Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED

What does it take to stay at the cutting edge of technology while also fostering innovation, sustainability, and personal growth? Today, we explore how one global powerhouse continues to reinvent itself in Ireland through groundbreaking projects, strategic acquisitions, and a deep investment in people. From historic feats like the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric scheme to the rise of digital and AI, this episode covers the past, present, and future of engineering excellence. We'll uncover how digitalization is revolutionizing infrastructure, and why a culture of continuous learning and collaboration is now more critical than ever. Our guest began his journey as an apprentice electrician and rose through the ranks to help shape the future of one of Ireland's most innovative engineering and technology companies. Now serving as General Manager and Head of Fire and Security Solutions at Siemens Ireland, it's a pleasure to welcome Joe Walsh to the podcast.THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTHow the Ardnacrusha legacy still matters today's engineering landscape Building a career from apprentice electrician to General Manager of Siemens Ireland Leveraging AI, digital twins, and automation to transform infrastructureTackling global challenges like sustainability and resource efficiencyCulture, collaboration & lifelong learning: a people-first approachGUEST DETAILS​Joe Walsh is the General Manager of Siemens Limited in Ireland, a role he has held since November 2021. He also heads the company's Solutions and Services division, overseeing areas such as fire safety, electronic security, building automation, and smart lighting .​Joe is deeply committed to advancing sustainable and digital technologies, playing a pivotal role in projects like the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme and initiatives aimed at decarbonizing data centers through renewable energy and green hydrogen solutions . His leadership extends to standardization efforts, serving as Chair of the NSAI TC16 Working Group on Fire Detection and Alarm Systems, where he has been instrumental in modernizing Ireland's fire safety standards .​Known for his authentic leadership style, Joe emphasizes collaboration, continuous learning, and innovation. His dedication to these principles has been central to Siemens' century-long presence and ongoing success in Ireland .​https://ie.linkedin.com/in/joewalsh1965 MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESWhere is my passion? It's to take the current business that we have and the model that we have and bring it into the future. - Joe Walsh We work really hard to create a sense of belonging and ownership. - Joe Walsh It's not what you know today. It's more about how you learn. That's the real trick. - Joe Walsh We have a term we use in Siemens, if Siemens knew what Siemens know. Experience is the sum of your mistakes.  - Joe Walsh KEYWORDS#engineering #challenges #Siemens #infrastructure #fire #AI #digitaltwins #sustainability #innovation #leadership

Building in highly dense city centers presents a unique set of challenges—tight spaces, heavy traffic, and the need to preserve historical structures while meeting modern safety and sustainability standards. Today we hear from an experienced engineer turned project manager who is an expert in navigating these complex logistics, from coordinating material deliveries with precision to ensuring that construction doesn't disrupt the surrounding urban landscape. We hear how to safely excavate deep beneath a centuries-old building and what it takes to integrate modern engineering solutions into historic sites, along with the ever-growing importance of sustainability in engineering.Our guest today has nearly 30 years of experience in construction across sectors such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and large-scale commercial projects. He is a regional director at PJ Hegarty, John Gavigan. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTDiverse and challenging projects keep work interesting Mastering logistics in city-center constructionBlending modern engineering with historic structuresMaking safety the number one priority of any build The evolving role of sustainability in constructionGUEST DETAILSJohn Gavigan joined PJ Hegarty in 1996 as a graduate engineer. He progressed within the company embracing new responsibilities and roles, completed several projects as Contracts Manager and was appointed as Regional Director in 2023. John's experience includes projects across several sectors: pharmaceutical, city centre commercial, healthcare, semi-conductor, logistics, education, retail and PPP bids. He was the site lead for 10 Molesworth Street and Tropical Fruit Warehouse in Dublin city centre and the Zoetis project in Tullamore.Molesworth Street project https://www.pjhegarty.ie/projects/10-molesworth-street/ Tropical Fruit Warehouse project https://www.pjhegarty.ie/projects/tropical-fruit-warehouse/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESThe challenges are the things that you remember. That's what keeps it interesting. - John GaviganGetting concrete trucks into the city centre location in the middle of the day during business hours, was very challenging. - John GaviganIt's knowing how to judge when there's an opportunity. - John GaviganAs an engineer who has evolved as a project manager in my career, you learn different problem solving techniques, you develop analytical skills. - John GaviganKEYWORDS#engineering #city #projectmanagement #construction #logistics #trafficmanagement #safety

The engineering industry thrives on innovation and problem-solving, yet it continues to struggle with one persistent challenge—gender diversity. Women remain underrepresented, particularly in leadership roles, leaving many aspiring female engineers wondering how to break through.Today, we tackle this pressing issue head-on with insights from one of Ireland's leading engineering voices. We uncover practical strategies for empowering more women into leadership, explore how inclusive teams drive better results, and reveal lessons from high-pressure projects like the London Olympics. Our guest leads one of Ireland's most progressive engineering and design consultancies, and is a chartered engineer with a passion for change. It's a pleasure to welcome Atkins realis Managing Director, Martina Finn.THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTMeeting impossible deadlines on huge projectsNecessary disruptions to provide long-term infrastructurePromoting diversity and inclusion in engineering Embracing AI with correct policy implementation Self-development and the power of reverse-mentoring GUEST DETAILSMartina Finn is Managing Director at Atkins Realis and a Chartered Engineer with over 20years experience in the construction industry. She has been with Atkins since 2001.https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-finn-a7400812/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESWith every major progression we do, there has to be some disruption and some sacrifice. - Martina Finn The percentage of women in engineering globally has fallen since 2020 from 15% to 13.7%. - Martina Finn The more diverse our workforce is, both culturally and in gender diversity, then the better solutions we can deliver for our clients and our communities. - Martina Finn For anybody entering a company, get into a mentorship programme. - Martina Finn KEYWORDS#Engineering #diversity #inclusion #mentorship #careerdevelopment #AI #projectmanagement #education #gender 

Often in engineering we focus on the technical, production parts of a project, but it is the people who make the projects. As a leader, learning to support those people is vital. Today we hear from a prominent engineer who through his work in ground engineering, consulting, operations, HR and business, has gained many skills in managing and leading people. He believes safety, quality, inclusion and collaboration should be at the forefront of every project and combining that with purpose-led business creates the ultimate best outcomes. Our guest today has almost 30 years of experience with one of Ireland's leading construction companies and believes in adapting the construction industry to support diversity and sustainability. He is BAM UK & Ireland's Executive Director of Ireland, Alasdair Henderson. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTTransitioning from managing projects to leading people Approaching safety with prevention instead of reaction Working on public infrastructure such as the National Children's Hospital Sustainable design to support a net zero futurePlanning diversity and inclusion to create an accessible society AI, robotics and material innovations for the future of engineering GUEST DETAILSAlasdair Henderson is BAM UK & Ireland's Executive Director of Ireland. Alasdair joined BAM as a graduate engineer in 1996 and has worked his way up through a variety of operational and business leadership roles across BAM. He is well known as an advocate of purpose-led business, believing that the best and most sustainable financial results are achieved when the things we build add value to society. He holds safety, quality, inclusion, and collaboration as key tenets of what makes a good business and is delighted that he sees all these things on a daily basis at BAM.  Alasdair is actively involved in policy development in the industry and is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a fellow of the Institute of Quarrying, and a visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alasdairehenderson MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESThe time you spend thinking most about safety is normally immediately after an accident. - Alasdair Henderson It's one of the largest buildings in Europe. - Alasdair Henderson If you start with a misaligned scope, it never gets better. It just gets worse and worse and worse. - Alasdair Henderson You can absolutely make those environments safer, warmer, more welcoming by changing the way you design that infrastructure. . - Alasdair Henderson Our industry is addicted to concrete and steel. If we want to get to net zero, we're going to have to do something around that. - Alasdair Henderson KEYWORDS#Engineering #construction #BAMIreland #NationalChildren'sHospital #publicprocurement #sustainability #diversity #digitalization

Building skyscrapers is an incredibly complex task. From the complexities of designing foundations to considering wind forces, and working with multi-disciplinary teams in busy urban areas. Today we're joined by an engineer who worked on the design of Western Europe's tallest tower, The Shard. We delve into the unique challenges she came across and the top-down construction method that was used for maximum efficiency, along with what she learned about the importance of relationships in the engineering space. Our guest is an engineer, physicist, author and presenter with almost 15 years experience in the industry. It's a pleasure to have Roma Agrawal, MBE. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTThe historical significance of The Shard design Challenges of building a skyscrapers foundations Considering factors such a local disruption and wind force Collaboration and team-work across multiple disciplinesWhy we need to shout louder about engineering success GUEST DETAILSRoma Agrawal is an engineer, author and presenter who is best known for working on the design of The Shard, Western Europe's tallest tower. She studied at Imperial College London and the University of Oxford. Roma has given lectures to thousands at universities, schools and organisations around the world, including TEDx talks. She has also presented numerous TV shows for the BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery, and hosts her own podcast, Building Stories.Her first book, BUILT (2018) won an AAAS science book award and has been translated into eight languages. Roma is passionate about promoting engineering and technical careers to young people, particularly those from minority groups, and has won international awards for her technical prowess and for her advocacy for the profession, including the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering's Rooke Award. She was appointed an MBE in 2018 for services to engineering.https://www.romatheengineer.com/MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESI really love the idea of responding to what's there. This building could only have been on this particular site. - Roma Agrawal There's lots of different systems that have to work together to make sure that a big skyscraper stays stable. - Roma Agrawal A building like The Shard, we predict might move about half a metre. What's key as a structural engineer is to make sure that we don't feel that. - Roma Agrawal As a student, I don't think I ever understood how essential the skill of being able to work with other people is to be an engineer - Roma Agrawal I think being enthusiastic about what you do is a big thing. I think we're all too modest. - Roma Agrawal KEYWORDS#construction #theshard #site #management #wind #design #collaboration #engineering

From the rise of AI to the implementation of 3D printing and robots, the world is changing rapidly and can leave some engineers questioning their place in it all. Today we hear from an engineer who is not only adopting, but embracing these new technologies as the leader of one of Ireland's top manufacturing research organisations. We learn about emerging tech that is changing the game in manufacturing and why although this change can seem overwhelming, adapting is the best way forward. Our guest has over 15 years Directing and Leading Organisations both in MNC environments and new organisational start-ups and is currently CEO of Irish Manufacturing Research, Barry Kennedy. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTKeeping Ireland competitive with new technologies and automationIMR connecting cutting-edge manufacturing technology with Irish industriesCreating a positive environment for innovationLateral thinking and problem solving methodologies The benefits robots and humans working side by side GUEST DETAILSBarry Kennedy is the CEO of Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) and is responsible for setting the strategy, objectives, goals and direction of the company. He is responsible for the overall centre and staff.  He also owns modelling and setting of the company's culture, values, and behaviour. He is responsible for building and leading the senior executive team and for allocating capital to the company's priorities; for example, deciding where IMR spends its time and resources.Barry has over 15 years Directing and Leading Organisations both in MNC environments and new organisational start-ups from working in the following organisational roles including; CEO of Irish Manufacturing Research, Director in IIOT division, Intel, CEO of both Irish Centre for Manufacturing Research (ICMR) Ltd & Innovation for Irelands Energy Efficiency (i2e2) Ltd, Department Manager and senior manager of Manufacturing Quality in Intel, Chair and Director on several boards including volunteer boards such as Chair of the school board.https://ie.linkedin.com/in/barry-kennedy-a9a127b MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESIf we're going to survive and thrive over the next number of years, we're going to have to adopt these new technologies so that it'll drive efficiencies in our manufacturing organizations and keep ourselves profitable, or we're going to be left behind. - Barry Kennedy It is important for companies and senior leadership to ensure that they're creating enough space for their engineering teams to be able to think about how to solve the problems. - Barry Kennedy I have seen that in a lot of companies over the years, where they haven't resolved problems. They've band aided them. - Barry Kennedy I'd never seen the technology come in and transform so fast as AI has just done over the last 18 months. - Barry Kennedy Engineers need to be prepared now to have lifelong learning. And that's the way life is going to be, because what we were doing today, in five years time is going to be very different, most likely. - Barry Kennedy KEYWORDS#AI #transformation #engineering #manufacturing #technology #digital #robotic #3Dprinting #innovation

