Profile. Dr. Bill Curtin, FEng

At this time I am very conscious not only of the great honour bestowed on me by the Institution but also of the nature of the tasks that lie ahead during my period of office as your President. I take over at a time when the construction industry is anything but buoyant and thus the problems multiply and the challenges grow apparently sterner. However, this makes it especially opportune now to look ahead and plan for the future; I am still able to look forward with pleasure to the year ahead and to the support and friendship which can be relied on from the membership of this Institution. Professor A.R. Cusens

The Chairman I note from the paper that the ‘dual design’ programme was a temporary measure involving about 10 bridges. Were there additional factors leading to this dual design initiative, and do you have further reasons why the programme should be continued on a more permanent basis?

This article by Malcolm Turpin considers the key categories of computers and software in structural engineering and their implications for the structural engineer.