Engineering
February 2010
South Australia
2009 South Australian Research, Development & Innovation Engineering Excellence Award and Malcolm Kinnaird Engineering Excellence Award Winner Monash University Accident Research Driving Centre, Entered by Sydac Pty Ltd (Entries for 2010 now open)
Contents A Message from the President . . . . . . . . . . 2 News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10 Membership Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Your Professional Development †. . . . . . . 12
www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa
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A message from the President Sponsors Division Partners
Division Supporters
Division Executive President Doug Gillott FIEAust CPEng Deputy President Jeff Walsh FIEAust CPEng Treasurer Gerry Doyle MIEAust CPEng Executive Director Caroline Argent Deputy Director Sarah Carey
Preferred Suppliers Sothertons Chartered Accountants Accounting Services
Produced By Engineers Australia South Australia Division Engineering House, 11 Bagot Street, North Adelaide, South Australia 5006 tel 08 8267 1783 fax 08 8239 0932 web www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa 2
Occasionally I just cannot avoid mentioning the delay between writing my monthly message, and when you all see it! This month is one of those times. As I type out these words we are only a few weeks away from occupying our new home at 108 King William Street and by the time that you read this message we should be moved in. A new era of member services and convenience will have begun! Adherence to a Code of Ethics is recognised as being one of the key tests of a profession. Having a Code of Ethics marks the maturity of an occupation and reflects the demands of our society upon those within it that really have power to have effect changes. At the individual level embracing a Code of Ethics gives you a ready reference point against which you can measure your choices and actions whenever you are uncertain. Because any Code of Ethics operates within a dynamic society they must be refreshed from time to time. National Past President Rolfe Hartley FIEAust CPEng EngExec FIPENZ is currently the Commissioner for Ethics and Discipline and during 2009 he started the task of updating our Code. In September 2009 there was a workshop here in Adelaide and then in November 2009 he reported on the progress of his review team to Congress. By the middle of this year the team will have a discussion draft ready for the special July 2010 meeting of Congress. All things going to plan, the final draft will be proposed to Congress in November 2010 for adoption. As well as a tool for measuring your own day to day actions, consideration of the Code of Ethics can form a useful basis for meeting your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) obligations. Since the 2008 update, our Chartered Status (CPEng) CPD requirements now require you to be considering developmental activities in the field of risk management – which can be difficult to achieve for some of us, depending on your line of practice. For those interested in logging some “risk” CPD hours I can recommend reading the Haddon-Cave Nimrod Review Report as an interesting case study. There are at least two or three hours of quite gripping reading that is unquestionably professional development in the risk management category. The Nimrod Review investigated the crash of a Royal Air Force Nimrod aircraft that caught fire over Afghanistan whilst on operations, with the loss of all of the fourteen crew on board. Just the story of the accident and recovery of the flight data recorders is enough to get your interest going. The First Tenet of our Code of Ethics states “Members shall place their responsibility for the welfare, health and safety of the community before their responsibility to sectional or private interests, or to other members.” Whilst the
engineers involved in the incident were not subject to our Code of Ethics you can make your own judgements about the situation they were faced with. Searching “HaddonCave Nimrod Review” will quickly get you a link to download a free copy of the report from the UK Stationery Office website. One of the important functions that Engineers Australia fulfils is to assess and report on the standard of infrastructure across the nation. We do this every five years by appointing a consultant to do the investigative legwork and form a review committee within each state to oversee the work and to validate the outcome. National Office watches all the Divisions to ensure that a consistent set of judgements are made across Australia and then amalgamates all of the state report cards into a national report card. The South Australia Division oversight committee has been formed and consists of Deputy President Jeff Walsh FIEAust CPEng, Division Committee Member and National Congress Representative David Cruickshanks-Boyd FIEAust EngExec, Kim Read OAM FIEAust CPEng (Ret), Mark Gobbie FIEAust CPEng EngExec and myself. Each state report card will rate the infrastructure in the sectors of rail, potable water, storm water, waste water, roads (national, state and local), electricity, gas, ports, airports, telecommunications and ICT. We still need members to undertake chapter reviews so if you are interested in any of these areas then please contact the Division Office. In order to be eligible to do this you must not have any conflicts of interest in the delivery of the infrastructure you are interested in. Finally, the Sir Eric Neal Address is only a few days away. Come along to hear The Honourable Trish White BE BA FIEAust MP present her views on leadership in this Year of Engineering Leadership. She is one of only two engineers in the South Australian Parliament and is retiring at the March election. I hope to see you there. Doug Gillott FIEAust CPEng President Engineers Australia South Australia Division
