Four recent Bachelor of Engineering and Architecture graduates had the opportunity to present their final year dissertation to a large audience of professional architects and civil engineers, University of Malta students, as well as the general public. The annual event recognises the significant effort of students in their dissertation research work.

The Faculty for the Built Environment’s Dissertation Awards event was organised by the Malta Group of Professional Engineering Institutions (MGPEI) representing the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK) in Malta, in collaboration with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Student Chapter at the University of Malta.

The event started with a brief overview of the functions of the MGPEI and the Institution of Civil Engineers by the Ice Malta Representative Dr Ruben Paul Borg, followed by a presentation by the Ice Student Chapter Committee, highlighting the main aims of the newly founded student organisation at the University of Malta.

After a review of various dissertations by an independent jury, the presentations selected for this year’s event were the following: Reducing the Impact of Agriculture on Water Resources − Rowena Gauci; Restoration of Historic Concrete − James Dingli; Comparative Structural Assessment of the Flexural Resistance of Glue Laminated Timber Beams and Natural Solid Timber Beams − Ann Marie Ellul; Shear Characteristics across Simulated Discontinuities in the Local Globigerina Limestone − Andrew Farrugia.

The winning dissertation was by Mr Farrugia with Ms Gauci as runner-up. The dissertation presentations were very well received by the audience present. Several questions were put forward to the finalists which opened up an interesting discussion on the themes presented in the field of civil engineering.