Carl Hingley receives the British Empire Medal for services to Mechanical Engineering

The College of Engineering and Physical Sciences is delighted by the recognition of long serving member of staff Mr Carl Hingley, in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Carl is the Senior Automotive Technician at the School of Mechanical Engineering. He has been with the University of Birmingham for almost four decades and has played a pivotal role in supporting the education - and enhancing the experience - of more than 2,500 Mechanical Engineering students, from supervising work experience and delivering engineering taster courses to sixth-formers right through to assisting second-year students with their group projects.

He also constructs test rigs and prototypes for final-year students, trains postgraduate students in the use of specialist equipment and helps students of all stages with their Formula Student project, with which he has been associated since its inception 17 years ago.

Carl said:

It is an amazing surprise to receive this award. I think I only believed it when I saw it in print. This is my 39th year at the University and at the moment the students are building the 18th racing car in my laboratory. I always have immense pride in their achievements and in the jobs that they obtain after working with me on the Formula Student project.

The Formula Student project was founded in 1997 by a University of Birmingham Mechanical Engineering undergraduate, Blake Siegler, with help from Carl, to design and build a Formula-style race car to compete in the 1998 Formula SAE competition, held by the American Society of Automotive Engineers in Michigan, USA. Carl continues to travel with the team to the USA and Australia for international competitions.

Head of Mechanical Engineering Duc Pham said:

I am absolutely delighted that Carl’s contribution to the University and to the School of Mechanical Engineering has received this well-deserved recognition.  On behalf of everyone whom Carl has helped, I offer Carl our warmest congratulations and wish him and his family a wonderful day at Buckingham Palace later this year!

Carl is one of four University of Birmingham staff recognised in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Also honoured are:

• Professor Simon Halsey, Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Birmingham, awarded a CBE for services to music.
• Professor David Parker, Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology and Director of the Institute for the Textual Scholarship and Electronic Editing, who received an OBE for services to higher education.
• Dr Clare Taylor, General Practitioner and NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow, awarded an MBE for services to general practice.