Newsletter of Engineers Australia, Tas Division - Royal Engineers Building, 2 Davey Street Hobart Telephone (03) 6234 2228, Fax (03) 6234 2216 or E-mail tasmania@engineersaustralia.org.au
IN THIS ISSUE President’s Report Launch of Year of Regional Engineering New National Chief Executive Officer Fellow Certificate Presentations Congratulations Chris Martin Congratulations Jane Sargison Education & Industry Managers Pages New & Upgrading Members 2011 Rod McGee Medal Winner New UTAS & AMC Heads of School ITEE Page Young Engineers Page Women in Engineering Pages Meeting Notices & February Calendar
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Welcome to 2012! Being my first report as President, I would firstly like to recognise and thank the immediate past President Greg Walters for his efforts as President in 2011. Greg showed strong leadership and accomplished some noteworthy achievements, including the launch of the Parliamentary Support Program and the launch of the Aboriginal Reconciliation Program during 2011. I have been fortunate to have been acting in the President’s role since October last year due to Greg’s relocation to Adelaide. Engineering Tasmania
This has given me the opportunity to ‘hit the ground running’ in my role as President this year. We wish Greg all the best in his new role in Adelaide, as well as his new role on National Council of Engineers Australia. For those who do not already know me, I am a traffic engineer and have lived and worked in Tasmania for most of my life, apart from a short stint in the year 2000 when I worked in Melbourne. I graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Tasmania in 1995, and have since completed two masters degrees in traffic and transport engineering with Monash University. I run my own traffic consulting company, Midson Traffic Pty Ltd, and have previously worked in other consulting firms and local government throughout my career. I am also an Honorary Associate with the University of Tasmania and Monash University. I have been involved in the Tasmania Division of Engineers Australia since 2008 and I am also Deputy Chair of the National Committee for Transportation Engineering through Engineers Australia. I am married to Zara and have three children, Quinn, Lloyd and Ellis. As I write this article, we are expecting our fourth child, due in July this year. In November last year I attended Engineers Australia National Congress with Greg Walters and our Division Director, Geoff Harper. The three day meeting in Canberra coincided with the National Excellence Awards at Parliament House. At these awards, it was a great honour to witness Dr Jane Sargison win the National
Professional Engineer of the Year award at these awards – a truly wonderful achievement for Jane and a highlight of the year for our Division and Tasmania. It is well deserved recognition for Jane’s dedication to the profession of engineering over the years.
Some of the Tasmanian contingent at the National Excellence Awards Dinner (l-r) Mike Sylvester, Jess Andrewartha, Keith Midson, Geoff Harper, Jane Sargison, Greg Walters and Ron Bessell
To top it off, Chris Martin was presented with the John Monash Medal for Engineering Heritage at the AGM. The award recognised Chris’s outstanding contribution to engineering heritage in Australia through championing the preservation of the historic Lake Margaret Power Scheme, which dates back to 1914. To me this highlights some of the exceptional engineering talent that we have here in Tasmania. This year marks the Year of the Regional Engineering Team, a year which will highlight regional Australia as the heart of engineering.
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President’s Report cont …..
Being a relatively small and isolated state with a disbursed population, this is an opportunity to showcase many of our engineering achievements that make our state so unique. Much of Tasmania’s engineering heritage has had to deal with regional issues, and ‘making it so’ in remote areas with limited resources. Some examples include our Hydro Electricity schemes, as well as our communications and transportation infrastructure. I therefore see this year as one which Tasmania can stand out and shine. One of my main focuses for the year will be on engineering education and promotion of the profession. I strongly believe that we can all make a difference in influencing our future engineers. This can be through formal education, but also through demonstrating what an exciting and rewarding career engineering can be to our younger generations. One of my greatest influences as a child to become an engineer was my late grandfather. He was an engineer who was based on the west coast and Burnie throughout his professional life. His ability to analyse and solve problems inspired my thirst for knowledge and my drive to become an engineer.
Today, through existing programs run by the Department of Education, the University of Tasmania and Engineers Australia, we can make a difference to a student’s career choices at an early stage. I will be working with the University of Tasmania to build a stronger connection between engineering students and graduates, as well as making a strong focus on Engineers Week to help showcase our unique engineering talents to the community. What I would like to do is to promote and support our existing and very successful school programs, by ensuring that we have ad equ ate suppo rt fro m th e engineering profession. This will ensure that a link to the profession is made by the students as they participate in these programs. This year will also have a photography competition, along similar lines as the National competition. Photography is one of my favourite hobbies outside work, and I know there are many members out there who have some great photos that showcase engineering with a Tasmanian flavour. At the age of 11 years old in 1982, as a tourist I took a photograph of a large protest down the Gordon River.
This was a protest against the Franklin River dam project, which saw Bob Hawke become elected as Prime Minister and the dam project cancelled in the Federal court. My photograph is kept with a photographic library in Melbourne and gets published several times a year (even to this day). What is interesting about this photo (and what I didn’t recognise at the time) is that the subject of my photo was about the fate of a large scale engineering project. The photograph to me is an interesting reminder of the careful balance we must face in our profession, between environment, community engagement, and providing infrastructure to service the community. So I hope that this year will be a rewarding and interesting year for all of us. I look forward to working with you throughout the year and beyond.
