City’s School of Science and Technology confers awards on three outstanding alumni

City, University of London’s School of Science and Technology conferred awards on three of its most outstanding alumni on 7^th November 2022.

The inaugural City STEM Alumni Awards recognised the achievements of Sir Julian Young (recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award), Linus Benjamin Bauer and Andreea Cristoloveanu (who both shared the Excellence in STEM Achievement Award).

Significant progress

The Distinguished STEM Alumni Award has been designated for alumni who have achieved significant success within a respective STEM discipline while the Excellence in STEM Achievement Alumni Award is for alumni who have made significant progress in their careers within ten years of graduating from the School.

After a tour of the engineering labs and lunch with awardees, their spouses and family members, and City staff, at the Langham Hotel, the award ceremony and High Tea Party took place in the Northampton Square Pavilion.

In his remarks to awardees and those gathered at the ceremony, Executive Dean of the School of Science and Technology, Professor Rajkumar Roy said:

“Through our students we make a difference to society. Our City STEM Alumni Awards ceremony is evidence of how City’s former students are making a contribution at the national and international level. We should all be very proud at this special occasion. We look forward to receiving many more reports of our successes.”

_{Sir Julian Young (left) receiving his certificate from Professor Rajkumar Roy.}

After spending 40-years in the Royal Air Force (RAF), Sir Julian Young retired as an Air Marshal. In his final appointment, he was responsible for acquiring and supporting all of the Ministry of Defence’s aircraft and was the RAF’s Chief Engineer. Sir Julian is also the immediate past President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

He graduated in 1985 with an Upper Second-Class Honours degree.

Before the gathering at the Pavilion which included his wife, Lady Helen Young (who he first met while they were both students at City), Sir Julian recounted his fondly-remembered days at City, where he spent most of his time attending lectures and studying in the Tait Building.

Sir Julian started his BSc in Air Transport Engineering in 1980 on an RAF University Cadetship, where he took academic courses in engineering and industrial relations, and gained practical experience working on the F4 Phantom aircraft among other assignments on a ‘thin-sandwich’ degree programme.

_{Andreea Cristoloveanu (left) receiving her certificate from Professor Rajkumar Roy.}

Andreea Cristoloveanu is a Heathrow Airport Delivery Manager at British Airways and occupies a challenging role involving operational delivery at one of the world’s busiest airports. In 2016, she bagged an MEng in Aeronautical Engineering with First Class Honours.

After receiving her award from Professor Roy, she gave thanks to the academics who taught her at City because “they were responsible for shaping the person I am today, in charge of one of the biggest operations and in one of the largest airports in Europe.”

Reminding the audience that she was one of only two women to have graduated in 2016 in Aeronautical Engineering, she stated that “more needs to be done to encourage women to study STEM subjects”. She also said that “STEM is at the heart of everything we do, opening doors to many careers”.

_{Linus Benjamin Bauer (left) receiving his certificate from Professor Rajkumar Roy.}

Linus Benjamin Bauer is a leading aviation industry commentator and consultant in the Gulf and Middle East region. He has exemplified perseverance and resilience in his personal, academic and professional life by living with a hearing disability (profound deafness). He is the Managing Director of Bauer Aviation Advisory, the company he founded in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, despite solid headwinds and challenges.

In 2019, he graduated with a Distinction on the MSc Air Transport Management programme (on the Dubai campus).

In his remarks after accepting his award, Linus said:

STEM education goes beyond school or university subjects. During my time at the City, the part-time MSc program gave me a lifetime skillset that governs the way I think and behave, enhancing my problem-solving skills and applying knowledge to new projects in consulting. I also acquired a mindset that enables me to become a part of a highly qualified workforce, which functions in a collaborative manner. In my experience, teamwork brings a significant increase in productivity, work satisfaction, and profitability.

Commenting on the success of the day, Associate Dean (International) in the School of Science and Technology, and the organisational lead of the Inaugural City STEM Alumni Awards, Dr Peter Popov, said:

“I am very pleased that we have had an opportunity to successfully celebrate the achievements of such academically and professionally accomplished alumni, especially given the quite impressive field of nominees they were drawn from. I wish to thank everyone who was responsible for the smooth running of the event. This, of course, bodes well for next year’s ceremony.”

Please visit this weblink to view photos taken on the day of the Inaugural City STEM Alumni Awards.

For a brief video of the Awards Day, please visit this weblink.