Awards

This Award had its origins in discussions in the Council of one of the founding partners of this Institution, CAPA, during 1972 and 1973. It was agreed by that Council, in winding up CAPA affairs, that this responsibility could be discharged in no better way than to establish an Award, to be presented by the new body at the annual Corrosion Science Symposium. This event, which predates both the founding bodies of the Institute, is in many ways unique in the corrosion calendar of the UK. In particular, the event is one which seeks to encourage the participation of the younger members of the corrosion community who would appreciate the visit of, and address by, a corrosion scientist of international repute.

The form of the Award symbolises the fight in which we are all engaged. Following the merger, the committee of the Corrosion Science Division made its proposals to the National Council of the Institution of Corrosion Science and Technology and these were agreed to be a suitable use for the trust fund. U.R. Evans was approached and gave the committee the honour of allowing the Award to carry his name. In giving his consent, U.R. Evans highlighted two key points. First, that he regarded the naming of the Award to be a pleasing recognition of the many younger women/men who had worked with him at Cambridge and second, that he felt great sympathy with a policy that over the years would encourage foreign scientists to come to this country and make contacts beneficial to corrosion science in particular – to science in general – and do something to promote peace in the world.

U.R. Evans was born in Wimbledon and educated at Marlborough College, 1902-1907, and King’s College, Cambridge, 1907-1911, where he read for the Natural Sciences Tripos, specialising in chemistry for Part II. He then began research on electrochemistry at Wiesbaden and London, which was cut short by the First World War. He served in the army from August 1914 until 1919.

At the end of the war he returned to Cambridge where he spent the rest of his life, researching and writing prolifically on corrosion and oxidation of metals. Ulick Evans is described in the Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society as the “Father of the modern science of corrosion and protection of metals”. His major contribution to the subject involved placing on a firm foundation the electrochemical nature of corrosion.

His first paper in this area was published in 1923, which was followed in 1924 by his book “Corrosion of Metals”, the first textbook devoted to the subject. He continued to publish research papers for the next 50 years, as well as updating his classic text.

Dr Peter Andresen (General Electric) received the 2014 U R Evans Award at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester

2024 Prof D Shoesmith

2023 Prof N Birbilis

2022 Prof A Davenport

2021 Prof M Ryan

2020 Prof R Cottis

2019 Prof T Shoji

2018 Prof A Neville

2017 Dr H Isaacs

2016 Prof R Gangloff

2015 Prof D Williams

2014 Dr P Andresen

2013 Prof J Scully

2012 Prof M Schütze

2011 Prof G Frankel

2010 Prof P Marcus

2009 Prof C Leygraf

2008 Prof D Young

2007 Prof D Scantlebury

2006 Prof G T Burstein

2005 Prof M Stratmann

2004 Dr A Turnbull

2003 Prof R Newman

2002 Prof D D Macdonald

2001 Prof F H Stott

2000 Prof G E Thompson

1999 Prof J R Galvele

1998 Prof C Page

1997 Prof H Grabke

1996 Prof S Mrowec

1995 Prof P Hancock

1994 Dr M J Graham

1993 Prof J Stringer

1992 Prof R A Rapp

1991 Prof J Kruger

1990 Prof H Spähn

1989 Dr J C Scully

1988 Prof R Parkins

1987 Prof P Kofstad

1986 Dr J E O Mayne

1985 Prof N Sato

1984 Mr F L Laque

1983 Prof G C Wood

1982 Prof H J Engels

1981 Mr J B Cotton

1980 Prof H H Uhlig

1979 Dr M Pourbaix

1978 Dr L L Shreir

1977 Prof P Lacombe

1976 Dr T P Hoar

• International reputation and service to the corrosion science community
• Contribution to dissemination – publications, professional bodies, patents and IPR, conferences and events
• Contribution to industry – especially of an interdisciplinary nature
• Contribution to corrosion science and technology training
• Distinctiveness, originality and creativity of research – impact on corrosion discipline
• Seminal contribution to corrosion science and practice
• Continuing potential contribution to corrosion research

Nominations may be submitted at any time to the Chair of the Corrosion Science Division, Dr Julian Wharton (j.a.wharton@soton.ac.uk)

The U R Evans Award is presented at the annual Corrosion Science Symposium. The recipient is asked to give a plenary talk of their choosing and to prepare a brief written article on their work for publication in Corrosion Management (subject to editing by the Corrosion Management editor).

