University Professor wins international Technology Pioneer Award

The pioneering work of Professor Michael Baker of the University of Aberdeen's Safety Engineering Unit has been recognised by the international Offshore Energy Centre at a recent award ceremony in Houston, Texas.

Professor Baker holds the University of Aberdeen Chair of Safety Engineering and was last week presented with a 2002 Technology Pioneer Award for his work in the reliability-based design and assessment of offshore and marine structures. This is the fifth year in which the Offshore Centre has recognised the pioneering work of individuals who have made a major contribution to the offshore oil and gas industry. The event was commemorated at a ceremony in Houston, Texas on Saturday September 21, 2002 and by the unveiling of a plaque aboard the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum at Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico

Professor Baker said: "I am highly honoured to have been included amongst the Technology Pioneers for 2002. The reliability-based approach to the design and assessment is now playing a significant role in setting safety standards for design codes and is a logical way of balancing economic design with the need for safety and reliability in service."