Vale - Dr Robert Culver AM HonFIEAust CPEng Many members of the engineering and University Communities in South Australia and Australia were saddened to hear of the death of Robert (Bob) Culver on 14th December 2009. Bob was born on 2nd October 1926 and spent his early years at Brighton SA, which probably had an influence on his long interest in Coastal Engineering. He attended the Adelaide Technical High School and then was employed at the University of Adelaide as a Demonstrator. Bob spent the whole of his career at the University of Adelaide, where he progressed to the position of Reader in the School of Civil Engineering. He was respected for his wide range of Committee memberships within the University and was awarded a Doctor of the University, a rare and great honour. During his retirement he continued his academic interest and remained an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering.
Bob received the honour of Member of the Order of Australia in the Queens Birthday list in 1991 in recognition of service to engineering, particularly in the fields of hydraulics and coastal engineering and was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2000. Bob was a long standing member of Rostrum Club Number 3 in South Australia and the members remember him fondly. Many of his outstanding speeches demonstrated his great interest in becoming familiar with new concepts in many fields of engineering and areas of public interest. He also was keen on undertaking projects at home and had a large garden at his property at Mount Lofty (the house was burnt down in the Ash Wednesday Fires in February 1983 but was rebuilt). Bob is survived by his wife Cassandra, children Robin, Robert and Sally and grandchildren Alexandra, Elise and Julia. Barry Grear AO FIPENZ HonFIEAust CPEng
Bob undertook pioneering leadership on the Coastal Protection Board in South Australia, undertook many consultancies and was a member of the Board of Examiners from 1973 to 1985. He was the founding Chair of the Institution of Engineers Australia Civil College. In 1994 Bob Culver was awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal which he often referred to as his highest Award. He became a Fellow (FIEAust) of Engineers Australia in 1970 and an Honorary Fellow (HonFIEAust) in 2000.
Biomedical engineer shows how he “Makes it so” The ABC produces a segment on its website, ‘Ace Day Jobs’, which is aimed at promoting exciting careers and opportunities. The segment is targeted at school leavers and university students or graduates who are looking for career information or a career change. Last year David Hobbs MIEAust, Chair of the South Australia Division’s Biomedical Branch, was approached to do a segment for the 'Ace Day Jobs' site about his role as a Senior Rehabilitation Engineer with Novita Children’s Services. Novita is one of South Australia’s premier children’s charities – and a recognised and celebrated world leader in the research, development and provision of quality services to children and families living with physical disabilities and acquired brain injuries. “Given it was an opportunity to promote Biomedical Engineering (and Flinders University) and Rehabilitation Engineering (and Novita), I jumped at the chance,” David said recently regarding the opportunity. “The filming took place last year and I was able to include another Biomedical Engineer, Dr Tam Nguyen (Manager of the SA Motion Analysis Centre, Repatriation General Hospital) in the ‘story’ as well, to highlight the range of work and contribution that Biomedical Engineers make every day.” David was keen to promote the engineering profession to a wide spectrum of the community and this was a great opportunity to do so. The complete story can be accessed by visiting http://www.abc. net.au/acedayjobs/cooljobs/profiles/s2599873.htm and includes a short video of David. It was also an exciting day for Lily Durkin, one of Novita's 70th
David Hobbs MIEAust and Lily Durkin with one of the ABC camera men at the South Australian Motion Analysis Centre, Daw Park
Anniversary Ambassadors, who David has said was a fantastic help on the day. More information about Lily Durkin, and the Novita 70th Anniversary Ambassadors, can be seen at http://www.novita.org.au/Profile/Detail.aspx?p=558&id=154. Our congratulations go out to David for being offered this opportunity and our thanks as well for helping to show everyone how engineers can “Make it so”.
