Institution news
The Verena Winifred Holmes Award is named after the first female Member, who joined the Institution in 1924. The award honours members who, both for themselves and for the benefit of others, demonstrate persistence and, in many cases, overcome disadvantage.
One such winner was the man who was awarded the prize (albeit when it went under a different name) in 2000, its inaugural year. Duncan J Woolard MBE CEng MIMechE was recognised for his commitment to engineering, despite adversity. More recently, the work of young engineers to inspire and include others in the profession has been celebrated through the award.
Duncan enjoyed a long and fast-moving career in engineering, improving the design and durability of paper and textile-processing machinery, driving increases in output and profits. However, as a teenager – just as he had accepted an invitation to join the Royal Air Force – Duncan lost his left hand in an explosives accident.
According to the award citation, Duncan was recognised for ‘his distinguished and unique achievements within mechanical engineering and for his inspiration to all disabled, which goes far beyond one sector of society’. He had progressed from an apprentice to Design Engineer and later Chief Engineer and Vice-President of a multinational company. He was also created a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Duncan died in 2011, aged 76. His widow, Joan, recalls his professionalism, determination and the pride he felt at the honours he received, saying,
“Duncan never actively sought promotion, he was just determined to get his job done to the highest standard and was inspired by challenge, both during his career and afterwards. He was over the moon to be recognised by the Institution, and also to receive his MBE from the Queen. He always felt that engineering is undervalued, but he enjoyed his job tremendously, and was committed to the rights of disabled people, overcoming so much and going above and beyond to match his very high personal standards.”
Previously also known as the Equality and Diversity Award, the Verena Winifred Holmes Award is intended to recognise those individuals who have undertaken a unique challenge or experience, perhaps to benefit people from groups with different needs, or with a past record of disadvantage or low participation. They ‘value difference’ and have stretched the normal boundaries of expectation for the benefit of wider society. Embarking upon this approach often requires persistence and courage, which may also be attributes demonstrated by candidates for this award.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied AMIMechE from Australia won the award in 2015, for encouraging diversity in engineering.
While at university, Yassmin was a founder of Youth Without Borders, which encourages collaboration between young people to create positive change in their communities.
She believes that everyone should use their position to enact change to address diversity: “Whilst most people are keen to support diversity – ethnic, religious, gender or otherwise – in practice there are many unconscious biases that make people recruit in their own image. I believe in inclusivity, and by mentoring others engineers can help young people access the informal network that is so important for careers.”
The winner in 2017 was Ben Murphy, who works for Babcock, for promoting the inclusion of the LGBT+ community within engineering.
“For LGBT+ people, being yourself at work doesn’t always come easily,” Ben explains. “Most of us have experienced homophobia at some point, and it’s easy to play it safe and withdraw if you’re unsure of your employer’s position on being LGBT+. At Babcock, we’re filling the empty space by taking a stance on this issue. We value our people for who they are.”
If someone you know is making a difference to other people’s lives through engineering, could they be a candidate for the 2018 Verena Winifred Holmes Award?
Find out how to nominate, or apply for the award.