Keith Midson, FIEAust CPEng Division President
The photo taken by Keith Midson in 1982 © Keith Midson Coo-ee Picture Library Zara, Keith, Quinn, Lloyd and Ellis Engineering Tasmania
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Engineers Australia Tasmania Division and Young Engineers Tasmania present:
YoRET Launch Event: Regional Site Tour and YoRET Dinner
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 3.45pm – 5.00pm, Tour of the Australian Maritime College (AMC) (Optional) 5.30pm – 8.00pm, YoRET Dinner at the Boathouse, Launceston (includes meeting Adj Prof David Hood, FIEAust CPEng 2012 National President) Group transport from Hobart and the North West to be arranged.
Optional Pre-Dinner Tour information: Venue: AMC reception, Maritime Way, Newnham, at 3.45pm. The Australian Maritime College (AMC) is the national institute for maritime education and training, and provides technical knowledge, practical skills and industry awareness. AMC is ranked in the top 10 maritime education institutes in the world and has a graduate employment rate approaching 100%. AMC is based in regional Australia (in Launceston, Tasmania) as a specialist institute of the University of Tasmania. AMC hosts the National Centres for Maritime Engineering and Hydrodynamics, for Ports and Shipping, and for Marine Conservation and Resource Sustainability. The Tour will visit the Survival Centre, Model Test Basin, Cavitation Research Laboratory, and Towing Tank. Safety details: closed toe shoes and suitable dress must be worn, and participants will enter wet and dark areas and use stairs and should exercise care.
Dinner information: Venue: “the Boathouse on Northbank”, 55a Lindsay Street, Invermay Cost: $25.00 EA Members or $35.00 Non Members Set 2 course menu, including limited drinks.
PRE-PAYMENT & COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORMS ARE ESSENTIAL
Speakers will include Adj Prof David Hood, FIEAust CPEng (2012 National President of Engineers Australia) and Bill Lawson AM FIEAust CPEng (SKM) on his experiences in regional engineering. Keith Midson FIEAust CPEng, 2012 Tasmania Division President will also launch the “Tasmanian Engineering” photo competition at the Dinner.
Group travel information: A free mini-bus will depart Hobart from the Royal Engineers Building, 2 Davey Street at 12.45pm. A subsidy for fuel costs for group travel from other regions is available.
Registration: RSVP by emailing the completed payment/registration form to Catherine Reading by Monday, 13 February 2012 at creading@engineersaustralia.org.au or by fax to 6234 2216 Visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/tasevents for payment/registration form. Engineering Tasmania
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ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA New Chief Executive Officer STEPHEN DURKIN
Personal Bank; and responsible for two national third party distribution businesses. Stephen’s career interest is in running innovative and customer-focused businesses and is especially interested creating team leadership cultures and supporting staff to realise their potential. Outside of Work:
Stephen Durkin has recently been appointed as CEO of Engineers Australia, the professional association for the advancement of engineering representing over 95,000 members through nine divisions across Australia and through a number of overseas chapters. Stephen has an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering and a MBA and has lived and worked in a number of countries around the world including Canada, Hong Kong and Thailand. Upon graduating as an engineer, Stephen worked for several years for Sinclair Knight Merz as well as Fluor Daniel Wright and Sandwell Swan Wooster in Canada and Pro-En Consultants in Bangkok. Stephen was Victorian Young Engineer of the Year in 1993. Prior to his appointment at Engineers Australia, Stephen worked for sixteen years at National Australia Bank in a range of people leadership, business strategy, marketing and product development roles. Stephen’s roles and achievements at NAB have included: State Manager of the Retail Bank in NSW/ACT; strategy adviser on the NAB’s Asian operations; responsible for the premium financial services segment across NAB’s international banks; part of the due diligence team on the acquisition of MLC; National Head of Sales and Marketing for
Engineering Tasmania
Time outside of work for me is all about relaxing with family, my wife Debbie and two boys, Ben and Charlie. In 2010, our family returned to Melbourne after five great years in Sydney. We live in Beaumaris, only a short walk to the beach where we like spending time relaxing. On the weekends, I like nothing better than heading out to dinner with friends. I enjoy all types of food, especially Thai and Japanese. I love watching and playing sport especially golf, tennis, cricket and football - the list is long. I am a passionate Richmond supporter in the AFL and barrack for the Tigers in the NRL. I also spend as much time as possible watching and getting involved in my sons’ sporting teams.
TASMANIA DIVISION MEMBERS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET OUR 2012 NATIONAL PRESIDENT, ADJ PROF DAVID HOOD, FIEAust CPEng AT THE YEAR OF THE REGIONAL ENGINEERING TEAM LAUNCH IN LAUNCESTON ON TUESDAY, 21 FEBRUARY 2012. FOR FURTHER DETAILS, PLEASE REFER TO THE ADVERTISEMENT ON PAGE 3 AND RSVP TO CATHERINE BY MONDAY, 13 FEBRUARY.
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PRESENTATION OF FELLOW CERTIFICATES
Our 2012 Division President, Keith Midson, FIEAust CPEng presented Fellow certificates to David Mounter, FIEAust CPEng and Dr Jane Sargison, FIEAust at the Joint Young Engineers, Women in Engineering and Division End of Year Event at the Vue Bar (Customs House Hotel) last December. The evening was a huge success with over 56 people in attendance. It was a great night of networking with everyone celebrating the Division’s highly successful year and enjoying a festive drink and chat.
(l-r) Keith Midson, FIEAust CPEng presenting David Mounter, FIEAust CPEng with his Fellow certificate.
