Trust

The RSMA Trust is a registered charity (registered charity no. 1015809) and has a number of activities aimed to give financial support to students, to encourage student learning and to promote the RSM. The RSMA Trust was formed in 1992 and has been making loans and grants to students from at least 1994. The RSMA Trust is committed to supporting its students and alumni in as many ways as possible usually in connection with cases of student financial hardship. 

Loans and grants are available from a discretionary fund to assist undergraduate and postgraduate students in financial difficulties. The speed at which a decision is reached on an application is an attractive feature of the discretionary fund.

A list of the Awards and Grants available to all students is available. Please click the link below:

Thinking about leaving a legacy?

It is quite simple to remember the RSMA Trust in your will and we are always grateful for your generosity in remembering our students in this way. A hard copy of the bequest note is available on request to the Honorary Secretary of the RSMA Trust, Level 2, Faculty Building, Imperial College London SW7 2AZ.

Marta

Parkinson’s law states that tasks expand to fill the time available; knowing it’s impossible to do everything I seem to have decided to test to what point it holds true. To give you a flavour here are some examples.

In previous years I held several leadership positions, organising over 14 events for the Materials Society and RSM Netball, as well as co-editing 8 editions of the RSMU student magazine – The Pit. I have also written in most editions of the MatSoc Magazine and was involved in the boxing and salsa clubs. Later, in my position as RSMU President, I was a proactive voice in increasing student engagement with outreach work, participating in events myself and proposing changes to our constitution to establish a permanent Outreach Officer. In recognition of my exceptional contributions to the RSMU, I was awarded Full Colours by my peers last year.

I also aim to have an impact beyond our union. For instance, I participated in optional Imperial Horizons courses (this year I moved onto Psychology of Performance after taking French and prototyping courses in previous years) as well as other events such as the Dyson Makeathon I competed in last year.

In my final year however, I took a step back from leadership positions in order to focus on career development, personal goals and, most importantly, enjoying my last year at Imperial.

Unlike some, I did not identify the path I wanted my career to take until quite late on in the game – October of Final Year. My goal became to work as a consultant, preferably in the strategy field. This is an extremely competitive area with probably less than 2% of applicants receiving offers (don’t quote me on this), which meant I needed to work hard to even stand a fighting chance. A small testament of this work can be the 1st place I won with my team in the Capgemini Invent Cup Competition this February.

Thanks to the RSMA’s generosity I was able to freely pay for tutoring and extra resources I needed to succeed in my quest. The bursary also allowed me to focus on my degree and preparation, as I wasn’t concerned with straining my typical budget. The latter point may seem minor, but to a student every coffee counts. 😉

The bursary however, is not only a monetary reward. It is also a recognition of the impact we have had on the RSMU community and it was an honour to have received it. The RSMU has been a key part of my university experience. In my first year I was awarded the Mick Moore Pot for most active fresher and over the course of my degree my enthusiasm for the RSMU has not decreased. I’m happy to act as a proud ambassador to our community.

I remain very grateful to the RSMA for their generosity and support.

Kaja

I’d like to thank the RSMA for supporting me with the hardship fund after I fractured my ankle in February 2020, leaving me temporarily unable to walk or get public transport from my accommodation to the RSM. The grant enabled me to afford taxis for two weeks at the beginning of recovery, allowing me to continue attending lectures and act as a teaching assistant in first year lectures. Furthermore, I was able to continue to act as president of the Geology departmental society (the DLB) and run the academic talks we had arranged for that month. I also greatly appreciate how it allowed me to maintain self-esteem, by being able to continue the term as close to normality as possible, and how it prevented me from feeling isolated by maintaining contact with the university community. I am immensely grateful to the RSMA for their support and quick response – it made a real difference to my final term at the RSM. Best wishes and thanks again!

Fred

I received the RSMA Trust grant in the 4th year of the MSci Geology course after breaking a hip playing rugby for Imperial College. The injury meant that I could not carry out my part-time job as it involved physical activity, I also required taxis to get to and from the university and to attend physio sessions. The grant I received helped me pay for the necessary transport, which I could otherwise not afford. With access to regular physio sessions, because of the grant, I recovered in time to lead the RSM rugby team to a successful bottle match in 2015. I am extremely grateful to the RSMA Trust for financially supporting me through this difficult time and appreciate how important the grants are for the students of the RSM.