Henry George Cole was the Chief Materials Engineer at the UK Ministry of Defence. He was based in London and Farnborough, but he was a hugely respected co-ordinator and sponsor of research, an elegant and influential ‘Whitehall Mandarin’, and a man of spectacular vision and determination.

On first meeting, it was easy to assume that Henry Cole was a tall, austere, rather forbidding and remote character who stood aloof from the general mêlée in the room, surveying the scene at arm’s length and from behind the haze of his cigarette. This demeanour camouflaged an ace of the Scientific Civil Service. He was the consummate civil servant, fluently at home anywhere and in any company, and with a negotiation style David Gearey characterised as being akin to ‘the sidestep of a wing-three-quarter’.

Based initially at the RAE in Farnborough and subsequently in London, he was directly responsible for supporting the co-deposition work undertaken by Peter Neufeld and John Foster at South Bank Polytechnic (now University of London) in conjunction with British Aerospace, the results of which were patented and are still in use on applications such as engine cylinder liners. He sponsored work on embrittlement and its avoidance on cadmium plated aerospace components. He was behind the fundamental research on electrochemical machining that later found application in the production of gas turbine blades, and he also supported Dr. Michael Clarke’s research on gold electroplating at City of London Polytechnic. These are just a few examples of the developments over which he presided.

He was Secretary to the Hoar Committee – a ground-breaking development for the recognition of corrosion cost in the early 1970’s which was the mainspring for corrosion interest in UK Government circles for the next twenty years.

Henry Cole also was hugely committed to the Institute of Corrosion. He became the part-time Administrative Officer for the Institute when it shared accommodation with the SCI at Belgrave Square. He oversaw the Institute’s move to the IMF offices in Birmingham and he was one of the guiding lights of the Institute until his untimely death on 14th May 1987. Professor Stuart Leach of Nottingham University, himself a noted leader and innovator in the field, dubbed him “The Impresario of Corrosion Research” for his work on behalf of the corrosion control industry.

At its introduction in 1997 by the Institute of Corrosion, the primary objective of the H G Cole Award, however, was not to add to the list of Awards that recognise innovative contributions in scientific development, though aspects of those activities might be contributory. The purpose of the award was specifically to recognise exceptional service in support of the Institute of Corrosion itself.

Thus, it was envisaged that the Award, which originally consisted of a certificate and poignard (in essence, a small dagger), should be awarded by the Council of the Institute to nominated candidates on an occasional basis in recognition of ‘Exceptional Service on behalf of the Institute of Corrosion’.

The inaugural award was presented to Charles Booker in 1997 by Gwen Cole (wife of the late Henry Cole) in recognition of his many years of service as Honorary Secretary of the Institute.

The modern form of the award is a plaque whose design captures the essence of the original poignard.

2023 Trevor Osborne

2021 Bill Cox

2001 Roger Hudson

2001 Peter Morgan

2000 Fred Palmer 

1997 Charles Booker

• The Nominee should have a long-term and consistent history of exceptional commitment in support of the Institute of Corrosion
• The Nominee will have contributed successfully in assisting the Institute in its quest to attain significant improvement in enhancing the reputation and standing of the Institute itself
• The Nominee will have led, or will have contributed significantly to initiatives that have enhanced the ability of the Institute to improve corrosion prevention and control, on a national and/or international basis, by sponsorship of innovation and/or the support of ICorr training and certification
• The Nominee will have been directly instrumental in improving the fiscal position of the Institute and/or its offices and/or accommodation

Nominations for the award are accepted at any time from the President of the Institute (on behalf of Council) by the Chair of the ICorr Awards Committee.