(l-r) David Mounter, Keith Midson and Jane Sargison
(l-r) Keith Midson, FIEAust CPEng presenting Dr Jane Sargison, FIEAust with both her Fellow certificate and Professional Engineer of the Year Award.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRIS MARTIN, mIEAust cpeNG ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA’S 2011 JOHN MONASH MEDALLIST
Engineers Australia has established the John Monash Medal as an annual award to recognise outstanding contributions made by individuals towards increasing the awareness, and conservation, of Australia's engineering heritage. The award commemorates General Sir John Monash whose leadership and engineering accomplishment has left a great Australian legacy.
Chris Martin, MIEAust CPEng was announced as the winner of the 2011 John Monash Medal at the Engineers Australia’s AGM in November last year. Chris (right) receiving his Award from EA National President, Doug Hargreaves
Chris is a self-employed consulting engineer who has spent years raising the awareness of engineering heritage within the profession and within the community, and promoting engineering achievements through their history and heritage. He made an exceptional contribution to engineering heritage through championing the preservation of the historic Lake Margaret Power Scheme in Western Tasmania. In 2009 the hydroelectric plant dating back to 1914 was reopened with a replaced woodstave pipeline and original turbines and generating equipment retained with controls to meet modern requirements for generating energy. In 2010 the smaller, lower station was also reopened with similar high regard for its heritage nature. Chris has also shown outstanding leadership in the preservation of railways and steam era equipment in Tasmania where he is founding president of the Redwater Creek Steam and Heritage Society, founding member and current president of the Tasmanian Association of Tourist Railways, and at a national level as the Tasmanian representative and vice-chairman of the Association of Tourist and Heritage Railways of Australia.
Engineering Tasmania
Chris and his wife Tracey with his Award
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CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. JANE SARGISON, FIEAust ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA’S 2011 PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Dr Jane Sargison, FIEAust is a researcher who has been able to extend her academic achievements into practical engineering applications. She has contributed to engineering education in Tasmania in her capacities as a senior lecturer at the University of Tasmania, a member of the senior executive of the School of Engineering, and a mentor to high school students who are considering tertiary study in engineering. She was named the 1998 Rhodes Scholar for Tasmania and completed her doctorate of philosophy at the University of Oxford in 2001. The author of many research papers and the recipient of numerous international awards, Sargison is currently the director of the national board and vice-chair of the Tasmanian branch committee of the Australian Institute of Energy. She has also served as a committee member for Women in Engineering and a board member of St Michael’s Collegiate School. The technology associated with her film-cooling hole design for gas turbines has been patented and utilised by Rolls Royce. Sargison has also worked for Hydro Tasmania in the application of computational fluid dynamics and the modelling of turbine performance under significantly varying flow regimes. She recently applied her skills to the Rainbow Bee Eater project, which aims to generate energy from biomass and result in carbon sequestration with little cost. She has helped the project advance its technology, project approvals, community consultation and financing, and was recently appointed to the project board. Sargison also runs her own consulting practice. The judges were impressed with the extent to which she has been able to apply her academic research and analytical skills to practical problem-solving within the industry, and have commended her for inspiring young people to consider careers in engineering.
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Engineers Australia & Tasmanian Education Department thank the following Companies for providing Mentors:
Engineering Tasmania
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EDUCATION & INDUSTRY MANAGER Here’s to a great 2012! My key goals for the year, as Education and Industry Manager, are: 1. to significantly enhance the impact and management quality of the Futures in Engineering *
(FiE) program , (formerly the Engineering Initiative Program) including creating a supporting web presence, a 3x increase in the number of students directly engaged, and to increase contact with Education Department stakeholders and alumni students; 2. document the many education activities that involve EA members and resources; and 3. to actively support members in efficiently achieving Chartered S t a t u s u nd e r t h e r e v i s e d competency and application frameworks (including achieving CPEng myself in 2012).
Education Portfolio Progress with these goals has already started, with development and implementation of the new Futures in Engineering program well underway including new “Taster Days” planned in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie for all applicants (hopefully 100 students across Tasmania) on the 15 March. See our new web site for details: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/FiE I am currently recruiting 32 industry mentors from around Tasmania for the FiE and also seeking volunteers to speak to students on the 15 March or to the 32 selected students at
UTAS on the 3 May. Contact me if you are interested in serving as a mentor to a high calibre student for 5-10 days during the year. The YoRET photo competition (see notice on back page), launching this month at the YoRET dinner in Launceston, (Refer to page 3) is a key element of the Division’s activities to highlight regional Aus tralia as th e heart o f engineering. This web-based competition was conceived to efficiently and effectively “celebrate, share and inspire” members and the public with information and images of Tasmanian engineering and I am actively involved in managing this project. The competition will also be valuable in the future as a source of images and information about compelling Tasmanian projects to engage students, teachers, pathway planners and parents when presenting engineering as a cool career. Results from the photo competition will be announced during Australian Engineering Week (AEW) in August and will tour Tasmania. I will then engage contributors to seek permission to use their images in education materials and create resources focused on Tasmanian Engineering. I hope to first use these new resources in a coordinated program of visits to Tasmanian schools by volunteer engineering professionals during AEW (and National Science Week the following week). Watch out for details in coming months - I will be working with the Tasmania Division’s AEW 2012 subcommittee and other groups (WiE,
David Pointing, PhD MIEAust
YEAT) to facilitate this and other engagement ideas. I hope that many of you will find time to visit a school if we can give you a time, place, topic and resources. If the idea of shaping young minds appeals then consider also volunteering for EngQuest Engineers Australia’s fun and highly successful national outreach program for primary and middle school students. 947 students and 34 teachers from 28 schools participated in 2011 in Tasmania (of 46,000 students nation-wide). See: www.EngQuest.org.au Summary of current educationrelated volunteer opportunities: 1. Mentor Year 10 students for 510 days with the FiE program (June – October 2012). 2. Give a short talk to FiE applicants at UTAS, AMC or Burnie, 15 March 2012 3. Give a short talk to FiE students about engineering projects,UTAS, 3 May 2012 4. Visit primary and middle school students as part of the EngQuest program (any time). 5. Visit Tasmanian schools during AEW in August 2012 (further info coming soon).
