4 January 2012

Professor Alan Bundy FBCS CITP, Ursula Martin FBCS CITP and Bob Assirati FBCS CITP have all been made Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Beti Williams, recently retired Director of ITWales, Swansea University has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's New Year's honours list.

Alan Bundy is Professor of Automated Reasoning, University of Edinburgh and is honoured for his services to computing science.

Alan is Vice President of the BCS Academy and BCS Trustee and Ambassador. He is an active supporter of the work the Academy and Computing At Schools are doing to improve the state of computing in schools.

'I am deeply honoured to receive this award as I have dedicated all of my working life to computing science,' he said. 

'I am passionate about the work that the BCS Academy is doing; telling the world that IT this is an exciting, intellectual discipline and not just about using office tools and the internet.

'I would also like to thank my many colleagues without whose collaboration the achievements on which this award is based would not have been possible,' he added.

Ursula Martin is Professor of Computer Science and lately Vice-Principal (Science and Engineering), Queen Mary, University of London. She, like Alan, received her award for services to computer science.

Ursula is a volunteer for BCS and a member of the executive committee of UKCRC (one of the founding partners of the Academy).

Ursula is a member of BCS Women and a supporter of Women in Computing Research where she has been involved with the London Hopper Colloquium and lately the setting up of the Karen Spärck-Jones Lecture, which had its inaugural lecture last year.

Bob Assirati is Vice President and Chair of Products and Services Board at BCS and has been a member of the BCS Nominations Committee, Government Relations Group, and Engineering and Technology Strategic Panel as well as the Products and Services Board, of which he was appointed Vice-President in October 2007. He was Deputy President for the year from November 2009 to March 2011.

Beti Williams has been honoured for her campaigning work to encourage more women and girls to take up careers in computing, science and engineering.

Beti was Director of ITWales for 15 years, developing and managing programmes to link the computer science departments in all Welsh universities with business and industry, with the aim of disseminating technological knowledge.

This collaborative approach has helped boost the role of software as a driving force in the Welsh economy. It has promoted new technologies and higher levels of ICT competence across all the business and industry sectors in Wales and enhanced students’ experience with placements and projects with companies.