JAMMU: International research led by the University of Dundee into how those living in refugee camps engage with their environment and shape it over time is to be awarded a medal of excellence from a leading engineering body. The research led by Professor Husam AlWaer, Chair of Urban Design at the University’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD), is set to receive the George Stephenson Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers.
The medal will be presented at a ceremony in London in October to Professor AlWaer for his paper Design and Use of Space in Refugee Camps: A Case Study of a Contested Terrain. It is the fourth award Professor AlWaer has received from the Institution of Civil Engineers over an eight-year period for his research in urban design and planning, recognising his position as a leading authority in the field. The judging panel for the George Stephenson Medal said of the research “The Paper makes a significant contribution to the field, challenging existing theories and providing new insights.”
The work for which the George Stephenson Medal has been awarded focused on changes to the set-up of accommodation units made by refugees at Al Za’atari, the largest Syrian refugee camp in the world, and the social impact of those changes, resulting in a sense of community.
