The Royal Institute of Navigation Fellowships and Awards 2024

On 18 June 2024 the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) hosted its 2024 AGM and Annual Meeting at the Royal Geographical Society in London. The meeting was chaired by the RIN Director, John Pottle, and welcomed close to 150 RIN members and friends.

During the AGM a series of resolutions were passed, including the adoption of the 2023 Trustees’ Annual Report and the election of the following Council Officers:

• Washington Ochieng as President (read more here)
• Andy Proctor as Vice President
• Martin Foulger as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee
• James Taylor as Chair of the Membership & Fellowship Committee
• Terry Moore as Chair of the Remuneration Committee
• Members of Council: Tristan Gooley, Alan Grant and John Owen
  

Immediate Past President Cynthia Robinson handing over to new President Washington Ochieng

TopNav 2024 Award Winners

The AGM and Annual Meeting provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate the winners of the recent TopNav, the visual navigation competition run by the RIN’s General Aviation Navigation Group. The award winners for 2024 were:

TopNav Runner Up:

Navigator: Brigid Beney and Pilot: Adrian Beney

TopNav Best Youth:

Navigator: Matthew Whitehead and Pilot: Neil Whitehead

TopNav 2024 Overall Winners:

Navigator: Alice Robinson and Pilot: Simon Cassia

New RIN Fellows

Every year we welcome a new cohort of RIN Fellows and recognise their contributions to the field of navigation. This year, Fellowship of the RIN has been awarded to the following:

• Adam Price - in recognition of leadership to achieve best-practice understanding and use of PNT simulation systems
• Christopher Mather - in recognition of innovative design and implementation of multi-sensor navigation algorithms to improve positioning performance and resilience
• Dana Goward - in recognition of leadership and advocacy for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) resilience
• David Bartlett - in recognition of multiple innovations in radio positioning and sensor fusion
• Gillian Burns - in recognition of a career dedicated to safe navigation and contributions promoting equality in maritime history
• Marco Lisi - in recognition of contributions to the development of satellite navigation and educational activities promoting a better knowledge of navigation
• Octavian Thor Pleter - in recognition of contributions to air navigation with a focus on the optimisation of flights and air traffic management
• Stephen Hancock - in recognition of leading and enabling development of resilient and sustainable positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services and strategy
• Tim McCarthy - in recognition of research in navigation solutions and work as an educator across the geospatial industry
• Tony Flavin - in recognition of expertise in the delivery and application of precise time for resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT)
• William Roberts - in recognition of leadership to develop next generation positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems and expertise
  

Tony Flavin receiving his Fellowship Award
Octavian Thor Pleter delivering this year's invited talk
Stephen Hancock receiving his Fellowship Award

RIN Awards 2024

There were three recipients of the 2024 J.E.D. Williams Medal for an outstanding contribution to the affairs of the Institute:

• Bob Cockshott - in recognition of his work to improve the operation and scope of the RIN Technical Committee
• Serdjo Kos - in recognition of his leadership and support to the RIN and the Croatian Branch
• Simon Gaskin - in recognition of continuous outstanding contributions to the RIN Council over 22 years

The W.G.P. Lamb Award acknowledges a contribution to a more navigable world by a younger person. This year the worthy winner was Jaz Hill-Valler, in recognition of leading collaboration and innovation in Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) and low earth orbit positioning, navigation and timing (LEO PNT).

The Spirent Sustainability Through Navigation Award for the application of positioning, navigation and timing towards a more sustainable future was awarded to Hexagon Autonomy and Positioning Division in recognition of enabling the global adoption of robust autonomous systems in precision agriculture.

The final award of the day was the Harold Spencer-Jones Gold Medal, in recognition of an outstanding contribution to navigation. This is the highest accolade awarded by the RIN. The 2024 winner of the Harold Spencer-Jones Medal was Dr Paul Groves, in recognition of world-leading pioneering research and education in robust positioning and navigation.

W.G.P. Lamb Award winner, Jaz Hill-Valler
Spirent Sustainability Through Navigation Award winner, Hexagon Autonomy and Positioning Division
Harold Spencer-Jones Gold Medal winner, Dr Paul Groves

Editor’s note:

About the Royal Institute of Navigation:

The Royal Institute of Navigation is a learned society and a professional body for navigation. The RIN's activities cover the full breadth of navigation and precise timing, spanning land, sea, air and space and includes animal navigation, human cognition, navigable cities and buildings and all domains of the practice of navigation.

Contact information:

Dr Clare Stead

comms@rin.org.uk

Released 20 June 2024