Mapping Icons

YOU can now travel from Dame Julia Higgins to Nigel Hirst via Dame Judith Hackitt thanks to a reimagined London Underground map charting the contributions made by engineers.

Dame Judith (IChemE past president) replaces Victoria tube station, with Dame Julia (past president) taking the spot of North Acton, and current IChemE president Hirst appearing in place of Vauxhall.

Developed by Transport for London and the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Icons Tube Map recognises historic pioneers and contemporary innovators working to improve society.

The map was released on 1 November to celebrate National Engineering Day and includes IChemE Fellows Adisa Azapagic, Oluwole Olawale Folayan, and Dame Lynn Gladden among 274 engineers covering 11 disciplines. Engineers are placed on lines representing their contributions. Hirst, who has worked across sectors in design, construction and operations management, is on the light blue Materials and Manufacturing line.

He said it was an honour to feature alongside such illustrious names as Charles Babbage and Alan Turing. “It is also wonderful to see other chemical engineers and members of IChemE mentioned.”

Dame Judith, who led the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and chaired the Health & Safety Executive and the manufacturing body Make UK, is at the intersection of the Infrastructure (green), Environment (yellow), and Materials and Manufacturing (blue) lines.

She said: “I’m delighted and honoured…It’s a great way to bring together the huge impact which engineers have in all walks of life, and I feel very proud to be an engineer – every day, not just today.”