April 2011 Newsletter
It's hard to believe that we are at the end of April already, this year is certainly flying by. The highlights of the past couple of months have been the Gala Dinner and the Sponsors Cocktail Party. Both of these events were well attended and, overall, very successful . It was great to have our political friends Rob Knight and Gerry Woods at the Gala dinner. A special thank you to Gerry for judging the paper house building contest. A special thank you also to Bronwyn, Karen and their team for all the hard work they put into organising these events. I attended the National President's forum in Canberra, in early March this year where, among other things, we spent a considerable amount of time discussing Chartered Status and our proposed support for the national registration of engineers. There is a national committee looking into the relevance of chartered status at the moment. It is sad but there are many members of the engineering team who still question the relevance of becoming chartered. When people question the relevance of becoming chartered we should all tell them that chartered status an individual's badge of competence reflected in the 3 C's The individual is: COMPETENT: Stage 1 competencies have been attained CAPABLE: Chartered status has been attained - The individual has been assessed by his peers CURRENT: Continuing Professional Development has been maintained. We know that it isn't easy to obtain chartered status, it was never supposed to be easy, it is as I said, a badge of your competency and we should all be striving to achieve this goal.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Engineering Excellence awards which are only just around the corner. Len Chappell Northern Division President
Photographs from Supporters Cocktail Function (see inside for article and pics)
Partners
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President’s Report Sponsor’s Cocktail Function Meet the Management Committee - Tom Gooding GradIEAust Jabiru Representative Award Winners - Jactina Kelly GradIEAust Australian Federation of University Award - Daly Kelly, GradIEAust Sommerville Community Award People in Engineering Awards Gala Dinner Book your tickets for the Engineering Excellence Awards CPD in the Division Director’s Report Engineering Excellence Awards Technical Presentation and Dinner Alice Springs International speaker visits Darwin John Carpenter CEng FIStructE Katherine Networking Dinner and Engineering Excellence Award Technical Presentation - Darwin Plaquing Ceremonies - Roper River - Katherine/dinner Cyclone Yasi Technical Report Darwin Science & Eng. Challenge Dates for your diary
Supporters Cocktail Function - March 2011 Over 50 sponsors and members attended the 2011 sponsors cocktail function on 31st March. The event was held in the upstairs function room at Char Restaurant. This event is an opportunity to say thank you to our very important sponsors who assist in helping the Northern Division to continue to provide events and activities which help towards members CPD (Chartered Professional Development) and many other activities that the Division run throughout the year including programmes to encourage our young people to choose engineering as a career of choice. Without our sponsors the Division would not be able to continue to function and we thank you all very much for your ongoing commitment .
Produced by: Engineers Australia Northern Division 14 Shepherd Street Darwin NT 0800 Phone: (08) 8981 4137 Fax: (08) 8941 3449 Email: nt@engineersaustralia.org.au Web: www.nt.engineersaustralia.org.au Content was correct at time of printing. Please check the website for the most up to date listings of events and programs. Advertising Please contact Karen Relph by email krelph@engineersaustralia.org.au Editorial krelph@engineersaustralia.org.au
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Meet our Management Committee Members Tom Gooding - GradIEAust B. Engineering (Mechatronic) & B. Finance I have recently joined the Northern Division of Engineers Australia and am proud to be the Jabiru representative for the Northern Division Committee. With a Bachelor of Mechatronic Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Finance from the University of Adelaide, I have a range of skills and experience mainly within the resources industry. I moved to Darwin from Adelaide with my wife Jade in May 2010 to work for Energy Resources Australia at the Ranger Mine. I have a FIFO role with ERA as a Mechanical Project Engineer within the Engineering and Projects Team which is a chal-
lenging yet rewarding role. I have previously worked as an engineer for BHP Billiton on a number of projects, including Olympic Dam (in Roxby Downs), the Olympic Dam Expansion Project and the BHP Billiton Mine Automation Project. I have also worked for Rio Tinto at the Yarwun Alumina Refinery in Gladstone, Xstrata Mines in Mt Isa and New Castalloy in Adelaide. This year I am planning on improving ERA’s partnership with Engineers Australia and increasing the level of awareness and participation in becoming a chartered engineer for personnel at Jabiru. I am aiming to gain CPEng status next year and look forward to exploring more of the Top End in the mean time.
