William Bald Scholarship awarded
The 2011 William Bald award was awarded to Paul Braniff from University of Ulster at Jordanstown. The award honours William Bald and recognises the importance of student civil engineers and their ability to contribute to society.
William Bald was a Scottish Civil Engineer who oversaw the construction of the Antrim Coast Road in NI. This stretch of road left a legacy to the people of Co. Antrim, creating an essential and enduring piece of infrastructure that is recognised as one of the finest tourist routes in the world. Previous to its creation, Bald described the area “cut off from any reasonable communication by the badness of roads over mountains and slopes”.
During his ICE Presidential address in 2007, David Orr spoke of the profession’s “unsung heroes… who work in teams and partnerships, often unrecognised, to create and maintain the essential fabric of our society”. William Bald was chosen to illustrate this theme. The William Bald Scholarship gives recognition to the post graduate work of the next generation of civil engineers and ensures that their societal contribution does not remain unsung.
The annual £1,500 bursary will be awarded to two students from either the University of Ulster or Queens University in support of research for a dissertation in the areas of highways and transportation, with preference given to a projects that contribute to improved links or reducing the impact of severance on communities. The William Bald Scholarship is made possible by the financial support of DRD Roads Service and HMC.