Category Archives: Engineering
AtkinsRalis-led consortium receives award letter for engineering, technology and procurement in support of CANDU reactor life extension in Romania -…
MONTREAL, Nov. 7, 2023 /CNW/ -Candu Energy Inc., an AtkinsRalis company[SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.] (TSX: ATRL) and the Canadian Commercial Corporation ("CCC"), a federal Crown corporation, have received an award letter from Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN) to provide engineering, technology and procurement of tooling and reactor components in support of the life extension of SNN's Unit 1 CANDU reactor at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant in Romania. Valued at approximately $750 million, the contract will build on a series of earlier pre-project contracts for AtkinsRalis in Romania.
"As the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of CANDU nuclear technology, we are proud that this tried and tested Canadian-developed solutionthat has been so effective domestically and abroad has also provided Romanians with emissions-free, cost-efficient and uninterrupted power for generations, securing its continued energy independence and also serving as an excellent blueprint for the rest of Eastern Europe," said Ian L. Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, AtkinsRalis. "Not only is this award perfectly aligned with our Net Zero philosophy, but it also operationalizes our commitment to engineer a better future for our planet and its people."
As the exclusive licensee of CANDU intellectual property portfolio and contributing its unique experience and know-how in respect of all aspects of CANDU technology, AtkinsRalis is the only organization which has taken a leading role in all CANDU reactor life extension projects to date globally, including those successfully executed or underway in Asia, North America, and South America. Work currently being performed by AtkinsRalis for CANDU reactor life extension projects in Ontario, spanning 10 reactors at Darlington and Bruce Power, is running on time and on budget.
"We are happy to extend our collaboration for the Retubing and Refurbishment Project of Cernavoda Unit 1 NPP with AtkinsRalis, which already proved its experience and capabilities. As Unit 1 is a strategic pillar for Romania's energy stability, we are proud to conduct this project at excellent standards and continue to offer clean energy for the following 30 years after its refurbishment. Moreover, the extension of the lifetime of Unit 1 will continue to bring multiple benefits to Romania: preserving high quality jobs, as well as creating new ones, investments in the community, an important contribution to local and national budget, as well as projects for the local supply chain, as part of our vision to create a sustainable future for the next generations," said Cosmin Ghi, CEO of Nuclearelectrica SA.
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"We're honoured and privileged to continue our decades-long relationship with SNN and this award letter is a sign of their continued confidence in our longstanding work and proven capabilities at Cernavoda," said Joe St. Julian, President, Nuclear, AtkinsRalis. "It is an important step toward the work that needs to be undertaken to extend the life of their CANDU reactor and to continue the legacy of CANDU technology's exemplary operating and safety record, which is a source of pride in Romania. It's why they're also progressing plans for the build of two more CANDU reactors on the Cernavoda site."
Contract signing is scheduled to take place in the coming weeksand its entry in force will be subject to the approval of SNN's General Meeting of Shareholders and the completion of Government of Canada formal approval processes.
About AtkinsRalis
Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in key strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear, Operations & Maintenance and Capital. News and information are available at http://www.atkinsrealis.comor follow us on LinkedIn.
About AtkinsRalis'Nuclear Business
AtkinsRalis has over 70 years' of global nuclear expertise, delivering nuclear technology products and full-service solutions to nuclear utilities around the world. AtkinsRalis is the steward of CANDU nuclear technology, operating on four continents, and provides advisory and engineering services to other nuclear developers. With an innovative technology portfolio, including access to over 500 patented solutions, AtkinsRalis solves technically complex challenges across the whole nuclear lifecycle from design and new build through asset management and from life extension and late life management through decommissioning and waste management. AtkinsRalis operates and manages government nuclear research sites, transforming ageing infrastructure and safely managing legacy nuclear waste. AtkinsRalis is also involved in developing medical radioisotopes for cancer research through its partnership with TerraPower. Read more on our Nuclear market page.
CANDU is a registered trademark of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, used under exclusive license by Candu Energy Inc., a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. doing business as AtkinsRalis.
