DkIT Announce Winner of the Peter Rice Engineering Award 2023

Callum Mulholland who is a graduate of the Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering has been announced as the winner of the Peter Rice Award 2023 at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT).

The annual award ceremony, which is sponsored by Engineers Ireland Northeast Region, honours the renowned Dundalk-raised engineer, Peter Rice who worked for Ove Arup on major global projects such as the Centre Pompidou, Lloyd’s of London, the Louvre Pyramid and Sydney Opera House.

The Peter Rice medal is awarded each year to the best Level 7 Engineering student project at DkIT. It is an opportunity to showcase project work within the School of Engineering, with student posters and projects on display during the event. For the competition itself, three candidates from a range of Engineering disciplines presented their Level 7 student projects to an audience of students, staff and a panel of judges from Engineers Ireland Northeast Region. 

The 2023 finalists were Calum Mulholland, BEng in Mechanical Engineering, Bakhtawar Parhiar, BEng in Electrical and Electronic Systems, and Lee Dunne McConville, BEng in Civil Engineering. Following their presentations, each candidate was interviewed by the judging panel. The judging panel consisted of Seán McCarthy, Breen Jackson, Darren Sheelan, and Eamon Dillane, all members of Engineers Ireland

The panel awarded this year’s Peter Rice Medal to Calum Mulholland for his project on the design and development of a powered sliding seat for a commercial vehicle.  The winning project was carried out in partnership with Combilift, Monaghan.  The judges were impressed by the enthusiasm and engagement of all three competitors along with the insights and innovative thinking they highlighted in their presentations and interviews.  While all three competitors were of a phenomenal quality, the judges felt that on the day Calum best demonstrated the innovative thinking and approach for which Peter Rice was famed. 

The Head of School of Engineering, Dr Breda Brennan and the Chairperson of the Engineers Ireland Northeast Region, Mr Pat McCormick thanked all the competitors and the judges for their participation and engagement and highlighted the ongoing need for engineering professionals in the Irish economy.  The demand in industry both locally and nationally continues to offer a wealth of employment opportunity for graduates of the Institute’s Engineering programmes.  The ongoing engagement of Combilift with the Institute’s School of Engineering clearly shows the strong alliances between industry and education in the region.

Congratulations to all who took part in the competition.