Ireland still plays broadband catch-up Print this article

Businesses in many other countries can procure significantly faster broadband services for the prices charged in Ireland, according to a recent report.

Ireland still playing broadband catch-up

The report, Ireland’s Broadband Performance and Policy Actions, published by Forfás, focuses on the key indicators of Ireland’s current broadband performance and highlights Ireland’s position regarding the development of next generation networks (NGNs), as well as recommending a number of policy actions.

It states that the fastest DSL connection available to businesses in Ireland is 24 Mb/s. While this speed is comparable with many EU countries, this service is only available in a very limited number of locations in Irish cities.

12 Mb/s connections are more widely available for businesses in Ireland, which means the speeds available to businesses in large parts of the country compare relatively poorly to those available in other countries. Businesses in many other countries can procure significantly faster services for the prices charged in Ireland, particularly those subscribing to the 12 Mb/s service.

A leased line is a private, symmetric telecommunications line connecting two locations – typically used by large companies. The cost of a 34 Mb leased line in Ireland is similar to the EU average but it exceeds leading countries by a considerable margin, the report notes.

In terms of residential connections, the report continues, Ireland compares very poorly with leading countries in terms of the fastest speed broadly available, which is 20.48 Mb/s at a cost of €423 per annum excluding VAT. This speed will become available to approximately 35 per cent of Irish households – predominantly in cities – when the upgrade of the cable network is complete, the report predicts.

Much faster speeds are available in many other European countries at a comparable cost – for example France, Sweden, Denmark, the UK and Germany. The EU-15 average is a connection speed of 50.8 Mb/s at an annual cost of €430. In South Korea, France, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands some residential customers can avail of speeds of over 100 Mb/s – though take-up rates vary considerably between countries.

More positively, the report argues that Ireland has made significant progress in the last two years in terms of the availability of current generation or basic broadband services. Specifically:

• Broadband connections now account for 90 per cent of internet connections, compared to 58 per cent in Q1 2007, which represents a significant transition from dial-up;
• Since the beginning of 2008, much of the growth has been driven by mobile broadband access, which has increased rapidly to account for 30 per cent of broadband connections in Q3 2009; and,
• Coverage and take-up rates are converging to the OECD average. Ireland has 21.4 subscribers per 100 inhabitants compared to the OECD average of 22.4 (excluding mobile broadband as defined by the OECD for international comparisons).

The latest data for Ireland shows that the broadband penetration rate is 29.7 if mobile broadband is included.

However, further progress is required if Ireland is to match the leading countries, such as the Netherlands (38.1) and Denmark (37).

Playing games gets results in medical imaging Print this article

Ray Lynch explains why the computer gaming industry has the potential to drive major developments in medical imaging

The market dynamics of the gaming sector has enabled it to build powerful processing units aimed specifically at graphics, namely Graphical Processing Units or GPUs, specialised processors which focus on graphical calculations.

GPUs
While a Computer Processing Unit (CPU) is optimised for maximum performance from a stream of instructions [2], GPUs are organised with parallel pipelines which can process large streams of independent data at the same time. This parallelism enables the GPU to run many parallel algorithms, which, when specifically written for the GPU, can often achieve great improvements in speed [4].

A number of sources suggest that the GPU transistor count is growing at a rate of three times Moore’s Law [1, 6]. According to NVIDIA, one of the major manufacturers of GPUs, there are 125,000,000 transistors in its next generation GPUs, three times more than the Pentium 4 [7].The newest generation of GPUs have greater programmability, access to larger amounts of memory on the controller, increased access speed and much deeper bit depths [3].

The most obvious application of GPU implementation in medical imaging would be computed tomography (CT ) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, this article will primarily focus on echocardiography.

Echocardiography
Echocardiography uses standard ultrasound to image the heart in 2D, 3D and also 4D. It was one of the early adaptations of medical ultrasound and remains one of the most commonly and widely used imaging modalities for diagnosing cardiovascular disease. It is universally available, relatively inexpensive (compared to CT & MRI), provides excellent clinical information on a variety of patients, is very safe, with no known side effects or radiation exposure, and causes minimal patient discomfort [8].

The echocardiogram usually involves placing the ultrasound probe on different areas of the chest e.g. parasternal, apical, subcostal and suprasternal, to get several different views of the heart’s anatomy. This type of echo is called a transthoracic echo and is the most common. Other types include stress echo, transesophageal echo and more recently intra-cardiac echo [9], where the heart is imaged from within.

Each echo also requires the patient to be connected to an ECG (electrocardiogram) which records the electrical activity of the heart, this helps with timing the specific cardiac events found in the echo.

The latest cardiac ultrasound systems can also provide 3D and 4D views of the heart. Volume data allows for better quantification of the heart chambers, e.g. volume, mass, flow dynamics etc., better diagnostic evaluation of valvular heart disease, especially for the mitral valve, and better detection of congenital heart disease [10].

The raw volume data can be stored digitally, which allows for further manipulation and rendering, using specialised software to extract further clinical information from it. The volume data is usually acquired using specific probes, called 2D matrix array probes, with upwards of 3,000 individual crystal imaging elements [10].

This type of matrix arrangement makes it possible to digitally steer the ultrasound beam in any direction. Nearly all 3D echocardiography systems rely on ECG gating to take a complete volume acquisition of the heart. Fig 1 [11] (below) demonstrates how the GE Vivid 7 Dimension ultrasound system will take a full volume over a number of cardiac cycles.

Figure 1

For each cardiac cycle, it will take roughly a 20o volume and merge the full dataset together using the ECG signal [11]. This has obvious limitations, especially with patients with arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) or respiratory difficulties [10].

How can GPUs Help?
To be useful, 3D volume sets need to be visualised properly. Humans are very good at ‘visualising and interpreting 2D images’ but usually have difficulty with visualising 3D volume sets [12, (Section 40.1)]. Visualisation of these volumes is called volume rendering. However, in echocardiography, acquiring the data and processing it to get a volume image in real-time is computationally expensive and still a challenge.

Firstly, ultrasound data is more complex than that of CT or MRI. As shown in Figure 2 [12], this is due to the fact that the volume data is acquired in a pyramid or non-Cartesian grid. This means that volume rendering of ultrasound data is also more difficult and computationally time-consuming as the ultrasound coordinates are converted to Cartesian coordinates [12, 13]. Secondly, a substantial amount of raw data must be acquired and processed [14].

The major potential of GPUs lies in their ability to deal with these types of issues. NVIDIA states that the programmable vertex and fragment processors in modern GPUs provide ‘the means to volume render 4D ultrasound data acquired in non-Cartesian grids at the rates required for visualising the human heart’ [12, (Section 40.1)].

In their ‘GPU Gems: Programming Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Real-Time Graphics’ [12], they devote a full chapter to describing one technique to volume render 4D ultrasonic data, namely texture mapping. There is another method that seems to be more common in the literature and that is volume ray-casting.

