Agricultural Engineers response to Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering
The Institution of Agricultural Engineers supports this initiative, launched today.
Peter Leech, IAgrE President said ” This award is a great way to show engineering in its true light as a cornerstone of society and a key driver for economic well being. The UK’s agricultural engineers are instrumental in tackling the world’s challenges of hunger and drought and have the right tools for the job.
It is vital that the UK’s aspiring professionals are directed towards and inspired by a career in engineering. There are some very demanding and exciting challenges facing humanity that will require engineering solutions. None more so than the expertise of agricultural engineers with their particular knowledge of sustainable food, forestry, fibre and biomass production, along with the management of soil, water and our other finite natural resources.
Looking forward, agricultural engineers are finding ways to protect and enrich soil and water resources, using less water, energy and land resources to provide better quality food for an increasing population.”
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering:
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is a new global award which celebrates truly outstanding advances in engineering that have created significant benefit to humanity.
The 1 million Prize will be awarded in the name of Her Majesty The Queen to an individual or team of up to three people, of any nationality, directly responsible for advancing the positive application of engineering knowledge.
The Prize will recognise and celebrate the best and also serve to illuminate the sheer excitement of modern engineering.
The Prize will be international and will be awarded biennially, the first being presented in Spring 2013.
The Prize is the result of a growing realisation within political, business and engineering circles of the need for a pioneering initiative based in the UK to focus attention on engineering worldwide.
The Prize has the strong support of both Government and Opposition leaders in the UK, is generously supported by a range of top engineering companies and is warmly welcomed by the whole of the UK engineering community.
The Prize will recognise and celebrate the best and also serve to illuminate the sheer excitement of modern engineering. It will provide an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate how engineers and engineering are making a real difference across the world.
IAgrE
IAgrE is the professional body for scientists, technologists, engineers, academics, managers and students working in the landbased sector and has an international membership base.
As a licensed body of the Engineering Council (EngC) and a founding Constituent Body of The Society for the Environment (SocEnv), IAgrE registers suitably experienced professionals as Chartered Engineers, Chartered Environmentalists, Incorporated Engineers and Engineering Technicians.
For further details, contact Marion King at IAgrE Communications at pressroom@iagre.org or call 01234 750876