A pioneer of engineering

The Chamber of Engineers (CoE) recently hosted John Myers, one of the founders of the Maltese engineering degrees.

In 1963, the Royal University of Malta enrolled the first ever group of students reading for B.Sc.(Eng) degrees in electrical, mechanical and civil engineering. The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Mcast) became the Faculty of Engineering for the University.

Mcast was an independent college and accepted students who lacked Ordinary Level qualifications in Maltese and/or Religion but possessed the required Advanced Level exams to study for an engineering degree. These students followed the same course as the B.Sc. (Eng) students, but were awarded a Diploma in Engineering (Dip. Eng.) by Mcast.

Mr Myers recalled that when he arrived in Malta in 1964, the Mcast building was still under construction.

Not long after Mr Myers arrived, Unesco provided a generous sum of money to equip the new laboratories and he recalled how, in his first year, he and his colleagues were busy ordering equipment and developing undergraduate experiments as well as designing the curriculum and syllabus for the three years of the course.

Mr Myers became acting head of the Electrical Engineering department in 1966. He appointed M. G. Say from Edinburgh as external examiner.

In 1968, partly through the influence of Prof. Say, the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) recognised the B.Sc. (Eng) and Dip. Eng qualifications as being a sufficiently high standard for full accreditation, which meant that after graduating, students were accepted as graduate members of the IEE. Mr Myers said it was a matter of pride for both staff and students that the quality of the course had been accepted so rapidly.

In the 1960s, when engineering degree courses were in their infancy, Mcast only held a bi-annual intake so students graduated in 1966, 1968 and 1970. This was partly because in those early days, opportunities for employment for engineering graduates in Malta was extremely limited.

Mr Myers compared the situation to today. In the 1960s, the total undergraduate population at the Royal University of Malta was about 600. Today it is 10,000, and large numbers of engineering graduates leave university each year with ample opportunities for suitable employment in both public and private sectors.

Mr Myers felt pleased that the seed he helped sow in the 1960s produced such abundant fruit.

He also said the University of Malta was his own Alma Mater, as he had obtained an M.Sc. through research and a thesis while a member of staff here. He went on to say his and his wife's involvement in Maltese society went far beyond professional engineering activities.

Mr Myers' work was appreciated by all his past students, not only for his dedication in the classroom, but for his concern during and after their studies.

Mr Myers said throughout his career he had acted on the principle that his primary responsibility was to his students and not to whoever was paying his salary.

Mr Refalo is PRO of the Chamber of the Engineers.