* The FiE program places 32 year 10 students from across public schools in Tasmania with individual mentors from engineering industry for 5-10 days of industry experience during the year and also brings the students together as a group to visit the University of Tasmania and the Australian Maritime College at the start and end of the program. Engineering Tasmania
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EDUCATION & INDUSTRY MANAGER Industry Portfolio Significant changes to the Stage 2 competency elements that underpin Chartered Status for engineering professionals, and the associated submission process, are currently under development. The revisions will be implemented in July 2012. Information, including draft versions of the proposed 2012 competency elements, is available on the EA web site www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ ch artered s tatus. Sta keho ld er feedback is welcome. Comprehensive details of the revised competencies and submission process will also be included in the February edition of the Engineers Australia magazine. Note that one of the most significant changes is the number of competency elements to which applicants must respond (possibly 16 mandatory elements). This structure will (in my opinion) enable a more efficient process for demonstrating competency whilst maintaining the standards and rigour of professional engineering competency that underpins the value of Chartered Status. Are you pursuing Chartered Status and want to know how these changes will impact your progress in 2012? I will be joined by staff from National Office to host an information session on the competency revisions on 15 March 2012 at 4.30pm. Please email
creading@engineersaustralia.org.au to register your interest in attending. Professional Development Program (PDPs) co-ordinators will be briefed at a separate meeting. The amount of work that you have invested in writing for the current competencies will not be lost and there is a number of options going forward in the transition period to 31 December 2012. The proposed options for Members can be summarised as: 1. Continue writing CERs under the current competency framework and complete them all by the end of 2012; 2. Start from scratch with the 2012 competency elements and proceed under the new system from July 2012, using the current draft version to guide your planning; 3. Transition from the current competencies to the revised competencies by gaining credit against the new competencies. To do this you need to be on your companies PDP or sign up to an individual PDP prior to 31 March 2012.
4. Mature and experienced engineers (a minimum of 15 years experience and other conditions) can continue with the current process but changes will be implemented from July 2012.
David Pointing, PhD MIEAust
For those on or joining PDPs prior to 31 March 2012, mapping of the current competency elements to the 2012 framework will be completed before July 2012. Note that if you have begun writing CERs under the current competencies and don’t think you can complete the remaining competency elements by the end of 2012 then you must join a PDP and submit what you have for assessment prior to 31 March 2012. For those interested in contributing to the final crafting of the competency elements and process, Members are invited to submit an application to participate in the “2012 Stage 2 competency review pilot application and assessment program�. Several key stakeholder Members from Tasmania have already been nominated for participation but the offer is open to all members. See the web site for the link to the pilot program. I intend to participate in the pilot program to better understand the revised path to Chartered Status and to secure CPEng for myself (it is now time!).
www.engineersaustralia.org.au/charteredstatus Engineering Tasmania
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CONGRATULATIONS/ WELCOME
2011 Rod McGee Medal Winner
Members joining, rejoining or upgrading
MEMBERS Daniel Capece, MIEAust Matthew Horsham, MIEAust Alan Hunter, OMIEAust
GRADUATES John Bell, GradIEAust Harrendran Chandra Mohan, GradIEAust Joshua Coates, GradIEAust Daniel Ford, GradIEAust Henry Fowkes, GradIEAust Jonathan Galbraith, GradOIEAust Joel Granger, GradIEAust Andrew Hadley, GradIEAust Scott Hall, GradIEAust Liam Harrington, GradIEAust Gordon Jessup, GradIEAust Christopher Jones, GradIEAust Andrew Lewis, GradIEAust Kaitlin Langdon, GradIEAust Alvin Lau, GradIEAust Sarah Lyden, GradIEAust Thomas McGushin, GradIEAust David Palfreyman, GradIEAust Stuart Paul, GradIEAust Damian Reardon, GradIEAust Yin Saw, GradIEAust Robert Stevenson, GradIEAust Ian Sypkes, GradIEAust Lip Tan, GradIEAust Samuel Tucker, GradIEAust Jason Wigg, GradIEAust
STUDENTS (StudIEAust)
Chris Davidson (left) receives the Rod McGee Medal from Grant Atherton, member of the Civil College Board
Chris Davidson is the winner of the 2011 Rod McGee Medal. Chris completed a combined degree in civil engineering with environmental science at Griffith University. He has worked as a volunteer to build a bridge in Namibia and represented the Northern Territory in soccer. For his final year project, he worked with URS Australia to develop a field manual for inspecting wastewater storage dams for the coal seam gas industry. He hopes to work on tunneling and urban transport projects. The Rod McGee Medal was established by Engineers Australia to commemorate the contribution of Dr McGee to Australian public works engineering, and encourages final year engineering students to engage in career opportunities in public works engineering. The award is jointly sponsored by the Tasmanian Department of Infrastructure Energy & Resources and Johnstone McGee & Gandy Pty Ltd. The prize includes an engraved medallion and a $2,000 prize.