As our population grows and our world gets busier, there is significant pressure put on our infrastructure and there is an increasing demand for innovative solutions. Today we're meeting an engineer who is leading a team of over 400 people working on Ireland's infrastructure and transport systems to develop a more sustainable future. We hear how important building a strong network is for learning and advancing projects, and about the technical challenges of working with public transport and gas lines.Our guest today has transitioned from civil engineer to management in his almost 30 years with ARUP and is Ireland Group Leader in Advisory, Planning, Digital, Infrastructure Design and Technical Services, Donal McDaid.THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTBuilding a solid network through project work Transitioning to sustainable solutions in infrastructureImpact of planning and regulation on projectsThe journey to leadership and management Innovations in materials and digital GUEST DETAILSDonal McDaid manages Arup's Transport and resources Group in Ireland, which is primarily focused on our Roads and Urban Streets, Rail, Aviation, Maritime, Energy and Water Businesses. There, he leads a diverse, highly motivated team of 300 professional planners, engineers and management consultants. Since joining Arup in 1997, Donal has worked on and led multi-disciplinary teams on transport planning and environmental studies, and large scale transport infrastructure project planning, design and implementation, both in Ireland and overseas.https://www.linkedin.com/in/donalmcdaid/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESI got to know every single local authority engineer, I got to know every single architect, I got to know every single planner, every single developer. So the project afforded me the opportunity to build a network. - Donal McDaid We've come through a decade of what I would call planning and designing. The next decade is going to be about delivery. So I can't think of a more exciting time to be coming into the engineering profession. - Donal McDaidYou really need to think about the existential crisis, which is climate change. And what that does for engineers is that we need to think about our adaptation, resilience when it comes to infrastructure. - Donal McDaid You actually have to think about the communities you're serving. And if I think about transport, it's always been about access to opportunity. - Donal McDaid Don't run before you can walk. Be content and learn your trade. Seize the opportunities. - Donal McDaid KEYWORDS#infrastructure #sustainability #future #civilengineering #career #transport 

Ireland is working toward sourcing 80% of its electricity from renewable sources in just six years. One of the key players in this mission is the Head of Engineering at EirGrid who is responsible for overseeing the delivery of critical grid infrastructure. In this podcast she shares experience on the complexities of integrating renewable sources like wind and solar into the grid, about balancing supply and storage solutions, plus technical and regulatory hurdles that engineers must navigate. She also speaks about the challenges she has had to face personally as an engineer in this role.  Listen now to get a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of Ireland's power grid and our transition to renewable energy. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTThe role of Head of Engineering at EirGrid Do we have a creaking old grid? Problems storing energy from renewable sources Moving energy across long distances The planning system Challenges she is facing in 2025GUEST DETAILSLouise O'Flanagan is the Head of Engineering and Asset Management at EirGrid, a Fellow of Engineers Ireland, and a leader with two decades of experience in the field. With her long experience connecting customers such as wind farm developers to the national grid, she possesses a deep understanding of the intricate workings of the power system and the challenges of integrating renewable energy sources.Louise on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-o-flanagan-3a12ba3a/EirGrid Website - https://eirgrid.comMORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESLeadership is one part of project management. Leadership is about getting people to buy into what you want to deliver and to want to help and assist you in that.There is definitely a shortage of female engineers in Ireland. 23% of engineers coming out of university are female and that drops to about 12% actually entering into the workforce. EirGrid have a very active graduate program where you'd see 50% of our graduates are female.As an engineer, you can have the most perfect plan on paper. But unless you actually meaningfully engage with your stakeholders, that may be where that plan will stay. On paper.It's what a lot of engineers' face when they're delivering infrastructure projects. First, you need to explain what the need of the project is, but then also listen and take on board that feedback. You must engage with the community.KEYWORDS#engineering #renewable #grid #womeninengineering #eirgrid 

Engineering innovation has created incredible technology and found new ways to use current technology to overcome engineering challenges. LiDAR is an example of one of these revolutionary tools and today we hear from an art historian turned civil engineer who is using it to scan our cities. We hear about their creation of the world's densest urban aerial laser scanning dataset, which was conducted using a large slice of the center of Dublin City, and the challenges they've overcome in transforming how we understand, plan, and protect our cities.Our guest is a pioneering force in urban data science and has authored over 160 peer reviewed publications, been awarded four patents and worked as a professor in UCD Dublin. She is Professor at New York University's Center for Urban science and Progress, Dr. Debra Laefer. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTUsing LIDAR technology to create highly detailed 3D scans of citiesDeveloping methods to efficiently store, process, and analyze LIDAR data How 3D scans are revolutionizing urban flood modeling and emergency responseApplying the LIDAR data and 3D models to real-world engineering challengesExploring the use of 3D printing technology in conjunction with LIDAR dataGUEST DETAILSWith degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (MS, Ph.D.), NYU (MEng), and Columbia University (BS, BA), Prof. Debra Laefer has a wide-ranging background spanning from geotechnical and structural engineering to art history and historic preservation. In her decade and a half as a faculty member in both the US and Europe, Prof. Laefer has served as the principal investigator for grants from a wide range of sponsors including the National Science Foundation, the US Federal Highway Administration, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Science Foundation Ireland, and the European Research Council (including a €1.5 million single investigator award from the flagship ERC program for which she is the only civil engineer to have been funded in Ireland in the program's 11 year history).Prof. Laefer has authored over 160 peer-reviewed publications, been awarded 4 patents, and has supervised 15 doctoral and 20 Masters theses. Among many honors from IEEE, ISPRS, and other professional societies, the most notable is perhaps the 2016 commissioning and hanging of her portrait by the Royal Irish Academy as one of eight researchers selected for the Women on Walls project to celebrate Irish women in science and engineering. https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-f-laefer-09510a11/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESWe didn't devise a sensor, we didn't even improve the sensor, but we took a fundamentally engineering approach to it. We took this more systematic approach of; let's reverse engineer the process, figure out what we want to get and figure out how to use the sensor to obtain that data. - Dr. Debra Laefer This technique has been used in fields as far from civil engineering as breast cancer research. So that not only has it been transferred to other LIDAR applications, but people have used it for other remote sensing and medical imaging datasets. - Dr. Debra Laefer It's good to make mistakes, and it's good to have senior engineers check them. - Dr. Debra LaeferAs crazy as your idea may seem, a lot of the time the best ideas are initially too far ahead of the curve, so don't give up on them. - Dr. Debra Laefer KEYWORDS#buildings #data #dublin #engineers #civilengineering #lidar #computationalmodel

Engineering is a diverse and exciting career that fosters immense creative thinking, but just how far can it take you? Today we hear from an engineer who turned their wildest dreams into reality and took them all the way to NASA. We hear how an opportunity to attend Space Camp inspired their ‘nothing is impossible' attitude and how engineering has supported further creative pursuits in different disciplines. Our guest is a trailblazer in the aerospace engineering industry, but also in promoting the idea that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. She is Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, Sinéad O'Sullivan. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTEarly experiences that foster a ‘nothing is impossible' attitude The impact of surrounding yourself with inspiring peopleMission design and AI at NASAParallels between engineering and other creative pursuitsThe role of AI and automation in the future of engineering GUEST DETAILS Sinéad O'Sullivan is an Aerospace Engineer. She formerly led strategy at Harvard Business School's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness with Professor Michael Porter and is currently a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. Formerly a Research Fellow at MIT's College of Computing and MIT Sloan as well as a Human Spaceflight mission designer for NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her work focuses on the intersection of technology, innovation, geopolitics, and national security. She sits on the board of the European Space Policy Institute, is a frequent contributor to the Financial Times, and is Board Member of IMMA - the Irish Museum of Modern Art. She was also recently nominated as a fellow of Engineers Ireland. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadcosullivan MORE INFORMATIONCome meet the Engineers Ireland Team at the National Ploughing Championships on September 17th to 19th and have a blast at our Space Station. We will have three incredible experiences at the Engineers Ireland 'Space Store', ran by former NASA Engineer Steve Ringler - who will be down at the Ploughing Championships with our team.  You can immerse yourself in the cosmos with virtual reality adventures using state-of-the-art headsets, try on a replica spacesuit, or get a hands-on experience with real space rocks, including pieces of the moon. Join us at Block 2, Row 11, Stand 169 for an unforgettable journey through space and engineering. Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/    Sineads book “Good Ideas and Power Moves” is due to be published September 2025.  Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland. QUOTESI got to spend time with the engineers at NASA, and it just put this very kind of human, normal person face on this career that seemed totally inaccessible. - Sinéad O'Sullivan  There are a ton of really smart engineers that are solving these problems at any given time. But the problem really, I think, lies with the bureaucracy of how we fund science, how we create policy around that. - Sinéad O'Sullivan I feel like to be creative, you have to let that child part grow up with you, like if you really want to be good at doing these types of jobs, don't let people tell you they're dumb ideas. - Sinéad O'Sullivan To be a great engineer, you need to be around great engineers. - Sinéad O'Sullivan My entire career has been curiosity driven for the simple reason that if I'm really interested in it, I'm going to work hard enough at it to be successful in it. - Sinéad O'Sullivan Engineering is really about learning a way of thinking, and it's one that allows you to understand nuance, complexity, and difficult challenges that you can apply to literally any other career. - Sinéad O'Sullivan KEYWORDS#engineering #nasa #career #space #mission #taylorswift #robots

One of the biggest challenges of the climate crisis is power. How do we harness it, store it, use it and most importantly, make it more sustainable. Engineers have been creating fantastic solutions in power, but storing it is one of the biggest obstacles to overcome. Today we hear from an Irish engineer who is actively responding with some very clever solutions.Our guest has worked with decarbonization at EU level and is leading his own social enterprise that creates energy storage solutions for homes, farms and small businesses. He is co-founder and Director of Range Therapy Eamon Stack.  THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTA new way of thinking about power supply and storage Second life batteries and how they can be utilised Using battery stored power in buildings, businesses, farms and home Creating a circular recycling programme for batteries in Europe Storing wind and solar power in batteries for cost effective power GUEST DETAILSEamon Stack is an award-winning serial social entrepreneur. He co-founded Range Therapy in 2020, responding to the climate change crisis by focusing on reducing energy emissions, one of the big three human causes. Range Therapy offers second-life EV battery packs to upgrade older EVs and to offer substantial energy storage solutions at an affordable price for homes, farms and small businesses.Eamon's background is in software engineering, with 35 years development experience in the nonprofit sector. He was founder and former CEO at ENCLUDE for 18 years. This charity is focused on building the ICT capacity of the Irish Charity Sector. https://ie.linkedin.com/in/eamon-stack-25a3242 https://rangetherapy.org/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESAfter high powered use of a battery in a car for 15 or 20 years, they have another 20 years of life available to them as energy storage. - Eamon Stack That's what's wonderful about the transition from an energy system where we just burn and waste fossil fuels to one that is perfectly circular and completely sustainable. This is really very good news for everybody in the system. - Eamon Stack The Environmental Protection Agency might view a second life battery out of a car as a hazardous waste. That's a problem we need to deal with, this is a national asset. - Eamon Stack It's a whole new world, and it's an exciting new world where there's a potential. The Holy Grail here is storage, we make tons of power, where can we store it at a price that makes sense. - Eamon Stack KEYWORDS#batteries #energy #cars #electric #engineers #grid #power #recycling #sustainability

The water sector needs the help of engineers to develop plans and innovative solutions for the maintenance of one of our most essential commodities. Today we hear of all the challenges facing the sector, from inefficient leaky infrastructure to an urgent focus on sustainability thanks to the rapidly changing climate.Our guest has been a leader in this area for 25 years since founding his company in Loughrea, and has had success not just here in Ireland but across Europe and to the USA. He is Group Managing Director of Glanua, Karl Zimmerer.THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT●       Working with water as a valuable resource and commodity ●       The history of Glanua and the group MD's career path ●       Innovation to meet customer needs and regulatory standards ●       Balancing supply, sanitation and sustainability in improving treatment plants ●       Where to improve water knowledge as an interested engineer  GUEST DETAILS Karl Zimmerer is Group Managing Director of Glanua. Karl has over 25 years experience in the design, construction and operation and maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure throughout Ireland, with over 15 years in a Senior Management position. Karl's professional qualifications include an Honours Degree in Structural Engineering and a Master Degree in Project Management. Karl is a founding member of Glanagua LTD and has successfully developed the business into one of the leading companies in the water sector in Ireland, providing a full range of services throughout the industry. https://ie.linkedin.com/in/karl-zimmerer-4b73a319 MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/    Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland. QUOTESIt is a very expensive resource that is absolutely essential to life. - Karl Zimmerer It is something that requires a significant level of investment to ensure that that is provided at a certain standard and a lot of governments aren't allocating enough for that. - Karl Zimmerer Innovation is something that we feel very, very passionate about, because innovation can be how you dig the hole, how you construct the tank, it can be about the technology, the pump system, the mortar that drives the pump, water efficiency, setpoint and understanding what the needs are for your customers. - Karl Zimmerer There's absolutely no stupid questions. Don't come to me with questions, come to me with solutions, and just ask me to do I think the solutions are right - Karl Zimmerer  KEYWORDS#water #Ireland #engineering #challenge #wastewater #treatmentplant #sustainability