FOR YOUR DIARY! 2011 Engineering Excellence Awards People’s Choice Award Casuarina Shopping Centre (Outside Best and Less) 12th to 19th June 2011 This is your opportunity to vote for the project of your choice and support the entrants
Want to get Chartered!! Chris Jenkins, Northern Division’s National Assessor is conducting a Chartered Presentation in both Darwin and Alice Spring. The presentations will provide you with important information on becoming Chartered Darwin 24th May 7.30am Alice Springs 27th June 5.30pm (CAT Project Offices) To register for these events visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/northern/events And you can register for either the Darwin or Alice Springs Event
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Jacinta Kelly, GradIEAust - Winner Australian Federation of University Women Award Jacinta has a passion for Science and Engineering which has led her to graduate from Charles Darwin University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours, and the prestigious University Medal. She has published an academic paper with Dr Wee King Soh on ‘An analysis on free convection flow in building ventilation’ which was presented at the 3rd International Solar Energy Society Conference, Asia Pacific Region in November 2008. Jacinta has been involved in numerous community activites such as speaking at Northern Territory high schools promoting engineering as a career and organising or volunteering at Young Engineers Australia (Northern Division) events for young engineers. She has also been employed by Charles Darwin University since 2006 as a casual lecturer and tutor for various engineering subjects in both the VET and HE sectors. Her community work and academic success saw her awarded the Australian Federation of University Women Award.
EngQuest - Get Behind it Now!
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Keeping it in the family - Daly Kelly, Grad IEAust wins Community Service Award The Young Achiever Awards are held annually in the Northern Territory, and I was the recipient of the Somerville Community Services award for 2011. About 12 months after I first arrived in Darwin I got involved with an organisation called the St Vincent De Paul Society. I volunteered to be a part of a group of young adults - our plan was to gather a group of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and take them out for a day of fun and activities once a month. Our first outing was to Leanyer Water Park, there were about 8 adults and 12 kids. It was a fun day - and I enjoyed myself immensely. This first day happened in November 2007, and since then I have been a regular attendee on these monthly outings, and I was the president of this group for two years from 2008-2010. I have also been involved with Engineers Australia on several occasions to assist volunteering for events, including the Sunchase Solar Car program and YEAND events. Volunteering your time is a great way to get involved in the community, and I encourage everyone to try it out when they get a chance.
Diploma in Project Management Course Opportunity to Upskill your Engineering Team The Engineering Education Australia (EEA) Project Management Practice Course is a special series of five x two day courses/modules to support the development of Engineering Project Managers. This comprehensive and practical program is delivered specifically for Engineering Project Managers. It is endorsed and recognised by the Australian Institute of Project Managers (AIPM), Project Management Institute (PMI) and Engineers Australia for Continuing Professional Development. e Module dates: Module 1—Thurs 2 & Fri 3 June Module 2—Thurs 8 & Fri 9 Sept Module 3— Thurs 10 & Fri 11 Nov Module 4— Thurs 2 & Fri 3 Feb 2012 Module 5— TBC
Nominate now People in Engineering Awards Visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ awards and nominate online today!
Places are limited so be quick to register. Visit the website www.eeaust.com.au and register today! Please contact Karen or Bronwyn on 8981 4137 or by email.
Details of criteria for entrants and categories are available on-line!
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2011 Gala Dinner - Would you live in these Shelters in a Disaster? The 2011 Gala Dinner was held on Wednesday 6th March at the Holiday Inn and was attended by over 180 members and guests. This is a record for the dinner. In keeping with the theme “Year of Humanitarian Engineering”, Dan Baschiera from Charles Darwin University was the keynote speaker and talked TCM’s winning entry about humanitarian issues in today’s world. Bronwyn explained to the audience that Charles Darwin University was the only university in Australia to offer under graduate Bachelor of Humanitarian Studies. Gerry Wood, MLA was appointed as expert judge – one participant tried to bribe Gerry with money with another advising that “no chickens” were harmed in building their structure. Table 4 thought Minister, Rob Knight, MLA was judging and therefore plastered their structure with page 3 girls from the NT News – it didn’t work. The activity this year was building a shelter out of the Northern Territory Newspaper and masking tape. There was certainly some creative constructions and not sure if you would trust them during a catastrophic event. Competition was strong (pardon the pun) with first prize going to Townes Chappell Mudgway combined tables winning for their innovative igloo style shelter which could actually house 4 people comfortably. Macmahon table was a close second but they utilised a chair which eliminated them from winning. The wooden spoon definitely was awarded to Charles Darwin University teachers table. David Lilley, Chair of Structural Engineering quoted the following when presenting their structure “ those who can do, those who can’t teach” and this certainly applied to their effort. The President’s table structure was a close second to the wooden spoon award. The event continues to grow each year and is a much anticipated event on the Engineers Australia Northern Division event calendar. P.S. Where’s Gerry
TCM Winning Team
Prize presentations
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More pics from the Gala Dinner—lots of fun and laughter
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Engineering Excellence Awards - Get your tickets early
REGISTER NOW FOR THE 2011 NORTHERN DIVISION ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS Thursday, 21 July 2011 – 6:30pm – 12 Midnight Skyline Marquee, Darwin Turf Club, Fannie Bay
The theme for this year’s event is the “Year of Humanitarian Engineering”
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Early Bird Registrations – Members $144pp Early Bird Registrations – Non-Members $155pp • Early Bird Registration – Corporate Table 10 (Members) $1440 Early Bird Registration – Corporate Table 10 (Non-Members) $1550 (Early Bird Registrations available until 1 June 2011).