Christopher Ashcroft Samuel Davies Cameron Gibson Matthew Johnston Matthew Peart Benjamin Schaap
Engineering Tasmania
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NEW HEAD, MARITIME ENGINEERING & DEPUTY HEAD OF NATIONAL CENTRE FOR MARITIME ENGINEERING & HYDRODYNAMICS AT THE AUSTRALIAN MARITIME COLLEGE
NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA’S FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Professor JC Olivier was born and raised in the Orange Free State of South Africa in 1962, in a rural "outback" community. His father was from an immigrant family to South Africa of French and Dutch origins and worked as an Engineer in road construction. His mother who was Irish and raised two boys, JC and his younger brother Theo later died of cancer when he was in his late 20's.
Associate Professor Giles Thomas was appointed Head, Maritime Engineering and Deputy Director of the National Centre for Maritime Engineering and Hydrodynamics at the Australian Maritime College in July 2011. He is also the Manager for the Flume Tank (Circulating Water Channel) Research facility located at AMC’s Beauty Point campus. Giles was formerly the Naval Architecture Course Coordinator and Senior Lecturer within the national centre prior to changing roles. Giles has been working for AMC since 2003. His research and teaching interests are in fluid-structure interaction, hydrodynamics, full scale measurements, model testing, surfing and design. Giles works collaboratively with a variety companies and organisations including Incat Tasmania, Revolution Design, Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and Liquid Time. Giles is also a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) and a Chartered Engineer (Engineering Council of Great Britain). Associate Professor Dev Ranmuthugala, (former Head, Maritime Engineering and Deputy Director of NCMEH) still works within the AMC and was recently appointed Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching. Engineering Tasmania
JC went to the local school in the Orange Free State until he was 12, when the family moved to Pretoria, where he matriculated from the Pretoria Boys High School. After he completed high school he entered the University of Pretoria and graduated with first class Honors in Electronics Engineering in 1985. With a scholarship from the CSIRO in Pretoria, he completed the PhD in Electronics Engineering in 1990. He completed a post doctoral at the CSIRO and worked at the University of the North West in South Africa before moving to Ottawa Canada where he worked at the Bell Northern Research laboratory where the first cell phones were being developed at that time. In 1999 he accepted a position at the Nokia Research center in the United States (Dallas, Texas) as a Principle Scientist where he was one of the co-inventors and contributors towards the 2.5G and 3G wireless standards used today for internet access, and he contributed towards the emerging 4G standard until 2003. He returned to Pretoria in 2003 as a Professor of Electronics engineering at the University of Pretoria, and later accepted a joint appointment at the CSIRO and the University of Pretoria as Chief Scientist in 2009. During his time in South Africa he performed research and directed a joint Research Center between the University and the CSIRO in Defense Research and Remote Sensing. JC resigned from this position to take up a position as Professor of Engineering and Head of the School of Engineering at UTAS 1 October 2011. He has been married to Elzette for 21 years, who is also a University graduate in Engineering, and have two teenage children who attend Taroona High School in Hobart. JC has a strong interest in classical music, especially Baroque with a love of the Fugue, and plays the piano. He also reads extensively in History, Economics and Mathematics, and is a level 4.5 Doubles tennis player.
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ITEE College Update – Information, Telecommunications & Electronic Engineering Efforts to re-form a combined ITEE & Electrical committee to coordinate a technical presentations series for 2012 is underway. I am pleased to report that I have been elected as Tasmania Division’s representative on the National ITEE College. For your information, a little background about me: My first engineering role was 5 years at Directorate Navy Platform Systems (Canberra) in a Systems Engineering role, mostly on Information Engineering tasks, and in late 2011 I moved into a Network Planning role at Aurora Energy. The common interest in my studies and work to date is the use of computer visualisations to support engineering decision making processes, largely in the requirements design and procurement phases.
As a past Liaison Officer for Project Storm, a Knowledge Management research partnership between Navy and the University of Wollongong (Dr. Peter Massingham), I have an ongoing interest in how engineering skills and experience are applied in the workplace. In 2012 I look forward to exploring options with Aurora and UTAS for postgrad study in this area, with an initial focus around a paper titled “A New Accident Model for Engineering Safer Systems” (Leveson) which discusses the challenges of discovering and protecting against (only those discovered) failure modes with safety consequences in complex engineering systems. Research areas like this demonstrate to me that it’s an exciting time for Information Engineering! To kickstart the year I will provide a presentation on the Tuesday, 20 March titled “Geospatial Modelling of the Aurora Electrical Distribution Network: Fault Level Planning” in the Royal Engineers Building commencing at 6.00pm. Full details will be in the March edition of the newsletter. Other topics for discussion are: Tasmania Division is seeking to re-establish a committee to promote the work in the ITEE space, by
members and non-members of Engineers Australia alike. Thank you to those who have already shown an interest to the call in late 2011, but of course there was lots on at the end of year and we ran out of time. As 2012 gets underway, I’d like to renew the call for all interested members to provide some ideas (and hopefully lean on some contacts) towards the technical presentation series. The ITEE Committee would also discuss news and events in the space. Along with discussion, ideally the Committee would like to report on what the latest developments mean to Engineers Australia members and the wider public. If you’re interested in contributing please send an email to Catherine Reading at creading@engineersaustralia.org.au so we can arrange an introductory meeting.
