Award winners 2014

Bessemer Gold Medal

Dr Hiroshi Tomono

Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation

Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corporation, one of the largest steelmakers in the world. His background is based on metallurgical engineering and founded on his studies at Kyoto University. His initial focus was based on the continuous casting process. His early research work significantly enhanced the detailed scientific understanding of the continuous casting process. He is widely recognised for developments in technical aspects of the steelmaking processes, including campaign life extension of blast furnaces, high strength to non-oriented electrical steel of resource saving design. Hiroshi was President of The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan from 2008–2010, and is currently Chairman of The Japan Iron and Steel Federation and Vice Chairman of the Japan Business Federation (KEIDANREN). He has retained much of his initial metallurgical background, combined with astute management and a superb business mind.

Sir Andrew Bryan Medal

David Seath CEng FIMMM

David has remained a loyal and active member of the Mining Institute of Scotland (MIS) throughout his career and has guided its development in difficult times into the broader based local society serving all professionals with energy interests in Scotland.

Chapman Medal

Prof Roger Feneley

Professor Feneley has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of real problems that exist within the field of urology. He has been passionate throughout his entire career about publicising the need for engineering solutions to serious clinical problems. He has made an outstanding personal contribution to the field, improving the life quality of patients and in particular the elderly and disabled.

Medal for Excellence

Dr Geoffrey Cowley CEng FIMMM

Dr Cowley has spent 47 years building a successful career in business mainly in the extractive industries sector. He has been CEO of major corporations in Africa, Russia, Canada, UK and the Middle East, has advised several governments on economic growth and expansion, was closely involved in the privatisation of the Engineering companies of British Rail and the formation of British Energy and was one of only two UK representatives on the Business Council for Europe Africa and the Mediterranean. In the 90s he was closely involved in stabilising mining in Romania and Eastern Europe, following this he worked as senior advisor on Africa to the World Economic Forum.

Futers Gold Medal

Kenneth Severs CEng FIMMM

Ken has had a varied and highly successful career in the mineral industries. Starting with the UK Atomic Energy Authority at Windscale, moving on to Anglo American Corporation. He subsequently joined Rio Tinto and finally became Chairman of Intec Ltd, a developer of halide technology which was floated on the Australian stock exchange.

Gold Medal

Prof Andrew Sherry, The Dalton Nuclear Institute

The Dalton Nuclear Institute was established in 2005 at the University of Manchester and has led the development of academic research and innovation in the field of advanced materials, manufacturing and performance for the nuclear sector. It has been an essential source of independent advice for the necessary reassurance to the Office for Nuclear Regulation, and its research has removed challenges for one of the UK's highest priority nuclear clean-up projects.

Griffith Medal & Prize

Prof Norman Fleck FRS FREng FIMMM

Professor Fleck is an internationally-recognised leader in the area of mechanical properties of materials for many years. Norman has made seminal contributions in many areas of fatigue and fracture in metals, foams and composites. He co-developed a theory of kink-band formation in composites, was a major developer of the concept of strain-gradient plasticity, and has made extensive contributions to the mechanics of metal foams and sandwich structures. He pioneered the use and analysis of truss-like structures in sandwich specimens for blast protection. His work is always characterised by rigorous analysis, elegant experiments, and clear exposition.

Institute's International Medal

James Michael Rickard CEng FIMMM

Arup

James has spent the last 18 years working in Hong Kong for Arup looking after the many varied projects his company has been involved with to improve and develop the infrastructure of this rapidly developing part of the world. He has been a prominent and enthusiastic member of the local branch, holding many of the senior roles in the past ten years. He played a key role in the organisation of the final of the hugely successful Young Persons’ World Lecture Competition.

Platinum Medal

Paul O'Brien FRS CEng FIMMM

Paul's career spans more than 30 years and has focused on the development of novel chemical routes to the synthesis of functional materials. Paul's international research reputation rests on the development of novel processing routes for the production of materials for use in the electronics industry. He also acts as an ambassador for science both in schools as an outreach champion and internationally where he has advised several countries at a national level.

Silver Medal

Dr Ben Britton

Imperial College

Ben studied at the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford. As part of his DPhil work, he developed a new analysis technique used to extract detailed information about residual stresses and dislocation populations in metals. He joined the Materials for Fission and Fusion power group and continued to develop EBSD techniques, as well as high temperature micromechanical testing techniques. He moved to Imperial College London in 2011 as a Nuclear Metallurgy Research Fellow. Recently, he has taken a leadership role in developing the next generation of Nuclear Engineers, as Nuclear Teaching Champion at Imperial College. He co-ordinates three MEng programmes in Nuclear Engineering, and is the Director of the flagship Nuclear Engineering MSc.