ENGINEER SCOOPS JAMES RENNIE ‘OSCAR’
16 March 2010: Newly qualified civil engineer George Oates from Expedition Engineering Ltd has been awarded the prestigious Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) James Rennie Medal for his Chartered Professional Review (CPR) project ‘Designing out risk on the London 2012 Velodrome.’
George’s project report detailed his responsibilities and challenges as senior engineer for the design of the impressive Velodrome superstructure and cable net roof, on what is a technically challenging and fast track building.
Held annually since 1996 following James Rennie’s death, the ICE medal specifically aims to promote the achievements of civil engineers who have just passed their CPR – this follows Rennie’s belief that high quality civil engineering can only be carried out by civil engineers who have undertaken in-depth and thorough training. This year’s award was sponsored by Costain.
George, along with two other medal finalists, Jonathan Giles from Mouchel and Andrew Tozer from BP Exploration Ltd, was selected from over 1,000 of his peers due to his outstanding qualities in all attributes and his significant contribution to the promotion and development of civil engineering. All three finalists presented and defended their projects in front of a panel of judges and an audience last week - each had to demonstrate an in depth understanding of engineering principles in design and construction, reflecting Rennie’s values.
Chair of the judging panel, Robert Hollingdale, said“All three finalists clearly demonstrated the understanding of the design and construction process and the links that join them. They all exceeded in communicating their ideas and methods to an enthusiastic audience of their peers. George had the slight edge and is to be congratulated.”
Winner, George Oates, said: "It's a great honour to be awarded this prize, particularly given such strong finalists. I hope that this serves as an inspiration to younger ICE members to push for the best opportunities and above all, try to blaze a trail through the civil engineering profession."
George will be presented with the medal and £500 cash prize at the ICE Annual Awards Ceremony later in this year.
Ends
Notes to editors
For further information about George Oates and his winning project and the projects of the two runners up please see http://www.ice.org.uk/myice/myice_scholarships_quest_donation.asp
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) was founded in 1818 to ensure professionalism in civil engineering. It represents 80,000 qualified and student civil engineers in the UK and across the globe. The ICE has long worked with the government of the day to help it to achieve its objectives, and has worked with industry to ensure that construction and civil engineering remain major contributors to the UK economy and UK exports.