Engineering Tasmania
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YOUNG ENGINEERS Tim Sutton, MIEAust Chair, Young Engineers Tasmania
Happy New Year from Young Engineers Tasmania (YEAT). I trust that everyone had a relaxing Christmas break, are recharged, and ready to participate in the events planned for 2012. My name is Tim Sutton and I have the privileged task of continuing on from Immediate Past Chair, Sandra Thaow as the 2012 Chair of YEAT. I would like to thank Sandra and acknowledge her sterling efforts over the past two years. One of her standout achievements was enhancing the Committee’s involvement with the University of Tasmania’s Engineering Society so as to help improve the transition from study to work. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the contri buti ons of the 2011 Committee members who accomplished much on local and national levels. December 2011 finished the year off in style with our joint Division, Women in Engineering and YEAT Christmas function at Customs House on the Hobart waterfront. The event was very enjoyable and successful. Congratulations to Dr Jane Sargison, who was presented with her National Professional Engineer of the Year Award and Fellow certificate. David Mounter was also presented with his Fellow certificate. December also our inaugural Graduation designed the
saw the success of UTas Engineering Cocktail event, let the Graduates
Engineering Tasmania
unwind somewhat after a triumphant year of hitting the books. Congratulations to everyone involved. I am pleased to introduce your YEAT committee for 2012: Tim Sutton – Chair Adela Parnell – Vice Chair Sandra Thaow – Immediate Past Chair Michael Sylvester – National Representative James Porter Jessica Andrewartha Ben Johnston Hannah Atkins Tim Tritton Andrew Boyd (based in the north) Tung Hoang – Tasmanian Division Representative This year you will see the reappearance of some of our flagship events, such as barbeques, quiz nights, site visits, social evenings, CPEng workshops, university/school visits, and various skills sessions. We also look forward to promoting and co-branding some of the events in conjunction with our affiliate organisations such as Young Professionals Network Tasmania (YPNT) and Women in Engineering (WIE). Stay tuned for our calendar of events to be released shortly.
Our first combined Division event for 2012 is the Year of the Regional Engineering Team launch consisting of a tour of the Australian Maritime College (AMC) and dinner at The Boathouse on Northbank, in Launceston. Come along and hear guest speakers Bill Lawson (SKM) and Adj Prof David Hood (2012 National President, Engineers Australia) share their thoughts on this year’s theme from unique perspectives. The AMC tour commences at 3:45pm on campus and the dinner is at 5:30pm, on Tuesday February 21. If you are under 35 (for EA, that’s the apparent delineation between young and old!) or within three years of graduation and are interested in getting involved with YEAT, I invite you to come along to our next Committee meeting at the Royal Engineers Building, 2 Davey Street Hobart. All the details can be found on our Facebook page. There are many opportunities to meet new people and expand your horizons, so come along and meet the Committee and get involved! For more information feel free to c o n t a c t u s a t yeatas@engineersaustralia.org.au
Tim Sutton, MIEAust YEAT Chair
February 2012
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YOUNG ENGINEERS AUSTRALA NATIONAL COMMITTEE REPORT The Young Engineers Australia National meeting was held on 22-23 November 2011 to coincide with the Engineering Excellence Awards. Once again, it was an action packed agenda that drove some very successful outcomes. The meeting was held in Canberra, which is the home of the national EA office and the opportunity was taken to deal in person with a number of EA staff and influence some outcomes that we have been working toward. Our new YEA National Chair, Sofia Sapojnikova presented the findings of the YEA National Survey on Chartered Status to Congress. The timing of this presentation couldn’t have been better with Congress themselves presenting some of their own work on the matter. It is fair to say that our piece of work was nothing short of A1+ and truly showed to the broader congress the influence and capability that the YEA special interest group has within the membership base. Our findings were received well and it took us about 45 minutes to get out of the building due to the long queue of people wishing to congratulate us and inquire further about our research.
CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH SANDRA THAOW AND JESS ANDREWARTHA WHO WERE MARRIED OVER THE CHRISTMAS BREAK !!
Sandra Thaow, MIEAust CPEng our 2011 Young Engineers Tasmania Chair married Steve Burman at the Cornelian Bay Boathouse on the 31 December 2011
You may have seen some recent news in other EA publications or blogs regarding the assessment process for Chartered Status. This process is being revamped by EA, including a modified set of competencies and an online submission process. This is a good change and something that demonstrates that EA are listening to the needs of its membership base. I wish to acknowledge the work of our YEA National Past Chair, Jess Andrewartha who handed over the chair -baton to Sofia at the last meeting. Jess has provided great leadership to YEA over the last six years and especially over the last two in her tenure’s as Vice-Chair and Chair. At the upcoming February meeting we will be voting for the Vice-Chair for 2012 that will ultimately hold the Chair position in 2013.
Jess Andrewartha, MIEAust our Past YEA National Chair and also Past YEAT Chair married Karl Walker, MIEAust at St David’s Cathedral on Friday, 6 January 2012
Mike Sylvester, MIEAust CPEng 2011 YEAT National Representative
Engineering Tasmania
February 2012
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WOMEN IN ENGINEERING Women in Engineering, Tasmania Attract. Support. Develop. Celebrate. Nyssa Muir, GradIEAust
Our mission is to increase the participation of women in the engineering profession and allow our members’ aspirations to flourish.
