William E. Lardner (Bill) visited Civil Engineering in July to meet this year’s recipient of the William E. Lardner Award, Diana Sanchez-Celiz, who is currently studying MSc Geotechnical Engineering and Management. Diana achieved her Civil Engineering undergraduate degree from Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. She held various roles in the Laboratory of Construction Materials at the same university before deciding to further her education at the University of Birmingham.
Bill graduated in Civil Engineering in 1952 from the University of Birmingham. He then emigrated to Canada where he built a successful career in the construction industry. His company, Deep Foundations Contractors Inc., is recognised as one of the most innovative geotechnical construction engineering companies and has been involved in many of the projects that dominate the lives of Canadians and North Americans, including the CN Tower and Rogers Centre in Toronto, and a new underground rail tunnel joining Sarnia, Ontario, Canada with Port Huron, Michigan, United States.
Bill is an active philanthropist in Canada and visited us in the UK in 2010 in order to set up the William E. Lardner Award here at the University of Birmingham. The award is worth £9,000 and is awarded to a masters student in Civil Engineering every other year.
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