It was some 30 years ago that I received a request from Mike Anson to consider appointment as External Examiner for the MSc course in Structures. I accepted and so began a long, rewarding (for me and I trust, for PolyU) and enjoyable association that has provided me with a unique perspective on the development of CEE through direct personal involvement in several capacities: p/g, u/g and PhD examiner, research collaborator, promotions advisor, visiting professor and friend. During that time CEE has been transformed from a largely teaching focused operation in a polytechnic into a fully functioning and highly successful university department - one that sits comfortably in my “top 10 in the world”. How has that been achieved? Initially, because of the vision and ambition of its early leaders, development through the appointment of able and energetic staff and, latterly, through recognition and exploitation of those opportunities that only come to those with the intellectual capability and collective ambition to be the best. It is no accident that PolyU’s current President arrived as a lecturer in CEE and progressed to become a Chair Professor. The Department stands as an exemplar of what can be achieved.
Prof. David Arthur Nethercot OBE, FREng, FTSE, NAE
Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering
Imperial College London, UK
