Alan Rudge facts for kids

Sir Alan Walter Rudge was born in London on October 17, 1937. He is a British electrical engineer, which means he designs and works with electrical systems. He led the ERA Foundation as its Chairman from when it started until December 2012. After that, he became the Foundation's President. In 2012, he also finished his time as chairman of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, a role he held for eleven years.

Sir Alan Rudge's Life and Career

Sir Alan Rudge studied at the London Polytechnic, earning his first degree in 1964. He then went on to get a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Birmingham in 1968.

He held important leadership roles throughout his career. He was the head of operations at British Telecommunications. He also served as Chairman of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, which helps fund research in engineering and science.

Sir Alan was once the President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. He also chaired the Engineering Council, an organization that sets standards for engineers. In 1984, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a special honor for engineers.

Until July 2014, he was a deputy chairman and senior independent director on the board of Experian plc, a large company.

In 1994, he gave a special speech called the MacMillan Memorial Lecture. He spoke about "Multimedia and the Information Superhighway," which was about how computers and information would connect people.

The University of Bath gave him an honorary doctorate in science in 1995. This is a special degree given to people who have achieved great things. In 2000, he was made a Knight Bachelor for his important contributions to engineering research and industry.

Views on Climate Change

Sir Alan Rudge has been a member of the academic advisory council for the Global Warming Policy Foundation. In 2010, he helped organize a petition signed by 43 people. This petition challenged the Royal Society's views on climate change, saying their position was "unnecessarily alarmist."

He told The Times newspaper that he believed more scientific research was needed to be sure about climate change. He also felt that cutting emissions too quickly would be a huge economic burden. The Royal Society later updated its guidance in September 2010. Their main conclusion was that human activities causing changes in greenhouse gases were the main reason for global warming over the past 50 years.