Ray-casting is a volume-rendering algorithm, based on a model that describes real-world physical phenomena, specifically the behaviour of light as it interacts with a translucent volume. It basically extends a ray, from a specified camera position, through each pixel on the screen into the volume.

It samples the rays at various intervals, calculates values like colour, opacity and reflectivity of the volumes and surfaces encountered along the ray and then applies this final colour value to the pixel. The process is repeated for each pixel and an image of the volume is represented [13, 14, 15, 16].

A number of different articles have used this type of algorithm in their research. For instance, Lim et al. [13] present a visualisation framework for ultrasound data sets that use GPUs to implement the volume ray-casting algorithm. They find that their approach enables interactive volume rendering for ultrasound datasets using this technology. They believe that this ability to perform real-time volume rendering with ultrasound should prove invaluable in procedures like catheter guidance and image-guided surgery.

Other developments by the industry include the IBM/Toshiba/Sony developed cell broadband engine (BE) processor (currently available in Sony’s PS3). With up to 241m transistors on board, this processor has already been shown to improve MRI image reconstruction by up to 16 times [17].

With this level of development it seems that the computer gaming industry will have a very big influence on medical imaging for some time to come.
A more detailed version of this article appears in the Spring 2010 edition of Spectrum, the journal of the Biomedical/Clinical Engineering Association of Ireland.

Tech leader Barrett joins speaker panel at April conference Print this article

The former Intel CEO and chairman of the Irish Technology Leaders Group (ITLG), Craig Barrett has been added to the list of distinguished speakers at this year’s Engineers Ireland Annual Conference, taking place on Thursday, April 22 and Friday, April 23 in the Silver Springs Moran Hotel in Cork.

Craig Barrett

A keynote event for Ireland’s engineers, the Engineers Ireland Annual Conference is aimed at senior engineers and decision makers. Held over two days, the conference plays host to national and international opinion leaders who will address some of the biggest challenges facing Ireland Inc over the next decade.

Nuclear energy leader
One of the key speakers at the conference is Bertrand Barré, scientific advisor to the chairperson of the AREVA group. He is also Professor Emeritus of nuclear engineering at the Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires, INSTN.
He was previously, from 1994 to 1999, at the head of the nuclear reactor directorate of the French Atomic Energy commission, CEA, and from 1999 to 2002 vice-president in charge of R&D in COGEMA (now AREVA NC).

A past president of the European Nuclear Society (ENS) and of the International Nuclear Societies Council (INSC), as well as past chairman of the Standing Advisory Group on Nuclear Energy of the IAEA, Bertrand Barré  is the former Chair of the International Nuclear Energy Academy (INEA).

Bertrand graduated in engineering from École des Mines de Nancy , and did his postgraduate degree in solid state physics. Having fulfilled his military obligations (which no longer exist in France), in 1967 he joined the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, CEA, the French national nuclear R&D establishment. Within the CEA, he pursued a very diverse career, “busy, but always exciting”.
Alternating positions in research, management and staff, he was given the opportunity to acquire an in-depth knowledge of some technical aspects of energy production and, as close assistant to key personnel, to get acquainted with its geopolitical context.
He was, notably, nuclear attaché at the French embassy in Washington DC, head of the reactors’ directorate of the CEA, director of the engineering division in Technicatome, vice-president for R&D in Cogema and in charge of Scientific Communications in Areva.

The parallel sessions on the second day of the conference have been consistently successful and that format is being retained for this year. This year’s three concurrent sessions are:

• Leadership and Innovation in Practice hosted by the Cork Region;
• Engineering: the Key to Securing Ireland’s Energy Future hosted by Energy and Environment Division; and,
• Ireland’s Water: Meeting the Challenges hosted by the Local Government Division

Platinum sponsor:

2010 - Engineers Ireland 175th Anniversary
As part of this significant year in the history of the organisation, a number of special events will take place around the national conference in Cork.  With the ‘real capital’ recently being named as one of the top 10 cities to visit in the Lonely Planet’s guide ‘Best in Travel 2010’, a visit to this year’s conference will be informative and exciting.  For details contact Rita Pollard, Communications Executive, Engineers Ireland on +353 1 665 1330 or email rpollard@engineersireland.ie 

Gold sponsors:

Outline Programme

Day 1 Plenary Session Thursday April 22, 2010

• Engineers – Leaders for the Next Decade
• Powering Ireland in 2010 and Beyond
• Ireland’s Engineers – What Next?

Day 2 - Parallel Sessions (Morning) Friday April 23, 2010

• Leadership and Innovation In Practice hosted by the Cork Region
• Engineering: The Key to Securing Ireland’s Energy Future hosted by Energy and Environment Division
• Ireland’s Water: Meeting the Challenges hosted by Local Government Division

Day 2 – Plenary Session (Afternoon) Friday April 23,

• 2010 Engineers Ireland - Member Resolutions

A formula for maths success? Print this article

Engineers Ireland has formulated a series of proposals aimed at revitalising national performance in mathematics and science at second level

Engineers Ireland has formulated a series of proposals aimed at revitalising national performance in mathematics and science at second level

The proposals were part of an Engineers Ireland report on maths and science education at second level, launched by the President of Engineers Ireland, Dr. Chris Horn Chartered Engineer, FIEI during the recent, successful Engineers Week 2010.

Support Project Maths and ensure adequate resourcing
The advancement of national economic objectives requires a more holistic approach to the education of mathematics and science using the Project Maths model currently being introduced by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). Project Maths, representing a whole new approach to Mathematics Education, is currently being introduced at junior and senior cycle levels. A new curriculum is being designed, which is split into various strands to be phased in over a five to six year period commencing in September 2010. The new Project Maths is currently being introduced in 24 second level schools around the country. Better investment is needed in terms of resource materials and CPD teacher training to expedite successful outcomes.

Make science compulsory at junior level
The importance of science subjects to the future ‘knowledge economy’ is such that science needs to be made a compulsory subject at junior cycle level, as is the case in the vast majority of EU countries.

Ensure maths teachers are adequately qualified
Teaching of mathematics at second level should require a degree or post graduate diploma in mathematics and adequate education qualifications for all existing teachers in addition to new entrants. The current BA in NUIG in Mathematics and Education and MSc in Mathematics Education in NUIM should be extended by a combination of e-learning (from NUIG) and initiatives of similar courses in Dublin and Cork. Existing teachers should be required to engage in accredited CPD courses approved by the Department of Education and Science and encouraged to avail of the many resources and support programmes offered by the National Centre for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning (NCE-MSTL). There is also the potential to equip engineers who desire a ‘career change’ with the necessary educational skills to teach mathematics in a very contextual and practical way and, in the meantime, to act as ‘facilitators’. Vacancies for this type of role are currently being advertised by the NCCA.

Ensure science teachers are adequately qualified
The teaching of science at second level should also require a degree or postgraduate diploma in the relevant science subject together with adequate teacher education qualifications. Similarly Chemistry, Physics and Applied Mathematics teachers at second level should have degrees in these respective fields.

