Geoscientist Online

Geoscientist 20.02 February 2010

Dawne Riddle writes: The Engineering Group’s Glossop Lecture, named for the Engineering Group’s founding Chair, Professor Rudolph Glossop (1902-1993) was first instituted in 1999, the 30th anniversary of the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology. The Lecture (and the Award that accompanies it) each year honours the most distinguish practitioners in the discipline of engineering geology. It is now recognised as the most prestigious event in the whole engineering geology calendar.

As well as honouring the great, the Glossop Evening also incorporates the Glossop Award, which is a project-based competition for young engineering geologists under 30, who is a Fellow of the Geological Society and under training for, or is already, a Chartered Geologist. The winner of the Award delivers a presentation on their winning project before the main event.

The winner of the Award for 2009 was Stacy English (WA Fairhurst & Partners) for Rockfall Protection of Jamestown Wharf, St Helena. W A Fairhurst & Partners were appointed by St Helena Government to undertake a rockfall protection scheme on a 200m high, 400m long basaltic cliff on the island of St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean. Stacy played a key role in each stage of the scheme from the early review of previous studies, through the field data collection and design process, preparation of tender documentation and supervision of the construction phase of the works.

Professor Paul Nathanail (Nottingham University) delivered the 2009 Glossop Lecture, on Engineering geology of sustainable risk-based land quality management. Prof. Nathanail was then presented with the Glossop Medal. As has become customary, a bouquet of flowers was presented to travel writer and biographer Lady Susan Chitty (daughter of the late Professor Glossop) by Ivan Hodgson, Chair of EGGS. The vote of thanks was delivered by David Earle.

The event came as the culmination of a whole day of activity, including by the Engineering Group Forum, and took place at the Royal Geographical Society in South Kensington, London, on 25 November. The event was followed by dinner. The 3rd Engineering Group Forum took the title: Planning in Engineering Geology, and included presentations by Martin Culshaw, Mike Winter, Helen Reeves Jim Griffiths, Mark Lee, Andrew Cook, Brian Marker, Clive Edmonds, Robin McInnes and Alan Thompson.