DkIT’s Engineering talent recognised with awarding of the Peter Rice Medal and Dr Niamh Shaw Award
Two graduates of DkIT School of Engineering have been recognised for their outstanding projects and were recently awarded the Peter Rice Medal and Dr Niamh Shaw Award.
Kian O’Brien was awarded The Peter Rice Medal for the best Level 8 Engineering student project for his design of a Portable Shock Absorber Dynamometer, while Christopher Duffy was presented with The Dr Niamh Shaw Award, which is awarded to the best Level 7 Engineering student project at DkIT, for his Water Monitoring System.
The Peter Rice Medal honours Dundalk-born engineer, Peter Rice who was renowned for his collaboration on some of the most iconic structures of the 20th century, including the Sydney Opera House, Pompidou Centre, the Louvre Pyramid, and Lloyds of London. Other candidates for this award included Electrical Engineering graduate Jinyan Yang for her project on a Water Quality Monitoring System, and Civil Engineering graduate Mark Nilan for his investigation in to the Role of Local Authorities in Converting Vacant Homes and Derelict Sites into Occupied Homes
The Dr. Niamh Shaw Award honours the Irish engineer, scientist, writer, and performer, a native of Dundalk, who is known as one of Ireland’s top science communicators and STEAM specialists. With a mission to reach space as both artist and citizen, she has travelled to all 7 continents, sharing human stories of space and science education. Niamh reports on science from remote locations, advocating for a healthier, more sustainable planet. Mechanical Engineering graduate Padraic Bellew was also in the running for the Award, presenting his group’s project which explored a Hybrid Car Cycle.
Both awards were kindly sponsored by Engineers Ireland Northeast and the event provided an opportunity for the students to showcase their work, with student posters and projects on display during the event. Maeve Martin, Student and Graduate Engagement Officer at Engineers Ireland, also gave insights into the organisation’s vision and membership opportunities at the event.
Chairperson of the Engineers Ireland Northeast Region, Pat McCormick opened the event and spoke of the role of the engineer in looking to the future.
Dr Niamh Shaw gave a keynote speech where she discussed how her passion for science and space has become such a huge part of her identity, changing perceptions around failure and success. She spoke of her global travels, with a particular focus on her recent adventure to Antarctica with the Women in STEMM group.
Dr Breda Brennan, Head of School of Engineering, DkIT said:
“The Dr Niamh Shaw Award and Peter Rice Medal recognise the creativity and innovation of our engineering students and highlight the quality of teaching and project supervision across the School of Engineering in DkIT. This event is a wonderful chance for students to demonstrate their skills across the engineering disciplines. We are very grateful to Engineers Ireland Northeast for providing our students with this opportunity and to Dr Niamh Shaw for her inspiring contribution to today’s event.”
The judging panel for this year’s event included: Mary Arthur Smyth, CAPA Program Manager at Abbott, a Food Engineer with over 25 years of experience in the food industry; Breen Jackson, a Chartered Engineer with over 30 years of experience in civil engineering and construction projects in Ireland and the UK; Peter Nowak, an Automation Engineer at Controlsoft and winner of the Peter Rice Medal in 2020; Adam Graham, an Executive Engineer at Louth County Council, Fire & Building Control Section with over nine years of experience across various Local Authorities; Eamon Dillane, an Electrical Engineer and Business Owner at EMelecSolar Ltd specialising in High Tension Power Distribution, Low Voltage Switchgear and Renewable Energy consultancy, and Seán McCarthy, a Lean and Leadership Consultant with extensive Project Management experience in the pharmaceutical and semiconductor sectors, including roles at Intel.
