CSIC has featured widely in the media and attracted industry acclaim, awards and nominations in the past year. Achievements include six nominations for the forthcoming Ground Engineering Awards 2015, to be announced in June, and winning the prestigious Ground Investigation and Monitoring Award for the Smart Tunnel at the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Awards 2014.
The awards and nominations for CSIC sensing technologies have attracted industry acclaim, acknowledging the strength of CSIC’s innovative approach and effective collaboration with industry:
• CSIC won the prestigious Ground Investigation and Monitoring Award for the Smart Tunnel and was shortlisted for three separate category awards at the International Tunnelling & Underground Space Awards 2014
• CSIC’s Bridging the Knowledge Gap in London's 'Secret Tube' was shortlisted for the British Construction Industry (BCI) Product Design Innovation Award 2014
• The UtterBerry, an intelligent sensing technology developed by CSIC PhD student Heba Bevan, won the Premier Award at the Chartered Institute of Building International Innovation & Research Awards 2014
• The UtterBerry won the Crossrail Best Practice/Innovation Award for contractors Costain-Skanska who deployed the technology at a partially sealed adit complex at its Eleanor Street site in London and was Highly Commended at the Construction News Specialist Awards 2015.
Ongoing success
• Building on this success, CSIC projects and UtterBerry have received no less than six nominations for the Ground Engineering Awards 2015 with the final results scheduled in June
In the media
• CSIC made front-page news on the award-winning, monthly flagship magazine of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Civil Engineering which reaches an audience of 140,000 civil engineers worldwide
• CSIC’s Smart Tunnel featured in the BBC technology flagship programme, Click, which was broadcast around the world
• CSIC’s Head, Professor Robert Mair, was interviewed by the Financial Times about the effects of London’s subterranean building boom
• A video featuring CSIC’s work went viral. London Evolution Animation (LEA) attracted more than 350,000 YouTube hits and unprecedented numbers of re-tweets from @guardiancities and @guardian
• CSIC is a monthly contributor to Infrastructure Intelligence, the industry digital and print title, produced by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering. CSIC produces articles written by members of the team highlighting new technologies, research and industry deployments
Jackie Whitelaw, Associate Editor, Infrastructure Intelligence said: “CSIC’s articles are among the best read on the Infrastructure Intelligence website because they give the infrastructure community insight and advance warning of innovation and new thinking that will change and challenge the sector. From wireless sensing and intelligent infrastructure to the need to consider what is appropriate development, the informative pieces are top reads for our audience.”
• An article in the New Civil Engineer: Where the Smart Money is, by Ben Cronin featured an interview with CSIC Director, Dr Jennifer Schooling and contribution from CSIC Business Development Manager, Phil Keenan
• CSIC’s Head, Professor Mair and CSIC PhD student Matthew Wilcock talked about the relevance of CSIC’s work to government and industry on the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) online news programme made in association with ITN Productions, highlighting the importance and relevance of research funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
• CSIC Head, Professor Robert Mair was a guest speaker at the Hay Festival, one of the most prestigious literary festivals in the world
Jennifer Schooling, Director of CSIC, said: “These are significant achievements which acknowledge the strength of CSIC’s innovative approach and collaboration with industry as well as wider interest in our work. Our Centre works to design, develop and deliver performance measurement technologies that offer major benefits to the construction industry and the recognition we are receiving endorses the potential of our sensing and data analysis tools.”
Photo: From left Nadine Buddoo, Deputy Editor Ground Engineering, Peter Wright CH2M HILL, CSIC's Heba Bevan, Mehdi Alhaddad, Prof Robert Mair, C. Y. Gue, Matt Wilcock and Mark Hansford, Editor New Civil Engineer.