Lynn Munro, a final year undergraduate in Environmental Science and Outdoor Education at the University of Stirling, has scored success in top awards.
She won the Higher Education Learner of the Year Award and was a co-winner of the prestigious CARAS award at the Lantra Land Based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards.
The awards were announced at a ceremony in Dunblane Hydro last week.
Lynn (21), who comes from Sutherland, gained the award as a consequence of her exceptional record of developing her own opportunities in her learning and interaction with external organisations in conservation and ecology. Lynn had previously won £4000 in funding from the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) to conduct voluntary work in wildlife conservation in South Africa.
She has followed this success with work closer to home including working alongside the National Trust for Scotland assessing the performance of rare sub-arctic willows on Ben Lawers National nature Reserve. Lynn has also chosen to devote a large part of her time to represent her fellow students in the School of Natural Sciences as a School Officer ensuring that others benefit from the experience that she has gained so far.
Professor Alistair Jump from the University’s School of Natural Sciences said: “I was able to accompany Lynn and her parents to the awards last night, where a fantastic evening was had by all. This is superb news for Lynn, and for the University of Stirling. Lynn was described by one of the judges as one of the most inspirational young people that she had met - a fair accolade in my opinion.”
Lynn stated that the award represents “much more than a personal achievement. It represents a thank you to those who have taught and inspired me and it provides motivation for those who teach and educate.”
The awards, sponsored by Marine Scotland, celebrate the achievements of young people and new entrants within Scotland’s land-based and aquaculture industries. The awards were attended by key figures from across industry and government including Angela Constance, Scottish Minister for Youth Employment.
This year Lantra received a record number of nominations across 13 award categories, the highest number since the awards were launched in 2003. The awards included the CARAS Award, the Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Award and the Modern Apprentice of the Year Award. There were also seven industry awards covering all the key sectors, from agriculture, aquaculture and equine, to horticulture, game and wildlife, trees & timber, land-based engineering and three schools and education awards.