Bill Grimson, who was inaugurated as president of Engineers Ireland for 2015/16 in May, will give his presidential address to members at 6.30pm on Wednesday, September 23, at 22 Clyde Road, Dublin 4. He is expected to elaborate on the themes that he wishes to focus on during his term of office: civic engagement; trust; and the image of engineers.
In his presidential address, Grimson will pose some questions he feels the profession must answer. The address will:
- Reflect on some contemporary thoughts by non-engineers on today's challenges
- Examine engineering’s '14 grand challenges’ – and, interconnected with that, the societal and educational conundrums;
- Consider the extent to which Ireland might make a contribution to those challenges;
- Discuss why lobbying can be so destructive;
- Point to the need for engineers to proactively provide appropriate leadership and be to the forefront in ‘the discussion’;
- Consider whether an ‘ideal engineer’ can exist.
Grimson, who holds an honours degree in electronic engineering from Trinity College Dublin and a master’s degree from the University of Toronto, succeeded Regina Moran as president. He is a past chair of the Membership and Qualification Board of Engineers Ireland and was also a member of the Board of Examiners. He served two terms as the Irish representative on the European Membership Monitoring Committee of FEANI.
In recent times, Grimson has collaborated with both engineers and non-engineers in Europe and North America reflecting on the education of engineering undergraduates and the subsequent development of the professional engineer: he has authored and co-authored a number of book chapters and articles in the field.
In addition, he contributed to a book,
Understanding the Global Energy Crisis, edited and written by colleagues in DIT and Purdue University, which sets out the nature of the crisis, and examines the technical and policy options facing the development of major conventional and renewable energy sources.