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www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa
02/10/1926 – 14/12/2009
Engineering contribution highlighted
Left to Right: Mark Brooking, State Emergency Management Engineer at the Engineering Functional Service, Roscoe Shelton of the Department for Environment and Heritage and Barry Grear AO FIPENZ HonFIEAust CPEng at the recent University of South Australia Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment VIP event.
Engineers Australia recently participated in the University of South Australia’s VIP Engineering, Environment and IT Event on Thursday 17th December 2009. The event was held for students who selected Engineering, IT or Environmental studies for 2010, or who had previously registered interest in studying in these areas. Engineers Australia staff showcased the public awareness campaign ‘Make it so’ and gave away copies of the Make it so DVD to the students, parents and members of the public in attendance.
an end to the world as we know it. Panel members spoke about their experiences and what role IT, engineers and environmental scientists would play in response and recovery efforts if this or a similar disaster were to happen in real life. Given the recent earthquake in Haiti and the 2004 tsunami, among other natural disasters in the past several years, this is definitely an appropriate time to discuss how engineers can impact response and recovery efforts now and in the future.
As well as highlighting the exciting career opportunities and real life experiences available to professionals, students interacted with a range of projects, displays and activities and participated in a panel forum discussion hosted by Barry Grear AO FIPENZ HonFIEAust CPEng. The panel discussion focused on the movie ‘2012’ - an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings
Lyndley King Industry Relationship Manager SA/NT Engineers Australia
EngQuest 2009 a huge success EngQuest has officially ended for 2009 and planning for this year’s program is well underway. EngQuest had another successful year in 2009, setting new records and gaining television coverage on Win News in Canberra. In 2009 EngQuest had direct exposure to some 1,127 teachers as well as 11,440 primary school students from around Australia. This is the highest number of students ever involved in the program. There were a record number of volunteer members contributing to the program also, with 147 volunteers assisting. A total of 61 school visits were arranged from National Office - another record set for the life of the program. Successful results were also obtained in the participating teacher's survey, whereby 98% of participating teachers stated that EngQuest helped their students achieve curriculum outcomes in maths, science and technology. A total of 96% of teachers surveyed stated that the teacher background information and resources were very useful. 70% of those surveyed stated EngQuest formed part of a larger theme of work in which they were already studying and 90% of those surveyed stated they are likely to participate in EngQuest again in the future. Planning for the 2010 program is already well underway. This year’s theme will be solar energy and the program is expanding to include middle school years – years 6, 7 and 8. There is also a 4
specially designed volunteers section of the EngQuest website, allowing volunteers to gain access to further information on the program. Engineers Australia has recently developed a ‘volunteers in schools kit’ which will be available for ordering within the volunteers section of the web. This kit will provide volunteers with the tools needed whilst conducting school visits. This year’s program will launch Monday February 15th 2010 and conclude in November 2010. In the long run, EngQuest aims to provide students with an insight into the dynamic profession of engineering - which will hopefully one day lead to them choosing a career in engineering - helping to lessen the serious skills shortage within Australia. Sara Ross National Coordinator EngQuest Engineers Australia
www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa
Update from Mps People Solutions
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Engineers Without Borders becomes another cog in engineering futures, through Concept2Creation. Five northern Adelaide schools have recently piloted the Engineers Without Borders program that has been traditionally undertaken by engineering undergraduates. This program introduces engineering design challenges within a Third World context. After some induction by the EWB team from the University of South Australia, teachers introduced students to the EWB website to create the context in which they would need to develop a solution for the lake-dwelling people of Cambodia. This generated a creative rush of possible solutions for water, sanitation, transport, housing, energy and food. It was then a matter of appreciating that if solutions were to be successful, they would need to be developed with rather than for the people and that they would need to utilise resources that are accessible by Cambodians. The teams presented