Events In the pipeline for 2012
More joint events with WIS, YEAT and CELM Site tour to the Tungatinah Modernisation Project Professional Seminars Before or after work networking WIE Committee meetings at various workplaces
If you have a fabulous idea for an event, the WIE committee would love to hear it. You can email us at wietas@gmail.com Engineers Australia Tasmania Division & Young Engineers Tasmania
YoRET Launch Event: Regional Site Tour and YoRET Dinner Date: Tuesday, 21 February 2012 The Women in Engineering Committee are heading to Launceston for this event. We would love to meet as many Northern female members as possible, so pop along and meet your 2012 Committee. WIE Tas Committee Meeting When: 12:30pm - 1:30pm Date: Thursday, 23 February 2012 Where: Hydro Tasmania, 4 Elizabeth Street, Hobart What: To promote the WIE and the work the Committee performs, we are holding our February meeting at Hydro Tasmania. Come along and have a bite to eat and hear about the work we do and have the opportunity to have your say. RSVP: Catherine Reading by Thursday, 16 February creading@engineersaustralia.org.au
News We’re on Facebook! The WIE Tas Group has its very own page on Facebook. Log on, find us and ‘Like’ us! Engineering Tasmania
We are using this communication medium (i.e. social networking) to advertise our events and post photos and whatnot. With more than 800 million Facebook users, it was inevitable that we’d embrace FB eventually!
facebook.com/wietasmania
National WIE Committee – New Chair
Michelle Thompson has been elected as the incoming Chair for Women in Engineering National Committee for 2012 and 2013.
Michelle has been the WIE National Committee representative on the Chemical College and Committee Promotions Co-ordinator for the past two years. She was instrumental in launching the women in engineering profiles on the "Make it So" webpage and many other activities to promote WIE initiatives and women in engineering in general. She is also a key member in the industry blue print work group. With Michelle's leadership, we can expect to see WIE in reaching the next height.
Reflection First newsletter for 2012… Did you know that 2012 is; A leap year Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese calendar Recognised as the International Year of Cooperatives by the United Nations Australian Year Of The Farmer International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, as declared by all UN Member States
February 2012
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What stops Women from reaching the top?
ADVANCE NOTICE AUSTRALIAN RAINFALL AND RUNOFF SEMINAR People and Vehicle Stability in Floods & 2D Modelling in Urban Areas
This is not a topic that I have any experience on (i.e. I have not spent a lengthy time in business to begin to answer this, and, I have trouble reaching the top bookshelf let alone ‘the top’ of the business structures). But that’s ok because the clever folks at Bain & Company have done an excellent study on just this topic. This well researched piece was published late last year and supported by the Chief Executive Women Group. It is available here; http://www.bain.com/offices/australia/en_us/ publications/what-stops-women-from-reaching-thetop.aspx It contains some startling facts such as, “62 per cent of ASX 200 companies do not have any female senior executives”, however it also provides some data to indicate the trend towards gender equality at the executive level is growing, albeit slowly. Specifically, they sought to understand the relative impact of both the structural issues (policies and work practices) that create barriers for women and the cultural issues (beliefs, stereotypes, values) that create biased perceptions about women’s ability to lead effectively. If you have the time, I highly suggest you have a read of this report, especially before your next performance review! Quote of the month “The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.” - Theodore Rubin
DATE:
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
TIME:
12.15pm (light lunch provided) 12.30pm to 2.00pm Seminar
PLACE:
Old Woolstore Theatrette 1 Macquarie Street, Hobart
SPEAKER:
Grantley Smith UNSW Water Research Laboratory (WRL)
Grantley Smith is a Senior Engineer at the University of New South Wales Water Research Laboratory. He has over 20 years’ experience in hydrological processes as they relate to flow forecasting floodplain hydraulics, and floodplain management. Prior to joining the WRL in 2009, Grantley was NSW State Manager for DHI Water and Environment where he helped pioneer the use of 2D hydrodynamic models for floodplain inundation. He is currently Chair of the Water Panel for the Sydney Division of Engineers Australia. THIS IS A FREE EVENT
WIE Committee Members: Women in Engineering Committee Members: Meredith McQueen, Fiona Evershed, Erin Jackson, Nyssa Muir, Sarah Kube, Dr. Shuhong Chai Email: wietas@gmail.com www.womeninengineering.com.au
Engineering Tasmania
RSVP: To Catherine Reading 6234 2228 or creading@engineersaustralia.org.au by no later than Tuesday, 6 March 2012
More Details are available www.engineersaustralia.org.au/tasevents
February 2012
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Engineering Tasmania
February 2012
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NORTH WEST GROUP
NORTH WEST GROUP DATE:
Thursday 23 February 2012
TIME:
5.15 pm Assembly 5.30 pm Technical Tour Start 6.30 pm Walk to Burnie Waterfront Precinct via new Boardwalk for dinner meal
PLACE:
Makers Workshop - Bass Highway Burnie (access opposite BP Service Station) Meet in the carpark on the north side of the Makers Workshop building
