As the president of Engineers Ireland, Edmond Harty carries out the important duty of naming accomplished professionals as Fellows of the Institute. This title of distinction is one that he bestows with considerable thought.
Out of approximately 28,000 members, only a select few are usually appointed as Fellows each year. However, Harty diverged from this norm by endorsing 16 individuals this year.
Three groups of people were, in his eyes, worthy of this honour. First, individuals he had witnessed to be consistently excellent in their work throughout his career. Secondly, stalwarts who have shown unwavering dedication towards Engineers Ireland through extensive volunteer work, thereby contributing significantly to the Institute’s core. The final group is those who are currently making substantial contributions to Irish engineering.
The process involves Harty creating a nominee list which is presented to the Engineers Ireland Council, essentially the organisation’s governing panel, which is composed of around 40 members. Every single one of the 16 names he proposed were approved without any oppositions.
Being named a Fellow provides no practical benefits for candidates, nor can it be petitioned or campaigned for. However, it serves as an immense acknowledgment of their contributions and accomplishments and, importantly, is formally awarded during the national conferring ceremony.
John Cunningham CEng FIEI, a Chartered Engineer since 2004 with degrees from NUIG and UCD and currently a senior engineer in Offaly County Council’s Housing Department; Joe English CEng FIEI, an Electrical and Electronic engineering graduate from University College Cork, who joined Intel in 1991 and currently manages their F34 factory; Diarmuid Fleming CEng FIEI were among the distinguished individuals awarded Fellowships.
Diarmuid is a civil engineering graduate from UCD and also holds a masters in journalism. With a special interest in penning down and expressing engineering topics, he aims to create significant awareness of the crucial tasks performed by engineers.
John Fleming has an educational background in engineering with a specific focus on mechanics and design, holding a diploma in agricultural engineering from RTC Tralee. He is currently employed as an engineer by the Cork County Council.
Dominic Forbes, a civil engineering graduate from the University of Ulster, is tasked with the portfolio director’s responsibility for the Strategic Estates at the UK Parliament. His portfolio includes overseeing substantial refurbishment projects estimated between £100,000 and more than £300 million.
Philip Glover is the managing director of Lakeland Civil Engineering Ltd, a company committed to sustainable civil engineering. With 25 years of civil engineering industry experience, Philip became a chartered engineer in 2006. He also currently leads the Engineers Ireland Midland region as its chair.
Barry Kennedy, a graduate in Engineering Physics/Applied Physics from Trinity College Dublin, boasts 35 years of experience within industrial engineering and research. He serves as the CEO of Irish Manufacturing Research, the leading centre for advanced manufacturing research, development and innovation in Ireland.
Richard Manton, a chartered engineer, possesses a BE in Civil Engineering, an MA in Financial Management and a PhD in Sustainable Transportation. He spearheads the Sustainability Office at the University of Galway, holding the position of director of sustainability.
Patrick McCormick, with a master’s from Trinity College Dublin in Engineering, heads the Civil Engineering and Engineering Trades department at Dundalk IT. He has the responsibility of chairing the North East region of Engineers Ireland.
Lastly, Sinead O’Sullivan, a specialist in Aerospace Engineering, has previously headed the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness strategy at Harvard Business School in association with Prof Michael Porter. She currently serves as an Aerospace Engineering professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Prior roles include a research fellowship at MIT’s School of Computing and MIT Sloan, along with a stint as a Human Spaceflight mission designer for Nasa and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Robert Simpson is also a member of this accomplished group holding the CEng FIEI recognition.
Robert is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and UCD with degrees in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and a master’s in Technology Management respectively. He once managed product design at TU Dublin’s School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, and he also served as Head of School for both Mechanical and Transport Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering before his recent retirement.
Joe Walsh CEng FIEI has a PhD in Electronic Engineering from UL, as well as an MSc in Bio-engineering and currently serves as the head of the School of STEM and the Intelligent Mechatronics and RFID (IMaR) Research Centre at MTU in Kerry.
John Coleman, Joseph Gibbs, Declan Hughes, and Jess Kelly were all honoured with fellowships.