Current Job: Associate Director, Medea Capital Partners

Sam

I am a fourth year Geologist with an interest in mineral exploration and have loved my time here at Imperial, especially within the Royal School of Mines, through being involved in, and the organisation of, many events and activities. In my third year, I was Honorary Secretary of the RSMU which was a great experience overall. It was a chance for me to help be a part of organising (a victorious) Bottle Match, to get to know a much larger cohort of the staff and student body and to have the opportunity to speak to many helpful and inspiring alumni. I am currently the Earth Science and Engineering Academic Department Representative and so this year I have been focussing more on the curriculum of the degree to ensure that students are enjoying their studies at Imperial. From a sporting perspective, I have been RSMU Tennis Captain, played for the 1st Lacrosse Team and also reinstated the RSMU Cricket Club. During my Geology degree I have always been the most inspired in the field. The application of the theory we have learnt inside the lecture theatre has been what has excited me the most about the subject and is what I hope to continue in the future. I have just completed my Master’s project using satellite, airborne and drone multispectral and hyperspectral imaging data to look for rare earth elements in Namibia. I hope to use the skills developed in this project after I graduate in June as I hope to enter the mineral exploration industry. Without the RSMA bursary I would not have been able to attend the Geological Remote Sensing Conference this year. At the conference, I was able to present my Master’s thesis, giving me an invaluable opportunity to speak to experts in the remote sensing for mineral exploration field, enabling me to develop my networking skills and get essential feedback to help improve my project, prior to submission. The experience definitely benefited my project, my overall understanding of the field, and my confidence presenting research. I am incredibly grateful for the generous contributions from the 100 Club which paid for my admission fees, travel costs and accommodation for the conference which I would have been unable to afford otherwise. Overall, the bursary has allowed me to focus more on my studies, enhanced my knowledge of the field I wish to enter after study and encouraged me to be involved in the RSMA for many years to come!

2018 Winners

Over the summer of 2018 the Royal School of Mines Association in conjunction with the Earth Sciences and Engineering and Materials Departmental Directors of Undergraduate studies sought applications for the RSMA Final Year Bursary Prize.

At the start of the Autumn term we were pleased to announce the following winners:

• Emily Gusterson ESE
• Simran Kukran Materials

 Avni Patel ESEThese three, out of nine applicants, were all outstanding in showing the true RSM Spirit and acting as ambassadors for the RSM. They were able to show the Selection Committee commitment, achievement and excellence above that of their peers in areas such as academic excellence, community & RSM Union involvement, sporting prowess, or contribution to a sport or club within the RSM. Each will receive £1000 from Royal School of Mines Association. These funds have been generously donated by 100 Club supporters who are members of the Royal School of Mines Association as part of their commitment to supporting the students of the RSM. Read on to learn more about the new Bursars.

Emily

Hi! I’m Emily and am in my final year of Geology at the wonderful RSM. It has been an incredible four years, made special by all the amazing people that make up Imperials best department. Leaving is going to be hard and I wish I was starting out as a little fresher all over again. But the time has come to wave cheerio to lectures and field trips and join the ‘adult’ world. The rest of the year will see me hopefully not leaving my suitcase at airports/losing phones as I’m planning on hopping over the pond to British Columbia in Canada where fingers crossed, I will drool over rocks all the way down to San Francisco before coming back to start work at BP. The graduate scheme I’m joining is a relatively new one and is in Subsurface Information Management (or SIM) following on from an internship I did there last summer. Due to the generosity of the RSMA, I have been able to fully throw myself into life as a 4th year by committing to both my MSci project and RSM Hockey which holds dear in my heart… The club has seen a great uptake of new members this year and has continued to feel like a family both on and off the pitch (aka, between Belushi’s and Harlington). The bursary was the reason that I could still be on the committee of the club, partake in all the goings on in the RSM (including the RSMA dinner and Christmas dinner) and get fully stuck in on my MSci project (with great success – yay!). With this in mind, I

would like to say a HUGE thank you to the RSMA for helping me through the final year!