their solutions at the Concept2Creation Expo in November and these included some innovative ideas for water purification, soil decontamination, housing and cooking. One team utilised the expertise of university researchers to assist their work on decontamination and another adopted a ‘junkyard challenge’ mentality to develop a functioning dung-powered generator. In reflecting upon this experience, the NAMIG and UniSA coordinators noted some promising outcomes from the pilot. These included: • That by this approach, students were redefining Engineering as a career that involves ‘big picture’ critical thinking and problem solving regarding economic, social, political and environmental considerations; rather than just developing a technical product or process; • That this redefinition of Engineering, being something more than using and developing ‘boys toys’, might contribute to attracting more girls to consider the profession. This was reinforced by having EWB ambassadors like Ms. Anh Tran who, as a female engineer, presented very credible models of young graduates with a passion for these applications of engineering; • That by approaching engineering through Society and Environment Studies, rather than directly through Science, Math or Technology subjects, there was potential to engage a larger number of students through a social perspective; • That there was potential for strengthening the appreciation for cross-curricular linkages by students and teachers; and • That this program provided a good starting point for students to gain an appreciation for the critical thinking and project
Bernie Fitzsimons, General Manager NAMIG, observes a dung-powered generator created by high school students at a northern suburbs high school.
management processes that could be developed in the more senior levels of the Concept2Creation programs. Given that the opportunity was offered midway through 2009, when most teaching programs were already set, the initial uptake of EWB in Schools has been very promising. It is anticipated that this experience, and a focus upon a remote Australian indigenous community for the 2010 project, will see more schools becoming involved in the program during this year. Northern Advanced Manufacturing Industry Group (NAMIG) welcomes interested companies and practicing or retired professionals to become involved in the C2C program. Please contact us on 08 8260 8903 or visit www.concept2creation.com.au. Bernie Fitzsimons General Manager NAMIG
It’s your
CPD:
understand it... do it... record it...
visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/cpd 6
Mercedes College in Fullarton have just completed a new middle school building with sustainability and energy efficient design driving the form and fabric of the building. The close collaboration of the design team and Client has created a highly energy efficient building that is an important education tool in its own right for the students. The new college buildings include 3,000m2 of new classrooms, administration and chapel over two levels. GHD worked closely with the school leaders and architects to deliver a group of buildings focussed on passive performance. Passive features include: • High thermal mass to classrooms with night cooling; • Natural ventilation, with operable windows and thermal chimneys; • Outside air drawn through the lower ground floor plantroom, using the plantroom as a labyrinth to temper the outside air; and • Good daylight access.
The McAuley-Fitzpatrick redevelopment at Mercedes College
Coupled with the passive systems are efficient active systems including: • High efficiency T8 fluorescent tube lighting using a special highly reflective KW2 internal reflector, resulting in energy reductions of more than 40% over a normal classroom; • 100% outside air to classrooms, with multi-speed fan allowing increased supply air in summer; • Reverse cycle heat pumps running through the night on off peak electricity; • A thermal storage system; and • An intelligent building management control system. Air Conditioning There are three similar, but different types of air conditioning systems generally used in the new middle school, although each is served from a common central thermal plant. The thermal plant, located in the lower ground floor, consists of air cooled heat pumps that are configured to run at night using off peak electricity, and the chilled water or heating water is stored in a massive 100,000 L insulated storage tank for use the following day. The concrete storage tank includes polystyrene balls that serve as insulation, avoiding the need to apply an external layer of insulation. The building management system contains an automatic analysis tool that makes a daily calculation of how much chilled water (in summer) or heating water (in winter) has been used. It compares this against the ambient conditions and trends to find a correlation between ambient conditions and water used during the day. The control system then automatically assesses how much water is likely to be used from its storage facility the following day and only runs the heat pumps that night to meet the predicted load for the following day.