Forward-Looking Statements
Reference in this press release to the "Company" or to "SNC-Lavalin" means, as the context may require, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. doing business as AtkinsRalis or all or some of its subsidiaries or joint arrangements or associates. Statements made in this press release that describe the Company's or management's expectations or strategies may be "forward-looking statements", which can be identified by the use of the conditional or forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "forecasts", "intends", "may", "objective", "plans", "projects", "should", "will", "likely", or the negative thereof or other variations thereon. Forward-looking statements also include any other statements that do not refer to historical facts. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe-harbour" provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company cautions that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and that its actual actions and/or results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, or could affect the extent to which a particular projection materializes. Forward-looking statements are presented for the purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding certain key elements of the Company's current objectives, strategic priorities, expectations and plans, and in obtaining a better understanding of the Company's business and anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on a number of assumptions believed by the Company to be reasonable as at the date hereof. The assumptions are set out throughout the Company's 2022 Annual MD&A (particularly in the sections entitled "Critical Accounting Judgments and Key Sources of Estimation Uncertainty" and "How We Analyze and Report our Results") and as updated in the first and second quarters of 2023 MD&A each filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, available on SEDAR+ and on the Company's website at under the "Investors" section. If these assumptions are inaccurate, the Company's actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward looking statements. In addition, important risk factors could cause the Company's assumptions and estimates to be inaccurate and actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. Those risks are identified in the Company's 2022 Annual MD&A (particularly in the sections entitled "Risk and Un certainties") and as updated in the first and second quarters of 2023 MD&A and are not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements herein reflect the Company's expectations as at the date of this press release and are subject to change after this date. The Company does not undertake to update publicly or to revise any such forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable legislation or regulation.
SOURCE AtkinsRalis Canada Inc.
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We need more women, says only female winner of Millennium Technology prize – The Guardian
Science prizes
Women form just 16% of the nominees for next years award, but Nobel laureate Prof Frances Arnold says gender balance will come through girls working in science from a young age
As a Nobel laureate, Prof Frances Arnold is not short of accolades. Yet being the only woman to so far win the Millennium Technology Prize the Nobel equivalent for engineers is one of the least appealing.
Nominations for the 1m 2024 prize closed last week, and the organisers have revealed that women formed just 16.3% of nominees, the highest of any year since the biennial awards launch in 2004, apart from the 28.1% put forward in 2022.
Wed love to see more diversity in the winners of these prizes because we know that diverse people contribute to technology, Arnold, an American chemical engineer, told the Observer.
The award organiser, Technology Academy Finland (TAF), has pushed the scientific and engineering community to think about women when they consider innovations towards creating a better life.
Tim Berners-Lee was the inaugural winner in 2004 for inventing the world wide web, while others have been recognised for DNA fingerprinting, fibre optic networks and stem cell research. But Arnold said it would take time for more women to join her.
Its important to remember that these prizes are often recognising work that was started 20, maybe even 30 years ago, when women were not as numerous in the technology community as they are today, she said. So my prediction is that there will be more nominations for women because marvellous women are joining the technology community.
Also, its possible women are not recognised as much because they work in teams. And these kinds of prize often try to pinpoint a contribution of one or a few very few individuals.
Arnold said she was thrilled to have received the prize in 2016 for her work on directed evolution of enzymes. Im an engineer by training, and its a huge prize for engineers you can think of it as the Nobel prize for engineers. Two years later, I won the Nobel prize [in chemistry] I dont know how those are connected, but it was for basically the same sets of ideas.
Winning took a lot of hard work, she said. And taking the blows and standing back up again. You have to be willing to take the criticism and do the hard work. I never shied away from that. I certainly wasnt going to let someone else have all the fun. I love research, I love invention. Why would I let the men have all the fun?
In addition to her research, Arnold also co-chairs President Joe Bidens Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and teaches at the California Institute of Technology.
Half of our undergraduates are women. So the pipeline is there. Whether they stay to compete in academic research is another question.
Women often choose to look more widely than men and often go into leadership positions in industry, Arnold said, where maybe their potential for making these big discoveries is not as great.
