Overview

David Orr, a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast assumed office as President of the Institution of Civil Engineers in November 2007. In his Presidential Address he spoke of the profession's "unsung heroes … who work in teams and partnerships, often unrecognized, to create and maintain the essential fabric of our society”. He chose the little known William Bald, who, between 1832 and 1842, engineered the 38 km Antrim Coast Road that provided an invaluable trading link for the people of the Antrim Glens, to illustrate this theme.  

This scholarship was set up by David’s civil engineering colleagues from industry and government as a tribute to the work of the ‘unsung heroes’ who have done so much in building and maintaining the infrastructure essential to Northern Ireland.