Professor Andrew Downing HonFIEAust CPEng has been awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in 2011 based on his leading role within the profession and the community, particularly in the area of providing assistive devices for persons with disabilities.

 

The Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal is the organisation’s most prestigious award. It perpetuates the memory of Sir Peter Nicol Russell, a Sydney industrialist during the latter half of the 19th century, who made major donations to the cause of engineering in Australia.

 

The award is presented annually to a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia who has made a notable contribution to the science and/or practice of engineering in Australia. Recipients represent to both the engineering profession and to the community the high technical, professional and community service standards of the profession of engineering.

 

Professor Andrew Downing has long been involved in voluntary work, drawing on his engineering skills to serve the community.

 

Professor Downing was appointed Foundation Professor of Engineering (Biomedical) at Flinders University in 1992, where he established teaching and research programs in biomedical engineering - a relatively new area of engineering specialisation – with very considerable success, particularly in the development of assistive devices for persons with disabilities. His continuing research involves communication and control systems, and other assistive devices for persons with disabilities; technology for ageing population; rehabilitation engineering; human/computer interfacing and environmental monitoring.

 

He was a driving force in the establishment of the College of Biomedical Engineers within Engineers Australia and was elected College Chair for 1995-97.   He was elected President of South Australia Division for 2000 and 2001.  After several years of service as a Councillor, Professor Downing was elected National President of Engineers Australia for 2005.

 

He launched Engineers Australia’s Engineering Enterprise Partnerships which contributed to outstanding growth of 50% in industry sponsored professional development programs for 3200 graduate and experienced members.

 

In 1994, Professor Downing was a co-founder of Seniors-On-Line, a not-for-profit organisation that specializes in introducing people over 50 to computing through a highly supportive learning environment.  The initiative won the organisational category of the South Australia Equal Opportunity Award in 1995. Many of the teachers are retired engineers.

 

Professor Downing s also involved in voluntary community work as a board member of Novita Children’s Services, an organisation providing therapy and support services to over 1,000 children with disabilities and their families. His focus in recent years has been on encouraging young engineers to take a leading role in the profession and the community through the establishment of generational exchanges and educational linkages groups.

 

In 2009 Professor Downing was the recipient for the David Dewhurst Biomedical College Award.  He is presently Chair of the Engineering Education Australia Board.