Her own big discovery was that she could breed enzymes like others breed sheep or yeast. In directed evolution, unlike natural selection, enzymes are encouraged to mutate then selected by engineers for specific properties that are useful, such as for creating fuels, medicines, chemicals and consumer goods. Until then, most scientists had attempted to understand how each part of the enzyme worked so they could design enzymes.
It is similar to the black box approach of artificial intelligence, she said. There are a lot of parallels with AI and not just generative AI, but with artificial intelligence. Because these are navigating complex problems. Engineering an enzyme is a tremendously complex problem where we cant sit down and specify all the interactions that are important in the design nobodys been able to do that.
So machine learning and AI are very good at seeing the important patterns. We may not perceive it in the same way that the machine does it. But the machine catches those patterns and can greatly speed up the process of enzyme engineering. I do a lot of AI work myself.
Theyre both methodologies for traversing complex landscapes, wed say. And you can meld them. Evolutionary search is a very simple search process on a complex landscape. Machine learning can do it in a different way. And there are many opportunities for melding these processes.
TAF is keen for more people to nominate women for its prize. Dr Markku Ellil, the academys chief executive, said: The problem is structural and requires that women are encouraged to work in science at a young age. We aim to participate in this work through cooperation with universities and, for instance, by organising pitching contests for doctoral students and nominating candidates for Singapores Global Young Scientists Summit.
The chair of the academys board, Minna Palmroth, professor in computational space physics, said that progress was being made. Within this nominations round we pilot-tested purely women-targeted content in our nominations campaign, which gained promising results. However, there is still a lot to do, and that is why the prize will continue to encourage an increasing number of women to be nominated in the coming years.
The headline of this article was amended on 7 November 2023 to include the formal name of the prize.
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We need more women, says only female winner of Millennium Technology prize - The Guardian
Tech community pleased with Alberta move to change rules around engineer title – Edmonton Journal
Canadas tech community is applauding a proposal by the Alberta government that would allow more workers to use the software engineer title.
Premier Danielle Smiths government introduced a bill on Monday that would allow for broader use of the descriptor, which is common in the tech industry but not recognized by the provinces professional engineers.
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If passed, Bill 7 would carve out an exception in the provinces Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act, granting software engineers and those with similar roles permission to use the title.
This is an important development for the innovation sector in the province and will give companies and their employees the freedom to use titles that have long been universally accepted in the tech industry, said Sam Pillar, chief executive of Edmonton-based tech company Jobber, which has used the software engineer title.
It has become a point of contention in the tech sector, where people working in program development and other technical roles are often called software engineers.
However, use of the title raised the ire of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, which filed lawsuits against tech companies that use variations of the engineer title.
The association, which did not immediately provide comment Tuesday, has argued the term engineer comes with a licensed and ethical set of responsibilities and accountabilities akin to other regulated professions, such as health and legal roles.
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More than 30 tech companies signed a bill last October, seeking a change that would allow them to more freely use the engineer title. They said the current law hampers their ability to compete for global tech talent, which has long been lured to the U.S. instead with promises of big job titles and even bigger salaries.
Jobber was sued by the engineering association over its use of the engineer title, making Pillar one of the most vocal figures in the fight to change how the term could be used.
He called Albertas proposal an important development.
It is critical that companies like Jobber are able to compete on a level playing field for top talent, he said, in a statement.
This much-needed clarification will go a long way to ensuring we can do that.
Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Innovators, was equally happy with the proposed change because he thinks it will help Canadian tech companies compete more freely for talent.
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He cited data showing postings for software developers received far fewer applicants than software engineers, and the quality of applicants wasnt as high.
If you hinder a companys ability to be able to access the best and brightest from around the world by being stuck on nomenclature, youre actually impeding them, Bergen said.
He feels its important that Alberta is acting now because job titles are constantly evolving in tech. With the dawn of artificial intelligence technology like Chat-GPT, for example, he said prompt engineer is cropping up and could face similar opposition.
