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ICE LocalIn this issue

Regional Education Team

The team report on their latest activities including National Women in Engineering Day, The Big Bang Fair, and TeenTech

Memories of ICE Y&H

Andrew McLusky sums up his time in the region on the eve of his relocation to the South East

Railway Stations in the News

The Transportation Group take a look at some of the major station upgrade projects in the region

Communications Competition

Edward Davis reports on the experience of taking part in this year’s competition

Project Focus

Dr Alice Hearne on the Environment Agency’s embankment works at Wheatley Cut, Doncaster

Regional Committee

Your new committee for 2014-15

ice | yorkshireandhumber

The members’ newsletterof ICE Yorkshire and HumberJuly 2014

Pontoon piling at over-water embankment works, Wheatley Cut, Doncaster (“Arksey Slips”)

ice.org.uk/yorkshireandhumber

This issue of ICE Local concludes the 2013-14 year. I have thoroughly enjoyed this year and am delighted to report that the Regional Committee is prepared to retain me as Chair for one further year. I will be ably supported by the Past Chair John Bowes and Senior Vice Chair, Sandie Forte-Gill.

The AGM was held on 2 July 2014, and I am pleased to report that attendance was improved over last year with a quorum of members able to approve the minutes of last year’s AGM and the composition of next year’s Regional Committee.

Following the AGM, a very topical evening meeting – “Cycling - the Future?” – was presented by four pre-eminent cycling experts, putting forward a compelling case for the future of cycling. This was a joint meeting with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and we are hoping to hold more joint meetings next year to widen the opportunity for our members and those of other institutions.

As is now a tradition, the committee will take an afternoon in September for our annual away day. This will be used to develop our action plan for the 2014-15 year and also allow me to brief the committee upon what

I would like to achieve during my second year as Chair. The main actions from this will be communicated in the next edition of ICE Local.

There have been some signifi cant changes in the organisation of employee support to UK ICE regions. The Membership Development Offi cers (MDOs) will no longer work under the management of the Regional Directors but in a national team. This will free up Regional Directors to spend more time on other matters and for some regions to be paired to share one Regional Director. Yorkshire and Humber is one of these and this has enabled David Tattersall to come to an arrangement for early retirement at the end of August. Penny Marshall, who was Regional Director of ICE North East, has taken on ICE Yorkshire and Humber as well. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with David and, on behalf of the region, would like to thank him for his sterling efforts for all our members since he became a Regional Liaison Officer almost 17 years ago.

Your ICE Committee

Damian KilburnCEng MICE

ICE Y&H Chair2013-14

Interested in becoming an ICE

Ambassador to schools?

Contact us for details

2 ICE Local - July 2014

Andrew McLuskyHonorary Secretary, Retired Members’ section

After spending significant time as a member of ICE Yorkshire and Humber, Andrew McLusky, and his wife Margaret, left the region at the end of June to be nearer to family. ICE Local asked Andrew to write about his time in the region.

I have had the privilege and pleasure to serve the ICE in Yorkshire and Humber, firstly on the Local Committee (Chair, 2001-02), followed by three years as Regional Member of Council, and most recently as Honorary Secretary of the Retired Members’ section (RICE) for the past six years. In each of these roles I have valued highly the team spirit in fostering the work of the Institution both regionally and nationally. My thanks to all those colleagues with whom I have worked.

When I first became involved in ICE matters we were a volunteer committee who managed all the affairs of the region – meetings, dinner dance, seminars, secretarial and finance, and more. The idea of a dedicated staff to support the region became a reality with the establishment of the Regional Support Team - a bold step at the time, but one which has proved its worth in the ever increasing profile of the ICE in the region.

Today’s workplace is far more intense than I remember, and computer technology has moved so far and fast that today’s engineers are working long hours under greater time pressure than in my day. Maybe this has led to less volunteer support for local ICE initiatives.

The good news is that public recognition of the essential role of the civil engineer seems to be on the ascendancy and recent events like the winter floods have highlighted the key role of the engineer. Traffic and transport have always been my first calling, and the solutions to today’s problems demand far-reaching solutions to manage the ever increasing demand for travel, whether by private or public transport. I hope I will see the opening of the HS2 line.

A plug for RICE - the Retired Members’ section have a great programme of meetings, and the opportunity to meet with former colleagues and reminisce. Contact mail@hughallan.net for details.

I have made many good friends in the engineering world and I am proud to be part of the engineering fraternity. Best wishes to you all.