Use ICT to teach and learn better
The use of ICT and video needs to be significantly improved to assist and support the new mathematics and science curricula. This will aid the visualisation and understanding of the most abstract concepts. This also requires the provision of adequate CPD training for teachers with low IT literacy. In particular, as part of the innovation drive to the smart economy, a key incentive should be the creation of inventories of ICT-based systematic thinking and tools summarily described under the heading of TRIZ (a theory of inventive problem solving).

Incentivise teachers and students
The improved teaching of Mathematics should be incentivised through the award of scholarships and prizes to ‘teachers of outstanding merit’, e.g. Engineers Ireland should consider awarding an annual prize at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition for an outstanding project based on Project Maths.

Have consistent quality tests at the end of primary school
There needs to be a consistent national assessment test through continuous assessment or otherwise to determine the standards of mathematical competence at the end of primary school.

Use transition year to encourage maths and science
Transition Year should be encouraged more at second level and the percentage and scope of the mathematical content of Transition Year work upgraded to make a more meaningful contribution to Project Maths and science subjects.

Encourage better linkage between primary and second level
There needs to be greater ‘joined up thinking’ between primary and second level mathematics and science as currently there are insufficient linkages. Linkages must also extend to third level with particular emphasis between third level engineering degrees, Higher Certificates from Institutes of Technology and the Leaving Certificate.

Risky business – spare parts evaluation and asset criticality Print this article

Very often ‘spare parts’ are identified, rightly or wrongly, as one area where capital is expended for no declarable value. Bernard Longmore provides an introduction to the concept of spare part evaluation and the role that asset criticality plays in the process.

Due to the large number of parts typically involved, each with their own myriad of logistical complexities, spare parts evaluation is an exercise that is frequently started and rarely completed. What is required is a standardised methodology that can be used for large numbers of parts being analysed in parallel. Why are parts stocked? A common answer is that they are stocked to mitigate unacceptable risk to the business posed by not having the part if required. This answer creates more difficult questions: How do you quantify risk to the business? What is unacceptable risk? How many parts are enough to make the risk acceptable?

Defining risk
Clearly there is a need to quantify risk for all parts with a high level of repeatability and a tolerable level of error.

Probability is associated with reliability for machinery. We know that some machines are more reliable than others. We also innately know that the longer we are exposed to an ‘un-reliable’ machine the more likely we are to see it fail. This is important in that with enough experience we can determine the probability of failure for any time period. In particular, if we have to make decisions to buy a part today we can determine how likely it is to be required in the time it takes to arrive. If that probability is greater than the acceptable probability of failure we must place the order. Therefore we must know the lead-time for each part in order to know if we need to order that part. Taking a simple example; if a part has an acceptable probability of requirement of 0.5 and everyday there is a 0.1 probability it will be required, then, after five days it will be equal to the acceptable probability. If on day one we know the lead-time is six days we must commence the acquisition of this part.

Asset criticality
How can acceptable risk be determined? Here we must introduce the concept of asset criticality. An asset for our purposes is a physical object, which has value to the business in terms of its function.

Its criticality is determined by the importance of that function to the business or the risk posed to the continuity of the business when that function fails. In short, we define criticality as ‘importance to the business’.If we consider the definition of risk we must consider business criteria such as environment, safety, production (sales loss), and quality (sales loss) in terms of risk to the business. Some of these criteria may be more important than others in terms of risk to the business.

Clearly we need to understand the criticality of a spare part in order to determine how important it is to the business. Conventional methods of determining criticality are labour intensive and lack repeatability and a solution is required. Consider then that the part belongs to a piece of equipment that is also critical which belongs to a system, which is in turn also critical.

It seems fair to suggest that these criticality ratings are related. Following the relationship theme if we invert the model and call the system the ‘parent’, the parent asset’s equipment, i.e. the ‘child’ can inherit the parent criticality and so on down to the spare part level. It should also be possible to introduce a rule that the child cannot be more critical than the parent but can be less critical. A number of factors can affect this:

• Parallel redundancy in the system meaning only part of the function is disabled at the child level;
• Early detection such as condition monitoring technologies; and,
• An ancillary function on the child not effecting the system.

Let us say we accept:

• That asset criticality determines part criticality;
• That criticality is determined by the relationship the part has with the key business criteria; and,
• That the criteria have a relationship to each other in terms of risk.

Now, we have constructed a matrix where criteria occupy one axis with their own ‘weighting’ and systems occupy another with their own relationship to each of the criteria.

Resolving this matrix and following the inheritance rule will generate a criticality value for each spare part. In the examples used the numbers adopted are always from 0.0 to 1.0. This will make acceptable probability evaluations more straightforward later on.  

Resolving the criteria/asset matrix using AHP at a polyester plant.

One neat enabler for this method is software based analytical hierarchical process (AHP) such as Expert Choice shown in Figure 1. In the example shown criticality is being resolved for a number of pieces of equipment.

However, it may be more effective to only use such a tool at the parent asset level (Functional Location level in SAP PM). This example was carried out at Wellman International, a polyester staple fibre manufacturing plant in Mullagh, Co. Cavan.

Having determined a solution for determining criticality it is possible to move forward and:

• Compare this value to acceptable risk;
• Compare acceptable risk to actual reliability;
• Understand how using this with lead-time and part cost will determine the eventual stocking requirement

The Author:

Bernard Longmore MSc MIEI is the engineering manager at Georgia Pacific Ireland. Bernard started his career as a marine engineer with Shell Oil before transferring to manufacturing roles in Ireland in 1995. With experience in electronics, medical devices, polymer and paper manufacturing, Bernard has also completed a MSc (distinction) in Maintenance Engineering and Asset Management at the University of Manchester.

Negotiating antenna locations - wireless networks Print this article

The proliferation of antenna structures is a modern phenomenon and, at one time or another, most people on viewing them on a hilltop or a hotel roof must have asked themselves, why there? Diarmuid Moran provides a detailed insight into a little-known process which has such a great influence on our day-to-day surroundings, as well as playing a vital role in our modern communications infrastructure

Put it there – negotiating antenna locations for wireless networks

The locations of telecom base stations and associated antennas are dictated by supply and demand, combined with various other factors.  Engineers design them, engineers plan their coverage potential, site providers make locations available, town planners and acquisition experts deal with the finer aspects of location and design.

The base stations generally need to combine into a large network for economic and mobile coverage reasons. Most wireless rollout projects entail the development of hundreds of base station sites requiring regional or nationwide coordination and programme management of the various disciplines to ensure project success.

Antennas are generally owned by service providers/wireless network operators who have procured a COMREG licence to utilise radio spectrum (www.comreg.ie) using their chosen technology. Such technologies include GSM, UMTS (3G), Tetra, WiMax and related IEEE/ISO/IEC proprietary wireless protocols (www.ieee.org ) and various UHF, VHF, microwave and broadcast technologies up to the latest Digital Terrestrial TV (DTTV standards  www.cenelec.eu and www.etsi.org ). Given the licence or the investment approvals to build or upgrade technology on a network, the ‘roll-out’ commences based on the following planning and negotiation activity.  