Engineers are naturally creative, from problem solving to designing and planning. But when you combine that with visual creativity, it leads to unique and beautiful things. Today we meet an Irish engineer who is using his engineering skills and artistic flair to design some of the most impressive structures across the world, including a very well known New York tourist attraction.Our expert guest has worked in over 20 countries across the globe and is passionate about the architectural response to the climate crisis. He is Principal and Founder of VOLUTA, Eoin Casserly. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT● Engineering as a passport to the world ● Working through design limitations with efficiency ● Complex design with user experience in mind ● The architectural response to the climate crisis ● Chartered Engineer of the Year award and its benefits GUEST DETAILSEoin Casserly is principal and founder of VOLUTA, a specialist structural engineering consultancy operating internationally, based in Sligo. Previously, he held structural engineering positions in Paris, New York, and Stuttgart. He has designed advanced structures such as gridshells, cable nets, facades, stadia, and artworks in more than 20 countries, working through six languages.Project highlights include the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere, the world's first cable net with curved glass, the largest-spanning glazed roof in South America, and gridshells for the largest botanic garden in the world. His current research combines pre-industrial materials with innovative construction and analysis techniques. Eoin won the Engineers Ireland Chartered Engineer of the Year Award in 2023. MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

Engineers are on the frontline of influencing our future and play a key role in the race against climate change. As we embrace the digital transition, one Irish company is leading the way in decarbonisation. Today we hear how the firm has achieved rapid success in just three years of business, how they develop passionate and innovative teams and the incredible creative opportunities available to Irish engineers across Europe. Our expert guest believes in the power of combining engineering and business and is passionate about Ireland's ability to be world leaders in this space. He is Founder and Managing Director of Skanstec, Declan Wynne.THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTFilling the market gap for decarbonisation innovationTransitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy in Ireland's grid The challenges causing a race against time for engineersHow Ireland can be a world leader in energy and digital CPD and opportunities for Irish engineers across Europe The role of data centres in decarbonisation GUEST DETAILSAs Founder and Managing Director, Declan Wynne leads the Skanstec Executive Management Team and sits on the company's board. Declan has a strong Engineering background with dynamic business acumen and a human approach. Declan has over 20 years' experience in the Engineering sector and has a passion for Engineering and sustainability.The transition to a climate neutral society, coupled with the convergence of Digital Energy and Connectivity, inspired Declan's vision for Skanstec to be a leading specialist Engineering company in the Energy and Telecommunication Sector with a focus on Decarbonisation and the Digital Transition.Declan holds a Degree in Engineering and a Master's in Business Administration (MBA), including Level 9 Post Grads in Project Management and Coaching.www.skanstec.com MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESI've always had a passion for engineering and particularly a passion for business, and I think both work very much hand in hand, particularly in an Irish context. I think Irish engineers are quite good at being innovative and have a way about doing business that seems to be quite successful in many parts of the globe. - Declan Wynne Engineering becomes more and more important in terms of what we're trying to achieve at a national level and at a global level in terms of decarbonisation, and the digital transition that we're experiencing. - Declan Wynne The world is changing, and we've got to act, we've got to adapt. - Declan WynneIrish engineering businesses are dominating across Europe. It's a huge opportunity for engineers. - Declan Wynne The data centres are absolutely fundamental to decarbonisation. We can't decarbonize without data centers. Ireland's challenge at present is power. It's not data centers in my own view, and that's something that we're proud to be involved in. - Declan Wynne KEYWORDS#engineering #decarbonisation #opportunity #datacentres #business #sustainability

Irish engineers are incredibly creative thinkers and innovators, but it's a big leap going from innovator to entrepreneur, and taking an idea you might have to market. Today we hear from a prominent engineer with a fascinating career history, which took her from aeronautical engineering into the biomedical space. We'll be finding out how she looks at problems, overcomes obstacles, where she sees innovation and opportunity, and getting some great advice for any engineers who are thinking of launching their own business. Our guest is CEO of Altratech and the Assistant Director of the Stokes Research Institute at University of Limerick, Dr. Tara Dalton.THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTTransitioning through different disciplines of engineering The benefits of working within interdisciplinary teamsLearning to ‘skate where the puck is' Being aware of trends and spotting gaps in the market Striving for progress over perfection and asking for help GUEST DETAILSDr Tara Dalton, CEO of Altratech and Assistant Director of the Stokes Research Institute in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Limerick.Dr Dalton is a fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineers. She is one of the founders of Stokes Bio – a spin-out company that was sold to Life Technologies that developed high throughput microfluidic instruments for PCR. Her research interest is in the development of microfluidic devices for biological assays. She has graduated 20 PhD Students, published over 100 refereed papers and has over 50 granted patent and patent applications.https://altratech.com/ https://ul.ie/research/dr-tara-dalton MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESIn my mind, in engineering, you don't want to be at the cutting edge of absolute new science. You want to be just behind it, so you can help people with that science. - Tara Dalton When you work with interdisciplinary team, and I work with medics, physicists, chemists or even with other entrepreneurs, it's just amazing, because I find that everybody wants to help you be better. Nobody, at least in my experience, gatekeeps their knowledge. - Tara DaltonSkate where the puck is, right. It didn't matter that I had this great product, but to get venture capital funding, that was never going to happen, because it wasn't in that ecosystem at the time. So that was one really big learning lesson. - Tara Dalton Ask for help. Everybody, ask for help. Go talk to people, go talk to Enterprise Ireland, go talk to lawyers, go talk to VCs. Don't go saying I want, want, want, just say, What should I do? How could you help me? You'd be surprised how many people will give you their time. - Tara Dalton KEYWORDS#engineering #problemsolving #entrepreneurship #biomedical #aeronauticalengineering #science

2023 was a ‘record breaker' for wind power in Ireland, but have we got the resources to reach the government's goals for a renewable future? Today we learn about some of the engineering problems behind Ireland's long-term strategy for increasing wind power, the challenges caused by policy, regulation and mother nature, along with a huge career drive to get more people, including engineers, working in the wind sector. Our guest is extremely passionate about Ireland's renewable energy potential. Also a chartered engineer, he uses his many years of experience fighting tirelessly to help us make the most of our natural resources and meet our sustainability targets for 2030. He is CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, Noel Cunniffe. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTHow Ireland is leading the way and breaking records in wind energy generation Innovative engineering work happening in Ireland's renewable energy sector Policy, planning permission, community engagement and other challenges facing the wind sectorOffshore wind and why it's Ireland's energy future The Work In Wind recruitment drive and why engineers are needed GUEST DETAILSNoel Cunniffe is the CEO of Wind Energy Ireland which is Ireland's largest renewable energy association and works with a wide range of stakeholders to build understanding and awareness of the benefits of wind and renewable energy. Prior to becoming CEO, Noel led Wind Energy Ireland's Policy department in driving policy development across all aspects of the onshore and offshore renewable industry in Ireland.Previously, Noel was the Renewable Integration Lead in EirGrid, the Transmission System Operator of Ireland, and worked across several departments including electricity grid planning and operation, and the design of the electricity market of Ireland. He is a Chartered Engineer with Engineer's Ireland.https://www.linkedin.com/in/noel-cunniffe-b34a1429 MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/   Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESA lot of people in the country don't know we're actually a world leader when it comes to the amount of our electricity that comes from wind. - Noel Cunniffe Last year in total over 1/3 of Ireland's electricity came from wind. As you can imagine, it's very weather dependent. In December, over 50% of Ireland's electricity during the course of December came from wind. One in two times when you were boiling a kettle, turning on your TV, using your internet, it was thanks to wind energy. - Noel Cunniffe I get asked a lot. What happens when the wind doesn't blow. Where does our backup come from? And in the short term, the answer is going to be gas generation. That's the least polluting fossil fuel that we have. We should not be using oil, we should not be using coal, unless it's an absolute emergency. - Noel Cunniffe I know this is probably very bonkers to think about, but if we didn't have wind energy over the past two years our electricity bills would have been much, much, much higher than they already were. - Noel CunniffeWind energy helped to push the most expensive oil and gas off the electricity grid. - Noel Cunniffe We're really at the point now, where we as a country need to get in, jump in and invest in the grid again. That means building overhead lines, underground cables, new substations, it is the heartbeat of a thriving economy, and decarbonisation and ensuring that our lights stay on. - Noel Cunniffe KEYWORDS#wind #electricitygrid #offshorewind #windfarm #energy #electricity #renewableenergy #turbines

Engineers are primed to think on their feet and solve problems in record times, but dealing with the weight of a whole country's emergency call service requires lightning approaches and a ‘nothing is impossible' attitude. Today we dive into the world of the most important telecommunications operation in the country, the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS). We learn how the service operates in ways people may never consider and the contingency plans that help it weather any storm, or pandemic. Our expert guest has been at the cutting edge of data and communications in Ireland since the introduction of the internet and is now Head of Operations with ECAS, Michael Kelly. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUTHow Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) operatesProblem solving in an industry with 99.999% uptime  Adapting to weather and pandemic phenomena  Lessons learned from introducing the internet to Ireland  Why we shouldn't fear AI and start seeing it as an asset GUEST DETAILSMichael Kelly is the Head of Operations at the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS). Michael has extensive experience in the telecommunications industry including his role with PostGEM where he helped introduce the public internet during the late 80s/early 90s. He has also served as Director of the Internet Services Provider Association of Ireland until he joined BT as their Head of Engineering Planning & Design. Since 2012, he has been Head of Operations for the 112/999  Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS).https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kelly-a5312810/ QUOTESIt's like that old adage about the 747, in the air, we're changing the engines without landing the plane. There's never a good time for us to do maintenance. So therefore we're constantly working on the system round the clock and making sure that our change control is absolutely state of the art engineering so that, even if we do make a mistake, we can roll back without anybody realizing that there was ever a problem in the first place. - Michael Kelly What I can say is because of our engineers, and one in particular, I think we were probably the first country to identify what the problem was. - Michael Kelly While it's stressful at the time, and you think ‘how are we going to solve this problem?' Nothing is impossible, if you set your mind to it. And that genuinely is our mantra, it has to be that way. We can't just give up. - Michael Kelly MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.KEYWORDS#telecommunications #engineers #internet #datacentres #emergencyservices

Today we find out how Irish engineers are attracting big foreign business, and how investing in personal development is just as beneficial for your own growth as it is for the sector. Global investment is crucial to the economic wellbeing of Ireland, and there are still challenges the country needs to overcome to ensure continued success. Our expert today is at the forefront of Ireland's international business investments and believes our engineering sector has a lot of talent to offer. He is an engineer and CEO of IDA Ireland, Michael Lohan. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT01:09 Michael's Career06:36 Working with tech, people and global supply chains 08:13 What the IDA does 10:03 The main investment sectors in Ireland 12:58 Challenges impacting foreign investment 16:28 The availability of STEM talent in Ireland 18:06 How Irish engineers stand out 23:13 Encouraging upskilling and continuous learning 26:19 Getting young people involved in STEM subjects 34:00 Expanding opportunities outside of Dublin 37:35 Advice Michael would give to a young engineer GUEST DETAILSMichael Lohan is the Chief Executive Officer of IDA Ireland as of April 2023. A key priority for Michael in his role as Chief Executive Officer is leading on the execution and delivery of IDA Ireland's organisational strategy: Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021- 2024, which will be delivered through a focus on five pillars: Growth, Transformation, Regions, Sustainability, and Impact.Michael joined IDA Ireland in 2003 and has held various management positions across multiple functions and has represented IDA in several fora including as a Board member on Digital Manufacturing Ireland, a governance member on the SSPC research centre for pharmaceuticals and also The Irish Medical Association (which is the business association within IBEC representing the medical devices and diagnostics sector).Prior to joining IDA Ireland, Michael held several different positions including Manager for New Business Solutions with Nortel's European Operations in Galway and a management role with IEC Electronics European Operations. Michael is an Engineering graduate with an MSc in Technology Management from the National University of Ireland, Galway and additionally is a graduate of the Berkley Executive Programme.MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland. To learn more about iWish https://www.iwish.ie/ QUOTESI can speak for myself, as an engineer, you're very much technically driven, but those softer skills, that acumen from a business perspective, are so so important. The more you can hone that, coupled that with your technical expertise, that's a formula for real success, for real growth and progression. - Michael Lohan We have been very successful for the last decade plus in terms of FDI. In terms of economic prosperity in Ireland, our population is growing, our enterprise base, both foreign and indigenous have grown. That leads us to the challenges of success, our housing capacity, our infrastructure capacity. There are key elements that we have to continue to address and make sure that we have adequate plans in place for the next generation of investment. - Michael Lohan We in Ireland seem to be leading at the front edge of that technology, of that innovation, of that deployment, and I think that comes down to the skill base that we have, and within that is the engineering resources that's available to us. - Michael Lohan I would encourage anyone, no matter where you are in your career, to continue to learn. In fact, I am no different, I have to continue to be curious, I have to continue to look to where I can add additional strengths to my offering. - Michael Lohan I think industry needs to help encourage young people into STEM, because the more we can show that there's a path here in terms of career, that there's a rewarding, fulfilling and diverse career that you can get  through STEM subjects.  - Michael Lohan Learn as quickly as you can how to interact and engage with others because the your success is going to be based on how you engage with your peers, how you can influence and negotiate. The more you can hone that earlier in your career, the more you can benefit from it later on. - Michael Lohan KEYWORDS#engineering #investment #STEM #business #IDA

