The Cork Region of Engineers Ireland has had an eventful and engaging 2023 and they hope to carry this momentum into 2024.
The highlight of 2023 was the visit to Cork on September 11/12 of Keith Howells, the 158th president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), which included a series of events co-hosted by the ICE Republic of Ireland branch and the Engineers Ireland Cork Region committee.
Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals to build a better society
Howells gave his presidential address on 'Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals to build a better society' to a large Cork audience in the Vertigo venue in the Cork County Hall.
The year commenced with the region provided both members and the general public with a free private tour of Spike Island which was accompanied by a presentation on the history and evolution of the fort from prison to the top European tourist attraction by Tom O’ Neill. The visit and lecture were insightful and a notable success following a previous weather delay.
Other site visits throughout the year included: a visit to the Crawford Art Gallery where Tom Spalding and Gareth O'Callaghan combined to give an overview of the history and the future renovations for the Crawford Art Gallery and visits to Aghada Power Station and Battery Facility and Lee Road Water Treatment Plant where Murphy Ireland, Uisce Eireann and ESB, gave respective overviews of the plants.
The Cork Region visited UCC, where they met with representatives of the world-leading Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine (MaREI), the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) and the Sustainable Futures project.
Dr Marguerite Nyhan and Dr Jerry Murphy facilitated an afternoon of current project presentations and a panel discussion on 'How civil engineering can support a sustainable future for all'. The Cork Regions also visited the Old Cork Waterworks to hear noted industrial archaeologist Dr Colin Rynne of UCC, review Cork’s industrial heritage.
The year included a number of presentations and lectures provided by very generous contributors who continue to give their time and expertise to the region. Lectures were provided on a wide range of topics in the hope to deliver items of interest to our multidisciplinary membership.
A few highlights include: Luke Deasy’s lecture on the design and construction of Ireland’s first off-grid solar powered island in Ireland, and the differences compared to a typical grid connected project, Fabian Murphy’s lecture on fire prevention on construction sites, and for buildings undergoing renovation, Mel Gavin’s presentation on the Red Wolf project which has developed a hybrid storage system controlled by a live data-driven management that maximises the use of renewable electricity to power homes.
Energy upgrade projects
Xavier Dubuisson presented on RetroKit which is a software platform that supports the delivery of energy upgrade projects and finally Dr Maria Ryan’s talk on exploring the factors that lead to a mathematics anxiety reaction, and ways to determine if someone is mathematics anxious, as well as introducing different strategies to help alleviate mathematics anxiety.
The year 2024 promises similar content being presented over the next few months by the Cork Region of Engineers Ireland. On Tuesday, January 16, Ryan McKeever will present a lecture on erosion control with geosynthetic cementitious composite mats.
The region will also cover topics including the EcoLab, Cork Docklands, national rail projects, and the relationship between architects and engineers as the year progresses.
The annual dinner will take place on the Friday, February 16, in the Maryborough hotel and the family fun day on Sunday, March 3, in the Old Cork Waterworks.
Details for all events can be found on our website and on social media platforms.