Radio and transmission/network planning
This activity is a technical and topographical discipline that matches the desired user coverage level (measured in dB for the handset, in-car or building), and capacity to proposed base stations locations and, in turn, linkages to the large networks. There is great variability associated with topography, which makes some sites better than others. The best sites are overlooking the desired user population with suitable infrastructure, for example, Three Rock Mountain in Dublin or Churchfield in Cork City. 

Put it there – negotiating antenna locations for wireless networks

Distance or height can increase potential user numbers, but decrease signal levels and performance, so this has to be considered based on the technology, power and frequency characteristics. 

Radio engineers use their knowledge, skills and various software packages to match the topography and variables. The variables can include user types and numbers, frequency, technology, landscape factors such as obstacles (clutter), weather, contingency, capacity and criticality. When the budget is considered, the key costs are based on the number of base stations required (density), considering that some ideal sites may not be available for budgetary, planning, competition or other reasons. 

The second engineering discipline associated with the planning of networks relates to capacity and network connectivity. This is called the transmission network and it is what brings the radio base stations together into a core network, or onto a backbone-trunked system, such as a metropolitan area network (MAN).  The transmission network is based on an aggregation of the end-users who are channelled to various switching, data management and value added gateways.

Fibre is the preferable high-capacity channel from the base stations to the core network; however, microwave radio links, copper and sometimes trunking of base stations together is necessary. 

An element of service quality comes into play in the networking and overlapping of the base stations. The desired solution is base stations matched to users and transmission capacity, with 100 per cent uptime/contingency at the cheapest cost with expandability and ease of access. Unfortunately this perfect optimisation is rarely achieved. 

The challenge is based on knowledge of site capacity, inter-site distances, signal ‘hand-over/pairing’ and connectivity options. 
Generally the transmission hierarchy will favour fibre, copper land-lines, high capacity microwave, laser or lower capacity microwave point to point links in that order. A well-planned network topology will save an operator significant trouble and expense. 

Obviously, existing communications infrastructure is considered, and planning must also take account of existing nodes and services such as, telephone exchanges, accessible MANs or other available ‘core’ networks. Certain clients will require the use of existing sites they control or use, which can add to complexity but reduce costs.

Site acquisition
The acquisition discipline has the objective of getting sites in the designated area that provide the required coverage at the appropriate price. As mentioned there are a variety of sites available: ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’. Add to this the ‘expensive and the sensitive’. A new network can lease or buy new sites and an existing network may just need to upgrade or add to site equipment.

A key acquisition skill, certainly for new sites, is negotiation. In this respect the major financial aspects are site rental and construction costs, bearing in mind the transmission and planning factors. Planning permissions and frequent appeals to An Bord Pleanála can obviously delay network roll-outs. 
There is a system of planning exemptions that can be applied under the 2001 Planning and Development Regulations (S.I. No. 600 of 2001) subject to location, notification and design requirements applicable on certain site types. 
Generally sites are grouped in the following manner: 

• Greenfield (usually a new pole, mast or tower);
• Rooftop; and,
• Co-location on an existing structure. 

There are a number of nationwide site providers in Ireland that include TowerCom, ESB, RTÉ, CIÉ and the OPW. The main operators also share their owned or leased sites often on a reciprocal basis. 

Electrical management
The base stations present an interesting range of options for the provision of electricity. Urban rooftops and co-locations can utilise new ESB connections, or the preferred but relatively expensive multi-metering solutions.  Greenfield and hilltop locations often require new or upgraded ESB connections with associated project management issues such as routing, timing, ducting and costs.

Lightning protection is also an evolving and sometimes a contended requirement. Green energy is a viable option, as battery stand-by power is an existing feature and power generators are also available on many base stations. A number of ~ 5kW wind turbines have been successfully deployed at base station sites. There are undoubtedly a number of economic and smart solutions to energy and resource sharing particularly on the remoter exposed sites. The broader site design, programme roll-out and construction management activities present a range of challenges not addressed in this article.

New developments
The National Digital Radio Service is an example of a new ultra-secure, shared network for the Gardaí, ambulance, fire, customs and other agencies. This very successful system was recently switched-on by Tetra Ireland. Much of the site acquisition, design, customised engineering solutions and build project-management processes were provided by Threefold Project Management Ltd.

Other developments with 3G and WiMax technology, fibre-optic integration, GPS timing, energy, economics and safety management continue to create changes and challenges. Further sharing of both user-access and core backbone infrastructure is emerging with the likes of the recently ratified (November 24, 2009) EU Telecommunications Directive set to force more efficient technical solutions and greater market competition. Much of the evolution and innovation in wireless infrastructure has been progressed by engineers and visionaries.

There has been an evolving partnership model at the OEM and network roll-out level with clients seeking turnkey networks from equipment manufacturers/suppliers. The developments have been expansionary with newer technology, markets and wireless-user expectations since the pioneering ‘088’ analogue service of the 80s and 90s. 

Dr Diarmuid Moran is the risk, safety and fleet manager with Threefold Project Management Ltd and also the owner of Bowline Risk Management Ltd. Diarmuid is a MIEI and holds a BSc from DIT and a PhD from Trinity College. His experience includes employment with Seagate Technology (NI) and Wyeth Medica, as well as more recently five years with Eircell/Vodafone Ireland and six years with Threefold,which specialises in the coordination and management of the various engineering and professional services required to develop wireless networks.

Threefold is an Irish company that undertakes these projects for clients such as Meteor, O2, Eircom, 3 Ireland and other broadband providers.  Threefold coordinates and manages the following various disciplines: radio/transmission planning, site acquisition negotiations, town and country planning, site design, construction works including civil, electrical, rigging, equipment installation/commissioning.

Maths appeal - engineers inspiring students Print this article

Several hundred professional engineers recently visited their local secondary schools, to give students a taste of real-world calculations and interactive experiments.

Participants hard at work at the study group with industry held in Limerick in July 2009.

This national initiative was undertaken as part of National Volunteers Day, which took place on Thursday, February 11, during Engineers Week (www.engineersweek.ie). The volunteers were aided by an astronomy-themed activity sheet, which was the result of a collaboration between STEPS to Engineering, NCE-MSTL and MACSI. MACSI (the Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry) is an Ireland-wide network of applied mathematical modellers, centred at the University of Limerick and funded by Science Foundation Ireland.

Strong links
MACSI was established in July 2006, as a hub for mathematical modelling research and education, with the aim of fostering strong links between applied mathematics and Irish industry. Similar groups exist across the world to promote industrial use of mathematics, through workshops, colloquia, study groups and joint projects, but MACSI is the first of its kind in Ireland.

MACSI has a broad base of expertise, and has worked on a wide variety of real problems, ranging from optimal solar reflector design, to estimating wind farm power yield using forecast data. Industrial partners already include several distinguished Irish companies, such as Analog Devices, Piper Systems, Diageo, Erin Energy, Bank of Ireland, and Bord Gáis. MACSI hopes that National Volunteers Day will be the first of many collaborations between it and Engineers Ireland.