Water Infrastructure is a hugely important sector here in Ireland, and it has many challenges on the horizon, including everything from climate change to infrastructure demand. Today, we're finding out more about the future of that water infrastructure and where engineers will play a crucial role in ensuring its success. Our expert today is at the center of the industry and has experience working on massive projects in Ireland, the UK and Asia. He is CEO of Uisce Eireann and a fellow of Engineers Ireland, Niall Gleeson.THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT01:22 Working on infrastructure projects abroad 04:29 Moving from on the ground engineering to management 06:41 Water supply challenges in Ireland 09:49 Maintaining drinking water safety 11:30 Sourcing more water supplies for rural and urban areas 14:02 How wastewater is managed 15:18 Future-proofing in Uisce Eireann 18:05 Climate change considerations in water management 20:52 Engineering roles in the water sector 23:52 Driving innovation while managing the day to day 28:57 Uisce Eireann's role in future infrastructure 30:56 What lessons helped Niall move up the ladder GUEST DETAILSNiall Gleeson is Chief Executive Officer of Uisce Éireann, the national utility responsible for providing public water and wastewater services throughout Ireland. Niall leads the organisation in the delivery of safe, clean and environmentally compliant water services to households and businesses across Ireland. He has been instrumental in driving Uisce Éireann's safety, sustainability and employee engagement strategies and in 2022 led the organisation in securing the provision of an historic €1.1 billion in capital investment funding, which is vital to developing Ireland's critical water services infrastructure, protecting public health and supporting social and economic development.Prior to joining Uisce Éireann, Niall was Managing Director for Veolia Ireland and Alstom Ireland and held a number of senior leadership roles with world-leading infrastructure companies including General Electric and Shanahan Engineering. He has significant experience in the finance, construction, commissioning and maintenance of transport and utility assets, and has led major infrastructure projects across Ireland, the UK and Asia. Raised in Dublin, he holds a degree in engineering from the Dublin Institute of Technology.MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESThe problem-solving is one of the big things, engineers are  in demand not just for engineering trades, but banking or all that kind of stuff. It's the ability to look at a problem and work out a logical process to get a resolution, starting at the start and working your way methodically through problems is a real key, and it's a trait that most engineers have. - Niall Gleeson A lot of us are very solution focused, especially engineers, so we're trying to solve people's problems for them. Quite often, you just have to listen. They talk themselves through the problem and they almost solve it for you while they're sitting in front of you. So it's not always reacting. I think that's probably what I would teach my younger self, listen more. - Niall Gleeson We have an awful lot of stuff that goes into toilets that shouldn't go into toilets like wet wipes.. They say they're biodegradable, but they're not. We pull about 60 tons of what we call rags out of the inlets of Ringsend every month. - Niall Gleeson Over the next 25 years our plan is to improve drinking water, get a very reliable source, provide more where there's growth and make sure that the likes of Dublin can continue to grow, and other urban areas. All of the projections are that the population is going to keep growing.  - Niall Gleeson We have to do our day to day job and we have to deliver water every day, so innovation can be tricky. But our sustainability program is driving a lot of innovation, we're looking at solar panels on the roofs of buildings and things like biodiversity. - Niall Gleeson We're crying out for engineers at the moment. We have a huge recruitment programme going on. As part of our transformation to, the Uisce Eireann transformation program. One of the challenges we have is with our own teams and with the local authorities, there's a lot of people who are approaching retirement. So we need a new batch of people coming through. - Niall Gleeson KEYWORDS#water #engineers #wastewater #drinkingwater #rivers #climatechange

Engineers are having a meaningful impact across communities in Ireland through working in the public sector. Today we hear from three professionals with extensive experience working within the public sector about the rewarding projects they have worked on and the career paths they have taken. Our guests are Head of the National Building Control & Market Surveillance Office in Dublin and a fellow with Engineers Ireland Mairéad Phelan, Executive Engineer with Limerick City and County Council Fergal Timlin and Senior Executive Engineer with Louth County Council Claire Hughes. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT01:09 Public sector and private sector differences02:15 Job fulfilment in public sector work 04:40 Time scales in public sector work 06:46 Working with members of the public 10:41 Advice for those looking to move into the public sector 12:06 Taking a step back from the business calculations 16:27 The variation of work in the public sector 19:02 Career progression in the public sector 26:58 Changing the perception of engineering gender stereotypes at school level GUEST DETAILSClaire Hughes has a degree in Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering from Trinity College Dublin in 2006, an MSc Eng in Fire Safety Engineering from University of Ulster in 2013 and Postgraduate Dip in Road & Transport Engineering (inaugural year of the course) from IT Sligo in 2017. Claire is over 17 years working in Local Authorities (Monaghan, Offaly, Meath and now Louth County Councils) across a number of Departments such as Housing Capital, Road Design, Operations, Water & Wastewater services and Environmental services. She is currently working in Louth County Council as a Senior Executive Engineer in Waste Management & Environment Department.Website: https://www.louthcoco.ie/en/ Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-hughes-3215961b7 Mairéad Phelan is Head of the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Ireland she was a Programme Manager with the Local Government Management Agency on national projects. Prior to this, she was Fingal County Council's head of the Built Environment Inspectorate Division; preceded by Senior Engineer Road Safety, Transportation and Bridges Division. She spent 10 years as Municipal Town Engineer with Carlow County Council while also performing the role of Conservation Officer. Her career commenced with Consulting Engineering work on Major Water & Drainage Schemes. Mairéad is an Associate Lecturer with SETU Carlow and is passionate about promoting the construction of safe and healthy buildings and the sustainable reuse of our existing building stock. She was awarded the Civil Service Excellence and Innovation award in 2015.She holds an MBA, a Diploma in Law, and a PG. Cert. in Governance, a PGDip in Highway & Geotechnical Engineering, a PGDip in Project Management, and a Cert in GDPR.Website: https://nbco.localgov.ie/ Social Media: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/mair%C3%A9ad-phelan-a9b42a20 Fergal has 13 years' experience in civil/environmental engineering. He has amassed a large amount of experience in a wide range of Civil Engineering disciplines, such as the construction of roads and drainage infrastructure.Fergal is currently a member of the Thomond Region Committee and the Civil Division Committee of Engineers Ireland. He is also the planning lead for the Construction Sector Circular Economy Roadmap Report .Website: https://www.limerick.ie/council Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/fergal-d-timlin-88ab7b39   MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESThe pressure is on you in the public sector, you're answerable to everybody in the general public and everything that you do in your work is under scrutiny. - Claire Hughes I was able to improve the towns and the small villages that were in my area, and I can see where I improved the signage, the parks, the town, and putting in something simple like a basketball arena. I found it very, very rewarding working in local authorities. - Mairead Phelan A lot of people have mixed views or mixed opinions about what working in a local authority is. It is such a fantastic and varied career. - Claire Hughes There's times where I do need to step back from projects and stop looking at the big calculations and just remember that these small improvements have a dramatic change to people and are greatly welcomed. - Fergal TimlimThere is a very clear progressions layout  in place in local authorities. - Claire Hughes I see myself as an engineer first and foremost, a problem solver and a designer. That's all I ever wanted to be, even as a child, but nobody ever told me that it was a totally male orientated profession  - Mairead Phelan The simplest definition of an engineer is that we're just problem solvers. We need to explain that to the primary school students, and not that there's these gender assigned roles or stereotypes associated with engineering. We have to break them to actually get young women into engineering. - Fergal Timlin Every child loves a brick to play with, every child loves Lego. I've never met a child that doesn't love the box that the stuff comes in. So why are we not bringing that along through the schools and teaching? - Mairead Phelan KEYWORDS#localauthorities #engineering #publicsector #housing #construction

The agriculture sector has had to embrace adaptability and innovation as it navigates new technologies and the climate crisis. Today we're diving into agriculture and discovering how engineers are developing solutions for a better future in the sector. We hear about their impressive sustainability efforts and how AI and automation are playing an important role. Our experts today are Associate Professor and Vice Principal for Internationalisation in UCD College of Engineering & Architecture, Tom Curran, Mechanical engineer with Agrigear, Neil Pigott and Agricultural Inspector with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Robert Leonard. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT01:12 How the Department Of Agriculture uses engineering 04:12 Engineering in agriculture machinery 07:30 Current research in agriculture 09:26 Application of robotics and automation 14:22 Collection and analysing data from farms 15:31 Smart farming 17:03 Adapting the farming industry to new tech21:40 The Ploughing Championships 23:01 Climate change challenges for the sector 24:48 Sustainability efforts in agriculture GUEST DETAILSTom Curran is an Associate Professor and Vice Principal for Internationalisation in UCD College of Engineering & Architecture. He leads the Horizon Europe project, BioBeo, on innovative education for the bioeconomy with 15 partners across 10 European countries. He is the Director of the UCD MSc Environmental Technology degree programme. His research interests include waste management and air quality. He is a graduate of UCD's Engineering programme, holding a BE (Ag & Food), MEngSc (Environmental Engineering) and a PhD in Biosystems Engineering. He worked in production and environmental management in the food industry for a number of years before joining as faculty in UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering.Website: https://people.ucd.ie/tom.curran Social Media: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/tompcurran Niall Pigott is a chartered engineer with extensive experience in mechanical design and manufacturing engineering, with strong quality compliance exposure. Comprehensive knowledge of Solidworks 3D CAD (computer aided design) and Lantek Expert CAM (computer aided manufacturing) software.Website: https://www.agrigear.ie/wheel-rim-manufacturing  Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niall-pigott-a5131638/ Robert Leonard holds an honours degree in Agricultural Engineering and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering.  He completed his PhD in UCD, the focus of which was looking at the development of decision support systems for spraying potatoes against late Blight and spray drift reduction techniques. Robert joined the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in July 2002.  His role is to provide technical specifications, to support agricultural industries, that meet required standards (including legal) in respect of Construction, Health and Safety, Animal Welfare and the Environment. To promote and implement specific measures supporting environmentally sustainable agriculture and to provide specialist expertise to various divisions and offices that are charged with implementing schemes associated with grant aid for agricultural and forestry related industries.MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESThe research touches on the environmental impacts of the whole chain from the farm to the fork from getting the herbs out of the fields or foreign buildings, right through to processing of the food so that it's ready for consumers to eat in a safe manner, but also in the most sustainable way as well. - Tom Curran The applications of robotics within agricultural engineering is really in its genesis mode and this sort of engineering will blossom in the very near future. This technology will not take away people's jobs, but it will actually enhance people's jobs. - Niall Pigott There's a lot of technology coming from the fertilizer and pesticide application side looking at identifying weeds, diseases, and applying pesticide just to the points of where it's at using vision control. All that information can be fed into a higher level of AI to actually get them to understand what way to apply crops and to get the best return while having the least inputs. - Robert Leonard I think the farming community in general is quite adaptive, they have to be. - Niall PigottIn the future there's going to be a lot more robotic controls, but you need to be monitoring what's going on. It's not a case of just watching and letting the robots take over. The farmer needs to understand the information they're getting. - Robert Leonard Farming is such a long standing industry, we all need farmers to produce our food. It's like everything else, some people are resistant to change naturally. I grew up on a farm and I'm currently a part time farmer. Inspeaking to and engaging with farmers, a lot of farmers are probably the most innovative people I know - Tom Curran If we do a certain action, we have to take into account so many different factors; climate, nature, water, air, etc. This is a message I think that we need to communicate to the general public, how engineers and scientists are working to be more environmentally sustainable, but also to take into account changing weather patterns for the future. - Tom Curran KEYWORDS#engineering #farming #agriculture #machinery #sustainability #ploughingchampionships

