New Zealand Young Engineer of the Year

New Zealand Young Engineer of the Year

MEDIA RELEASE – For immediate use, 7 October 2014

A trio of civil engineers will test their communication skills tomorrow night as the last criterion for the Young Engineer of the Year award.

The award is one of the prestigious titles to be won at the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards, to be held in Auckland on November 28.

Finalists Vijay Patel, Brendon Bradley and Weng Yuen Kam will give short presentations on engineering projects of their choice in front of a judging panel and an audience of their peers, who will be given an opportunity to vote for their favourite presentation.

Vijay Patel – Beca

Vijay Patel is an associate structural engineer with Beca. From 2010 to 2014, he was the job manager and lead structural engineer on the $290 million development of The University of Auckland’s Science Centre Building, with responsibility for design, delivery and construction monitoring.

Drawing on his strong leadership skills and construction experience, he led the delivery of a high standard of design and client engagement.

Patel plays an active role in the engineering community through membership of various societies and committees and by mentoring younger engineers.

Brendon Bradley – University of Canterbury

Brendon Bradley is an international research leader in several emerging fields of earthquake engineering. He has played an integral role in earthquake analysis as a researcher and consultant and collaborates with international research partners.

Bradley led critical research into ground motion relating to the Canterbury earthquakes. This highly influential work has received several significant research grants and awards, and its findings were incorporated into the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission findings and adopted in MBIE’s interim seismic guidelines on Christchurch’s rebuild.

The findings have also been used in the design and assessment of major structures and infrastructure in Christchurch in partnership with leading consulting engineers.

Weng Yeun Kam – Beca

Weng Yeun Kam is a senior structural engineer at Beca. His role involves delivering various seismic risk mitigation projects in a dynamic technical and commercial environment.

Kam has been instrumental in driving technical innovations for seismic assessment and retrofit. He is also active in New Zealand’s engineering community as a member of various learned and professional societies. He presents at technical conferences, mentors younger engineers, collaborates with researchers and gives pro-bono guest lectures.

He’s the youngest member and a sub-task leader on the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering’s seismic assessment guidelines review committee.

Following the February 2011 Canterbury earthquake, Kam was involved in the emergency response and post-earthquake reconnaissance.

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