Maths events in 2010
Younger engineers may be interested in the mathematics outreach lecture held to celebrate Maths Week in October every year. The annual MACSI
mathematical modelling summer school for leaving certificate students always proves very popular, while for undergraduates in numerate subjects, MACSI offer a summer internship scheme. 

Professional engineers might be interested to participate in a ‘study group with industry’ –  a set of week-long intensive workshops, where internationally-renowned mathematicians meet to tackle problems proposed by engineers.

For more details on MACSI please email macsi@ul.ie, or see www.macsi.ul.ie.

Milestones - in the beginning… Print this article

A series of articles will appear in both the online and print editions of the Journal to mark the 175th anniversary of Engineers Ireland. In this brief introduction, the origins of the organisation that ultimately became Engineers Ireland, the motivations of its founders and the tensions surrounding its first decade of existence, are outlined. This text is based on an extract from Dr Ron Cox’s definitive history of the engineering profession in Ireland, Engineering Ireland (2006)

On Thursday, August  6, 1835, a meeting of 20 civil engineers was held at the office of the Board of Public Works (Ireland), then located in the Custom House, Dublin, presided over by Colonel (later Field Marshal Sir) John Fox Burgoyne (1782-1871), chairman of the Board. It appears that the meeting was a sequel to a preliminary meeting at which a further 16 engineers were in attendance and signified their support for the formation of a society for their own improvement.  The number of founder members thus totalled 36, composed mainly of engineers working for the Board.

Low ebb
Burgoyne pointed out that the profession of civil engineering had been at a low ebb in Ireland and that persons without education or skill had frequently been employed in operations of importance, resulting in bad or injudicious works, wasteful or fruitless expenditure and a certain degree of discredit to the country.

He explained that they were now adopting the measure best calculated to prevent the recurrence of these evils, by organising a society, which it was hoped might be the means of adding respectability to the profession of civil engineers in Ireland and rendering some service to the country. Burgoyne added: ‘We are now, whether Englishmen or Irishmen, engaged in the service of Ireland, and it is our duty as well as our interest to promote its prosperity to the utmost'.

He went on to state that ‘information in civil engineering could be acquired by practical experience, by study and by personal intercourse and mutual communication between members of the same profession.’

Each was not sufficient in itself, but all these three could be combined and utilised through facilities to be provided by the proposed society. Thus came into being The Civil Engineers Society of Ireland - a name, however, that was soon to be changed. The society had for its object 'the promotion of science in general, but more particularly as connected with the profession of Civil Engineers'.

Growing pains
Although new members were elected over the next year or two and papers read, but not published, the society would appear to have then become relatively inactive. The Trustees, Sir John Fox Burgoyne and John Radcliffe, found it necessary to call a meeting ‘to consider whether the Society should be continued in its present shape or what steps should be taken with regard to the disposal of funds now vested in our names in Public Securities’.

A general meeting of the society was held subsequently on Friday, 17 August 1844 in the Custom House with Burgoyne as chairman and Robert Mallet (1810-1881) acting as secretary, when it was resolved that ‘The Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland be formed for the promotion of mechanical science and more particularly for the acquisition of that species of knowledge which constitutes the profession of a Civil Engineer’.

The re-organisation of this body of engineers under the title The Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland (ICEI), a title that it was to retain for the next 125 years, appears to have been carried out in a very thorough and expeditious manner. Burgoyne remained on as President and three Vice-Presidents and ten other members constituted the Council.

Thomas Oldham, Curator of the Geological Society of Ireland and afterwords Professor of Geology, at Trinity College Dublin, was appointed Secretary at a salary of £25 per annum. He also undertook the duties of Treasurer. However, it is believed that most of the credit for the rejuvenation of the ‘Institution’ was due to Mallet, whose bicentenary is being celebrated this year.

It was mainly on his advice that the suggested dissolution of the Society and the refund of the assets did not take place and it was he who prepared the Code of By-Laws that placed the ICEI on a firm footing, and the introduction of published Transactions.

Panel:
Remembering Mallet
A number of events are planned this year to commemorate the bicentenary of Robert Mallet’s birth:

• Dr Ron Cox is scheduled to give the Mallet lecture on April 26 in Clyde Road in association with the Royal Dublin Society;
• There is a panel exhibition in preparation to be launched around the time of the Dublin Horse Show; and,
• A new plaque will be unveiled at Killiney beach to mark Mallet's seismological experiments.

Good form, fast work – Crane-independent solution ensures speedy progress Print this article

Soaring 81 metres high and sited directly on the bank of the River Lagan, the Obel Tower is easily the most spectacular build in progress in Belfast. Located in the heart of the city, the 28-floor apartment tower claims the status of highest building in Northern Ireland. Here we look at the innovative crane-independent formwork solution deployed on the project

Put it there – negotiating antenna locations for wireless networks

O´Hare & McGovern Ltd.is lead contractor on the Obel Tower project. The contractor opted for a single-source formwork solution from Doka Ireland. Out of the ordinary in its architecture, the Obel Tower is also a challenging build in many ways because of the difficult boundary conditions singular to this project.

Space is at a premium on the site, which is bordered by a six-lane urban motorway, an elevated railway and the Lagan River itself, so only one slewing tower crane can be accommodated and the solution for formwork lifts has to be totally crane-independent. The project brief, moreover, calls for progress at the rate of one 600 m² floor fully cast per week of build time. This is the single most important prerequisite for compliance with the tight construction schedule.

Planning for the formwork on this build had to be detailed and trimmed for maximum efficiency, with every allowance made for the extremely limited crane capacity. Doka Ireland was commissioned to supply the complete formwork solution for all the CIP concreting.

"We are using automatic climbers for the CIP core and the table lifting system (TLS) for crane-independent lifts of the tables, so we can successfully deal with both those key challenges – limited craneage and the one-week cycle for the deck slabs,” says Ronan McHugh, project manager, explaining his confidence in this end-to-end concept.

Safety must be maintained at the highest possible level throughout every phase of the build, so the lead contractor has also opted to use the Xclimb 60 protection shield. As the building rises, the slab edges of the top four floors are constantly protected inside a full enclosure and everyone inside is shielded against the inclemency of the weather.

The shield also has to be climbed as rapidly as possible as soon as forming work is completed, so the formwork engineers allowed for a second platform level for the follow-on work on the CIP slabs.

Climbing 80 metres in a weekly cycle
The central CIP core of the building is being climbed with 22 of the high-end, high-capability Doka SKE 50 automatic climbing brackets. To keep setup times short and help minimise the complexity of on-site logistics, the working platforms for the climbers, and 250 m² of beam formwork, were delivered to site on a just-in-time (JIT) rota.

The potential of the automatic climbing formwork had to be exploited to the full right from the word go, so an experienced site foreman from Doka familiarised the site crew with the most efficient work routines and supervised final assembly.