regenerate more water (i.e. between noon and 8:00pm in summer) then it will save the stored water and run the heat pumps in the morning prior to noon. A maximum electricity demand control system manages overall power consumption for the new facility. Thermal Mass The classrooms have been designed with high thermal mass to minimise the cooling energy required, and at times of the year when coupled with the enhanced natural ventilation, it may eliminate the need for air conditioning completely. Substantial thermal mass can create a time delay of up to 8 to 10 hours between when a peak heat gain is imposed on to a room and when that gain needs to be treated by the air conditioning system. Natural Ventilation All of the outside air is drawn in via the basement plantroom, which has been deliberately configured with massive amounts of thermal mass to temper the ambient extremes. Classrooms are designed with natural ventilation as well as full mechanical ventilation ability (the A/C plant has been designed to operate on 100% outside air).
Contact Paul Whatnell, Manager of Sustainability, GHD on 08 8111 6651 for further information.
Chloe Smith Events and Marketing Coordinator GHD
During the next day, the controls system monitors the actual demand for the stored water against what it had predicted and if it calculates that it may run out during the period when it cannot 7
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Mercedes College – efficient & functional
Engineers Australia 2010 conferences The festive season has been and gone, and many conference deadlines have crept up on us! Below is a listing of Engineers Australia hosted conferences. Our volunteer members have been working hard over the break to make these events successful. For a full and continually updated list of upcoming conferences, including their deadlines and website details, please visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/conferences
REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN RISK 2010 - Risk Engineering Conference
Engineering Leadership Conference 2010
DELIVERING MAJOR INITIATIVES
When: 5 - 7 May 2010 Where: Brisbane Convention Centre Website: www.engineeringleadership.org
When: 11 - 12 March 2010 Where: Melbourne Cricket Group (MCG) Website: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/risk
MEMMES Convention Mining Electrical and Mining Mechanical Engineering Society Convention
ASWEC 2010 Australian Software Engineering Conference
When: 20 - 21 May 2010 Where: Crown Plaza Hunter Valley Website: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/memmes
When: 6 April 2010 Where: Auckland, NZ Website: http://aswec2010.massey.ac.nz SETE 2010
CORE 2010 - Rail – Rejuvenation & Renaissance
Systems Engineering Test & Evaluation Conference
When: 12 - 15 September 2010 Where: Wellington, NZ Website:www.core2010.org.nz
When: 3 - 6 May 2010 Where: Stamford Grand, Adelaide Website: www.sesa.org.au/sete
CALL FOR PAPERS NOW OPEN 6th Australasian Congress on Applied Mechanics
Where: Hilton Hotel, Adelaide Website:www.chemeca2010.com
Call for Abstracts close 26 February 2010 When: 12 - 15 December 2010 Where: Perth Convention Centre, Perth Website: www.acam6.org
IAHR 34th Biennial Congress
Chemeca 2010
Call for Abstracts close 15 July 2010
Call for Abstracts close 1 March 2010
When: 26 June - 1 July 2011 Where: Brisbane Convention Centre, Brisbane Australia Website: www.iahr2011.org
Including the 33rd Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium & 10th Hydraulics in Water Engineering
When: 24 - 26 September 2010
Congratulations! Engineers Australia South Australia Division would like to congratulate the following members who obtained or reinstated Chartered Status between 1st October 2009 and the 31st December 2009.
We would also like to welcome the following newly appointed and reinstating Fellows. • Prof Simon Beecham FIEAust CPEng
• Stephen Blandford MIEAust CPEng
• Dr Christopher Hewitson FIEAust CPEng
• Bennet Davies MIEAust CPEng
• Peter Statton FIEAust CPEng
• Reza Forozandeh MIEAust CPEng • Dapeng Liu MIEAust CPEng • David Ramm MIEAust CPEng • Matthew Thompson MIEAust CPEng • Dr Xiao-Jian Wang MIEAust CPEng
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Finally welcome to the 126 members who joined, readmitted or moved to the South Australia Division during this time. We hope to see you at an upcoming Division event in the near future!
