Wojtasik succeeds O’Murchu as BTSYM chair
16 November 2015GREAT BRITAIN – Mateusz Wojtasik has succeeded Eoin O’Murchu as chair of the British Tunnelling Society Young Members (BTSYM). The handover took place at the group’s AGM on 10 November at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London.
Looking back on his time as chair O'Murchu, who works as a senior consultant for IBM, highlighted the tenfold growth of paid BTSYM membership over the last year. This was helped in no small part by the success of the BTSYM Conference, which boasted 100 graduate attendees. O'Murchu's tenure has also seen the group spread beyond London, with attention given to the Midlands and Scotland.
Wojtasik, a geotechnical engineer for Donaldson Associates, has the task of taking the BTSYM forward through the next year. He identified the lack of contractors in the group as something he would like to change in 2016. In addition, BTSYM activities in Scotland will be a focus, as well as relationships with other societies, university representatives, and a new poster competition to showcase the career achievements and ideas of young members.
As Tunnels and Tunnelling goes to press the group is excited for the upcoming UK National Tunnelling Day [3 December - watch this space] during which it hopes, according to a BTSYM statement, to "generate interest in the great number of world class tunnelling projects currently being undertaken in the UK and to promote the industry (and its many professions) to young people and students of all ages. The National Tunnelling Day will become an annual event on the first Thursday of December. It was chosen due to its proximity to the Feast Day of St. Barbara, traditionally seen as the Patron Saint of Tunnellers."
