November 2010
Regional managing director William Hickey and water engineer Nariba Gittens made a presentation to 400 engineering students across all disciplines at Cardiff University on Thursday 18 November.
Nariba recently won the prestigious title of Young Consultant of the Year at the Association of Consulting Engineers (ACE) and New Civil Engineer (NCE) Consultants of the Year awards. The NCE described Nariba as having “an infectious energy for the profession that may well inspire an entire generation of engineers both in the UK and around the world”.
The presentation was designed to inform students of the role that engineers perform in society and the perceived challenges that the emerging generation of students will tackle.
Referring to eminent engineers from the 18, 19 and 20th centuries, including Sir William Halcrow, Sir Alan Muir Wood and Colin Kirkland, William showed how those engineers transformed our world and that the current generation of engineers take leading roles in planning, financing and implementing projects.
Nariba focussed on the changing world of the 21st century and the future global challenges including the developing world, island nations and the potential impact of predicted climate change.
Halcrow’s regional director Barrie Jones said: “It was a fascinating talk that kept the interest of the audience for over 90 minutes and received welcome positive feedback from the university hosts who will feature the presentation in the next University newsletter”.
Regional managing director William Hickey said: “It was a real pleasure for me to present to students about the role of the engineer in the 21st century. In preparing for the presentation I was able to reflect on the role of the engineer from the 18th to 21st century and articulate my understanding of the influence and value the engineer brings to shaping our world for a better future for all our people no matter where they live, work or play. The role of the engineer is diverse, challenging and vital to the long term sustainability of our planet”.
Water engineer, Nariba Gittens said: “I was very grateful for the opportunity to present to students at my alma mater as a professional engineer. I hope that through my experience I was able to give them an example of how their careers could progress after graduation. I also hope that through our combined presentation, we were able to reassure that future careers are secure since the need for engineering will continue with the increasing demands placed on the planet by the global challenges in the 21st century.”
The presentation formed part of Halcrow’s on-going commitment to learning and development at both Cardiff University and across the UK. Halcrow launched at the end of 2009 the ‘Stiwdio Halcrow Studio’ at Cardiff University’s Trevithick library.
The Trevithick Library, which caters for students and researchers from the Schools of Engineering, Physics & Astronomy, Computer Science and the Manufacturing Engineering Centre, is a flagship design for future library developments at Cardiff University.
The new state-of-the art learning facility includes sponsored rooms from the top engineering companies including; Halcrow, Arup, Mott MacDonald, Renishaw and Corus.