What’s Coming in 2010 For South Australia Members South Australian Engineering Excellence Awards
Australian Engineering Week
The entry form for the 2010 South Australian Engineering Excellence Awards is now available through the South Australia Division. Please contact Events Manager Catherine Chamberlain via cchamberlain@engineersaustralia.org.au or by calling on 08 8267 7092 to obtain a copy.
Australian Engineering Week 2010 will take place between the 2nd - 6th August 2010. As always this will be a great chance for the engineers, and engineering employers, in South Australia to showcase the innovative and astounding accomplishments made by engineers.
The 2010 South Australian Engineering Excellence Awards Presentation Dinner will be held Friday 10th September 2010 this year. Further details about the Presentation Dinner will be available closer to the date.
If you or your company would like to be involved in one of the site tours please contact Events Manager Catherine Chamberlain via cchamberlain@engineersaustralia.org.au or by calling on 08 8267 7092.
Speaking Opportunities
Breakfast Briefings and CELM LDS Sessions
Opportunities are available for Young Engineers Australia members to speak at the Teacher’s Night in June 2010 and the Student Careers Night later in 2010. These events aim to provide high school teachers or students with information on what engineers do to guide career paths in the future. To register as a potential speaker please contact Membership Officer Nathan Jones via njones@engineersaustralia.org.au or by calling 08 8267 7070.
The first breakfast briefing for 2010 is scheduled for 17th March 2010. The breakfast will be presented in combination with the Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management, South Australia Group (CELM-SA) Leadership Development Series (LDS) Session 6. The breakfast will be a chance to hear the Hon Trish White BE BA FIEAust MP speaking about the topic of leadership.
Volunteer Opportunities
Publications
The Undergraduate and Graduate Handbook
2009 Engineers Without Borders (EWB) are looking to have a busy year and I would recommend keeping an eye on their website at www.ewb.org.au for more information about their upcoming events. The RedR organisation is also a great opportunity for you to use your technical knowledge to assist the community and the world. For more information please visit www.redr.org.au
South Australia Division
We would also recommend contacting Advantage SA’s Speakers in Schools program via http://www.sagreat.com.au/speakers/
Further LDS sessions are planned for 2010. For more information please contact Events Manager Catherine Chamberlain via cchamberlain@engineersaustralia.org.au or by calling on 08 8267 7092.
The Undergraduate and Graduate Handbook 2010 will be released early 2010. This is an opportunity for any organisation, who is looking to provide work experience to current students or graduates positions in 2011, to promote themselves to a large number of students. For more information please contact Membership Officer Nathan Jones via njones@engineersaustralia.org.au or by calling 08 8267 7070. Information and advice on: Member benefits Developing your career engineer.career Chartered Status Your Professional Development Professional Development Program Networking
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Below is a short outline of some of the events and opportunities that will be available in South Australia in 2010. Keep an eye on future editions of Engineering South Australia or the South Australia Division website for more details, information on event outcomes and additional events!
Great South Australian Inventions – Overcoming Obstacles The Plastic Lens Harold Pank and Charles Laubman formed a partnership in 1908 aiming to serve the optical needs of all South Australians. Although beginning with traditional practices, it was not long before their firm began developing new technologies, including patented lens grinding machinery. In 1956, Ron Ewer read an article about a new substance, CR-39 ®, that had been used during World War II to manufacture petrol tanks for aircraft. The material was found to have optical properties and relatively good abrasion resistance. Ron, an optical technician in charge of making artificial eyes for Laubman and Pank, shared this information with Don Schultz and other colleagues within the firm.
Plastic Lenses under production
They recognised that perhaps this substance could be used to form the next generation of optical lenses.
rapidly over the next few years and was listed on the United States stock exchange in 1995.
After much investigation and development, researchers from Adelaide University together with Ewer and Schultz eventually cast the first viable plastic lens, a key benefit of which was its lighter weight.
