16 Feb 2022
The Fulton-Downer Gold and Silver Medals, and the MacLean Citation award, are awarded by the President of Engineering New Zealand for commitment to Engineering New Zealand and the engineering profession. They can be awarded to an individual or a group. The Gold Medal is awarded to a senior engineer and the Silver Medal to an emerging professional. The MacLean Citation is presented to a member who has contributed exceptional and distinguished service to the profession.
Fulton-Downer Gold Medal – Christchurch Earthquake Expert Engineering Panel
The expert engineering panel was established to support the resolution of outstanding residential insurance claims in the Canterbury region. Panel members were selected for their technical expertise and experience, their ability to clearly articulate engineering principles in a way that non-engineers can understand, and their ability to work with both insurers and homeowners in the challenging post-quake environment. Since late 2018 the panel has contributed to the resolution of hundreds of claims by supporting the work of the Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service and the Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal. The effect of this work in helping to restore the public’s faith and trust in the engineering profession cannot be overstated. The panel members’ dedication, empathy and expertise is a credit to the profession and to Engineering New Zealand as the host organisation for the panel.
The panel members are: Alan Dallas, Andrew Marriott, Chris Burrell-Smith, Geoff Bunn, Gregory Clark,
Jitendra Bothara, Julius Long, Murray Frost, Philip Cook, Phil Paterson, Simon Finn, Steven Knowles, Ana Pereira, Donald Bruggers, Elliot Duke, Geoffrey Farquhar, Jan Kupec, Nick Traylen, Robert Kamuhangire, Dave McGuigan, Paul Campbell, and recently retired members Mary Ann Halliday, Terry Kayes, Warren Batchelar and John Henry. Richmond (Dick) Beetham receives the award posthumously.
Fulton-Downer Silver Medal – Emma Lowe
Emma is a civil engineer at Beca, and the Engineering New Zealand Young Engineers Chair for Auckland. She has proven to be a strong and driven leader supporting her committee to deliver a diverse range of events for members. Emma is part of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) future leaders working group for Climate Change and has been a committed supporter of Engineering New Zealand’s work to launch its Engineering Climate Action programme. With the recent lockdowns, Emma also supported members in the Auckland region through events such as a wellbeing webinar. Before her time as a Chair, as a student Emma was on the University of Canterbury Engineering Society (ENSOC) committee and President of the University of Canterbury Women in Engineering group. Emma regularly engages with Engineering New Zealand and the profession in multiple ways.
MacLean Citation – Professor Jan Evans-Freeman
The MacLean Citation is an award established to acknowledge Francis William MacLean, President of the Institution in 1922, who displayed exceptional devotion to the profession of engineering and to his fellow engineers. The Citation is presented from time to time to a member who has contributed exceptional and distinguished service to the profession.
From 2009 until September 2021 Jan was the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Engineering at the University of Canterbury. Jan’s academic career (after studying a music degree and spending time as a music teacher) focused on electrical engineering and electronics research in the United Kingdom, where she completed her doctorate. She has published over 100 research papers and held senior academic positions before immigrating to New Zealand in 2009. She was made a Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand at the start of 2021, and her citation recognised the combination of engineering, research and teaching skills she brought to this role. “The 10-year transformation plan Jan proposed for the college post-earthquake was completed three years early, delivering benefits including growth in student numbers and increased research and industry engagement.”
Jan has been a member of the Engineering New Zealand Board since 2014, during a time of significant change as the organisation moved to be more relevant and attract a membership that better reflects society. She is a significant role model for diversity and inclusion, actively contributing to conferences for women in leadership, particularly women in engineering. She has been instrumental in heightening bicultural awareness of staff and students and embedding this in taught programmes.
Jan has been appointed to boards in the power industry, industrial and crown research centres and for the University of Canterbury Quake Centre; showcasing and promoting the value that engineering skill can bring to governance. In 2021 she was appointed as the University of Canterbury’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Sustainability. Her role is to deliver the university’s environmental sustainability goals from its Strategic Vision 2020–2030, including being carbon net neutral by 2030.