Engineers are incredibly innovative and ambitious, but having the right skills and mindset is key to having your ideas heard and supported. Through self-development and continuous learning you can make yourself stand out in the crowd. Today we find out what education options are available to engineers and what skills you need to focus on to become an invaluable pi-shaped professional. Our expert today is an electronic engineer who is incredibly passionate about professional development and learning. She is the former Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies and current Director of UL@Work at University of Limerick, Professor Ann Ledwith. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT01:09 Ann's Start In Engineering 05:03 How to make an impression and progress09:19 Transversal Skills and becoming a pi-shaped professional 13:27 The difference between management and leadership 16:20 Advice for young engineers pursuing leadership 18:13 Business-oriented skills for engineering 20:30 How to approach continued learning 21:54 Further education opportunities with UL@Work 24:50 Learning time commitment and workplace support GUEST DETAILSProfessor Ann Ledwith is a graduate of N.I.H.E Limerick where she obtained a degree in Electronic Engineering.  She subsequently completed an MBA at the University of Limerick and a PhD in Managing Product Development at the University of Brighton. She has held a variety of positions at UL including Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, Director of Continuing and Professional Education, and Assistant Dean of Research (Adult and Continuing Education) with the Faculty of Science and Engineering.Currently Prof Ledwith is the Director of HCI and UL@Work, and is responsible for delivering UL's Human Capital Initiative project, UL@Work, which aims to develop digital, industry 4.0, talent through flexible, innovative and technology-enabled, experiential learning; linking enterprise and education to form a co-designed future learning environment.  She is passionate about the role of the university in supporting regional growth and currently chairs Explore Engineering, an industry-led initiative to  increase the quality and quantity of engineering talent (apprentice, technicians and engineers) in the region.Prof Ledwith worked for over twelve years as a Product Development Engineer and as a Manager of Product Development in small high-technology firms.  She spent 2 years managing the Centre for Project Management at the University of Limerick.  Professor Ledwith has a keen interest in work-based students and flexible learning. Throughout her academic career, she has designed and delivered part-time and blended programmes for both under- and post-graduate students on topics such as Project Management, Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Technology Management and Reliability.  Her research interests include new product development, project management, R&D management, innovation and technology management in small firms. Website: www.ul.ieLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-ledwith-65873a/Further education links: https://www.ul.ie/gps/professionalflexible-programmes https://www.ul.ie/gps/microcredentials https://www.ul.ie/gps/springboard-courses https://www.ul.ie/gps/professionalflexible-programmes/apprenticeships MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESYou have to be willing to step up, you have to be willing to say, ‘Yeah, I can take charge of this project, or I can manage a few people.' - Ann Ledwith When you're working with people, you need a certain amount of single mindedness and focus, but you also need to be able to bring your people along with you, you need to appreciate and listen to what people are saying. You need to have a vision, you need to be able to communicate that vision, and you need to be able to convince people that's where they want to be as well. - Ann Ledwith We often talk about a pi-shaped professional, you need these broad skills along the top, and then your areas of expertise. You need both if you want to be successful. - Ann Ledwith I think that sense of having a vision of how you want to move things forward is very important, but that's useless unless you can bring people with you - Ann Ledwith It is so important for job satisfaction that people can see that they've contributed to something. I think that's why people follow leaders because they feel that it's adding more meaning and more relevance to what they're doing. - Ann Ledwith The first thing is to let people know you're there and to let people know that you do have ambition. Very often that's the toughest step for a young engineer, we're not taught to go forward and to share your ideas like that. But I think it's very important that you make sure people realize that the potential that you have - Ann Ledwith One of the key things if you are getting on that journey of continuous education is to get the support from your manager. Tell them how this program is actually going to progress you, it's not just that you're getting skills, but your company is getting skills - Ann Ledwith KEYWORDS#engineering #career #leadership #management #TransversalSkills #furthereducation 

Irish engineers are having a fantastic impact in global enterprise but are we nimble and innovative enough to take on the internationals?Today we find out how engineering is fundamental to the future of enterprise in Ireland and why innovation and sustainability will be vital to our success. We are delighted to be joined by CEO of Enterprise Ireland, and Fellow of Engineers Ireland, Leo Clancy. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT01:26 Leo's career from engineering to enterprise  04:17 What does Enterprise Ireland do?05:25 Engineering is fundamental to enterprise 08:38 How Ireland stands out in a global market 11:47 What we can learn from international companies 14:28 Adopting an innovation mindset 18:09 How Enterprise Ireland can help start ups 22:58 Opportunities for Irish engineering companies25:29 Sustainability as an opportunity and as a threat 33:41 Future forecasting and Impact 2030 for engineering GUEST DETAILSLeo Clancy is the Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Ireland, the State Agency that helps Irish companies to start, scale and grow globally. Leo graduated from Dublin Institute of Technology with a First-Class Honours degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland.Before being appointed as CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Leo was a member of the Executive Committee of IDA Ireland, the State agency for Foreign Direct Investment. There, he led the Technology sector, working extensively at up to C-level with the top global technology and services companies.Leo spent most of his career in the telecommunications industry, working in senior management, technical and engineering roles. His most recent role was as Service Delivery Director at e|net. Prior to that, he was General Manager, Service Delivery at Ericsson Ireland.Website: https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/about-us/our-people/executivecommitee/leo-clancy.htmlSocial Media: www.linkedin.com/in/leoclancy MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/  Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESIt was that discipline of learning about something and problem solving that I really appreciated about engineering, and I think gives you a great grounding. I've been a manager effectively now for 20 years. You never lose that engineering mindset in terms of how you approach problems, and I think it really stands to people. - Leo CLancy Irish companies and people have a get it done mentality. We are flexible, we know how to roll with things and problem solving is at the core of how we think about things. Ireland has always had that little bit of a scrappy edge to us, and that shouldn't be confused with low quality because it's not. Irish people are good at analyzing the problem, working out how to change the process in order to get it done, as well as delivering quality. - Leo Clancy I think we could certainly bring back more of that cultural respect for engineering. We need to value engineering more. - Leo CLancy There's some brilliant innovation going on in Ireland. And I think it's not beyond the possibility for Irish companies in various domains who are already strong on services and delivering projects to start innovating solutions within their businesses. - Leo Clancy We're going to see continued and vastly increasing investment in sustainability. That is certainly something that every company should be looking at, as an opportunity, but also as a threat. If companies don't have sustainability plans, and verifiable ones for their businesses, they will be out of business in three to five years. No one will buy from a company that doesn't have a good ESG plan, and that can't verify their own sustainability credentials. - Leo Clancy It's an absolute testament to Irish business that 2022 was a record year on exports. Irish business performed very well during the pandemic, so I'd be very optimistic about where we're going in the future. I think notwithstanding what might happen in the global markets, I think we're going to continue to see growth in Irish business exports, and growth and jobs. - Leo Clancy KEYWORDS#ireland #enterpriseireland #engineers #sustainability #business #innovation

As the engineering sector continuously evolves and grows, how can you stay on top and progress in your career? Today we discover how leading managers achieved their ascent in the industry and what key qualities they look for in their teams. We also hear how employee wellbeing is crucial to operating a safe workplace. Joining us to tell us more is Director of TII's Professional Services Division, Helen Hughes and Director of Operations with Jacobs, Jillian Bolton.THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT1:21 Finding your chosen discipline3:31 How engineering has evolved 6:20 5G in cars of the new future 7:57 Work/Life Balance 10:33 How safety to changing on site 13:40 The qualities required to move up the ladder 17:00 The importance of being visible 19:49 Moving into management  24:21 Continuous learning - exhausting or exciting? GUEST DETAILSHelen Hughes was appointed Director of TII's Professional Services Division in 2015 following the establishment of Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Helen has over 30 years of experience in transport planning, project appraisal and project management and has worked in the UK, Ireland and France in the public and private sectors. Helen has been a member of TII's Executive Team for 7 years, has 18 years' experience with NRA and 10 years with Consulting Engineers.  She has experience in delivery of capital projects, development of strategies, policies, technical reports, road design standards, specifications, and research.She is a Chartered Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and a Diploma in Project Management. She has been a Council Member of Engineers Ireland and Chairperson of WITS, a voluntary organisation supporting women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.-- Jillian Bolton is a Chartered Civil Engineer with 20 years' experience in the engineering industry, predominantly supporting capital infrastructure clients in the development and construction of national infrastructure. As Regional Lead for Water Ireland & Scotland, Jillian is responsible for the continued development and growth of the region, supporting and developing an extensive team of engineering professionals within the water infrastructure sector delivering on capital investment frameworks and projects for our clients.MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/ Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESWhen you start in engineering, you realize how many different disciplines there are, but they also have many different types of roles within all of those disciplines. - JillianThe thing that's very rewarding is that you can see very visibly the difference you make. You're delivering infrastructure for the people of Ireland, so I think that's quite gratifying. Jillian mentioned the major inter urban road network that we delivered in the naughties. And that's a huge legacy for generations to come. So the love of engineering is directly related to the impact you're making, for me. - Helen It's the always-on culture. People are now saying that they're going to leave their mobile phones off for six hours or 12 hours to switch off. We shouldn't be always-on, we never were in the past. - HelenI would say making sure that you're looking up, and you're looking out. It's saying yes to other things that may not be just purely in the engineering fixed fields that you're in. But it's also looking up from what you're doing at the moment. You've got to be aware of what else is going on within your organization or within your sector and even within the wider infrastructure sector - JillianKEYWORDS#engineering #management #safety #wellbeing #worklifebalance

Female engineers represent just 12% of the profession in Ireland. To coincide with International Women In Engineering Day 2023 we ask how we can encourage more young women to join the industry? What would a workforce with a better gender balance look like? How could the industry benefit from the unique skills and attributes of women that can often be missed in male dominated spaces? To answer these questions, we're speaking to two female professionals who excel in the space of safety and sustainability, and are passionate about highlighting the variety and creativity available in an Engineering career. They are chartered civil engineer and artist Regina Clery, and safety specialist and experienced auditor Mary Foley. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT01:53 How to recruit young women into engineering 08:39 Better representation of female engineers 10:45 Safety measures in action 15:17 Why prevention is better than a cure 19:10 Staying on top of changing environments 23:40 Sustainable development goals 26:56 Applying safety to other industries 31:56 Everyone is responsible for safety GUEST DETAILSRegina Clery Having first started out as an Art & Design student, and now an Engineer, Regina Clery  is interested in projects that involve a range of technologies, culture & art to deliver STEM data across multi-disciplinary audiences. Regina is a Chartered Engineer CEng MIEI - currently working in Transport (railroad & structures) with previous roles as a Civil Engineer in the Construction Industry, Third Level Education Program Coordinator of Civil Engineering and as a Third Level Lecturer - teaching Mechanical and Civil engineering, Building Construction, Environmental Sustainability and Renewable Energy. Regina is passionate about Environmental Sustainability & Intrinsic Ecosystems, where the built environment meets the natural world. She is a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy and Green Technologies focused on development & optimisation of renewable energy resources, life cycle analysis & efficiency in power generation, mitigation of environmental impacts, plant biotechnology & business innovation.Mary Foley MaryFoley  is a Safety Professional with exceptional cross-industry experience in Pharma, Biopharma, and general industry manufacturing spanning almost 25 years.   She has vast experience in planning and Safety Management and in developing Major Accident Plans for many of the County Councils.  She is experienced in working closely with regulatory bodies as well as charities and planning authorities across a number of EMEA territories.   Mary is an experienced Auditor with over 10 years of Experience as Lead Auditor. She is the author of National Industry standards and has advised at Government level on developing Safety Management Systems for sections of industry previously unregulated.  She has created and contributed to Risk and Risk Management Programs for numerous Irish companies, government departments, multi-nationals and National Governing Bodies. She is an entertaining public speaker and a highly competent expert Witness with experience in both the Circuit and High Court.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foley-safety-solutions/  MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.QUOTESIn general, women have a really, really good follow through. I also know that their attention to detail, in my experience, has been much, much better. And I think in my industry specifically, that's so important. - Mary Foley I started off in art college and in fashion design, and now I'm an engineer. Nobody could have told me at that stage of my life that I was going to be an engineer, I wouldn't have believed it. The link is how to create and fix problems. You have to get into the schools and get them at an early age to attract women into these industries and show them that they can do this, that women are already doing it. - Regina Clery Engineers Ireland has been incredible in terms of providing us with continuing professional development, new stuff coming down the track, new information. We absolutely have to stay on top of it all time, because it's ever moving, ever changing and thankfully ever improving. - Mary Foley Prevention is always better than a cure, but unfortunately, people have this image that safety is expensive. It's not as expensive as a claim, but a claim isn't the be all and end all. It's the personal injury, the pain, the loss, the suffering, the everything else. You should be looking after your people. - Mary Foley There's a huge drive at the moment, particularly with the sustainable development goals. A lot of companies know they should work towards becoming an SDG champion, which is rare nowadays. Maintaining safety in the workplace, the well being of employees, having wellbeing programs, and even gender equality, all those things make your workplace safer. - Regina Clery When we're talking about longevity, changes need to be made to acknowledge that the female body needs particular sizing to comfortably wear PPE. There's no such thing really as unisex PPE, especially when it comes to protective equipment.  - Regina Clery KEYWORDS#safety #engineering #women #IWED #InternationalWomenInEngineeringDay #train

Few of us are presented with a problem so big it needs to be dealt with on a national scale.When Aidan O'Connell discovered pyrite, he tackled it head-on, literally writing the book on how to deal with it. Today, he is an acknowledged expert in the area worldwide. A hands-on pragmatic civil engineer, Aidan's colourful career has spanned from his early days in the UK to running a successful small firm in Portlaoise for almost thirty years. In this packed half hour, he pulls no punches on pyrites' early days in Ireland and the processes he helped develop to tackle it. He also shares invaluable information on the challenges of engineering, moving up the ladder and what he sees in the immediate future. TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDE 03:27 The most insightful advice he ever received06:09 The biggest challenge of his career07:47 How he set industry protocols and standards09:07 The problem with Pyrite15:25 How he started his own firm20:11 Competing with local councils26:50 The one thing you must have to move up the ladder27:50 Process of being named a Fellow of Engineers Ireland GUEST DETAILSAidan is a Chartered Civil Engineer with additional qualifications in Geotechnical Engineering and Project Management. After starting his career in the UK, he returned to Ireland to establish his own firm AOCA in 1996, expanding to Dublin in 2014. Aidan is regularly called on as a civil/structural expert with particular expertise on Pyritic Heave. He also holds the honour of being a Fellow of Engineers Ireland.https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-o-connell-91128b1b/https://www.aoca.ieMORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/ QUOTESYou're starting out as a civil or structural engineer but what you will be in ten or twenty years will not be what you started out as. I found that to be absolutely true.You're not going to move up the ladder unless you go for chartered status. That's an absolute minimum that you need to be able to bring to the table. That gives you the credibility to be able to sign reports and sign documents that you are qualified, that you're recognized, to be able to do that.I don't know where engineering in Ireland in the ten, five or even two years is going. The reason is that it's moving so fast and it's direction can be confusing. It's all about speed, speed, speed, speed.