Technical Tour – Bass Highway/ West Park Grove Intersection and Burnie Waterfront The Bass Highway/West Park Grove Intersection at Burnie is currently being upgraded to a four way signalised junction to provide a new access to the West Park Precinct. The foreshore precinct on Burnie’s West Beach headland next to the new Makers Workshop and West Park Oval provides for exciting future development opportunities for built and recreational space. The $3M Burnie Council project part funded by the Tasmanian Government includes a local realignment of the Bass Highway, a west bound slip lane to West Park Grove and caters for all turn movements into and out of the site. To add to the complexity of the project there are a plethora of underground services to be relocated outside the highway travel lanes including a major sewer rising main, gas, water and power trunk mains. Nic Bromhall, Project Manager for Shaw Contracting and Rowan Sharman, Manager Engineering Services for Burnie City Council will host a Technical Tour of the project. Work began in early October 2011 and is scheduled for completion in April 2012. There will be many interesting civil construction features to look over. This event will also include a short guided tour of Burnie’s exciting waterfront development that has taken shape over the last couple of years. Enjoy a visit to the Makers Workshop then a twilight stroll along the boardwalk to the brand new waterfront space featuring a terraced sea wall and wet play area with sea creatures before winding up the evening with a dinner at Bayviews Restaurant overlooking magnificent West Beach to Bass Strait. Tour attendance is free. Dinner is optional and a subsidy for members and partners will be provided on the night. Nonmembers most welcome at own meal cost. Please bring along safety vests if you have. RSVP: Rowan Sharman – rsharman@burnie.net or 6430 5752 by Monday, 13 February 2012 THIS MEETING WARRANTS 1.5 HOURS CPD
Engineering Tasmania
DATE: Wednesday, 7 March 2012 TIME:
6.00 pm 6.30 pm 7.15 pm
Assemble for pre dinner drinks Dinner Annual General Meeting Talk by Keith Midson, FIEAust CPEng 7.45 pm Presentation - Don Anderson 9:15 pm Close
PLACE: Ulverstone Civic Centre - Gawler Room
“Low Carbon and Eco – Friendly Residential Construction Here & There” Don Anderson will provide a brief overview of some of the progress being made with eco–friendly and low carbon residential construction in parts of southern Australia as well as a comparison with progress in Scotland and England. Don recently completed a tour of parts of England and Scotland and was able to view:Low carbon construction 5000 years ago at Scara Brae Examples of low energy residences being tested at the British Research Establishment in Watford. A recently constructed eco-friendly affordable housing estate in Swindon supported by Kevin McCloud (host of Grand Designs television program) The progress of low energy, low carbon housing at Findhorn village in Scotland, founded in the 1960’s
Don Anderson, SMIEAust CPEng Don completed a Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Tasmania in 1979 and inially worked on the NW coast as a civil/structural engineer with RM Foster and Associates. He spent aproximately 5 years in Launceston with Smith Sale & Burbury before returning to Devonport with Tasmanian Consulting Service. In 1999, Don had a brief stint with Port of Devonport Authority, before joining Devonport City Council to manage the external workforce. He resigned as Manager Infrastructure Services following a major re-structure in 2008. Don is now a sole practioner, specialising in residential and lowrise commercial structural and civil design. MEAL COST: $15 Members & partners $25 Non Members Attendance for the AGM and presentation is FREE of charge at 7.15 pm RSVP:
Vere Cooper vere.cooper@cmwater.com.au or 6498 7920 by Thursday, 1 March 2012
February 2012
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CALENDAR 2012 For up to date information on these and other events, please visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/tasevents
FEBRUARY Thursday 9 - Geomechanics - 46th Terzaghi Lecture Downunder “Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil: From the Experimental to the Familiar” - Professor Emeritus Robert D. Holtz - 5.30pm for 6.00pm - Royal Engineers Building, 2 Davey Street, Hobart - RSVP by Monday, 6 February to Catherine Reading 6234 2228 or creading@engineersaustralia.org.au (Refer to page 18) Tuesday 21 - LAUNCESTON - Year of The Regional Engineering Team Launch - Tour of the AMC 3.45pm to 5.00pm - Dinner at the Boathouse 5.30pm to 8.00pm Complete and return the registration form on the TasEvents website at: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/tasevents to Catherine Reading 6234 2228 or creading@engineersaustralia.org.au by Monday, 13 February. (Refer to page 3) Thursday 23 - North West Group - TECHNICAL TOUR Bass Highway/West Park Grove Intersection & Burnie Waterfront - 5.15pm for 5.30pm - RSVP to Rowan Sharman 6430 5752 or rsharman@burnie.net (Refer to page 19)
MARCH Wednesday 7 - North West Group - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & Dinner Meeting - “Low Carbon and Eco Friendly Residential Construction Here & There” - Don Anderson, SMIEAust CPEng - 6.00 for 6.30pm - Ulverstone Civic Centre - $15 Members or $25 Non Members - RSVP to Vere Cooper 0427 313 823 or vere.cooper@cmwater.com.au (Refer to page 19) Tuesday 13 - Rainfall and Runoff Seminar covering People & Vehicle Stability in Floods & 2D Modelling in Urban Areas - FREE EVENT - Grantley Smith (UNSW Water Research Laboratory) - 12.15pm Light Lunch - 12.30pm to 2.00pm Seminar - Old Woolstore Theatrette, 1 Macquarie Street, Hobart RSVP to Catherine Reading 6234 2228 or creading@engineersaustralia.org.au (Refer to page 17) Thursday 15 - Chartered Status Competency Revision Seminar - 4.30pm - Venue TBA (Refer to page 10) Tuesday 20 - Joint ITEE & Electrical - “Geospatial Modelling of the Aurora Electrical Distribution Network: Fault Level Planning” - Kurt Pudniks, MIEAust CPEng (Distribution Engineer, Aurora Energy) - 5.45pm for 6.00pm - Royal Engineers Building, 2 Davey Street, Hobart - 6.30pm Nibbles & Networking - RSVP to Catherine Reading 6234 2228 or creading@engineersaustralia.org.au (Refer to page 13) Thursday 29 - Heritage - “Tasmania’s Torpedo Boat TB1” Donald Chisholm Smith - 7.00pm - Royal Engineers Building, 2 Davey Street, Hobart - RSVP to Catherine Reading 6234 2228 or creading@engineersaustralia.org.au
Engineering Tasmania
Tasmanian Engineering 2012 photo competition “celebrate, share and inspire” with your photos and stories of Tasmanian people, projects and places as part of the Year of the Regional Engineering Team. Online submission (via Flickr.com). Open to EA members and the public. Tasmania, North, South and NW region categories. Entries open until 30 June 2012, winners announced during Australian Engineering Week 2012 (August).
www.engineersaustralia.org.au/tasphotocomp February 2012
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