Wednesday 8th February 2012 10.50am
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Post your Events Engineering fellowship launched in memory of late Middlesbrough MP
A new fellowship in memory of the late Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar was unveiled last night in Hartlepool by IChemE (the Institution of Chemical Engineers) and NEPIC (the North East of England Process Industry Cluster).
The Ashok Kumar fellowship will see a selected candidate spend three months working at the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST) where they will work on a chemical engineering project or research paper. Kumar, a Labour MP who died suddenly in March was the only serving chemical engineer in Government.
Kumar had been an MP since 1997, his second spell in parliament following a brief stint in 1991. Prior to his career in politics, Kumar spent 14 years working as a research scientist for British Steel at the Teesside Technology Centre in Grangetown. From that background he developed a strong conviction of the importance of industrial R&D to the UK's economy.
The fellowship has also won the backing of Kumar's former colleague and ex UK Environment minister Hilary Benn who said: "I think this fellowship is a great idea to commemorate a great man. Ashok was proud to be a chemical engineer who became an MP. He flew the flag for science in Parliament and his contribution was enormous."
IChemE's director of policy, Andrew Furlong, says: "IChemE is delighted to support the fellowship that has been created in Ashok's memory. It will help to improve political understanding of the value of engineering and vice versa. This is a fitting tribute and I know that Ashok would have approved."
The annual fellowship is open to researchers with postgraduate qualifications and postgraduate students in disciplines related to the chemical and process industries. The post will be jointly funded by IChemE and NEPIC.
Stan Higgins, NEPIC ceo, says: "Ashok was one of too few parliamentarians to properly understand science and technology. He worked very closely with NEPIC as he understood that industrial and technology clusters are key to economic development. We are proud to co-sponsor this scholarship with the hope that it will encourage more scientists and engineers to consider a parliamentary career to help steer the technological society of the future."
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