Is mixing the intellectual world of engineering and the physical world of sport, some kind of Venn diagram gone wrong? Professionals in both need to combine strategy, foresight and expertise with skill and instinct.  If you mix all these qualities into one person, do you get a super-human engineer?Our guests on the show today share how sport and teamwork helped them excel at engineering. They are engineer and former Mayo GAA star Tom Parsons, and athletic legend Jenna Bromell who is currently a Senior Process Engineer with J&J Vision Care.TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDE 02:09 Tom's & Jenna's engineering backgrounds09:09 Tom and GAA at All Ireland level12:37 Jenna running for Ireland13:58 How engineering and sport are similar15:28 How their own engineering careers were helped by sport20:10 Focus on performance not just for sport22:45 How to think better at work24:10 How to kill work stress27:15 Commonality between sport and work teams32:16 Where they get time to do so much34:40 Getting through tough times at work36:41 The impact of AI and tech on engineeringGUEST DETAILSJenna Bromell works as a senior process engineer for Johnson & Johnson Vision. During her time at UL, Jenna was a dual student-athlete, a recipient of a UL BEO sports scholarship and was awarded the UL President's Special Distinction Award for finishing top in engineering in 2019. She has competed for Ireland at the European Junior championships, World Junior championships, European U23 championships, European Team championships and European senior championships. Jenna is currently a committee member of the Engineers Ireland Thomond Region.https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-bromell-819833192/Tom Parsons was an engineer with Jacobs, a fortune 500 professional and technical solutions company while also playing at All Ireland Level for Mayo GAA. Outside of Croke Park finals, a career highlight for him was being awarded an honorary Fellow with Engineers Ireland in 2021. Today he serves as CEO of Gaelic Players Association.https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-parsons-540/https://www.gaelicplayers.com/about-us/MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/QUOTES“Don't underestimate the power of 10 minutes. If you want to exercise for 10 minutes, you can get a valuable session in whether it's in front of your television or out in the garden.”“The great thing about having sports outside of your work life, is that you are not solely defined by one thing. If work is going great, then I'm an engineer. If not, then I'm a runner! You always have something to be positive about.”“Businesses are learning from high-performance sport and high-performance teams around the world. They're all incorporating those skill sets into the workplace.

Our working world is rapidly changing and graduate programmes are changing also. We discover how new recruits are learning in a new way and what we as qualified professionals must do to keep up. Giving us an insight into today's university programs are Una Beagon, Head of Civil Engineering at the Technological University in Dublin and Maria Kyne Dean of the Faculty of Engineering in the Technical University of the Shannon.TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDE 02:07 How teaching engineering has changed06:36 How engineering courses are assessed internationally and kept up-to-date11:47 Why working closer with industry is developing critical thinking skills16:21 Keeping up to date with technological advances.19:09 Lifetime learning and problem-based learning.29:44 The importance of lifelong learning.35:03 What is the general attitude of employers to lifelong learning?37:31 What to be afraid of in engineering.GUEST DETAILSDr Una Beagon is Head of Civil Engineering at TU Dublin and a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers. Her research centres around using pedagogical initiatives to improve professional skills in engineering students. Her work has won several awards including a Teaching Fellowship, The Engineers Ireland Excellence Award, The SEFI Francesco Maffioli Award, the Le Chéile Gradam and A Teaching Hero Award from the National Forum. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-una-beagon-95566b18/ Dr Maria Kyne has 30 years of experience including being a Sydney Accord and Dublin Accord review member for the International Engineering Alliance for reviews of Engineering Professional Body organisations in the UK, Canada and Pakistan. Today she is Dean of the Faculty of Engineering in TUS. Her research interests are in the area of Engineering Education Quality Assurance. Her publications investigate the possibilities of combining or aligning the current programmatic review and accreditation processes for engineering education.https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0053-1050MORE INFORMATIONLinks Una mentioned include:Profess 12 - https://www.tudublin.ie/research/discover-our-research/profess12/about/TrainEng-PDP - https://iiw.kuleuven.be/english/trainengpdpA-Step 2030 - https://www.astep2030.eu/enEngineer SDG - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03043797.2022.2033955Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/

After 20 years in engineering, John's career continues to climb. His firm is breaking new ground in engineering practice, they have big plans to expand and have been officially recognised as one of the Best Workplaces in Ireland.In this episode, we hear how John's experience and willingness to try new things, has built huge trust in the team and how the freedom they enjoy has delivered huge results for everybody.  We cover everything from taking over ghost estates in the 2008 property crash to finding mentors and how thinking out of the box has found success.TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDE01:23     Accidentally falling into engineering04:22     How he found his mentors and how they helped his career06:52     Why ORS is ‘multi-disiplinary'10:16     The challenges of finishing a job someone else started11:39     The secret to winning Best Workplace in Ireland13:51     Does he take constructive criticism from staff15:21     Why he has been a fan of remote working since 201520:11     The benefits of CPD for engineers in particular25:45     Expansion and an exciting future for ORS GUEST DETAILSJohn Brennan is Managing Director and a part-owner at one of Ireland's leading multi-disciplinary building consultancies, ORS. John has been with the company since graduating UCD. In 2019 he led an MBO and today has plans to expand the business across the country and beyond. He is an engineer who has used networking, professional development and new technology to drive success for himself and his team.Based in Mullingar, ORS is one of an exclusive number of Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employers in the country. It is also one of a small number of Irish companies that are ISO certified in standards ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001. ORS are at the forefront of training and technology, where investment in the latest cutting-edge tools allows their staff to perform at their best.CONTACT DETAILShttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbrennanceng/https://www.ors.ie/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/QUOTES In 2018 we had a draft person who was very productive, efficient and wanted to work at home.  So we did a pilot. He worked four days at home and his productivity went up by 40%. Why? When he was at work, he'd be asked to go into a meeting on X Y or Z project even though he wasn't working on it. That would take two hours out of his day. So there was a lot of distraction. That's why we started remote work before COVID. We have 94 staff and they decide where they're most productive and where they want to work. If you can give people that choice, trust gets built. They see that as a reward and it's reciprocated with increased productivity. If you start putting rules around that, such as you must be in one day a week or two days a week, it then becomes an entitlement. And that's when you see productive productivity drop off. Building that trust has been very, very beneficial for us. Engineers get boxed. A couple of previous podcasts say engineers don't like to put themselves out there. Some are like that, absolutely, but some are not. The key to a successful business is realizing everybody has different wants and needs. Just listen to that and adapt to suit. 

With a career that spans over 38 years, Gerry shares an extraordinarily unique insight into some of Ireland's largest and most crucial infrastructures. Having led the delivery of PPP capital projects for highways, water, healthcare, schools and flood relief, Gerry shares how his approach to planning has evolved from his earlier career, working on the Dublin to Galway motorway, to how achievable he believes EU targets banning all carbon vehicles by 2035 really are. Learn about the Glasgow industrial investment area project, that lead to RPS being named one of the first carbon champions by the institute of civil engineers. Gerry also explores how to overcoming the challenges of controversial planning projects and explains why transparency is vital. Gerry describes an engineer as someone who is motivated to do good and as he reflects on his wealth of work, he can be proud of the incredible amount of good work he has done for Irish infrastructure.TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDE01:38 – What inspired him to become an engineer05:36 – Why was the Corrib Gas Fields project controversial07:27 – How to handle situations where there is conflict15:47 -  His work with the EPA and the controversy surrounding the Poolbeg Incinerator. 26:31 – How Covid accelerated the development of new technical solutions to support remote working.28:03 – The development of digital solutions such as 3D design and how it assists in planning projects such as housing,  illustrating how factors such as height might impact a design. 28:30 – What is Digital Twin? 33:11 – The issue of climate change due to emissions and the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels and find alternatives. 36:15 - Looking forward to Ireland's future and the need for better if we are to achieve the desired target for electric vehicles. GUEST DETAILSGerry has over 38 years of experience working as an engineer, environmental consultant, regulator and Director in the private and public sectors. This has included leading strategic reviews, strategy development and implementation of change programmes across a range of companies. He has chaired a number of national committees and has acted as an advisor and programme reviewer to third-level institutions, EU governments and public authorities. Currently, he is Senior Consultant of RPS Group Limited and RPS Consulting Engineers Limited. He chairs the management boards of both organisations. Gerry is a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered Water and Environmental Manager and a Fellow of Engineers Ireland. In 2018 Gerry was selected as European Engineering Consultancy CEO of the year. He is currently President of the Association of Consulting Engineers in Ireland and a member of the Construction Industry Council. He has led the delivery of PPP capital projects for highways, water, healthcare, schools, flood relief and other public infrastructure.CONTACT DETAILShttps://www.linkedin.com/in/gerry-carty-54868817/https://www.rpsgroup.com/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/QUOTES  A metro in Dublin has been proposed for many, many years. A city like Dublin ultimately will have to have a metro if it continues to grow. Over the last 20 years, the planning process has become so complicated and difficult, that the time periods to get a project like the Galway - Athlone motorway through the system are now double to triple the time is what it took 10 to 15 years ago.One of the big, controversial projects at the time was the proposal to build an incinerator in Poolbeg. Dublin's waste was being dumped literally in the counties adjacent to Dublin and that caused a huge amount of pollution.Our approach is always to be as open and transparent as possible. You know, if you are intending to develop something, and it has an impact on people and on an area or region, set out what you intend to do, set it out, clearly communicated clearly engage with the public know, generally, there is wide acceptance of something that is perceived to be of benefit at that very early stage, where issues often arise as you get to the selection stage where you're looking at two or three options.In Ireland's context, very significant onshore wind development in the last 20 years, at one point in November 60% of our electricity, on particular days came from renewables, which is fantastic.Much like broadband needs to be rolled out nationally, motorways need to be rolled out nationally and the national infrastructure for electric vehicles needs to be rolled out. There is a gap in the infrastructure of the country at the moment.

Sustainability has been at the core of operations at Varming for decades.CEO James Kavanagh is a huge believer in engineers' capability to change the world.  He says “Engineers are natural ambassadors for change, especially in terms of design. The engineering community, coming together with all sorts of politicians and goodwill, make real transformation happen.”During our podcast, we hear about their design ethos and how they make the most of nature to create efficient buildings. We also discover the most important yet invisible resource at medical and data facilities, how they made a century-old building carbon neutral and how to keep your engineering creativity strong. TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEThe importance of the skin of a buildingWhen MEP is not MEPThe smartest elements of design todayNet Zero solution at Donegal Garda StationChallenges unique to medical facilitiesBuilding design in 2035Attracting new talent into Engineering  QUOTES Engineers are natural ambassadors for change, especially in terms of design. The engineering community, coming together with all sorts of politicians and goodwill, make real transformation happen. GUEST DETAILSJames Kavanagh joined Varming Consulting Engineers in 1990. In 2000 he joined the management team as an Associate responsible for the management of a portfolio of projects primarily in the Educational and Industrial Sectors. In 2007 James became a Director of Varming Consulting Engineers and is currently Chief Executive.He is a fully qualified Chartered Engineer, Registered Consultant Engineer, Registered European Engineer and a member of the Institute of Directors. CONTACT DETAILS+353 1 487 2300https://www.varming.iehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/varming-consulting-engineers/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/

Digital advances, from 3D models in public planning to patients living with pacemakers, are pushing sectors into new spaces which present unique opportunities but not without challenges.In the final part of our mini-series, we discover how digitalisation has shaped the automation, manufacturing and aviation industries here in Ireland.  Our guests share real-world examples of phrases we hear bandied about daily from circularity to 360 and industry 4.0.Lots of sparks fly in this discussion with John O'Sullivan MD of Douglas Control and Automation, Lufthansa Technik's Engineering Manager Barry Lowe and Chief Innovation Officer at IMR Andrew Lynch. TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDE Why future generations will look back on this time and consider us ‘quaint'Can paper and digital systems co-existLufthansa's LEAN journeyThings you must consider when investing in plantA brilliant explanation and example of circularity & 360When is AI not AIHow Digital Twin worksReal examples of how CPD drives successGUEST DETAILSBarry Lowe: Engineering Manager at Lufthansa Technik Turbine Shannon.  Barry is a native of Athlone, graduate of Mechanical Engineering. Commenced a career as Product Development Engineer with Hyster Automated Handling in Dublin. Gained international experience working in the USA & Germany in a variety of technical roles. He joined Lufthansa Technik as Marketing & Sales Manager and transferred to his current role as Engineering Manager with responsibility for product engineering, process engineering and new product introductions. Promoted to Head of Mobile Engine Services Dublin with Lufthansa Technik, effective January 2023.https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-lowe-58403877/John O'Sullivan: Managing Director at Douglas Control and AutomationJohn has an engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from University College Cork, a science degree in Astronomy and Planetary Science from the Open University and a Diploma in Project Management from the Cork Institute of Technology. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Ireland and a Project Management Professional with the Project Management Institute. He is a Functional Safety Professional and Certified Machine Safety Expert, both certified by TÜV. He has completed a Masters in management at the Smurfit Business School at University College Dublin and is currently conducting doctoral research in Management Information Systems at UCC's Cork University Business School. His area of research is automation projects in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnosullivanie/Andrew Lynch: Chief Innovation officer Irish Manufacturing ResearchAndrew is also the international Vice President of the EUREKA SMART Manufacturing Board of Directors, he chairs the ManuFuture ETP Working Group (State Aid Strategies- Research & Innovation) and is the national delegate to the European manufacturing policy platform, ManuFuture High-Level Group (HLG). Andrew has recently been nominated by the EFFRA Board to the Made in Europe Partnership Board, an expert board which meets regularly with the European Commission to discuss the scope and modalities of the Partnership and future call topics.https://www.linkedin.com/company/irish-manufacturing-research/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/QUOTESAndrew LynchIn a hundred years' time, people are going to look back at these five or six years and say that is when everything changed. They'll say we used to manufacture goods which we drove on trucks to put into shops and people bought stuff using a credit card. And they're going to say you guys were the ones who burnt the planet. It's a wonderful time to be alive in this space.

