THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SYDNEY DIVISION OF ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA
OCTOBER 2011
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Innovating For The Future Sydney Division Key Sponsors
Recently, I received an e-newsletter from Australian Innovation with a link to an article by 2020 Science, which highlighted 10 emerging technology trends to watch over the next decade. The article discussed geo-engineering, smart grids, radical materials, synthetic biology, personal genomics, bio-interfaces, data interfaces, solar power, nootropics, and cosmeceuticals, as technology areas to watch. I would perhaps also add to this list, smart buildings and smart transport systems. Not surprisingly, many of these technology trends (if not all) will require engineers to make it work. Interestingly, innovating for the future will most likely depend more so than now, on interdisciplinary technical teams. It will depend on engineers and scientists who go beyond their fields of study to designs systems which integrate at the nexus between different technology areas. It will also require inspired debates as well as community, business, and political leadership. It was perhaps only a decade or so ago, when New South Wales was known as the First State. However, this appears to have slowly slipped off the agenda. My question to our membership is, how do we, become the First State again? How do we invest into becoming a smarter state that is a leader in innovation and technology? How do we drive the future of innovation and take the leadership in emerging technologies? I know that the answer to these questions is not a simple one. We are a state and a country which now faces many challenges. We have fierce competition around the world in many different sectors – from solar power, to manufacturing. The irony is that as our dollar does better, it becomes more difficult for us to do business internationally. Further, as the US
and several European countries face recession and financial downturn, they are starting to look at more creative policies, schemes, and investments, which will bring their countries back onto the world stage. Looking into the future, the US in particular, has focused much of its efforts on scientific and technical advancement, with President Obama pushing legal reform in all spheres. I wrote this article just after taking part in Sydney Division’s Engineering Excellence Awards. The Awards are the highlight of Sydney Division’s calendar and are a phenomenal display of inspiring, innovative, and technically brilliant projects. Every year, the awards show technologies which are breaking ground. For highlighting this State’s capability, it’s definitely a great place to start. Engineers Australia has also this year launched an Innovation Taskforce, where members have been asked to submit comments with respect to innovation, and in particular, what barriers there may be on the road to developing creative and new technologies. These are only small steps, but they are definitely steps in the right direction. However, as engineers, we need to make sure that innovating for the future is back again on the agenda. We need to celebrate technical success and advancement, and become leaders in emerging technologies. Twitter: @EASyd_President Maryam Khajeh, MIEAust Sydney Division President