We have had a busy end to the school year, organising and attending a number of events to promote the civil engineering profession and inspire young people to continue studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). We have increased our engagement with primary schools, and recently held a number of successful sessions building giant tetrahedrons, emergency shelters, Lego towers, and water supply networks. All of our practical activities encourage problem solving, innovative thinking and teamwork amongst participants in interactive and fun ways. For National Women in Engineering Day on 23 June, our Giant Tetrahedron activity featured at the Engineering Imagination event at the University of Sheffield. Ambassadors Kate Watson and Simone Bertram asked attendees to help build the impressive structure as part of a number of interactive science and engineering themed activities to spark imaginations.

Once again we ran practical sessions at the Big Bang Fair Yorkshire and Humber at Doncaster Racecourse, and at TeenTech Humber at the KC Stadium in Hull. Our Tower Challenge activity quickly demonstrates some of the challenges faced by engineers using only wooden blocks and the forces of nature. Our thanks go to all our Ambassadors who have supported 49 events this school year, it is greatly appreciated and our work to inspire young people would not be possible without their support. Thank you! We already have a number of events planned for the next school year, including an activity day to be held jointly with other Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs) to inspire the engineers of tomorrow. If you would like to find out more about the ICE Ambassador scheme or the work of the Regional Education Team to promote civil engineering and the STEM subjects, please contact: iceyandh@ice.org.uk

ICE President’s Apprentice Scheme 2014

Incoming President, David Balmforth, is looking for six Technician or Graduate members to become his apprentices. You will get to work alongside the President and, as well as attending key Institution events, will meet senior industry people, politicians and other professionals who are shaping our future world. You will also work together on a specific project that will help take the civil engineering profession forward.

To apply, submit your CV and no more than 500 words on “Why I want to be a President’s Apprentice and what difference I think I might make” by 8 September 2014. Please visit the website for full details: www.ice.org.uk/About-ICE/Apprentices-scheme

L-R: National Women in Engineering Day at the University of Sheffield, TeenTech, building the giant tetrahedron at the University of Leeds engineering fairRegional Education Team

© Daniel Phillips

ICE Local - July 2014 3

Communications Competition

ICE Student member Edward Davis reports on the experience of entering this year’s competition.

After presenting a proposal for a waste transfer station as the initial part of a university module, our group, comprised of myself and fellow ICE Student members Vlad Amoraritei, Andrew Beddoe, Aurimas Grabskas, Sumika Iyer and Michael Shi went on to represent the University of Sheffi eld in the ICE Communications Competition. We achieved success in the regional round after producing the winning presentation, and progressed to the ICE northern regions semi-fi nal in Manchester in May.

The competition involves selecting a controversial fi ctional scenario, (in our case, a proposal for a waste transfer station on the outskirts of a town), and presenting it to an audience acting as members of the public local to the proposed facility. A 15-minute presentation was followed by 10 minutes of audience questions and a defence of the team’s proposals. The teams faced vigorous questioning from the audience on their scheme - a new experience for most of the team who had not previously been quizzed so fi ercely, and clearly a very valuable learning curve for many of us.

At the semi-fi nal teams from ICE Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and Humber, North East, East Midlands and West Midlands gathered with proposals for various scenarios. The majority of teams comprised professionals who were in the early years of their career, however like

us East Midlands’ team were engineering students. After a series of impressive presentations by the entrants, the Northern Ireland and East Midlands teams progressed to the national fi nal. All of the teams received useful feedback from the judges via an assessment of each individual’s performance during the presentation.

Overall the team agreed that we have learnt a huge amount about the importance and variety of communication skills required by a professional engineer, both in formal and informal situations. The competition has highlighted the need to consider the audience, a factor which defi nes the content of the presentation itself, and the language used. In addition we benefi ted from being able to meet a number of people working within the civil engineering industry; representatives who were valuable in answering any questions and concerns we had regarding our future careers.

For details of how to enter the Communications Competition please visit: www.ice.org.uk/CommunicationsCompetition

Railway Stations in the News

Following the completion of the new Wakefi eld Westgate Station in December 2013 other major station upgrade projects in the region are also well underway. Wakefi eld Kirkgate Redevelopment and Leeds Station Southern Entrance are two such projects, though quite different from each other.

The Kirkgate scheme involves renewing a Grade II listed building and extending the facilities to include new business spaces, exhibition spaces, meeting rooms for community and local businesses and accommodation for Groundwork Wakefield, and is due to open in late 2015.