Discover how digitalisation has been woven into the fabrics of business and society, and how Irish engineers have risen to the challenge.In episode two we explore how technology continues to redefine sectors of the engineering world and how these strides in digitalisation are increasing speed, accuracy and efficiency in business.  We are joined by Michael O'Shaughnessy Digital Lead for Construction at PM Group, Ed Arnott Electrical Engineer at MMA Consulting and Darragh Ryan, a Design Manager at Horizon Offsite LtdTOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEOffsite engineering and its benefits (01.49)How digitalisation has changed how we approach project management (04.47)The benefits of moving away from manual work to software systems (08.21)Trimble and the role it plays in electrical engineering (09.29)The biggest challenges of working in a post covid world (16.08) GUEST DETAILS Michael O Shaughnessy is Digital Lead for Construction at PM Group with responsibility for delivering  PM Groups Strategic Digital Plan for Construction 2025.Darragh Ryan is a Design Manager at Horizon Offsite Ltd. Darragh's work focuses on the design and management of light gauge structural steel frame projects across both Ireland and the UK.Ed Arnott, Ed is an electrical engineer at MMA Consulting. Ed's background is in the industrial gas and petrochemical industries and specialises in hazardous-area electrical design.CONTACT DETAILSEd Arnott Electrical Engineer at MMA Consulting Engineersuk.linkedin.com/in/edward-arnottDarragh Ryanwww.linkedin.com/in/darraghryan1Micheal O Shaughnessylinkedin.com/in/michael-o-shaughnessy-92a5241bMORE INFORMATION Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/ QUOTESThe cloud has probably been the biggest transformation. We've got people spread across the world working in the same environment in the same space and they're getting instant updates. Michael O'Shaughnessy Offsite construction is a relatively new industry and born out of digitalization. It's something that's becoming more and more possible as digitalization progresses.Darragh Ryan The great advantage of the program I use, Trimble, is that it's actually designed around the regulations. So I know not only the capability of the equipment but I also know what is considered safe and legal.Ed Arnott

Discover how digitalisation has been woven into the fabrics of business and society, and how Irish engineers have risen to the challenge.In the first of a three-part series, three engineers at the forefront of their fields explore the acceleration in digital solutions, and how in a world changed by a global pandemic, digitalisation has redefined the way we work forever.To discuss this we are joined by Jeffrey Roe, Telclic Head of Engineering, Suzanne Roe Managing Director, Consultant Medical Devices at Triskele Consulting Limited and Veronica Mariti Sesoko, previous with Dublin City Council and currently Operations Senior Analyst AccentureTOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEHow digitalisation has shaped the industry over the past twenty years How digitalisation has shaped patients' experience within the health service (02.43)How 3D Models have rapidly sped up the planning process (05.49)The process of changing from a paper system to a fully digitalised system (09.38)The digital twin program which has been developed by Dublin City Council (15.44)GUEST DETAILS Jeffrey Roe, Telclic Head of Engineering, has gained a wealth of experience in building public transport systems from bike-share schemes, to parking and port traffic access management systems.Suzanne O'Rourke, is an engineer working in the medical device industry for almost 30 years - across research and development, process development, new products, quality and regulations. Suzanne is the owner and managing director of Triskele Consulting, focussing on supporting start-up companies to navigate the technical and regulatory requirements to bring novel medical devices to market.Veronica Mariti Sesok, who recently started working for Accenture The Dock as an Operations Senior Analyst, has previously worked for Dublin City Council as an Engineer in the Smart City Team running Innovative Projects for the Public Sector.CONTACT DETAILSVeronica Mariti Sesokohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-sesoko/ @SesokoVe Suzanne O'Rourke: https://www.triskele-consult.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-o-rourke-msc-phd-515a00a/  Jeffery Roe:jeffrey@telclic.nethttps://telclic.net/https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Roehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/roejeffrey/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/QUOTESMany different tools and technologies are coming up to improve our city. They help with how we can run more efficiently, how we can better engage with our citizens, how to have better decision-making based on data and being transparent with people.Veronica Sesoko We only had a small team on the ground so we leveraged a lot of digital technologies. That allowed our engineers to remotely monitor the equipment and set up all the processes. Video calling was another tool that allowed us to do a project that's so far away.Jeffrey Roe If they'd had some kind of heart arrhythmia, and the device had to kick in and treat it, that action could get uploaded to their doctor's clinic and the doctor could actually review the event remotely.Suzanne O'Rourke

When you take a pill such as Anadin, you want to be very sure that what's going into your body is manufactured in the correct way. This is the precision required for pharmaceutical projects and an expert in that area joins our Amplified podcast today.In 25 years since first joining the PM Group, Peter Farrelly has had immeasurable multi-national experience working across the full life-cycle of projects; from inception and funding through to design, procurement, construction, commissioning and qualification.  PM Group itself is known for its work with leading pharma, food and medical technology companies, with 3,500 employees working in Ireland, the UK, Asia and the US.Our chat covers everything from the challenges of constructing medical facilities to handling brownfield sites during Covid, right through to the incredible levels of sustainability PM managed at Bio Cork 2 and their award-winning work on an Irish facility which generates power using the sun. TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDESpecial considerations for pharma building projectsDo glass panelled walls work for clean roomsHuge impact of constant medical change on building designAre multifunctional facilities possibleThe biggest impact of digital on engineeringHow digitally enabled lean transformation is revolutionising their businessWhat is the holy grail of electric vehiclesHow Peter would tackle the EV challengeWays new graduates are innovating business QUOTESWhen you take a pill you want to be sure what's going into your body is manufactured in the correct way.Regulations will change but base skills stay the same no matter where you goThe biggest challenge we've had over the last while is speed and COVID was a driver of that.You can only imagine the challenges of building a vaccine facility on a brownfield site with 450 people during COVID restrictions.GUEST DETAILSPeter Farrelly is a chartered engineer who is skilled in A&E Design, Project, Construction & Operations  Management and Business Development.  He is the Regional Development Director for PM Group, which is known for its work with some of the world's leading pharma, food and medical technology companies.  It was founded in Ireland in 1973 and today has 3,500 employees working in Ireland, the UK, Asia and the US.CONTACT DETAILSwww.pmgroup-global.comwww.linkedin.com/in/peter-farrelly-3a75397MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/

Data centres are a fast-growing sector in engineering but can also be incredibly fast projects with timelines as short as a year. How do you work at that speed and still deliver quality and innovation?Winthrop Engineering has grown from being an MEP business in the nineties to delivering turnkey data centres all across Europe today, with a turnover expected to exceed €1bn in 2022.What is it like to lead a company working at this scale and pace?  CEO Anne Dooley has been a director with the firm since 1997. She shares some of the progress they have made and factors that helped them grow. You'll hear about problems in setting up data centres, the timelines demanded by clients, and what to do when problems arise.  Anne also reflects on the importance of teams and how Winthrop lay out a path for progression, career development and hands-on mentoring. TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEHow engineering is a portable careerThe challenges of working across an entire projectDealing with timelines and demanding clientsThe role of 3D modelling and prefabricationHow seasoned experience and youthful drive works for themDescribes the flat structure and Winthrop and the reasoning behind itWays you can stay on top of your gameHow to incorporate sustainability into high-performance building designAnne's view on the biggest challenge facing engineering QUOTESWe deliver everything, the building structure, architecture, the MEP so we can move all the pieces around and be a good deal more nimble.If the client has an issue, our first reaction is to not to sit down and write a letter. Our first reaction is to say, okay this has happened, we have to deliver it together. Let's figure out how to make it better.The ethos of our success, is partnership with our clients in partnership with our team, all delivering togetherI love my job, I love my career, I love the delivery of itData centres are the next utility. We're not going to put our phones in the bin. We're not going to drive without Google Maps, or drop office software. The cloud requires a utility and that's why data centres existPower utilization and efficiency is hugely important and because they're very focused on that, data-centres are designed to be as energy efficient as possible GUEST DETAILSAnne Dooley has been a director with Winthrop Engineering since 1997 and has helped the company grow from its MEP heritage to its current status as a leading provider of data centres in Ireland and across Europe.  Anne leads 750 staff by example and is a huge believer in mentoring and career progression. This is a key demonstrable part of her company ethos.  She has also been credited with the Businesswoman of the Year Award and recently was appointed CEO at Winthrop. CONTACT DETAILShttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-dooley-63248a12/https://winthrop.ie/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/

On this episode, we hear from an engineer at the top of his game. Ciaran McGovern, gives us an inside look at how Tobin's long-established civil and structural engineering practice delivers for clients. You'll hear about some of the firm's most cutting-edge projects – including the world's largest sports air dome – and what's ahead for the engineering sector in terms of Ireland's climate action plan. The conversation also touches on the long-term impacts of Covid19 both on workplace culture and regional demands on transportation patterns, the power grid and internet connectivity. Ciaran also reflects on how Engineers Ireland's professional development programmes have kept him engaged and why being unafraid to speak up and ask questions is so important to career advancement – and enjoyment! TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEThe Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin: A facility whose design and infrastructure supports everything from beginning gymnastics to elite rugby.The NUI Galway Connacht GAA Sports Air Dome: The world's largest such facility, housing a full-size field, track and stands, also convertible within 72 hours to a fully functional conference arena unique on the island of Ireland.How aspirational mentors can inspire through their example, guidance and support.Why retention of talented staff is paramount and how there is a workplace emphasis on providing opportunities for growth and professional enrichment.Tobin's DECOM (Direction, Competence, Opportunity, Motivation) framework provides a structured approach to securing the right mix of technical and interpersonal/ communications to best serve client needs.The ways Covid19 precipitated changes that were long in coming for Ireland's traditional, centralized hub-and-spoke economy. Long-term adoption of remote work, demand for ever-better broadband, commute patterns and infrastructure to support electric cars. About Tobin's direct involvement with Ireland's Climate Action Plan, substantial improvements to power grid infrastructure and civic engagement.Finding ways to keep projects on track, maintain collaboration and provide necessary feedback to people “putting their heads down” remotely.Why Ciaran is especially appreciative of how professional development services have invited him to challenge himself to continue growing and acquiring new skills.GUEST DETAILSCiaran has over 25 years of experience in building and civil engineering project delivery within the Irish consultancy sector and was appointed as Managing Director in 2020. He has previously held the position of Operations Director and that of Commercial Director within TOBIN. Ciaran continues to advise a broad range of Clients on procurement and risk strategies in the management of works contracts for both traditional (employer) and design build (DB) forms. He works closely with internal and Client multidisciplinary teams to deliver projects in the sports capital, transportation, environment, civil engineering, building and infrastructure sectors.CONTACT DETAILShttps://www.linkedin.com/in/cmcgoverntobin/https://www.tobinconsultingengineers.com/ Irelands Climate Action Plan 2021https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/6223e-climate-action-plan-2021/ Video highlights about the story of Tobin's NUI Galway Connachthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDXzIKc0L54 MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/