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For your diary! Don’t forget that the Division hosts monthly events for our members Many of these events contribute to your CPD hours within the Division Look out for your weekly email for details and registration!
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One third of the year has passed us by and we have been busy planning a range of events and activities for you. We have a strong list of eminent speakers coming so please support these people as well as our regular technical presentations. What fun we all had at the Gala dinner. Some of the structures were of a questionable standard I have to admit but the hive of activity indicated the strong competitive nature of some tables! Thanks to everyone who supported this event, one of our key ones for the year. The Engineering Excellence Awards are well under way and I would encourage you to make your bookings now for the event on Thursday 21 July. This is our party night of the year. Some serious parts for recognition, as well as fun dancing time. There are lead up activities to the event with a presentation evening in Katherine on Tuesday 24 May and Alice Springs on Monday 30 May. Please check the weekly email for further details and how to book on the website. The full range of projects will be presented to you at Darwin City Council on 8th June (tentative only at this stage). These are all CPD activities for your life long learning opportunities. Groote Eylandt will also have a dinner in June when the National President, Merv Lindsay is in the NT. It is important that you support these programs so let us know if you are planning to come. If you register, then we cater for you and there is a cost associated with this. At this stage members have free access to most of our CPD events however if we have too many people failing to appear then we might need to implement a minimal cost to cover these expenses. We want to provide you with professional development so please take advantage of the skills of our presenters. Another opportunity is available to get a qualification in Project Management through Engineering Education Australia this year. This is a 5 module Diploma program which is endorsed by the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) and aligned to both the Australian National Competency Standards and the PMBoK. Please look at the information on the website for more detail. The first module will be in June 2011 and will be held in Darwin eliminating travel and accommodation costs. I look forward to the remainder of the year and seeing you at many events.
Young Engineers Meet n Greet The Young Engineers hosted their first get together at the Pirates Bar at Charles Darwin University on Friday 1st April at 6.30pm. About 15 members and students turned up to enjoy a barbecue and win a couple of prizes, including tickets to the Engineers Australia Gala Dinner. This is an opportunity for new students to become members of Engineers Australia free of charge.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 2011 Sponsorship opportunities are now available for Engineers Australia Northern Division. You may wish to sponsor the Engineering Excellence Awards, Youth Programs or other opportunities which are contained in the prospectus For a copy of the sponsorship prospectus, please contact Karen or Kristy on 8981 4137 or email Karen at krelph@engineersaustralia.org.au Or visit the website www.engineersaustralia.org.au
Bronwyn Russell Director
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Engineering Excellence AwardsTechnical Presentations - Alice Springs The 2011 Engineering Excellence Awards are just about upon us. Judging is commencing in May with Engineers Australia hosting the technical presentations for Alice Springs projects along with a dinner at the Alice Springs Convention Centre on 30th May from 6:00pm for pre-dinner drinks.. The technical presentations provide an opportunity for entrants to show ’n tell the judges , members and interested parties about their projects, in particular the Engineering aspects, as well as any environmental, humanitarian and consultation that was required before completion of the Project.
Technical Presentation and Dinner Date: Monday, 30th May 2011 Time: 6.00pm pre-dinner drinks Venue: Alice Springs Convention Centre, Ghan Foyer Registration on-line: Visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/events Cost $55.00 per person (includes 3 course dinner). Drinks on consumption Please support our project entrants who put so much work into their entries You may be visiting Alice Springs from Darwin or regions so show your support for our regional entrants!