But its not just Alberta, which Bergen says has the countrys largest contingent of engineers because of its proximity to the oilsands, where the engineering title could come under fire.
B.C. and Ontario have similar legislation but not enforced it in the software engineering context, Bergen said.
He hopes Albertas new approach sets a precedent.
I think our concern as an organization is that this type of enforcement was going to begin sweeping to other provinces as well.
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Tech community pleased with Alberta move to change rules around engineer title - Edmonton Journal
Roofe inducted into engineer alumni association | News … – The Batesville Daily Guard
JONESBORO Alex Roofe, district maintenance engineer for the Arkansas Dept. of Transportation in Batesville, was recently inducted into the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CoECS) Alumni Academy. The third cohort of members was inducted during its recent annual meeting, which was held at Woodard McAlister Family Club inside Centennial Bank Stadium.
The 23 new members were are added by invitation. Qualifications for membership include being in the workforce for at least a decade and being credited with significant professional accomplishments. Those considered for membership are either graduates of one of the colleges degree programs or are a friend of the college.
It is exciting to see the growth and momentum of the academy in such a short time, said Jim Chidester, president and charter member of the academy. In addition to his role with the academy, Chidester is also an instructor of construction management in CoECS.
The potential impact of what its members will be able to accomplish is limitless, as we strive to achieve the Alumni Academys mission goals of helping to bring visibility to the College of Engineering and Computer Science, acting as mentors to students and recent graduates, and providing a means of networking for all alumni of the College.
Jessie Jones, a charter member of the academy, works as assistant chief engineer of planning for the Arkansas Department of Transportation. She is the president-elect of the Academy for 2024.
Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya, dean of the CoECS, said that it is wonderful to see the growth of the Academy entering its third year of operation.
This brings the membership to a total of 70 members. The Academy provides these accomplished alumni an opportunity to reconnect with their peers as well as the university and the college, continued Bhattacharyya. It is a privilege to be part of this effort that will have a transformative impact on the college for years and decades to come.
Other new inductees and their current professional positions are:
Bradley Clark, geotechnical branch chief, Southwestern Division Dam Safety Production Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock
Aaron Benzing, chief financial officer, Hawkins Weir, Little Rock
Rose Garrett, mechanical engineer and medical program manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock
Lee Morgan, president and CEO, The Systems Group, Little Rock
Cody Hardin, research engineer, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Miss.
Pedtra Wilson Flournoy, senior systems engineer, Trinity Industries, Dallas
Gabe Knight, White River systems engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock
Christopher Crowley, chief information officer, Big River Steel, Osceola
Shaun Roberson, project manager, Garver, North Little Rock
Thomas Kennett, retired military and FedEx pilot, Memphis
David Sales, retired military, executive vice president, JANUS Research Group, Evans, Ga.
David Williamson, president, Automation Outfitters, Jonesboro
Zachery Hill, manager of region engineering, Entergy, Little Rock
Ryan Essington, signal application engineer, Alstom Transportation, Jacksonville, Fla.
Lesley Wright, associate professor in mechanical engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Wade Tate, retired military, supervisor and primary systems engineer, JANUS Research Group, Evans, Ga.
Jason MacDonald, director of water resource, Fisher Arnold, Jonesboro
Ryan Blankenship, resident engineer, Arkansas Dept. of Transportation, Paragould
Michael Busick, senior structural engineer, Arkansas Dept. of Transportation, Little Rock
Timothy Arquitt, Jonesboro
Bob Earwood, managing partner, Inspyre Group, LLC, Memphis
Craig Light, City Water and Light, Jonesboro
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Roofe inducted into engineer alumni association | News ... - The Batesville Daily Guard
Ransomware, AI, and social engineering all set to be 2024’s biggest … – TechRadar
Ransomware attacks reached a record high in 2023, and are set to continue to be a threat for some time to come, new research has warned.
In its 2024 Key Forecasts, ZeroFox Intelligence highlighted analysis of live threat intelligence data showing the rise, and warned that as a number of key elections are due in 2024, it expects an uptick in malicious campaigns and scams looking to spread misinformation.