“The assistance we had from the Doka site foreman was extremely important in terms of enabling us to meet schedule on the weekly cycle for the CIP core. The standard height is 2.8 metres, and we are able to form up, set the reinforcement, and cast the concrete within two or three days with only two men”, explains Ronan McHugh. The SKE 50 climbers have the adaptability to deal with changes in cross-section, so the two reductions in wall thickness between floors 10 and 20 were easily handled without time-consuming modifications. The shaft formwork has to be quick-lifted, so the Top 50 panels are combined with Framax stripping corner ‘I’ units to form lift-out formwork boxes.

The stripping corner ‘I’ units enable each of the beam-formwork panel assemblies to be backed off quickly from the concrete, so the shaft formwork can be lifted up into position for the next pour without any further disassembly. The formwork for the lift shafts is climbing with SKE 50 plus automatic climbers fitted up with a central climber section.

Seven SKE 50 automatic climbing formwork brackets are in use on the central stairwell shaft, carrying not only the wall formwork but also a concrete pump distributor up from floor to floor as progress on the high-rise continues.

TLS Table Lifting System
The floor slabs have a 600 m², sickle-shaped footprint and are being formed by the site crew with 150 identical Dokaflex tables. This approach ensures optimum adaptability of the floor-slab formwork to the unique floorplan with no need for the large adapter panels that would otherwise take a great deal of time to prepare.

Crane capacity is extremely limited and ideally, floor-slab forming should be crane-independent, so the tables are being lifted from level to level with two TLS table lifting systems.  “It’s very much on account of the fact that we are using these two TLS units that we’ve been able to maintain this tight weekly cycle right through this phase of the build. The TLS units keep our shifting times short and allow us to reap the benefit of continuous and speedy workflows,” Ronan McHugh emphasises.

The table lifting system significantly reduces labour costs by comparison with craned lifts, according to Ronan. Lifting the floor-slab tables is a job easily handled by two labourers working on their own. One man with a Doka electro-hydraulic trolley removes the tables from their original positions and shifts them onto the TLS lifting platform.

He then hits a button to take the tables straight up to the next level in a matter of seconds. The other member of the two-man crew is waiting with a second trolley to take the tables off the lift and manoeuvre them straight into position. In terms of industrial safety, too, the TLS has a huge lead over crane lifts.

The table lifting system is permanently fixed to the structure, it incorporates a raft of active and passive safety features and can safely be used on high-rise builds when the wind is blowing strongly – in other words even after safety considerations have brought the site cranes to a halt.

Solid grounding - the future of geotechnical engineering Print this article

Many observers predict that climate change, coupled with increased construction activities and urbanisation, may cause a significant increase in the frequency and impact of incidents such as flooding, landslides and debris flows, all of which will create a greater focus on the importance of geotechnical engineering. Brendan O’Kelly at the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, presents an overview of some of the possible future directions of the discipline

In the ground engineering sector, there is an increasing demand to maximise the use of each site (i.e., construction of deeper basements; complex underground structures and foundations to resist even higher applied loads) along with the universal demands to optimise design, reduce costs and reduce construction time in a safe working environment.

These demands will lead to greater use of more innovative and cost-effective design methods, including the observational method, and advanced numerical methods that place greater reliance on probabilistic and statistical methods to account for risk and uncertainty. Developments in computation, measurement and communication will provide new opportunities and also enhance existing processes.

Observational method
The observational method is a continuous, managed and integrated process of design, construction control, monitoring and review that enables previously defined modifications to be incorporated during, or after, construction, with the aim of achieving greater overall economy without compromising safety (Nicholson et al., 1999).

The design is based on a working hypothesis of the anticipated behaviour under the most probable subsurface conditions rather than the most unfavourable conceivable deviations from these conditions used in traditional design methods. The gaps in the available information are filled by observations from site investigations and instrumentation as the construction proceeds.

Numerical analysis
Numerical methods, principally finite element and finite difference, will be increasingly used to simulate the complete history of the project and will provide information (e.g. ground settlements and soil-structure interactions) for each construction stage.
The full numerical approach using 3D analysis, in combination with simple but reliable soil models capturing the significant stress-strain-stiffness characteristics and anisotropy (the state or quality of having different properties along different axes) of the ground foundation, contributes to the efficient application of the observational method.

Monitoring
The success of the observational method relies on robust real-time monitoring and measurement techniques in order for informed review and decisions by the designer in relation to any modifications or the implementation of contingencies. The monitoring data obtained during the early stages of construction is used to calibrate the numerical models. Much greater application of recent and further technological developments can be expected, including fibre optics, wireless communication, measurement from satellites and the use of internet databases.

Eurocode 7
A major development in geotechnical engineering during the latter part of the 20th century was the preparation of Eurocode 7: Geotechnical Design. Eurocode 7 is one of a new set of harmonised European codes of practice for structural design that will supersede existing national standards across Europe by 2010.

It aims to achieve a certain degree of reliability in geotechnical design and hence is based on a probabilistic approach. It offers the use of three design approaches that apply partial factors of safety on the actions and the material parameters or resistances at different stages of the design calculation. In addition, the new code of practice specifically addresses the importance of the serviceability limit state design.

Ground investigations and laboratory testing
Although significant improvements have been achieved in undisturbed sampling, the natural structure of a soil specimen is altered to some degree when taken from the ground. Whenever feasible, it is more appropriate to measure the engineering properties of the soil in-situ. This is because its mechanical response is principally controlled by the state of effective stress, stress history and the inherent soil fabric.

Consequently, the trend towards using remote sensing techniques and advanced soil probes that can carry out continuous sampling and testing in-situ will continue.

In recent years, there has been a trend for a greater use of field geophysics and continuous soil-profiling techniques.
This move has included the cone penetration test with measurement of piezometer data (CPTu) to determine quickly and more cost-effectively the ground conditions, identify stratification and obtain a better understanding of the ground behaviour.

A variety of other CPT-deployed tools have also been developed over the years in order to provide additional subsurface information, including environmental site characterisation and groundwater monitoring activities.

Other tools, including laser-induced fluorescence, soil conductivity/resistivity and cameras for capturing video imagery, can also be advanced in conjunction with the CPT probe. In field geophysics, geophone sets are used to measure the seismic shear-wave and compression-wave velocities of the ground from which the stiffness parameter values of the different soil strata can be determined.

Databases
In many locations, particularly urban, much construction is carried out in essentially similar ground conditions. Hence, it would be desirable that the development of publicly-accessible databases of existing ground information will continue.

Compact hand-held technology is also being increasingly used to input and collect digital data (including photos and GPS coordinates) during site walkover studies. These data can then be uploaded to a geographic information system database.

Generalised stress path testing
Standard laboratory apparatus are limited by the stress conditions that they can simulate. For instance, the conventional triaxial apparatus can only subject the test specimen to axi-symmetric loading conditions. However, most ground engineering problems usually include multi-directional loading, in which the direction of the major principal stress can re-orientate relative to the vertical direction.