International Speaker Coming to Darwin! Topic: Robustness & Disproportionate Collapse Date: 23rd June 2011 Time: 12 noon Venue: Engineers Australia, 14 Shepherd St, Darwin John Carpenter CEng FIStructE FICE CFIOSH heralding from Manchester UK is visiting Australia for the IAHR 34th Bienniel Congress being held in Brisbane from 26 June to 1 July 2011. John has spent most of his career with consulting engineers working on Highway and building structures. For the last nine years he has been self-employed specialising in occupational health and structural safety (and health) risk management. John has contributed to IStructE Centenary Journals and has written a number of UK industry guides. He is currently secretary to the UK Temporary Works Forum.
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Tropical Cyclone Yasi: Structural Damage to Buildings Cyclone Testing Station Report TR57 Executive Summary Tropical Cyclone Yasi (TC Yasi) made landfall in the early hours of Thursday 3rd February 2011 with the eye passing over the Mission Beach region. The maximum wind gusts at the standard 10 m reference height in flat open country (i.e. Terrain Category 2 per AS/NZS 1170.2), were estimated to be 140 to 225 km/h with a 10% error margin, across the area stretching from Townsville to Innisfail. The range of wind speeds across the impacted region is equivalent to 55% to 90% of typical housing‟s ultimate limit state design wind speed (V500) which is nominally 250 km/h. The localities away from the Mission Beach to Cardwell region experienced gust wind speeds towards the lower end of the stated range. A destructive storm surge was recorded between Clump Point and Lucinda but fortunately it did not coincide with a high tide. Even so significant damage to several structures resulted from storm surge. There was little surge North of Clump Point and a reduced surge was recorded along the coast, South of Lucinda. Planning and the development of new construction requirements for buildings within a storm surge zone are recommended in order to reduce the risk of structural damage in future events. Under wind load actions, buildings correctly designed and constructed to the standards/requirements introduced in the 1980s performed well. The exceptions were roller doors, tiled roofs and water entry. Each of these has been specifically addressed in the report, including recommendations for improvement in each case. Typically less than 3% of all Post-80s houses in the worst affected areas experienced significant roof damage, although more than 12% of the Pre-80s housing inspected had significant roof damage. More than 20% of the Pre-80s housing in some towns had significant roof loss. Inspections for possible hidden structural damage are suggested. Recommendations are made for the upgrading of Pre-80s housing to improve the resilience of communities along with ongoing maintenance programs. The generally low incidence of damage in the Post-80s buildings indicates that the current building practices are able to deliver a satisfactory outcome for most of the building structure at these load levels, as should be expected since the wind speeds were less than the design criteria. The study reinforced the need to design the whole low rise
building envelope, including cladding, doors, windows, roller doors, eaves lining and skylights to resist the expected ultimate limit states wind forces. It also highlighted the role of dominant openings in determining the internal pressures in buildings. The report recommends changes to AS 4055 with respect to calculating topographic classes. It also suggests an investigation into requirements in AS/NZS 1170.2 for determining internal pressures in tropical cyclone-prone areas. It details recommendations for improving AS/NZS 4505 on roller doors and AS 2050 on roof tiles. Other key recommendations relate to construction of a „strong compartment‟ within each residence for protection of life in case the building envelope is breached by large windborne debris and/or wind speeds exceeding design levels. With current design requirements, water ingress through the building envelope is inevitable at wind speeds near the ultimate limit state, and unless new water-tightness requirements are developed, materials and fittings should be selected with a view to their resilience to winddriven rain. The report has highlighted the inadequacy of the sparse anemometer network along the tropical coast. Due to the importance of determining the wind speeds that impacted the communities for building code development and emergency response planning, the report recommends that systems be put in place to establish more anemometers providing better coverage during tropical cyclone events. T his Executive Summary is reproduced with permission from the CTS. Readers should access the full report. The full report should be accessed at the CTS website, through James Cook University http://www.jcu.edu.au/cts/public/groups/everyone/ documents/technical_report/jcu_078421.pdf LIMITATIONS OF THE REPORT The Cyclone Testing Station (CTS) has taken all reasonable steps and due care to ensure that the information contained herein is correct at the time of publication. CTS expressly exclude all liability for loss, damage or other consequences that may result from the application of this report. This Executive Summary is reproduced with permission from the CTS. Readers should access the full report.
