Members of the public are being invited to vote for the region’s most iconic civil engineer in a poll to mark the 125th anniversary of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East.
The search for the industry icon has been launched ahead of the landmark anniversary in 2016, with nominations being sought online.
People are invited to nominate those civil engineers they believe have made the greatest impact on the North East or who, having been born in the region, have had the most significant effect outside of the area.
Penny Marshall, Director of ICE North East, said: “Civil engineers play a major role in shaping society and their work can be seen all around the North East. Likewise, those born in the region have gone further afield and made a huge difference to the landscapes and lives of people all over the world.
“Famous figures, such as rail pioneer Robert Stephenson and Ove Arup, who designed structures including the Kingsgate Bridge in Durham, have plied their trade here, and the North East is a global hot bed of civil engineering.”
Founded in 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is a global charity, with more than 80,000 members in over 150 countries.
Penny said: “As we move towards the 125th anniversary of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ regional organisation here in the North East, it is a great opportunity to celebrate the engineers who have shaped our world.
“To mark the anniversary year, a special leaflet will be produced featuring the top ten nominated civil engineers, so this is a great opportunity for people to have their icon recognised in print.”
Nominations, ideally including a reason for the choice, can be made at www.surveymonkey.com/s/ICE125