The Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland (IESIS) is a multi-disciplinary professional body and
learned society
A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership m ...
, founded in Scotland, for professional engineers in all disciplines and for those associated with or taking an interest in their work. Its main activities are an annual series of evening talks on engineering, open to all, and a range of school events aimed at encouraging young people to consider engineering careers.
IESIS is registered as a Scottish Charity, No SC011583 and is the fourth oldest, still-active, registered Company in Scotland.
Members, Fellows, Graduates or Companions are entitled to use the abbreviated distinctive letters after their name - MIES, FIES, GIES, CIES.
Foundation
The inaugural meeting of the Institution of Engineers in Scotland was held on 1 May 1857. Office bearers were appointed and the principal objective of the new institution was set down as "the encouragement and advancement of Engineering Science and Practice". It was to have a broad basis for membership, and engineers from the mining, foundry, railway, iron, shipbuilding and other industries were to be eligible. The prime movers behind the founding of the Institution were
William John Macquorn Rankine
William John Macquorn Rankine (; 5 July 1820 – 24 December 1872) was a Scottish mechanical engineer who also contributed to civil engineering, physics and mathematics. He was a founding contributor, with Rudolf Clausius and William Thomson ( ...
,
Regius Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanics
The Regius Chair of Civil Engineering and Mechanics at the University of Glasgow was founded in 1840 by Queen Victoria.
In 1872 the endowment was increased by the bequest of Isabella Elder in memory of her husband, John Elder. The name of the ch ...
at the
University of Glasgow
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Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
, and
Walter Montgomerie Neilson, one of the major figures in establishing
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
's locomotive-building industry. Rankine was the first President of the Institution and Neilson succeeded him in 1859. The Engineer
James Howden
James Howden (29 February 1832 – 21 November 1913) was a Scottish engineer and inventor who is noted for his invention of the Boiler (steam generator)#Solid fuel firing, Howden forced draught system for steam boilers.
Life
Howden was born i ...
, who died in 1913, was the last surviving founding member of the Institution.
The Institution was an early promoter of consciousness of industrial effects on the environment. In those early years there was a pervading atmosphere of enquiry into the applications of steam power. In 1858 the Institution was responsible for a public meeting, held in the
Glasgow City Chambers
The City Chambers or Municipal Buildings in Glasgow, Scotland, has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of municipal government in the city since 1889. It is located on the eastern side of the ...
, to establish "An Association for Promoting Safety, Economy and Absence of Smoke in the raising and use of Steam".
The Scottish Shipbuilders Association had been formed in 1860 and amalgamated with the Institution of Engineers in Scotland on 25 October 1865. The name Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland was adopted in 1870. The first female President of the Institution, Karen Dinardo, took office on 4 October 2016, at the start of a two-year term. Her father, Carlo Dinardo, had been president in 1999–2001.
The Institution has had a number of headquarters. The building at 39 Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow was commissioned and built in 1906–08 and was designed by J.B. Wilson. In the foyer of this building, there is a
memorial to the 36 engineers who died on
RMS Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
. The marble and bronze memorial was subscribed by members, designed by the sculptor
William Kellock Brown, and unveiled on 15 April 1914. The Institution, with the permission of
Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Founded in 1962 and based in Glasgow, it is the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland.
History
Scottish ...
, current occupiers of the building, organised a memorial service in the building on 14 April 2012.
Current name
In 2020, the Institution reverted its name to the Institution of Engineers in Scotland, reflecting the breadth of engineering disciplines among its membership and practised throughout Scotland.
Lectures
In addition to an annual programme of evening talks on various engineering topics, the Institution endows two prestige lectures:
* The annual MacMillan Memorial Lecture established in 1959 in memory of Hugh Miller MacMillan, a prominent shipbuilding Engineer in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
* The biennial Marlow (Scotland) Lecture established in 1964.
Both have attracted high-profile speakers.
Digitisation programme
IESIS has a significant collection of engineering papers and other materials in its archives. Since 2013, there has been a programme to digitise all Transactions of the Institution from its earliest days so that these may be made available as a reference resource.
Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame
In 2011, IESIS launched a new initiative, The
Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame
The Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame honours "those engineers from, or closely associated with, Scotland who have achieved, or deserve to achieve, greatness", as selected by an independent panel representing Scottish engineering institutions, aca ...
, to celebrate Scotland's tradition of engineering and shipbuilding. It provides role models for young people considering careers in engineering.
The first seven inductees were announced by President Gordon Masterton at the Institution's annual
James Watt Dinner in September 2011. As of 2019, there have been 39 names added to the Hall of Fame, nine of whom were living inductees: Douglas Anderson (retinal imaging),
Hugh Gill (bionic hand),
Thomas Graham Brown
Thomas Graham Brown FRS (usually known as T. Graham Brown; 27 March 1882 – 28 October 1965) was a Scottish mountaineer and physiologist, most famous for finding three new routes up the east face of Mont Blanc.
Life and academic work
Graham B ...
(ultrasound scanner), Sir Donald Miller (electric power supply system),
James Goodfellow (automated teller machine), Sir Duncan Michael (structural engineer and business leader), Craig Clark (satellite engineer), Naeem Hussain (bridge engineer) and Gordon McConnell (aircraft engineer). To date there have been four female inductees,
Dorothée Pullinger,
Anne Gillespie Shaw,
Victoria Drummond
Victoria Alexandrina Drummond MBE (14 October 1894 – 25 December 1978), was the first woman marine engineer in the UK and the first woman member of Institute of Marine Engineers. In World War II she served at sea as an engineering officer in t ...
and
Mary Fergusson
Mary (Molly) Isolen Fergusson (28 April 1914, in Stoke – 30 November 1997, in London) was a British civil engineer, the first female fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, elected in 1957.Haines, Catharine M. C., ''International w ...
.
The Hall of Fame panel encourages nominations from the public as well as members.
Presidents
The following is a list of the presidents of the Institution since its inception:.
Notes
References
External links
Official website
{{authority control
Engineering societies based in the United Kingdom
Professional associations based in Scotland
Science and technology in Scotland
Shipbuilding in Scotland
1857 establishments in Scotland
Organizations established in 1857
Organisations based in Glasgow
Marine engineering organizations