The H G Cole Award is presented at an appropriate event, such as the London Branch Christmas Luncheon or the ICorr AGM.

Lionel Louis Shreir (12 November 1914 – 5 November 1992). His industrial career spanned a period of 19 years, from 1929 to 1948, during which time he was employed by the Mond Nickel Company, Baker Platinum Ltd and Plessy Ltd. At the same time he continued his higher education on a part time basis at the Chelsea and Battersea Polytechnics and Sir John Cass College in London, and obtained his PhD on electrodeposition of copper. In 1948 he joined the staff of Battersea Polytechnic (subsequently renamed the University of Surrey). In 1962, he became the Head of Metallurgy and Materials at Sir John Cass College where he engaged in teaching and research (a post he enjoyed by greatly expanding the department, its research and general reputation until he retired in 1979), and finally Professor Emeritus of the City of London Polytechnic. He edited and contributed to the ‘Corrosion’ textbook/encyclopaedia (two volumes in 1963). He was also a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemists and of the Institution of Metallurgists.

The standards he set were of the highest order. Indeed, his fellow corrosion engineers and scientists recalled the immense pains he took at that time to encourage in the kindest possible way younger authors in their endeavours to write papers. Within the UK he was prominent in all aspects of corrosion education. He was widely sought after for advice on all aspects of industrial problems. He regarded such activities as an essential function for anyone attempting to teach corrosion courses. Among many things, he advised on the construction of the Thames Barrier at Greenwich, North Sea Oil platforms and on corrosion hazards of ships carrying aggressive cargos. His interest in industrial problems arose partly, at least, from his early working life in several industrial laboratories on metal finishing and extraction. His research covered many areas, particularly hydrogen effects on steels. In 1982 he was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours ‘for services to corrosion science’. He was the third recipient of the U R Evans Award in 1978. This particular honour gave him great pleasure since he always attributed his start in the corrosion field to the encouragement given to him by Dr Evans during a visit to Cambridge in 1950. Amid all these achievements and distinctions Lionel Shreir remained an extremely modest man, very interested in people, enthusiastic in discussing all aspects of corrosion, and very caring for his past students. He was a very kind man, highly regarded and liked by all who encountered him.

The Shreir prize is presented annually for the best student presentation at the Corrosion Science Symposium.

2023 James Rafferty (University of Manchester)

2022 Alyshia Keogh (University of Manchester)

2021 Lawrence Coghlan (University of Loughborough) and Charlie Wand (University of Manchester)

2020 Christos Kousis (University of Swansea)

2019 Amelia Langley (University of Bath)

2018 Michael Dowhyj (University of Manchester)

2017 Joshua Owen (University of Leeds)

2016 Kiran Kousar (University of Manchester)

2015 Christopher Evans (University of Manchester)

2014 Angus Cook (University of Birmingham)

2013 Andrew du Plessis (University of Birmingham)

2012 Rosie Grayburn (University of Warwick)

2011 Stefano Neodo (University of Southampton)

2010 Huichao Bi (University of Oxford)

2008 Andrew Bennett (University of Swansea)

2007 Anissa Amimer (University of Manchester)

2006 Cristiano Padovani (University of Birmingham)

2005 Sukanta Ghosh (University of Birmingham)

• Distinctiveness, originality and creativity of research – impact on corrosion discipline
• Knowledge of corrosion science and practice
• Clarity of presentation and rapport with the Corrosion Science Symposium audience
• Clarity when answering questions

No nomination is required – all student presenters at the annual Corrosion Science Symposium are automatically eligible for this award.

The Lionel Shreir Award recipient is notified via a letter with an enclosed certificate and cheque for £125.