A University of Plymouth student has won a prestigious international scholarship through which she plans to learn more about diving medicine, especially on expeditions, and to reconnect younger generations with the ocean.
Lucy Penny, who is just finishing the second year of a MNurs (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health and Child Health) degree, has been chosen as the 2023 European Scholar of the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS).
The year-long scholarship, sponsored by ROLEX, will enable Lucy to travel to various locations across the world and she is currently attending a series of events hosted by the Explorers’ Club in New York as part of World Oceans Week.
Through all of her travels, and conversations with those she meets on the way, she hopes to gain a better understanding of dive medicine and the mental and physical benefits diving can provide.
Lucy first dived when she was 18, but before this enjoyed swimming and snorkelling around the South West coastline.
She has since dived in somewhat clearer waters, including in Indonesia and New Zealand, and completed her professional HSE SCUBA Diving qualifications with the University.
She has also worked as a medical technician, assessing the fitness of people working in a number of offshore industries, and is excited about the prospect of combining two of her main passions over the coming year.