Throughout its history SOLA invested heavily in research and development so as to position themselves as market leaders in the field of plastic lens technology.
In 1960 a subsidiary company called Scientific Optical Laboratories of Australia (SOLA) was established in Adelaide to market the new plastic technology lenses both in Australia and overseas.
The SOLA group acquired American Optical (AO) in 1996 and merged with the ophthalmic lens division of Carl Zeiss in 2005 to form Carl Zeiss Vision.
SOLA relocated to Black Forest in 1962 before moving to a new manufacturing plant in Lonsdale in 1970. The SOLA group grew
In the Asia Pacific region, Carl Zeiss Vision is now headquartered in Singapore, with the Australian/New Zealand headquarters based in Adelaide. Adelaide is also home to a global product Research and Development Team, an Rx Laboratory plus the regional Engineering support and regional supply chain / logistical management for Carl Zeiss Vision.
SA – once famous for its strippers! Now that we have your attention, did you know that in 1843 Adelaide flour miller, John Ridley’s stripper first went into action? The stripper was a machine designed to harvest the heads of the wheat crop in a vastly improved manner to prior methods. Ridley chose not to obtain patent protection for his invention and soon others began manufacturing strippers.
Carl Zeiss Vision has an extensive worldwide patent and trade mark portfolio to protect their numerous innovations. Karen Spark Patent Attorney, Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick Karen Spark is a patent attorney specialising in engineering technologies with Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick. She is one of two partners based in the Adelaide office. Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick handles the intellectual property work for Carl Zeiss Vision Australia.
Had patents been obtained, Ridley would have had monopoly rights to commercialise his invention.
Interviewers Needed
Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick wasn’t around in 1843, so we couldn’t tell him that. But, we have been around since 1888, and are the only national patent attorney firm with an Adelaide office.
Professional Interviewers are required to assess the applications of Chartered Applicants.
We help innovators maximise the value in their innovations and specialise in mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering fields, as well as in life sciences.
In particular engineers who have Chartered Status and experience in Computer Systems, Software Engineering or Submarines would be particularly welcome. To register as an interviewer please contact Membership Officer Nathan Jones via: E:
njones@engineersaustralia.org.au
Ph: 08 8267 7070 08 8232 5199
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I
adelaide@pof.com.au
I
pof.com.au
Add: 11 Bagot Street North Adelaide SA 5006
South Australia Division
Membership Profile Dr Rogers was introduced in the January edition of Engineering South Australia as a recent appointment to the Advisory Council on Intellectual Property. Why did you decide to become an engineer? I used a process of elimination. Law looked boring. Medicine is not for me. My teachers said I shouldn’t be a maths teacher and they were right – I like teaching but not all the admin and so that left engineering. I did work experience in various types of engineering and settled on electrical and electronic. I’ve never regretted that decision. What project are you working on now? I’m working on JP2048, Amphibious Assault Ships (LHD) for Saab Systems. I like working with Saab, they are a good people company. What do you like the most about the engineering profession? I like design, I like the creativity. I like doing things for people, inventing things that make our life better. I like the challenge of engineering and I like the accomplishment. What do you see as one of the biggest issues facing the engineering profession? The dumbing down of the profession and the loss of engineering desire in this country; when I think of some of the perceived failures with large scale engineering projects they are not often engineering failures. Some people believe you can give exact estimates and technical risk is just a number on paper. We push the bounds of what is possible and while, at times, we may fail most times we succeed. Roosevelt had a quote about how the glory goes to the person in the field not the cold timid souls sitting in the stands. Who has provided you with the greatest amount of inspiration in your career? Hmmm, well my Dad was one of those people that could build anything. Left school early went back and did night school but would have been a fabulous engineer. He was a draftsperson and has passed away but had that real spirit of engineering in him that rubbed off on me. In terms of management / people management, a couple of managers in my early days at Harris Scarfe (Adelaide, Department Store) were outstanding in terms of people management and taught me much of what I know. The greatest engineering achievement is? The 1961 Professional Engineers Case; that was when engineering started to be treated as a true profession in Australia and I think we need to recapture that.