Leeds Station Southern Entrance is a long awaited addition to the station, opening up areas to the south of the Leeds Railway viaduct, but reducing walking times from the station to areas such as Holbeck Urban Village, Granary Wharf and developments around Sovereign Street. Preliminary works for the project have begun on barges on the River Aire, with completion and opening expected in 2015.

Other projects in the region include new stations at Apperley Bridge, Kirkstall Forge and Low Moor, with the Department for Transport and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) tram-train pilot between Rotherham and Sheffi eld Supertram due to start in 2016.

The ICE Yorkshire and Humber Transportation Group is currently in discussions with Carillion about arranging a site visit – check your enews for details.

Engineering Education Scheme

As mentioned briefl y in the last issue of ICE Local, the Engineering Education Scheme is a six month real-life project connecting students aged 16-17 with industry mentors, to solve a science, technology, engineering or maths-related problem. The scheme provides students with an in-depth experience that will enable them to make an informed decision about their future studies and career.

Over the six months students develop through hands-on work experience and problem solving, by working on a project that is relevant to a local company. They also attend a university workshop to develop, build and test solutions to the problem, as well as attending a professional skills lecture on Communications (written, verbal and visual) and Project Management.

The scheme provides young people with an opportunity to develop technical skills and see school physics, chemistry, technology and related subjects applied in an industrial environment. They are also able to network with professional and graduate engineers, scientists and technologists, giving them access to individuals who could inspire their future career path.

At the end of the project, students present their solution in a formal verbal presentation and written technical report, to a panel of senior professional engineers, giving them a unique experience that would not ordinarily occur in their everyday studies.

You can get involved by contacting North@etrust.org.uk for more information or by visiting the website www.etrust.org.uk

4 ICE Local - July 2014

ICE Y&H Committee Structure 2014-15

Project Focus

Elected members

Mark Calvert EngTech TMICE

Gareth Davies EngTech TMICE

Chris Digman CEng MICE

John Greenwood CEng MICE

Rachel Horn CEng MICE

Rhianna Rose CEng MICE

Officers of the Region

Chair Damian Kilburn CEng MICE

Senior Vice Chair Sandie Forte-Gill CEng MICE

Junior Vice Chair Nick Chamberlain CEng MICE

Immediate Past Chair John Bowes CEng FICE

Honorary TreasurerNick Chamberlain CEng MICE (pending replacement during 2014-15)

Honorary Secretary Elizabeth Green CEng MICE

Ex officio

Regional Member of Council 2013-16 Richard Dew CEng FICE

Graduates and Students Thomas Sheridan

Regional Director Penny Marshall CEng MICE

Visit www.ice.org.uk/yorkshireandhumber during August to download your copy of the 2014-15 events programme.

Environment Agency Over-water Embankment WorksWheatley Cut, Doncaster (“Arksey Slips”)

The embankment separating the South Yorkshire Navigation and River Don at Wheatley Cut Doncaster has a long history of instability, with various works carried out over the last 60 years. No major reconditioning of the embankment has previously been carried out, due to unclear responsibilities between the predecessors of the Environment Agency and the Canal and River Trust, and challenging site access.

The main historical failure in the embankment was a slip approximately 30m wide and 0.5m high, with further instability over a 650m stretch. As additional slips appeared over the winter of 2012-13 and the main slip reached the compromised embankment crest, the Environment Agency was no longer prepared to accept the flood risk posed to over 700 properties.

Emergency works were awarded to Volker Stevin-Atkins under the former Environment Agency National Engineering and Environmental Consultancy Agreement (NEECA) framework.

The works comprise simple pile lines at the crest and toe of the embankment, to a depth of 12m and 9m respectively. As there is no road access all work has been based on pontoons on the canal, and site equipment and workers have travelled on a works boat. Soil to rebuild the embankment around the new piles was imported from Environment Agency land on the far side of the river, and brought to site on a floating conveyor belt. This saved 1,200 miles of driving compared to road haulage, and avoided any issues associated with the road route, as it includes a railway, several miles of narrow, unmade road and an old humpback bridge.

Floating conveyor

Arksey new slip, 28 March 2013

An opportunity to raise the profile of your organisation

Friday 6 March 2015, Harrogate

The ICE Yorkshire and Humber Gala Dinner Dance is an annual black-tie event hosted by the Regional Chair. The evening provides an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of your organisation and to network, in a convivial atmosphere, with high profile regional decision-makers, awards entrants, and senior industry representatives.

To secure your chance to reach over 200 professionals from civil engineering related industries please contact iceyandh@ice.org.uk for details of the sponsorship packages available.