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Darwin Science and Engineering Challenge 2011 May 4th & 5th saw the Science & Engineering Challenge come back to Darwin, with some surprizes in store for everyone. Engineers Australia staff worked for months with Charles Darwin University, the Department of Education and Training and the Rotary Club of Darwin North to organise this well attended event. With 14 teams from 11 Schools from Darwin, Palmerston & Katherine, 350 students got ready to build houses to withstand cyclonic wind, monsoonal rains and harsh heat, stability controlled moon buggy’s and of course, the tennis ball armed catapult Students appeared in droves on Wednesday morning, and eager (and some not so eager) students came to compete for a chance to head down to Wangarrata for the National Competition. First timers, Katherine High School gave an outstanding performance, just losing out to Essington Senior School in the last activity, ‘Gold Fever’ bridge building. Essington Senior School went on to take out the Wednesday Champion Trophy, and highest points overall. Reigning winners, Darwin High School went up against eager schools including, Essington Middle School, Casuarina Senior College, Sanderson High School and St Johns College on Thursday. With the late arrival of Taminmin High School, after misplacing a student, doubts surfaced over the ability for the students to complete their tasks in time. The students knuckled down and worked hard to catch up – and their hard work paid off, gaining the highest points of the day and Thursday’s Champion Trophy. For the students of Essington Senior School, now all they can do is wait for the final results of the Alice Springs Science & Engineering Challenge, to see which team, with the highest points overall in the Northern Territory, will go ahead to the Grand Challenge in October this year. Such activities couldn’t go ahead without the generous support of the volunteers. Keely, Mel & Chris would like to thank all the volunteers who took time from their busy schedules to assist. Reports back indicate that this has been the best organised and run event so far, and that was due to the effort of all the volunteers – so THANK YOU! Keep an eye out for details of the 2012 Grand Science & Engineering Challenge – it will be in Darwin next year!
Keely Quinn Youth Programs Co-ordinator
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Date/Time
Host
Event
Venue/Cost/Registration
17th May
Science & Engineering Committee
Science & Engineering Challenge
Alice Springs Volunteers needed
24th May 7.30am
Engineers Australia National Assessor
Chartered Presentation
Engineers Australia 14 Shepherd Street, Darwin
27th May
Engineers Australia
2011 Engineering Excellence Awards People in Engineering Submissions due
Engineers Australia 14 Shepherd Street, Darwin
23rd May Roper River 12 noon
Engineers Australia Dept of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport
Plaquing Ceremonies “Young Australian” Roper River”,
Roper River
24th May 5:00pm
Engineers Australia Dept of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport
Stuart Hwy, Plaquing Ceremony
Katherine Low Level
24th May 6.00pm
Engineers Australia Dept of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport
Meet the National Heritage President, Katherine Technical Presentation Tindal Air Base 2011 Engineering Excellence Awards Entrant $50 pp
Stonegrill Paraway Motel, Katherine www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ northern/events
30th May 6.30pm
Engineers Australia CAT Projects
2011 Engineering Excellence Awards Technical Presentation Dinner $55 pp
Alice Springs Convention Centre Ghan Foyer Www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ northern/events
8th June 5.30pm
Darwin City Council Engineers Australia
Technical Presentation 2011 Engineering Excellence Awards
Darwin City Council Upstairs Function Room
9th June 12 noon
Engineers Australia
Tony Wong Eminent Speaker (details to be provided)
Engineers Australia 14 Shepherd Street, Darwin
12th—19th June
Engineers Australia 2011 Engineering Excellence Award project entrants
People’s Choice Awards
Casuarina Shopping Centre Outside Best and Less
23rd June 12 noon
Engineers Australia
John Carpenter CEng FIStructE Robustness and Disproportionate Collapse
Engineers Australia 14 Shepherd Street, Darwin
20th—27th June 24th June 4:00pm
Engineers Australia
National President Visit Meet the National President
Various 14 Shepherd Street, Darwin
27th June
Engineers Australia National Assessor
Chartered Presentation
CAT Projects Alice Springs
21st July 6.30pm
Engineers Australia
2011 Engineering Excellence Awards
“Skyline Marquee” Darwin Turf Club, Fannie Bay www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ northern/events
1st—7th August 2nd August 5.30pm 3rd August 4.30pm
Engineers Australia
Engineering Week Launch Heritage Bus Tour
Parliament House Leave from Qantas Hangar
15th—20th August
Inspiring Australia/CSIRO/ Engineers Australia
Science Week
TBA
September
Engineers Australia
Sunchase
Alice Springs
14th October
Engineers Australia/World Solar Sunchase in conjunction with Solar Challenge Car Challenge
Royal Darwin Showgrounds