The next generation of laboratory apparatus, which include the hollow cylinder torsional apparatus (O’Kelly and Naughton, 2005), facilitate generalised stress path testing and incorporate local instrumentation fitted directly to the surface of the test specimen in order to accurately measure the full suite of soil stiffness parameters that are required as inputs for 3D numerical analysis.

Landslip damage to road infrastructure

Response to natural disasters
With increased population and the levels of investment in flood-prone areas, flood protection structures will become more critical due to more extreme river discharges and higher coastal flood-water levels. The stability of both existing and new slopes, cuttings and embankments could be challenged by heavier rainfall. Advanced geotechnical input is necessary in order to understand and reduce the hazard risks.

Renewed efforts are needed to develop a predictive understanding of the landslide processes and triggering mechanisms, and for better and timely forecasting of landslides. Recent work is making greater use of information and communication technology including flood forecasting systems (new satellite data, weather radar) and monitoring (e.g. remote sensing, scatter techniques) in order to facilitate real-time landslide hazard identification.

Concluding thoughts
Geotechnical engineering will increasingly involve construction of even larger/deeper foundations to support even bigger structures; more transportation and service tunnels; as well as more construction on weaker ground.
Sophisticated numerical analysis, along with greater use of risk analysis, will be increasingly used to simulate the complete history of the project, as well as providing detailed information for each construction stage.
Innovative materials and construction methods will be increasingly used to reduce the embodied energy in construction, including:

• Greater use of many forms of ground improvement and reinforcement
• More advanced remediation techniques for the utilisation of brownfield site
• Greater use of marginal fill materials in the construction of earth structures
• Systematic reuse of existing structural foundations in the redevelopment and reconstruction of urban areas
• Future-proofing new foundations

Engineers Ireland News Print this article

TCD student wins Biomedical Research Medal 2010

Kevin Moreman, PhD Student. Dept of of Mechanical Engineering, TCD.

Kevin Moerman, a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in Trinity College Dublin, has won the Engineers Ireland Biomedical Research Medal 2010 for his research paper, Towards the non-invasive determination of the mechanical properties of living human soft tissue.

The prestigious award, sponsored by Georgia Tech Ireland, is made annually by Engineers Ireland to a final year PhD student, judged by a select committee, to have made a significant contribution to the field of biomedical engineering research in Ireland. Four finalists were selected on the basis of research papers submitted to the Biomedical Engineering Division of Engineers Ireland.

The paper was assessed on five criteria: the importance of the topic, the technical depth of the papers, their technical novelty, and overall presentation of the papers and appropriateness of the papers for the competition. 

The Biomedical Research Medal event, which was held in conjunction with the 16th Annual Conference of the Section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, included highly effective presentations of their papers by each of the finalists. 

The winner received a €1000 honorarium, sponsored by Georgia Institute of Technology, from Dr. Barry Dolan Chartered Engineer, Associate Director, Georgia Tech Ireland, in addition to the Biomedical Research Medal which was presented to Kevin by John Power Chartered Engineer, Director General, Engineers Ireland.

The other finalists were:

• Grainne Cunniffe, Queen’s University Belfast & Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland: Gene-activated collagen-nanohydroxyapatite composite scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration
• Michael Early, Trinity College Dublin: An investigation into the high rates of restenosis in peripheral arteries following stenting
• Ross Ormsby, Queen’s University Belfast: Augmentation of PMMA-based cement using carbon nanotubes

Engineers Ireland plays key role in promoting maths - Taoiseach at Engineers Week launch

At the launch of Engineers Week, Engineers Ireland Director General, John Power; An Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen T.D; and Engineers Ireland President, Chris Horn spoke about  the importance and relevance of the  week-long initiative in heightening awareness of engineering, and, in particular, they emphasised the importance of  increased participation and  stronger performance by students in mathematics subjects.

In his speech Mr. Cowen highlighted the steps being taken by the innovation task force, that is looking for ways to increase the number of people employed by innovative, export focused companies.

Continuing, he commented on the vital part mathematics has to play in equipping young people for the twenty-first century jobs market: "Enhancing the mathematical ability of the population is a challenge faced by most developed countries. I do not want Ireland to have to rely solely on imported talent for its future engineers. We must all work together to impress on students and parents the importance of mathematics education for the jobs of the future, and we must work together to find ways to improve mathematical attainment. I believe that Engineers Ireland has a key role to play in that regard, and I am committed to that agenda".

Engineers Ireland and IEEE sign MOU

Dr. Chris Horn (left) and President of the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

President of Engineers Ireland, Dr. Chris Horn (left) and President of the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Dr. John Vig, pictured at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London, signing a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) between Engineers Ireland and IEEE. This MOU provides for discounted membership of both organisations for those suitably qualified. It is hoped that this initiative will result in further benefits to members of both organisations.

Tánaiste announces new IDA chairman

Mary Coughlan TD, and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, recently announced the appointment of Liam O’Mahony Chartered Engineer, FIEI, as the new chairman of IDA Ireland. Announcing the appointment, the Tánaiste said: “I am delighted to welcome Liam as chairman and wish him every success in his new position. He takes up this position at a time when we are facing significant challenges in the global economic environment. I have every confidence that Liam’s valuable experience and knowledge will contribute greatly to the further development and enhancement of foreign direct investment in Ireland.”

Liam O’Mahony is a former group chief executive of CRH plc and has over 37 years experience in a variety of senior management positions, including that of the company's chief executive of US operations and as managing director of the Republic of Ireland and UK group of companies.

Annual Ball 2010

Domhnall Blair receiving his award.

The Engineers Ireland Annual Ball was held recently in the Burlington Hotel with over 630 in attendance for this annual black-tie event.

A good night was enjoyed by all and Engineers Ireland wishes to take this opportunity to thank all those who attended and especially the companies who donated spot prizes on the night.

Pictured at the Annual Ball (left) were Dr Chris Horn Chartered Engineer FIEI, President, Engineers Ireland; Domhnall Blair, Chartered Engineer FIEI and John Power, Chartered Engineer FIEI, Director General, Engineers Ireland. Domhnall was presented with an award in recognition of his services to Engineers Ireland for the past forty years.

NUIG wins transports awards

Pictured (l-r): Kane O’Shea; Mary Dempsey, winner of the ‘Lecturer of the Year’ award; Minister of Education Batt O’Keeffe TD; Monica Murphy (Eastern Section Chairperson), CILT; President Paul Mallee; John Mitchell; Des Mc Caffrey (Irish Coaches, sponsor), and Eoin Leonard.

The Eastern Section of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Ireland (CILT)  recently announced the winners of its three prestigious annual awards in the following categories:  the ‘Idea of the Year’, ‘Innovator of the Year’and ‘Lecturer of the Year’.

This year’s event marked the 25th anniversary of the awards, which are held annually to recognise creative and innovative ideas in the area of logistics and transport, and was held in the Burlington Hotel on Thursday, February 11.

