The Wallace Family Scholarship for Engineering
DIT Graduate Paul Wallace with his wife Margaret at Bolton Street, August 2016
The Wallace Family Fund for Engineering was established in 2016 by engineer Paul Wallace a graduate of 1958 Bolton Street. It was with the financial support of a generous donor that Paul himself had the opportunity to study engineering at DIT in 1958. He went on to have a long and fruitful career as an engineer in both industry and academia.
Sadly, shortly after establishing the fund Paul passed away at his home in the United States. With the support of his family and friends the School of Manufacturing and Design Engineering are seeking applications from students for the first Wallace Family Scholarship for Engineering.
The aim of the Wallace Family Scholarships for Engineering is to award talented and committed students who will make their mark on the world of engineering. Students interested in applying for the Wallace Family Scholarship will be asked to demonstrate academic performance, their engagement with the world of engineering outside of the class room as well as their articulate their future career aspirations.
2017 Call for Applications
The Wallace Family Scholarship is open to students in 3rd or 4th year of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Design, Product Design and Buildling Services including students transitioning from an ordinary degree. Download the application below which includes criteria and eligibility. Closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday February 1st at 5pm.
Wallace Family Scholarship 2017 Application
About Paul
Paul Wallace graduated in 1958 from the Whole-time Course in Mechanical Engineering at the College of Technology, Bolton St. This was the 2nd year of the then-unrecognised course, To gain recognition students had to sit the external Graduatship examinations of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. His practical training during the course was done at the Meath County Council and at Vorwerk & Co., Wuppertal, Germany.
After a period as a development engineer at Unidare Ltd, Finglas he did research for an M.Sc. at Salford and for a Ph. D. at Bristol.
He and his wife then emigrated to Chicago and he worked at IIT Research institute, before returning to Ireland in 1969 with the first US Company in Ireland, SPS International Ltd. First in Shannon and later in Naas, Co. Kildare, he started the first R&D Centre in Ireland for a Multi-National Company. Success in Naas resulted in promotion to Director of R&D for the SPS Technologies Corporation in Pennsylvania including the Centre in Naas.
Crossing the Atlantic again, he became Professor and first head of Trinity College’s Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering.
Returning to the US in 1983, he became head of the Assembly Systems Division at SPS and later at Ingersoll-Rand, from which he retired in 2001.
“Mine was the 2nd year of the Whole-time Mechanical Engineering course. It may be hard to believe but in those days there were no degree courses in engineering in Ireland outside the universities. Only universities, NUI & TCD, were allowed to award degrees and just 2% of people got a degree. Our big study challenge was to pass the external Graduateship examinations of the I. Mech. Eng. in London. Our diploma at the end of the course listed those examinations.
Founder of our course, Dr. Jack Barry predicted earnings of “1500 per year” when we finished! Our year had a famous singing group, the Bachelors, and the entertained us during workshop class!
Our class also had people who had gone through UCD first Engineering and Science and we learned a lot from them. Initially, Bolton St. didn’t have many extra-curricular activities, so I joined the UCD boxing club and represented the Veterinary College(!) debating society in competitions. It was always awkward when asked “what year are you in?” We had an excellent football team and a highlight was paying Edinburgh University which it was rumoured had Scottish Internationals playing.”
Paul with his football team mates in 1957 and the team formation sheet