Manufacturing and technology industries facing the greatest threat, the company said, with US based organizations will likely suffer more than 50% of global ransomware attacks in 2024 due to its sizable economic and digital infrastructure.
Social engineering is expected to rise as a result of phishing campaigns utilizing new techniques and malicious attachments. Search engine optimization (SEO) will also see increased levels of manipulation by threat actors looking to make their scams appear more legitimate, or use more legitimate domains.
AI will see an increased use by threat actors and the cyber security industry as its abilities evolve. Synthetic media generated by AI will be used to target elections, and spread misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. However, there is potential for AI to enhance defense capabilities concerning cyber security and the detection of synthetic media.
There is a growing threat that cyber attacks will have increasing physical damages, most likely affecting finance, energy and healthcare. These critical sectors can suffer huge real world damage as a result of cyber attacks, and often use out-dated or undersized security infrastructure. Nation-state and state-sponsored attacks are the most likely to target these critical sectors, especially with regard to the Russia-Ukraine war and tenuous relations between China and Taiwan.
ZeroFox noted businesses looking to enhance their protective capabilities, which include backing up critical data to off-site encrypted cloud storage, monitoring network access and device configurations, and adopting an organization-wide zero-trust cybersecurity architecture to keep device access to the minimum required for operation.
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Ransomware, AI, and social engineering all set to be 2024's biggest ... - TechRadar
Young Bristol graduates win national engineering competition – BBC.com
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Young Bristol graduates win national engineering competition - BBC.com
Engineer Indicted for Bombing Energy Facilities in California – Department of Justice
Peter Karasev, 36, a U.S. citizen residing in San Jose, was arraigned in the Northern District of California today on an indictment charging him with destroying energy facilities and using fire or explosives to commit a federal crime.
According to court documents, Karasev was indicted on Oct. 19. As alleged in counts one and two of the indictment, Karasev knowingly and willfully damaged the property of two energy facilities specifically, two PG&E transformers in San Jose, California on Dec. 8, 2022, and Jan. 5, 2023, respectively and attempted to cause and caused significant interruption and impairment of those energy facilities. The indictment also alleges, in count three, that the defendant used fire and an explosive to commit a felony, specifically, the destruction of an energy facility on Jan. 5, 2023.
These charges make clear that those who attack our countrys critical infrastructure will be met with the full force of the Justice Department, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. We have charged Peter Karasev with bombing two energy transformers in Northern California, leaving more than 1,500 households and businesses in the San Jose community without power. I want to thank the U.S. Attorneys Office for Northern District of California and the FBI for their work to bring the defendant to justice and prevent further harm to the San Jose community.
"Theindictment alleges that Karasev built explosive devices and used them to damage energy facilities, knocking out power to over 1,500 homes and businesses in the San Jose area, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. The FBI is laser focused on protecting the essential infrastructure that Americans rely on every day, and we and our partners like the San Jose Police Department will use every lawful meansto holdanyone who targets that infrastructure accountable.
The defendant in this case allegedly used explosives to try to cut off electricity to more than 1,500 San Jose businesses and residences, said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California.Damaging our regions critical infrastructure endangers innocent victims including our most vulnerable citizens such as the elderly and the sick and we will not tolerate it. We will vigorously prosecute any malicious attempts to disrupt the power grid.
As described in a government memorandum seeking Karasevs pretrial detention, Karasev constructed, planted and ignited the explosive devices that caused each of the transformer explosions. Both attacks occurred during the early morning hours in commercial areas occupied by stores and businesses, and collectively terminated power to over 1,500 households and businesses in the San Jose community.
The governments memorandum also detailed that in the months leading up to the attacks, Karasev was building and experimenting with homemade explosives, as well as manufacturing methamphetamine, in his own home. At the time of his arrest, Karasev was allegedly in possession of a range of improvised explosive devices in varying stages of completion, as well as multiple firearms, additional weapons, over 300 pounds of explosive precursor materials, and other hazardous substances.
