Dr Kerry Kirwan has been awarded the Thornton Medal which is presented by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining to a speaker invited to present at either an Institute conference or another specially convened meeting.

Dr Kirwan won the award, which incorporates the Clerk Maxwell Award, for his talk ‘Lean, Mean and Green: The World's First Environmentally Friendly Racing Car'. The first lecture was delivered to the public in December 2009, and was subsequently repeated in March 2010 for the launch of the Institute's Design Pool. The lecture explores the first Formula 3 racing car made from sustainable and renewable materials. The lively lecture explores how the disciplines of engineering science and the Arts have combined to produce an environmentally friendly vehicle.

On receiving the news Dr Kirwan said “To say I was delighted would be an understatement. It is wonderful that the WorldF3rst project and the wider Sustainable Materials Group’s work has again been recognised by our peers and, perhaps more importantly, has been well received by a wide range of people, both young and old, through this lecture which was huge fun to deliver”

He will receive his award at a ceremony on July 12 in London.

More information:

The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining Award winners 2011

WorldFirst racing