Institution of Civil Engineers
Coat of arms
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| Abbreviation | ICE |
|---|---|
| Motto | Scientia et ingenio |
| Formation | 2 January 1818 |
| Type | Civil engineering professional association |
| Purpose |
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Professional title
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Chartered Civil Engineer |
| Headquarters | One Great George Street, London, United Kingdom |
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Region
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Worldwide |
| Fields | Civil engineering |
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Membership (2015)
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5,244 Fellows 38,806 Members 88,810 all grades (as of December 2015) |
| Professor Tim Broyd | |
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Director General
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Nick Baveystock |
| Subsidiaries | Thomas Telford Ltd |
| Website | www |
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body which exists to deliver benefits to the public. Based in London, ICE has nearly 89,000 members, of whom three quarters are located in the United Kingdom, while the rest are located in more than 150 countries around the world. ICE supports the civil engineering profession by offering professional qualification, promoting education, maintaining professional ethics, and liaising with industry, academia and government. Under its commercial arm, it delivers training, recruitment, publishing and contract services. As a professional body, ICE is committed to support and promote professional learning (both to students and existing practitioners), managing professional ethics and safeguarding the status of engineers, and representing the interests of the profession in dealings with government, etc. It sets standards for membership of the body; works with industry and academia to progress engineering standards and advises on education and training curricula.
The late 18th century and early 19th century saw the founding of many learned societies and professional bodies (for example, the Royal Society and the Law Society). Groups calling themselves civil engineers had been meeting for some years from the late 18th century, notably the Society of Civil Engineers formed in 1771 by John Smeaton (renamed the Smeatonian Society after his death). At that time, formal engineering in Britain was limited to the military engineers of the Corps of Royal Engineers, and in the spirit of self-help prevalent at the time and to provide a focus for the fledgling 'civilian engineers', the Institution of Civil Engineers was founded as the world's first professional engineering body.
The initiative to found the Institution was taken in 1818 by three young engineers, Henry Robinson Palmer (23), James Jones (28) and Joshua Field (32), who organised an inaugural meeting on 2 January 1818, at the Kendal Coffee House in Fleet Street. The institution made little headway until a key step was taken - the appointment of Thomas Telford as the first President of the body. Greatly respected within the profession and blessed with numerous contacts across the industry and in government circles, he was instrumental in drumming up membership and getting a Royal Charter for ICE in 1828. This official recognition helped establish ICE as the pre-eminent organisation for engineers of all disciplines.
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Wikipedia