News Summer 2011 President’s column 2 News of Fellows 3 Policy and public affairs 4 Research 5 International 6 Development 8 Events and awards 9 Education 10 Public engagement 11 Obituaries 12 Academy Awards 2011 On 6 June 2011, more than 350 Fellows, representatives from leading companies and their guests, award finalists and prize winners once again filled London’s historic Guildhall for the Academy’s annual awards evening. The compère for the ceremony was Radio 4 Today programme presenter Sarah Montague, who introduced Academy President Lord Browne of Madingley FREng FRS and guest of honour the Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. The UK’s most valuable engineering innovation prize, the £50,000 MacRobert Award, was presented to a Cambridge-based team from Microsoft Research for their work in helping to create Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360, the world’s first truly hands-free gaming system, which holds the Guinness World Record as the fastest-selling consumer electronics device in history. The five winning engineers, Professor Andrew Blake FREng FRS, Mat Cook, Dr Andrew Fitzgibbon, Toby Sharp and Dr Jamie Shotton, won the 42nd annual MacRobert Award for cracking the problem of motion-capture in real time, giving Kinect its unique functionality and opening up a new world of possibility in the IT world. It is anticipated that such hands-free computer control devices could revolutionise the way surgery is performed around the world. The second annual Rooke Medal for the Public Promotion of Engineering, named after former Academy President Sir Denis Rooke OM CBE FRS FREng, went to Professor Chris Bishop FREng FRSE, also of Microsoft Research, for his ongoing work in engaging members of the public in the work of engineers and their contribution to society. Four Silver Medals for commercial success in engineering were awarded to Dr Shaun Fitzgerald (Breathing Buildings Ltd and University of Cambridge) for his work on natural ventilation for buildings; Dr Karin Hing (ApaTech and Queen Mary, University of London) for research in the bioactivity of bone graft substitutes; Professor Doug King (King Shaw Associates and University of Bath) for contributing to some of the most ground breaking sustainable buildings of the past two decades; and Professor Eric Yeatman (Microsaic Systems Ltd and Imperial College London) for offering the world the first micro-electrical mass spectrometers and a desktop instrument for liquid analysis. Receiving the President’s Medal for promoting excellence in engineering was Professor Anthony Kelly CBE DL FREng FRS. Known globally as the ‘father of composite materials’ he has held many posts in his 60-year career, including Vice Chancellor of the University of Surrey and President of the Institute of Materials. His book Strong Solids, published in 1965, is still seen as the seminal work in the field of composite materials. The ERA Foundation Entrepreneurship Award for early-stage researchers who exhibit a combination of business awareness, entrepreneurial potential and complementary personal qualities in the field of electro-technology, was presented to Dr Sithamparanathan Sabesan and Dr Michael Crisp, both from University of Cambridge’s engineering department, for their research into a low-cost location sensing system, which could have major benefits for a wide range of businesses, including retailers and airlines. The Academy’s awards evening was made possible by the generous support of title sponsor BAE Systems and sponsors Arup, Bosch, BP, E.ON, Petrofac, Shell and Thales. Right: London’s Guildhall provided a historic backdrop RAEng News Summer 2011 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN London’s most deprived areas. The project attracted deep engagement from several large engineering employers and is now providing a sound foundation for the National HE STEM programme. Our founders’ vision was for the Academy to promote engineering for the national benefit, for progress in wider society and for the future of humankind. We know what success will look like. We want to see a much better understanding among the public and opinion formers of what engineers do and can achieve. That will be reflected in a policy framework that encourages, not hampers, an innovation From left to right: Professor Anthony Kelly CBE FREng FRS, Sir Alan Rudge CBE FREng FRS, the nation. We will have more research and President, Professor Cyril Hilsum CBE FREng FRS and Professor Michael Kelly FREng FRS pictured ideas that businesses can profitably turn at the Academy’s annual awards evening into substance and wealth. Above all, success will bring an education system that Thirty five years ago this year, 130 of the satellite navigation system. With our inspires and encourages young people to nation’s finest engineers assembled at partners in the engineering institutions, choose a career in engineering. Buckingham Palace for the first meeting we have created a highly effective vehicle of the Fellowship of Engineering. We have for advising government on all aspects of I am grateful to all our Fellows and come a long way since then – from a engineering education and skills. We have colleagues for their efforts in supporting, small organisation with big plans to a fully streamlined the way that government promoting and developing our Academy. fledged national Academy of 1,500 Fellows receives engineering advice on policy and I wish our new President every success and serving a global engineering community. produced joint studies on water security, shall continue to give my fullest support as nuclear power plant construction and the Immediate Past President. I have had the privilege of serving as your resilience of infrastructure in the face of President for the past five years. My goal climate change. has been to see engineering move to the centre of society. With the support of the Our lectures and debates have provided Fellowship, the Council, the Academy’s staff platforms for some of the world’s most and our many partners and supporters, we influential speakers in engineering industry, have made real progress. research, teaching, policy and politics. Between them they have addressed some In my view, there has never been a of our most pressing engineering issues more exciting or important time to be and debated the burning questions of the Meetings and visitors an engineer. In the wake of the difficult day – a great precedent for the UK’s new financial situation of recent years, there is Forum for Engineering. The President recently met: a growing acceptance that rebalancing our economy around a strong core of I am delighted to report that our making Robert Dudley productive, knowledge-based industries things better development campaign Group Chief Executive, BP is both essential and achievable. The has now passed the major milestone of Sir Paul Nurse PRS Academy is working to ensure that it raising £10 million. We could not have President, The Royal Society supports government, industry and the done this without the extraordinary, research community in stimulating and sustained generosity of our Fellows, all Ray O’Rourke KBE maintaining innovation and encouraging of whose donations, at every level, are of Chief Executive, Laing O’Rourke plc new engineering talent for the future. great value. I thank you all most sincerely for your contributions, which will create a Sir Adam Roberts KCMG Over time, the Academy’s contribution place to inspire and engage national and President, The British Academy to engineering policy has grown international audiences and enable us to significantly. Our Fellows have undertaken develop our crucial work in education and Sir Kevin Tebbit KCB CMG a body of authoritative and influential engagement. Chairman, Finmeccanica UK work on some of the key national and international policy challenges, including I have been deeply impressed by the the dilemmas of privacy and surveillance, Academy’s drive to widen diversity and autonomous systems, options for future participation in engineering. The London energy provision, the electrification of Engineering Project has worked with transport and the security of our global 25,000 pupils in 50 schools in some of 2 RAEng News Summer 2011 Hinton Lecture News of Fellows On 11 April, Bob Dudley, Group Chief Dr Cecil Balmond is the 2011 Winner of Executive of BP plc, gave the 2011 the IED Gerald Frewer Memorial Trophy. Hinton Lecture. His talk, entitled Engineering challenges at the energy Dr Hermann Hauser CBE has been frontiers, outlined the history of oil awarded the 2011 Visionary Award exploration and BP’s role in innovation from the SDForum and this year’s from onshore drilling to offshore and BCS Lovelace Medal. to present deepwater operations. Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB has been awarded the Geospatial Personality of The lecture was hosted by Academy the Decade by the Geospatial World Forum. President Lord Browne. Bob Dudley spoke at length about last year’s Deepwater Professor Martin Lowson has been Horizon accident, how it occured and given the Aeroacoustics Award 2011 the lessons arising from it for the whole for his work on the generation and industry. the prediction of helicopter rotor, compressor and wind turbine noise. He said that the changes that have been made after accidents and disasters have Dr Alan Mann has been awarded the often been about creating independent 2011 Gold Medal by the Institution of and expert scrutiny and challenge – and Structural Engineers. that is what BP is doing. He quoted the US Admiral, Hyman Rickover as saying: “You Bob Dudley giving the Hinton lecture Professor John McCanny CBE has been get what you inspect, not what you expect.” awarded the Cunningham Medal. BP is now implementing the lessons of the last year’s accident and working with industry to continue meeting the challenges of engineering at the frontiers of energy. Professor Nick McKeown has been made a member of the National Watch the Hinton Lecture at www.raeng.tv Academy of Engineering, USA.