Alan Rudge
{{short description|British electrical engineer (born 1937)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Sir Alan Rudge
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE|FRS|FREng}}
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| office = Chairman, ERA Foundation
| term_start = 2001
| term_end = December 2012
| office2 = Chairman, ERA Technology
| term_start2 = 1997
| term_end2 = 2003
| birth_name = Alan Walter Rudge
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1937|10|17|df=yes}}
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation = Electrical engineer
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}
Sir Alan Walter Rudge (born 17 October 1937, London) is a British electrical engineer. He was Chairman of the ERA Foundation from its formation until December 2012, after which he was appointed as the Foundation's President.{{Cite web |url=http://www.erafoundation.org/era-foundation-board/sir-alan-rudge/ |title=Sir Alan Rudge CBE FREng FRS – President ERA Foundation |access-date=2014-09-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023161619/http://www.erafoundation.org/era-foundation-board/sir-alan-rudge/ |archive-date=2014-10-23 |url-status=dead }} In 2012 he also stepped down as Chairman of the Board of Management of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, a position he had held for eleven years; he had succeeded Sir Denis Rooke and was himself succeeded by Bernard Taylor.{{cite web|title=Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Annual Report 2012|url=http://www.royalcommission1851.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Report-of-the-Board-of-Management-2012.pdf|website=Royalcommission1851.org|accessdate=17 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023153110/http://www.royalcommission1851.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Report-of-the-Board-of-Management-2012.pdf|archive-date=23 October 2014|url-status=dead}}
Life
He earned a BSc from the London Polytechnic in 1964 and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Birmingham in 1968.
He was head of operations at British Telecommunications.{{cite web|url=http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Alan_Rudge |title=Alan Rudge - Engineering and Technology History Wiki |website=Ieeeghn.org |date= 13 January 2016|accessdate=2017-07-07}}
He was Chairman of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
He is a past President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers and was Chairman of the Engineering Council.
He was appointed a Fellow{{cite web|title=List of Fellows|url=http://www.raeng.org.uk/about-us/people-council-committees/the-fellowship/list-of-fellows|website=Raeng.org.uk|accessdate=2017-07-07|archive-date=2016-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608094405/http://www.raeng.org.uk/about-us/people-council-committees/the-fellowship/list-of-fellows|url-status=dead}} of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1984.
He was until July 2014 Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director on the board of Experian plc.{{cite web|title=Experian plc - Directorate changes|url=http://www.experianplc.com/news/company-news/2014/16-01-2014a.aspx|accessdate=17 September 2014}}
In 1994 he was invited to deliver the MacMillan Memorial Lecture to the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland. He chose the subject "Multimedia and the Information Superhighway".{{cite web |url=http://www.iesis.org/macmillan.html |title=Hugh Miller Macmillan |work=Macmillan Memorial Lectures |publisher=Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004102303/http://www.iesis.org/macmillan.html |archivedate=4 October 2018 |accessdate=29 January 2019 }}
In 1995, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science) by the University of Bath.{{cite web |url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/ceremonies/hongrads/ |title=Honorary Graduates 1989 to present |publisher=University of Bath |work=bath.ac.uk |accessdate=18 February 2012 |archive-date=19 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219000643/http://www.bath.ac.uk/ceremonies/hongrads/ |url-status=dead }}
In the New Year Honours list for 2000 he was appointed Knight Bachelor for services to Engineering Research and to Industry.{{cite news|title=BBC News: New Year Honours 2000|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/12/99/new_years_honours/584131.stm|website=News.bbc.co.uk|accessdate=17 September 2014}}
Climate change
He is a member of the academic advisory council of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a climate change denial think tank chaired by Nigel Lawson.{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/aug/01/a-climate-scientist-and-economist-made-big-bucks-betting-on-global-warming |title=A climate scientist and economist made big bucks betting on global warming |last=Nuccitelli |first=Dana |date=2016-08-01 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2020-01-21 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
In 2010 he organized a petition of 43 denialists (about 3% of the membership) challenging the Royal Society's "unnecessarily alarmist position" on climate change. He told The Times that "there is a lot of science to be done before we can be certain about climate change and before we impose upon ourselves the huge economic burden of cutting emissions."{{Cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/rebel-scientists-force-royal-society-to-accept-climate-change-scepticism-q0lbz0qpssj |title=Rebel scientists force Royal Society to accept climate change scepticism |date=2010-05-29 |work=The Times |access-date=2020-01-21 |language=en |issn=0140-0460}} The revised guidance was published in September 2010{{Cite web |author= |date=2010-09-30 |title=Climate change: A Summary of the Science |url=https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/publications/2010/climate-change-summary-science/ |website=The Royal Society |access-date=2025-05-30 |language=en-gb}} and its lead conclusion was "There is strong evidence that changes in greenhouse gas concentrations due to human activity are the dominant cause of the global warming that has taken place over the last half century".{{Cite web |url=https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2010/4294972962.pdf |title=Climate change:a summary of the science |website=royalsociety.org |access-date=2020-01-21}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|XMrW8h_8ILs|An interview with Sir Alan Rudge CBE FREng FRS}}
{{FRS 1992}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudge, Alan}}
Category:Alumni of the University of Westminster
Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering