Primary Engineer alum celebrated for solar-powered heated blanket

Published 16th December 2025

A Scottish schoolgirl has been recognised globally for her inventive solution to a pressing social issue. Rebecca Young, a former participant in the Primary Engineer “If You Were an Engineer, What Would You Do?” competition, was named one of TIME magazine’s inaugural ‘Girls of the Year’, celebrating ten young leaders making a positive impact worldwide.

Rebecca first conceived the idea during Primary 7 in the 2022/23 academic year, inspired by the struggles she observed in her community. Her solution was both practical and compassionate: a lightweight heated blanket powered by foldable solar panels, designed to charge during the day and provide warmth at night for people experiencing homelessness.

From classroom idea to real-world prototype

Her design was submitted to the Primary Engineer competition, which encourages pupils aged 3–19 to tackle real-world challenges through engineering thinking. Rebecca was recognised as a regional winner at the Scotland West awards.

The project gained momentum when Thales UK, an industry partner of Primary Engineer, selected her design for development. Their Glasgow ProtoTeam worked closely with Rebecca to create a functional prototype, ensuring it was safe, lightweight, and included adjustable heat settings. The prototype was unveiled at the University of Glasgow in May 2024 and later received a Silver Medal at the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal ceremony, along with a special public commendation – a first for the competition.

In June 2025, Thales produced and donated 150 blankets to six homeless charities across Glasgow, with the first 35 delivered to Homeless Project Scotland.

Rebecca’s journey highlights how creativity, empathy, and design thinking can translate into meaningful real-world impact – a perfect example for D&T teachers looking to inspire pupils to apply their skills beyond the classroom. It also demonstrates the benefits of connecting classroom projects with industry, showing pupils the potential of engineering to solve social challenges.

Teachers looking to encourage innovation in their classrooms can explore the Primary Engineer “If You Were an Engineer, What Would You Do?” competition, which provides pupils with a platform to develop ideas that could make a real difference in their communities.

Download your copy

Teachers can download the PDF version of this article, featured in Practice 3 2025, or access your digital copy here.