Karasev was arrested in March 2023 by local authorities and remained in custody on related state charges prior to his transfer to federal custody for this case. He is charged with two counts of destruction of an energy facility and one count of use of fire or an explosive to commit a federal felony. If convicted, Karasev faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison on count three to be served consecutively to any imprisonment imposed for either of the other counts. Karasev faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI and the San Jose Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne C. Hsieh for the Northern District of California and Trial Attorney Jacob Warren of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Engineer Indicted for Bombing Energy Facilities in California - Department of Justice
Karnataka to develop 10 engineering colleges as Institutes of Eminence – Deccan Herald
Karnataka to develop 10 engineering colleges as Institutes of EminenceFor this purpose, the Higher Education department has decided to borrow a soft loan from the World Bank. Confirming this to DH, Minister for Higher Education Dr M C Sudhakar said that the proposal has been submitted to the Finance department for the concurrence to take a loan from the World Bank.
Last Updated 08 November 2023, 06:02 IST
Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bengaluru.
The state government has dropped the previous BJP governmentsplan to develop seven government engineering colleges as Karnataka Institute of Technologies (KIT), on the lines of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). It has decided to upgrade 10 government engineering colleges as the Institute of Eminence.
For this purpose, the Higher Education department has decided to borrow a soft loan from the World Bank. Confirming this to DH, Minister for Higher Education Dr M C Sudhakar said that the proposal has been submitted to the Finance department for the concurrence to take a loan from the World Bank.
It was just an announcement made by the previous government to develop colleges into an IIT model, but funds were not released or earmarked for the purpose. We have dropped that plan and decided to upgrade 10 government engineering colleges as Institutes of Eminence, said Sudhakar.
It is not that we have discontinued the project by the previous government. Actually the twinning programme for polytechnic students was their project and we have continued it, the minister said.
As explained by the minister, it is not easy to develop colleges as IIT model. The curriculum, examination system, governance and everything is different in the IITs. Our aim is to improve the quality by providing importance to faculty and infrastructure, he said.
We will not stress only on improving the infrastructure of our engineering colleges. The loan amount will be distributed region-wise for the colleges, he added.
The idea of the department is to get Rs 1,740 crore soft loan from the World Bank for the period of 20 years and allocate Rs 30 crore per government engineering college (total 10 selected), Rs 20 crore per degree college in 15 districts and upgrade them as model colleges and also to establish polytechnics in every district utilising the funds.
Sudhakar said the department is trying to bring in some changes in the engineering curriculum also. The BJP government had announced to upgrade seven government engineering colleges to KITs on the lines of IITs. It had constituted a task force headed by founder director of Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru, Prof S Sadagopan.
As per the announcement, the task force was supposed to select two departments in seven engineering colleges, study the needs and submit reports on upgrading them as KITs.
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Karnataka to develop 10 engineering colleges as Institutes of Eminence - Deccan Herald
Thousands of engineering construction workers ready to strike after … – Unite the union
Strike ballot of over 3,000 oil refinery and power station engineers enlarged as dispute grows
Thousands of engineering construction workers are ready to strike after they rejected aninadequatepay offer, with more set to be balloted, Unite, the UKs leading union, said today (Monday).
The workers, who operate under the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI), last week voted by 86 per cent to reject a two year pay offer of 10 per cent for 2024 and five per cent for 2025.
The offer, from the employers who negotiate the NAECI agreement with unions, does not go far enough to restore years of falling wages for engineering construction workers.
Since the pandemic, pay for engineering construction workers has fallen by 20 per cent in real terms. During Covid, a pay freeze was imposed on the workers even though they provided essential services throughout the crisis. In January 2022, they received a two year pay deal of 2.5 per cent for 2022 and the same percentage increase for 2023 even though inflation was soaring into double digits.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:NAECI workers have seen their pay fall further and further behind in real terms as a result of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. Meanwhile, most NAECI employers have benefited from huge profits generated from rocketing energy and fuel prices. NAECI contractors and clients can fully afford to put forward a better offer and this is what must happen.
Unites NAECI members carry out essential repair and maintenance at oil refineries, power stations and pharmaceutical and petro-chemical plants.