Simran

I am Simran and a 4th Year Materials Science and Engineering student and wellbeing rep. I am also an undergraduate representative to council and music editor at Felix, the student newspaper. My masters project is focused on developing a biosensor for cancer detection. My working day is largely spent in the lab – running experiments until they break and need tweaking again. I have been lucky enough to truly enjoy my work and meet wonderful people who will be friends for life. I am keen to help others get the best out of their university experiences, especially when faced with hardship. In council, I am working on lobbying college to review its mitigation guidelines. I am also working on a paper to encourage college to revise the way students on an interruption are registered, so it is easier for them to take part in union activities. Getting involved in the RSM and union as a whole has been one of the highlights at my time at university. Before my first bar night as a fresher, I spent the afternoon helping a friend fashion medieval armour out of cardboard. Despite our efforts and intricate decorations, the hail and wind decimated the costume on the short walk from Eastside. We arrived at the union in hysterics, and remember it fondly each time.

It is something of a shock to realise that was three and a half years ago, and am grateful for all the opportunities I have been given. My time in the RSM has allowed me to mature and change my world view by meeting different types of people. This year, the money from the bursary prize has given me a cushion that means I don’t have to think twice about how I’ll get train tickets to an interview, or an extra takeaway when I am too tired (or lazy) to cook. In October I’ll be starting a PhD and the extra cash means I don’t have to work over the summer to save for a flat deposit. My project will be developing MRI sequences for brain tumour detection, and although I’m really excited about it I know I’ll really miss my department and the day to day friendly faces. It has been a wonderful experience to watch my materials “children” go from uncertain freshers to MatSoc president and RSM VPCS. Of course it’s not really goodbye and I greatly look forward to coming back to visit them and continue to cheer them on as they make the RSM even better for future members.

Avni

Hi this is Avni!, my time at the RSM has been full of wonderful memories and opportunities. Coming to the end of my fourth year studying Geology, I have had the pleasure of interacting with the RSMA over the years. In my first year, after suffering a tear in my ACL and then undergoing reconstruction surgery, I received critical financial support from the RSMA, which aided with the extra costs of travel and helped me to maintain involvement in RSMU activities. Without this help, it is unlikely that I would’ve developed my affiliation with the RSM that then led to a strong involvement in the RSMU committee and sports clubs later in the year.

During this final year, I have benefitted again from this amazing generosity by receiving the RSMA bursary. The bursary allowed me to continue dedicating time to the RSMU and focus attention on my studies in the final year. Without this extra help, I would have struggled to maintain involvement in RSM activities as I would’ve had to spend a considerable amount of time working part-time. With this extra time, I was also able to dedicate more time and effort into my MSci project, which led me to discover my interest in research- I now hope to pursue a PhD in the future!

My fondest memory of the RSM would have to be Bottlematch this year, the highlights of this momentous occasion included playing in three teams, being awarded man of the match, winning the football for the first time in 14 years, and bringing home the Bottle! The spirit of the RSM was alive, and the excitement of both players and spectators alike definitely makes it one of my happiest memories here.

In some circles the award of £1000 may be considered a “drop in the ocean” or “not enough to make an impact”. So for context here are a few words from the Heads of Department for ESE and Materials as to what they think £1000 means to a final year student.

ESE

Professor Mark Sephton, ESE : “For our students who are in the final year of their studies, their enthusiasm is unrelenting but the cumulative financial impact can be sizeable. The award of £1000 can provide a very welcome financial boost at just the right time. Yet, I imagine the recognition is worth far more. To be selected for the award provides valuable encouragement and inspiration for our stars of the future.”

Materials

Professor Peter Hayes, Materials: “Many students in their final year face a transition from study to employment that is both exciting and daunting. The prospect of relocation and other costs combined with other uncertainties can make it stressful year. The impact of a £1,000 award can therefore transform the experience of final year students, ensuring that they are able to make the

most of their time at Imperial.”