ICE review

This year ICE’s Research and Development Enabling Fund wishes to highlight the growing challenge of resource scarcity and security, and would particularly welcome applications on this topic.

Current and future resource scarcity and security affects every aspect of civil engineering, cutting across the silos of expertise, but it is in danger of being neglected. Reinforced concrete production alone accounts for more than half of all global resource extraction.

The fund wishes to enhance the evidence base needed to support radical changes towards a more sustainable and resilient future. The findings from funded research will be presented at an ICE event and published as a paper or briefing for members.

We welcome applications from all branches of the profession, including younger members and those not normally involved in research and development. The closing date for applications is 31 July 2017 – see www.ice.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/research-and-development-enabling-fund for more details.

ICE’s Quest scholarship scheme has made more than 2500 awards to students, technicians and members over the past 40 years.

Today, the Quest programme includes undergraduate and technician scholarships to help individuals to enter the profession, as well as awards for members to continue their education. Many of these scholarships are supported by industry-provided placements and mentoring, enhancing recipients’ education and accelerating their careers. Scholars also work with ICE to inspire the next generation through school and community projects.

Meanwhile, our travel awards support the building of bridges, water supplies, schools and hospitals in communities across Africa, Asia and South America, highlighting the role civil engineers play in providing societal lifelines.

We wish to celebrate our 40th anniversary by recording the work of past scholars, celebrating their career highlights and achievements. If you are a past Quest scholar (for any award) and would like to share your story, we would love to hear from you. Please contact the Quest committee secretary at denise.mammone@ice.org.uk – and see www.ice.org.uk/careers-and-professional-development/awards-competitions-and-scholarships for more information.

The latest ICE exhibition opened at One Great George Street in London on 15 May, revealing the hidden history of tunnelling to the public. Tunnel Engineering celebrates projects from around the world, including the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world’s longest rail tunnel, connecting Zurich and Milan.

Sponsored by Ferrovial Agroman, the exhibition brings tunnelling alive through interactive experiences, including the opportunity to drive a tunnel boring machine simulator and to see working models from projects like the Thames Tideway Tunnel, London’s new super sewer.

Visitors can see how modern tunnelling has developed, from the earliest techniques inspired by nature – such as the shipworm – to a look ahead at future innovations that might be developed to cope with population growth and increasing demand on resources.

The exhibition runs for 6 months, from May until November, but those who cannot make it to London can still take part. To open up the world of tunnelling, we are asking tunnel engineers to take a ‘selfie’ in a tunnel or with related machinery and post it to Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Please include the name of the tunnel and use the #tunnelselfie hashtag.

For more information, and to post your selfie directly, visit www.ice.org.uk/events/exhibitions/ice-tunnel-engineering-exhibition.