Workers at Drax, Sellafield, Stanlow, Pembroke, Grangemouth, Teesside Sabic TIP and Runcorn Project Summer Vynova have already voted for strike action.
Due to the strength of feeling amongst NAECI members, Unite is also preparing to ballot even more workers at other sites across the country to join any industrial action.
Unite national officer Jason Poulter said:There is a limited window of opportunity for NAECI contractors and clients to avoid widespread industrial unrest.
They have the money to ensure that our members rates are restored to their previous value. Their latest offer was inadequate and was overwhelmingly rejected by our members. They need to get back into negotiations and work with us to find an acceptable offer.
ENDS
UK oil refineries, power stations, chemical and pharma sites facing major strike disruption
For media enquires ONLY contact senior Unite communications officer Ryan Fletcher on07849 090215or020 3371 2065.
Email:[emailprotected]
Twitter: @unitetheunion Facebook: unitetheunion1 Instagram: unitetheunion
Web:unitetheunion.org
Unite is Britain and Irelands largest union with members working across all sectors of the economy. Thegeneral secretary is Sharon Graham.
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Thousands of engineering construction workers ready to strike after ... - Unite the union
Strathclyde engineer honoured for contribution to Science with … – University of Strathclyde
Zoe Shipton, Professor of Geological Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Strathclyde, is the recipient of the annual Fletcherof SaltounAward for Science.
The prestigiousawardis given in recognition of an outstanding contribution to Scotland's life and culture by The Saltire Society and involve nominations from national and international membership, a panel of experts who shortlist, with the final decision made by the Council.
Professor Shipton was nominated by a number of members and the culture organisations Council was unanimous in their support for theawardnoting her exceptional contribution.
Professor Shipton said: I am delighted to receive this award, and slightly star-struck by the calibre of the other award winners.
I am particularly delighted to see that the nomination mentions that the work I do is part of a team. Achieving the large-scale changes in our energy system and society that are needed to meet - and ideally exceed - our net zero targets requires close collaboration between academia, industry, government and civil society across a very wide range of disciplines.
My work has been supported by excellent researchers and colleagues from across science, engineering, social science disciplines and end-users from a wide range of applications.
Without this partnership approach I could not have achieved the research and research outcomes honoured in this award, so I consider this as an award for the team.
The charity announced a total of five recipients of this years Awards. Dr Scilla Elworthy, three times Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her work with Oxford Research Group and Great Tapestry of Scotland designer Andrew Crummy received awards for Public Life. Actor Maureen Beattie and poet Rab Wilson received awards for Arts & Humanities.
Established in 1988, the Awards recognise and celebrate the innovators and entrepreneurs who shape the cultural landscape of Scotland in the fields of Science, Arts & Humanities and Public Life. Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1655-1716) was an accomplished patriotic Scots writer, politician, soldier, Commissioner of the Old Parliament of Scotland and an innovative thinker and intellectual visionary. Previous recipients include Professor Sir Ian Boyd, John Byrne, Dame Evelyn Glennie and Professor Devi Sridhar.
Sarah Mason, Executive Director of the Saltire Society, said: We are delighted to have this opportunity to celebrate the innovators and Authorities in their fields we have in Scotland, and to recognise the impact they have. Since 1936 the Society has worked tirelessly to ensure Scottish culture is recognised, lived and fought for. The 35 years the Fletcher Awards have been running has seen over 60 people recognised and we are pleased to see five more exceptional people celebrated in 2023.
Professor Shiptons research focuses on applying geological understanding to engineering the subsurface: for instance in geothermal energy, energy storage and geological carbon storage. She, together with colleagues from academia and industry across Scotland, is exploring the use of abandoned and flooded coal mines in Scotland for geothermal heat extraction and energy storage, for use in domestic and industrial heatingand to also generate jobs and income.
The Professor also works on a wide range of topics such as novel engineering technology for deep geothermal energy, perception of risk, and minimising greenhouse gas emissions from geological engineering.
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Strathclyde engineer honoured for contribution to Science with ... - University of Strathclyde