Odran shares highlights of his career at the premier family-owned Coffey Group. He reflects on his trajectory with the firm, favourite projects and most interesting challenges. The episode also looks ahead at the sustainability landscape, including a growing pressure to broaden the options available in terms of construction processes, materials and deployment. You'll hear about some fascinating new technologies (like those behind Coffey's mobile emergency waste treatment plant design) and why it's so critical that students in Ireland receive plenty of exposure to the many upsides of a career in engineering. Odran also shares thoughts about the benefits of Continuing Professional Development programmes and the critical role EI plays in upholding a consistent gold standard across the engineering industry.TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEThe M7 Motorway Project's specific challenges and the creative solutions Coffey engineers found to make it all work.How Coffey culture emphasizes CPS and why it promotes growth and advancement through ongoing professional training and accreditation. Lough Talt Water Treatment PlantHow and why Coffey engineers designed a mobile emergency water treatment plant housed within a single 40-foot containerThe advantage of plug-and-play installations as a time- and labour-saver and China's lightning-quick ability to design and build fully equipped hospitals using this modular construction.How “pilot” customers are deterred by perceived risk. Can you counter that anxiety with reassuring examples of successful work?About Coffey's most pressing challenges from labour to finite opportunity.Odran's predictions on the civil engineering sector, investment in housing, transport and energy and infrastructure improvements needed to support population growth and social demands.GUEST DETAILSOdran Madden is a Chartered Engineer with over 20 years experience in the construction industry and over 15 years' experience at management level undertaking civil engineering and building construction projects of varying scales, values and complexities. Odran has gained extensive knowledge and experience in water, wastewater, road, rail, energy and specialist engineering projects. His role is to ensure that all projects are completed safely, to a high standard, to our clients' satisfaction and that the project teams are provided with the necessary technical support and resources. Odran holds BEng and LLB degrees, is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.QUOTES“I quite enjoy working with water. It's very technically challenging, when you can take wastewater treatment to a safe and clean standard and give that water out to customers to drink, it's very rewarding.”  “I've certainly come across resistance in Ireland to things like pre-cast concrete over in-situ concrete. Some people do have resistance but it's changing and becoming more and more the norm.” “We don't really like change … (but) we need to allow the new innovative ways to advance.” “If you're meeting strangers, they're less likely to accept something that's going to be a little bit different. So you do need to have strong relationships with people. That's why I think having that repeat business is so important to help you get stuff over the line.”CONTACT DETAILShttps://www.coffeygroup.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/odran-madden-226bb144/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/

With his long and varied history at JB Barry, Liam Prendiville has tremendous perspective to offer.Liam shares thoughts on some of his most captivating projects – ranging from decade-long roadway efforts to public transit extensions and cutting-edge wastewater treatment facilities. He also looks at the growing demand for environmental sustainability, a trend Liam believes will profoundly impact every sector and offer a wealth of opportunities for engineers to chase creative, innovative solutions! Looking back on his years with JB Barry elicits understandable pride and Liam is equally excited for the horizon ahead, which includes all manner of civil, environmental, structural and transportation challenges. We wrap up with a wish list for Dublin infrastructure and a shout-out to Engineers Ireland for sponsoring a paper Liam co-authored about the exciting possibilities open to engineers interested in pursuing the international market, as he did in the 1990s with tremendous results.TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEExperiences navigating projects in Bosnia, Latvia, the Gaza Strip and elsewhere.The Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade Project.How the M8 Cashel to Mitchelstown roadway project offered new ways of managing the project process, engaging in the pre-planning stage with contractors, maximising contract negotiation and optimising communications in a way that has since been replicated.Why centralised, Dublin-centric transportation planning has to be expanded to include more byways that support regional travel and economies.The current and primary focus of JB Barry's design and project managementThe journey from a senior engineer into the executive ranksOpportunities for engineers to provide solutions to a number of large political, economic, environmental and social impacts.Why Liam believes Ireland's fortunes are very bright, with a strong economy at the tip of the spear and exciting new ways of conceiving things like housing.GUEST DETAILSLiam is a Chartered Engineer with over 35 years of experience. He specialises in Transportation and Traffic Engineering. For almost two decades, he has been at the helm of JB Barry and Partners, one of Ireland's leading Consulting Engineers. They offer a wide variety of services in the Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Safety & Health sectors and have completed numerous successful projects in each area.QUOTES “The construction of motorways is a very small element of the carbon impact. The real impact is on yourself and myself driving around in diesel or petrol cars. You can see that the move towards electric cars has taken hold. It's certainly there.” “Using the same footprint and the same size of site, we can treat a 60% or 70% greater volume of wastewater. Now that's using innovation to drive great results!” “The environmental issues and climate action demand is really going to create a very exciting opportunity for engineers. It's all going to have to be engineered!” CONTACT DETAILShttps://www.jbbarry.ie/wp/https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-prendiville-073b3a37/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer.https://www.engineersireland.ie/

The promise of renewables is exploding globally and engineering entrepreneurs like our guest on this episode of Amplify are right at the heart of the action! Recently named an EY International Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, Jamie O'Rourke is sharing his perspective as CEO of Mainline Group, the leading utility solutions provider at the centre of the boom in solar, wind and other burgeoning green technologies. He's touting the benefits of ongoing professional development, networking organizations and global partnerships to innovate and integrate transformational change.Learn about Mainline's latest projects in Ireland as well as exciting ventures based in Sweden, the UK and other countries at the forefront of innovation. Jamie also shares thoughts about the role of project management in large, complicated infrastructure schemes (such as the one Mainline has undertaken at Dublin Airport) as well as the hurdles engineering teams inevitably face in the field. The work can be challenging and the pace of change swift, but Jamie sees renewables as a huge opportunity for engineers to be part of the solution to environmental sustainability. “If we want to go to the extreme,” he says, “engineers will save the world, one wind turbine at a time!”TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEThe path less travelled: How Jamie's early experience working in newly post-apartheid South Africa thrust him into positions of responsibility and a steep learning curve.Why Mainline identified renewables early on as a sector that offered tremendous upside growth and a positive way to contribute.Colourful challenges faced on a massive drainage project in Cork that involved large-scale upgrades to water and sewer infrastructure and engineering solutions to accommodate multiple site challenges.Encounters on projects such as an enormous 73-turbine wind farm – the materials, the logistics, weather impacts, design, technical, installation and other specialized expertise required.Growth in solar panels, green hydrogen production and other cutting-edge technologies in Ireland,  whose viability and accessibility are growing “by leaps and bounds” here.The complex cabling and electrical infrastructure that Mainline has engineered for the North Runway project at Dublin Airport – and other large public efforts.Why project management skills, a CDP credential and the constant professional development fostered at Engineers Ireland are critical components of the successful engineer's tool kit.Jamie shares his networking strategy, which starts with looking for ways to bring value to others and a willingness to be vulnerable, reach out and ask for help. GUEST DETAILSAs Chief Executive Officer, Jamie has overseen the growth of Mainline into a key industry provider in the renewable energy and engineering sectors. Jamie's focus is on delivering quality projects that matter, via the safest means, in support of Mainline customers across various geographies. He is also responsible for Business Development and delivery of Mainline's ambitious growth strategy. Jamie was appointed CEO in 2020, after nine years as Managing Director. Having started with Mainline in 2002 as Commercial Manager, on the Cork Main Drainage Project, Jamie progressed to National Operations Manager. He previously worked with Pearse Construction, and Bord Gáis, as well as spending four years with Insitu-Pipelines in South Africa as Operations Manager. Jamie holds Bachelor's Degrees in Mathematics and Civil Engineering from Trinity College Dublin and is a Member of Engineers Ireland, as well as a Deloitte Best Managed Company CEO, and an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist.Operating in Ireland, the UK and Scandinavia, Mainline provides a wide range of services from the Design & Build of Sub-stations, to construction of Airside Aviation Infrastructure, to Turn-key Wind & Solar Energy Solutions. Mainline has a robust corporate management structure, underpinned by ISO 45001, 14001, 9001 and cyber essentials accreditations as well as the Platinum Member Deloitte Best Managed Company status. CONTACT DETAILShttps://mainline.ie/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-o-rourke-4298301/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/

Greg Hayden is a dynamic innovator who is all about reinvention and the power of keeping things fresh. Over the course of the past 17 years Greg and his team at Ethos Engineering have ridden one wave after another in the constantly evolving tech space. On this episode of the Amplify podcast, he gives us a front-row view into what it looks like to go from boom to bust, pivot quickly and pioneer frontiers such as data centre transformation, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and blockchain. He also shares what he believes should be our global current priorities (particularly around climate change) and the logic behind basing his company culture on outcomes rather than hours logged.Whether it's developing energy-efficient next-gen data centres, creating exciting new points of entry for smart buildings or reconceiving the ways in which we share global resources, Ethos's … well, ethos … is all about vision, innovation and agility. Greg sees technology and its interplay socially and economically as a fascinating “jigsaw” – with diverse points of view, constant learning and openness to surprise as the central drivers. “The world has changed so, so fast. We need to not only keep up with it, but surpass ourselves by bringing something new and fresh,” he says. “And the only way you can do that is through innovation!” TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEHow repetitive tasks represent an area rich with opportunity for digitization through machine learning. What smart buildings have to offer in terms of real-time data customized to our individual live/work environments and needs, including things like air quality, energy efficiency, meal planning and other elements of a living lab. Greg shares the smart culture at Ethos's offices, from scheduling conference space for collaborations to controlling room temperature in real time to reserving a parking space.Why data centres don't deserve vilification Why Ireland's future lies in building out future-facing, ambitious energy infrastructure. Should CPDs reflect bleeding-edge technologies? Greg says, Yes! Without a doubt, engineers need to be at the forefront of development and scalability. Work-life balance, it's practical implementation at Ethos and how scheduling non-negotiable pockets of quality time will change your life.GUEST DETAILSGreg Hayden's role at Ethos is to attract, grow, and enable the best talent in the industry to support clients in the delivery of best-in-class projects. He works with some of the most significant clients in the Data Centre, Smart Buildings, Sustainability, and Commercial Sectors. He enjoys continually learning and developing, from his Honours Degree in Energy Engineering to his International MBA, and recently AI, Blockchain, and current IoT business strategy training at MIT.Ethos Engineering has has designed, delivered and provided master planning services for 45 data centres, including 23 in Ireland. The firm has also completed 9.6 million sq. ft. of office space (including shell & core and fit outs), 4 million sq. ft. of mixed-use developments, 14 Linac Accelerators, 8,562 residential units, 7,200 student beds, 2,000 dwellings, 1,700 hotel beds, 1,100 prison cells, 3,000 healthcare beds and 30 operating theatres - in Ireland and internationally. CONTACT DETAILShttps://www.ethoseng.ie/https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-hayden-mba-chartered-engineer-7339b514/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/

What misperceptions are young people harbouring about the field of engineering? Do they know about the exciting diversity of opportunities available out in the field? Damien Owens believes that Ireland would benefit from broader education and apprenticeships to spread the word! “Engineering is a difficult subject to study but one of the best,” he says. “It opens up a whole variety of careers – and not just in engineering.”A Fellow of Engineers Ireland, Damien also highlights another hidden truth about engineering careers: Very often the most compelling work and greatest achievements never make it into the public consciousness. That's because it's very often the disasters averted, the challenges met behind the scenes, that reveal the engineer's true superpowers. Learn about the role STEM education has to play in supporting the development of future engineers and find out about exciting opportunities across a huge spectrum of disciplines, from biomedical to industrial, computer science to green technology.  TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDEWhy engineers are constantly innovating strategic tools in response to the most pressing social, commercial and environmental challenges of our timesHow heightened visibility, improved communications and easy online access to tools have cracked open the field of engineering globally. How Engineering Ireland supports international standards and best practices, generating a vital, multinational flow of job opportunities and education at home and abroad. Why it's critically important that parents and mentors emphasize the variety of career paths (beyond construction) that STEM studies open up for young people across a number of disciplines, from biomedical to environmental to industrial.  Redefining the concept of apprenticeship: About the benefits of providing blended “learning while earning” opportunities through professional training. Damien assesses the landscape in terms of engineering opportunities, especially in the realm of wind farming and other green technologies.GUEST DETAILSDamien Owens is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Ireland. He has served as Registrar for Engineers Ireland and Chief Risk Officer, helping to create and maintain academic and professional standards for the engineering profession. Key aspects of his role include implementing an active accreditation process for engineering programmes delivered in Ireland to ensure they meet the best international standards. He also represents the interests of engineering professionals at national and international forums and speaks on related topics in national and international media. Damien has served as President of the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE) and Chair of the International Engineering Alliance – both organisations that set standards for engineering education and mobility across the globe. He is also a member of the Accreditation Board of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. Previously, as a member of Engineers Ireland, he was chairman of the ICT Division, a member of the Executive Committee and was elected to the Council of Engineers Ireland. Prior to joining Engineers Ireland, Damien worked in the telecommunications sector, focusing on product development and strategic alliances. He has been active on a number of national and international standards bodies including EU, ITUTS and the National Standards Authority of Ireland ETCI. He also participates in a number of national consultative groups. CONTACT DETAILShttps://www.linkedin.com/in/damienowens/ MORE INFORMATIONLooking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/