Over 50 IICA Members, Macquarie University students and faculty members attended the launch of the inaugural 2010 IICA (NSW) Don Wilcox Memorial Award for Macquarie University, which rewards engineering students for their projects.
Introduced by Macquarie University director of learning and teaching, Daniel McGill, IICA NSW Division chairman Richard Gobee presented the university with a cheque for $1,000 — a sum that will be donated to the university on an annual basis.
This year the money will go towards equipment and educational needs required by the Faculty of Science.
From 2010, the official IICA (NSW) Don Wilcox Memorial Award will be given to one or more students that the university and the IICA agree fit the specific criteria of the award, which is being finalised by IICA now.
Don Wilcox served as the IICA federal secretary for 20 years. He passed away in 2002 and the new award is an honour bestowed by the IICA in his memory.
Macquarie University head of engineering, Tony Parker, accepted the cheque at the event and announced that he was pleased that associations such as the IICA are getting involved with universities.
After the official presentation, the IICA members and students mingled among the labs and the members fielded various questions from eager students keen to find out about the many different employment opportunities there is available within the instrumentation, control and automation industry, the IICA said.
The IICA (NSW) is forging relationships with many educational institutions and already has established awards and sponsorships with UTS and Petersham TAFE.
To find out more about the IICA Don Wilcox Memorial Award, or to find out about IICA NSW events in your region, visit the IICA website here.