On 11th December, the Civil Engineering and National Research Facility for Infrastructure Sensing (NRFIS) Support Team was awarded the University of Cambridge Professional Services Recognition Award. The annual scheme is open to all administrative staff across the University whose work supports research, teaching and scholarship. It celebrates the very best administrative and technical work across the University.
The Civil Engineering team won in the Hot Topic Project category for the Move to the new Civil Engineering Building which houses the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure & Cities (UKCRIC) National Research Facility for Infrastructure Sensing (NRFIS). The category highlights matters which have been planned for and which have been executed with notable success.
‘Moving to the new Civil Engineering Building has been a challenging project’, says Pieter Desnerck, NRFIS Senior Technical Manager and member of the Structures Research Group. ‘Our Technicians and Administrators have been crucial in limiting the impact on students, researchers and academics. Their efforts have allowed us to keep the labs open on the Trumpington Street Site till the very end and reopen the newly equipped labs - such as the Structures, Geotechnical, Smart Infrastructure and Sensor Labs - at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year, turning the move into a big success’.
Professor Simon Guest, Head of Civil Engineering, adds ‘I am delighted that the Civil Engineering and NRFIS administrative and technical staff have won this award. The team worked tirelessly over the summer months ensuring that the building and new research facility were up and running for the start of the Michaelmas term. I am grateful for the individual effort of each and every member of the team. Moving 120 people and over 12 labs is no mean feat’.