Engineering Lecturer in IStructE judging panel
Dr Mithila Achintha was part of the judging panel of the 15th IStructE (The Institution of Structural Engineers) Young Researchers Conference (YRC). The YRC is held annually as an incentive for young structural engineers and researchers to develop awareness of the importance and potential of research in advancing structural engineering. There were 71 applicants in this year’s conference, held at the institution’s headquarters on 14th March 2013. 9 best young researchers gave 15 minute oral presentations alongside 16 other young researchers presented their posters informally over an extended lunch. Prizes worth £2000 were awarded to the best oral and poster presentations of the day. Dr Achintha was part of the "oral presentations" judging panel, chaired by Prof. Dennis Lam (University of Bradford).
"The judges agreed that the standard of the oral presentations are very high making the conference highly informative and, in some cases standard of the presentations are similar to that expected of papers presenting in international conferences. Selecting the winner proved to be a difficult decision as a number of entrants produced an outstanding submission. Judging was further complicated by the diversity of subjects covered, but a clear winner emerged based on the quality of the research work", says Mithila. "The standard of the conference has been increasing each year and Southampton students are encouraged to participate in the future events".
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About Dr Mithila Achintha
Dr Mithila Achintha has been a university lecturer in Structural Engineering at the University of Southampton since 2012. He is also an academic staff member of the Engineering Materials Research Group and the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute within the university. He was one of the recipients of IStructE Research Award in 2012.
About the IStructE Young Researchers Conference
The IStructE Young Researchers Conference is an annual event which provides a platform for research students to present their work and exchange ideas with peers, industry leaders, academics and selected members of the Institution. Young researchers are invited to apply to the Institution to present at the YRC by submitting a two page project synopsis. The YRC organising committee then selects and invites the best applicants to present their research to a judging panel.
According to IStructE, researchers at the conference represent the next generation of engineers and researchers who are enthusiastic about structural engineering and ready to make their mark. The YRC is open to those with less than three years full time research experience in structural engineering and normally under thirty years of age. Delegates may be students registered for research degrees, employees of research organisations or those working in practice.
Find out more about the conference on the
YRC website
or visit the
Institution of Structural Engineers website
.