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23 May 2002
Engineering: the best thing since sliced bread?
The Royal Academy of Engineering is to award its first ever Public Promotion of Engineering Medal to TV presenter Adam Hart-Davis, who has engaged even the most acerbic TV critics with his infectious enthusiasm for all things engineering. Adam will receive the solid silver medal at the Academy Awards Dinner at Drapers' Hall in London on Monday 27 May.
Newly arrived for the current series of BBC1's Tomorrow's World, Adam is well known for his fascinating programmes on the history of technology such as Local Heroes, What the Victorians did for us and What the Romans did for us. His innovative Open University collaboration Science Shack, broadcast on BBC2 last year, was driven by viewers' curiosity in asking questions ranging from "why does the Millennium Bridge wobble?" to "how do flies walk on the ceiling?"
"The trouble with British engineering is that things don't go wrong any more," says Adam, "which means that we no longer have to fix things - clocks, washing machines, and cars. Sadly so much of today's technology is wrapped up in software that it is hard for budding engineers to appreciate the risk and excitement that are inherent in engineering and made the Victorian engineers such heroes. It's all too easy to take technology for granted when we're surrounded by it and it works - and comes in replaceable modules."
Adam is also a prolific author - his latest book is out today: Henry Winstanley and the Eddystone Lighthouse tells the tragic story of the world's first lighthouse and its creator Henry Winstanley, who boasted that his crowning wish was to be in his lighthouse for the worse storm that ever blew under God's heaven, only to have his wish cruelly granted on 26 November 1703. Adam's fascination with long-dead engineers began when he started presenting Local heroes: "I reasoned that dead heroes would be easier to cover than live ones, and less likely to sue..."
"Adam has such enthusiasm and curiosity about the physical world and science and engineering," says Professor Ann Dowling, Chairman of the Academy's Awards Committee. "He makes great use of models and experiments to convey ideas and makes a point of showing how human ingenuity has impacted on our lives - he is a worthy recipient of our first Public Promotion of Engineering medal."
ends
Notes for editors
- Dr Adam Hart-Davis has worked in television for 25 years making science programmes, first as a researcher and producer and then in 1990 becoming a presenter almost by accident, resulting in his first series, Local Heroes. He studied chemistry at Oxford and York Universities and wanted to pursue an academic career but ended up in publishing, leading to his television career.
- The Royal Academy of Engineering aims to pursue, encourage and maintain excellence across the whole field of engineering in order to promote the advancement of the science, art and practice of engineering for the benefit of the public. The Academy comprises the UK's most eminent engineers and is able to use their combined wealth of knowledge and experience to meet its objectives.
For more information please contact:
Jane Sutton at the Royal Academy of Engineering
tel: 020 7227 0536 (direct), mobile: 07989 513045, email: jane...@...org.uk
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