The College’s Emeritus Professor Brian Anderson has been recognised for his remarkable contribution to the field of engineering.
Emeritus Professor Anderson has been awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - the highest honour conferred by Engineers Australia.
His connection to the award goes back a long way.
“I had a close school friend whose father, David Myers, was President of the Institution of Engineers around 1958, and later a recipient of the Peter Nicol Russell Medal in 1977,” Emeritus Professor Anderson said.
Emeritus Professor Anderson has been recognised with various awards throughout his career, including the Centenary Medal in 2001, and appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1993, and Companion of the Order of Australia in 2016.
He even has a building named after him on the ANU campus.
He says this latest accolade has caused him to reflect on the changing nature of engineering.
“Engineering is always directed to the service of people, and undoubtedly will address some of the big challenges of our time.”
In the future, he believes that engineers will be central in addressing issues like energy sustainability, and our aging population.
“I have no doubt that the engineers of tomorrow will find their professional world just as challenging, if not more so, than mine.”
“When in years to come they look back on their career as I do now, I hope they feel, as I do, they have been extremely fortunate to have lived such an exciting professional life.”
The Peter Nicol Memorial Medal is awarded annually to an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia who has made a ‘notable contribution’ to the science or practice of engineering in Australia over the course of their career.
Previous recipients include Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel AO.
Emeritus Professor Brian Anderson was named this year’s recipient at a ceremony on Monday 18 November.