A BAILDON school pupil has won a nationwide engineering competition with her design for a piece of medical equipment that could be used in the fight against Ebola.

Emily Nar, a year 11 student at Titus Salt School, came out top in her age category in Talent 2030, a national engineering competition specifically for girls.

Emily said: "This competition was a lot of hard work but I honestly don’t know why more girls don’t get involved with engineering or science, it’s such a fun way to make a really good living and it’s the most important work going on in the world right now."

The brief was to try and solve one of the big problems facing the 21st century world.

Engineering is one of Emily's favourite subjects and she made the most of her school's design and manufacturing equipment to draw up and build a pop-up isolation unit.

The easy to transport unit could make it easier to stop the spread of the disease, which can be passed on by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person.

Many of the outbreaks are in remote areas of Africa, where there is no nearby access to medical centres or hospitals, so a mobile isolation unit could prove vital.

Emily won the 15 to 16 year old category, beating pupils from schools across the country, taking home £500 for herself and £500 for the school in Higher Coach Road.

The 15-year-old will now show off her invention at The Big Bang fair for young scientists and engineers in Birmingham on Saturday. She is also being given the opportunity to be mentored by an engineer and visit the Rolls Royce factory in Derby to gain more of an insight into the industry.

The awards are held to encourage more girls to take an interest in engineering.

Emily, of Heaton, has also recently been shortlisted from almost1,600 people for the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship.

The scholarships, run by a trust, are intended to nurture some of the best young engineering minds and help them forge a career in the industry.

Deputy head teacher of Titus Salt School Simon Hawkins said: "Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) is strong at Titus Salt School and we are delighted and proud of Emily’s achievements. Her hard work, creativity and innovation are exemplary."