Through the Eastern Section Student Idea of the Year Awards, the CILT gives recognition to students who have developed Innovative ideas which can make a significant contribution to the logistics and transport industry in Ireland. 

This year has seen the biggest amount of submissions in the history of the awards from colleges and universities all over Ireland.  Monica Murphy announced that the winners of the Student Idea of the Year Award were; Kane O’Shea, John Mitchell and Eoin Leonard from the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) for their entry, Electronic warnings on dangerous bends. The winners and runner-ups students are currently studying Energy Systems Engineering and are in their first year.

The runners-up were also from NUIG – they were; Joey Martin, Richie Walsh and Edward Tynan for their entry Inter-Vehicle Communication System (IVCS).

The night also saw the inaugural ‘Lecturer of the Year Award’ which aims to recognise the work of a lecturer who aims to promote innovation and creativity in the areas of logistics, transport and commerce. This year’s award was presented by Minister of Education Batt O’Keeffe, TD, to Mary Dempsey, B.E., M.Eng.Sc., MIEI, of NUIG. 

Monica Murphy (eastern section chairperson) announced Cab Call Communications as the Winner of the 25th ‘Innovator of the Year Award 2010’, with the award being presented by Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe, TD, to the two directors of the company; Paul O’Loughlin Kennedy and John O’Loughlin Kennedy (father and son).

Third national summit on renewables

The third national summit on renewable energy, Creating a vision for Renewable Energy in the new economy, will be held in the Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin on March 4.

Speakers at the conference include Paul Dickerson, partner, Haynes & Boone, former chief operating officer of energy and efficiency and renewable energy, Dept. of Energy, USA; John Campion, executive director, sustainability, ESB; Katrina Polaski, head of low carbon technologies, Sustainable Energy Ireland; Dermot Byrne, chief executive, EirGrid; and Jim Gannon, associate director, RPS Group.

The event is organised by iQuest and sponsored by ESB.

German academy elects past president as fellow

In recognition of his contribution to the field of innovation in technology and engineering, Professor Gerry Byrne has been elected as an International Fellow of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (Deutsche Akademie fuer Technikwissenschaften, acatech).

This is the first time an expert from Ireland or the United Kingdom has been elected to the Academy. The German Academy of Science and Engineering represents the interests of science and technology in Germany and internationally. It supports policy makers and society with technically qualified evaluations and far-sighted recommendations.

In addition, it works to promote sustained growth through innovation and acts as an advisor to the German Government on innovation.

Gerry Byrne is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the UCD School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering. He is a graduate of the Technical University Berlin where he gained a summa cum lauda doctorate degree (Doktor-Ingenieur) in mechanical engineering in 1989.

He also holds an honorary doctorate (Dr h.c.) from DIT, which he was awarded in 2006 for his international contribution to the engineering profession. Following 12 years as head of the former Department of Engineering at UCD, Professor Byrne served as dean of engineering in UCD.

CPD Updates Print this article

High fliers swoop on CPD Accredited Employer standard

High fliers swoop on CPD Accredited Employer standard

The Irish Air Corps has recently become the latest organisation to achieve the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Accredited Employer standard, awarded by Engineers Ireland to outstanding employers. Management and engineering staff at the Air Corps participated in a recent audit. A panel of HR and engineering professionals from Engineers Ireland, measured the effectiveness of the organisation’s development systems and processes.

The Air Corps is the air component of the permanent defence forces, based at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Co. Dublin. Today, approximately 850 men and women serve in the Air Corps, each making a unique and significant contribution to fulfilling the roles, both primary and secondary, as assigned by Government. Engineering professionals are fully trained military personnel. Some of the many disciplines represented include aeronautical, electrical, mechanical, electronic and production engineers.

Pictured at the presentation of the Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer Parchment were (from left to right): Lieutenant Colonel Tom Roche MIEI; Lieutenant Colonel John Moloney Chartered Engineer, FIEI; GOC Air Corps Brigadier General Ralph James; and Lieutenant Colonel Ray Flanagan Chartered Engineer, FIEI, in Baldonnel Aerodrome.

Commenting on the Air Corps’ achievement, John Power, Chartered Engineer and Engineers Ireland Director General, said: “The CPD Accredited Employer scheme recognises companies and organisations which implement specific continuing professional development policies to support their engineers and technical staff. Engineers Ireland is delighted to recognise the Irish Air Corps’ hard work and commitment to CPD. This organisation is a fine example of how CPD is being put to use in a structured fashion to achieve strategic objectives for the State."                                        

The chief airworthiness officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ray Flanagan Chartered Engineer, FIEI, on behalf of the GOC Air Corps said: “We are happy to recognise the input of engineer officers in attaining this award and look forward to continued involvement with the CPD process and Engineers Ireland in the future.”

Top employers retain top CPD Award

Engineers Ireland extends congratulations to those organisations which were recently successful at audit when re-visited as part of the scheme’s monitoring and updating process. Recently re-accredited were:

• Dublin City Council
• ESB International
• Schering Plough (Brinny)
• SIAC Construction Ltd.
• Threefold Project Management Ltd
• Walls Construction

Courses and seminars Print this article

CPD training voucher

Members enjoy €175 discount on CPD training courses valued at €295 or above

Recent studies and statistics show that companies and individuals who invest in training, particularly during challenging economic times, are those who succeed and prosper. As a reward for being a member of Engineers Ireland and to celebrate our 175th anniversary, Engineers Ireland are offering a training voucher for €175 to enable members continue their professional development in 2010.

Request your training voucher today

Eurocodes and structural fire engineering design seminar

• Date: 25 February 2010
  
  
• Venue: Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Dublin 4
  
  
• Seminar aim: This one-day seminar aims to ensure delegates have a thorough understanding of the Irish version of the Eurocodes for designing structures which will be in place from March 2010 onwards. For the first time there will be Irish codes for designing structural elements and buildings. The codes will introduce design methods for concrete, steel, composite structures, masonry, timber and aluminium structures.
  
  
• Who should attend: All designers, civil and structural engineers and architects who need an understanding of the design implications of the new codes.
  
  
• Book now
  
  

Fire and safety seminar - The changing face of regulation in building control and fire safety

• Date: 15 April 2010
  
  
• Venue: Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Dublin 4
  
  
• Seminar aim: This one day seminar will focus on the recent changes in the regulation of building control. Presentations will address changes such as the introduction of disability access certificates, the new fire safety certificates and on how these changes might impact on fire safety design and the concept of ‘access/egress for all’ as set out in the proposed revisions to part M of the building regulations and TGD-M. It will also examine some specific fire safety engineering design challenges and will include BS5588/BS9999, smoke ventilation, case studies etc.
  
  
• Who should attend: The seminar is addressed at professional engineers and architects, fire safety engineers, access/egress designers, building control officers, fire prevention officers, contractors, engineering students and regulators. It will be an opportunity for those interested in solving problems in the practice of building design and of fire safety engineering to meet other professionals and to update themselves on current thinking in this area.

• Book now