President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to Prof Mike Cooley, the aerospace design engineer, independent thinker and advocate of human-centred innovation, who has died. In a statement, he said he “heard with great sorrow of the passing of one of the finest Irish scientists”. “Mike Cooley, in his books, including Architect or Bee?, and in all his life, was deeply committed to the delivery of science and technology for universal benefit,” he added. Cooley coined the term “human-centred systems” in the context of the transition in his profession from traditional drafting at a drawing board to computer-aided design. Cooley went on to work with the British company Lucas Aerospace where during the 1970s he became involved in workplace activism.

Source: The Irish Times September 06, 2020 12:00 UTC