What are your hobbies? Photography, reading, gardening and exercising; I run Suitcase Photography, which sells stock photos all around the world. This is an exercise in entrepreneurship and I’m just sneaking in a free plug but I do like photography, it’s a lot of fun and I’m moving into multimedia and travel writing. Oh and I play with software too, write various software applications and I like movies. If you knew you could Dr Derek Rogers FIEAust CPEng try anything and not fail (and money was no object), what dream would you attempt? Still travelling the world; Still passionate about engineering. Probably running some major project or have spun out my own company. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? I like travelling the world but really enjoy living in Adelaide. I have lived in Chicago and Phoenix but if I had to live somewhere for a year it’d probably be Sedona, Arizona for a it’s natural beauty, London or Dublin for history and fun, Siem Reap if I could take photos all day, or maybe a game reserve in Africa for the animals. What is your motto? No Logo. Come prepared. Take only photographs leave only footprints. Only you can decide your happiness. I have lots of mottos. The no logo was a joke. I have to read that book one day. Who would you most like to meet? The man that stood in front of the tank in Tiananmen Square; I like people that have the courage to defy the odds and stand up for what they believe in. I’d like to meet the founders of IDEO too, such an innovative company, and maybe Steve Jobs, he seems like an interesting person. The reality is most people are interesting and I’m happy to meet them.
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Dr Derek Rogers FIEAust CPEng
Your Professional Development February 2010 - March 2010. Unless published otherwise all presentations are scheduled for the Engineers Australia South Australia Division Office. Event details are subject to change. Please check our website prior to event for current information and office location updates. Please Note the South Australia Division will be relocating during the month of February. Please visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa before your event to confirm address details.
February 2010 Date
Time
Host
Event
Contact
Tuesday 23rd
5.30pm
Engineers Australia
Chartered Workshop
Paul Godden
pgodden@engineersaustralia.org.au
Thursday 25th - 26th
8.30am
Writing Winning Technical Documents
Vicki Fowler
info@eeaust.com.au
Thursday 25th - 26th
8.30am
Stepping up to Management
Vicki Fowler
info@eeaust.com.au
Host
Event
Contact
Built Environment Design
Practical BIM - Now and in the Future
Professions (BEDP)
Venue: The Italian Centre 262 Carrington Street, Adelaide
Engineering Education Australia Engineering Education Australia
March 2010 Date
Time
Tuesday 2nd
2.00pm
Wednesday 3rd
5.30pm
Executive Officer, BEDP
contact@bedp.asn.au
Keith Quast
Keith.quast@unisa.edu.au
Site Visit - Microfluidics and Nano-Fabrication Facility JCEC
at the Ian Wark Research Institute Venue: Mawson Lakes campus, University of SA
Wednesday 10th
12.30pm
REG Luncheon
The Wrecks Are Talking
Paul Godden
pgodden@engineersaustralia.org.au
Wednesday 10th
5.30pm
IEEE
Computer Vision: The Power of Computers which see.
Paul Godden
pgodden@engineersaustralia.org.au
Tuesday 16th
5.30pm
Delivering Utility Scale Power on Demand
Paul Godden
pgodden@engineersaustralia.org.au
Wednesday 17th
7.15am
Catherine Chamberlain
cchamberlain@engineersaustralia.org.au
Monday 22nd -23rd
8.30am
Vicki Fowler
info@eeaust.com.au
Thursday 25th -26th
8.30am
Vicki Fowler
info@eeaust.com.au
Tuesday 30th
5.30pm
Paul Godden
pgodden@engineersaustralia.org.au
JTP Electrical and Electronic March Breakfast Meeting Engineering Education Australia
Breakfast Briefing and CELM LDS Session 6 Venue: The Stamford Plaza, North Terrace Adelaide Contract Management
Engineering Education
Project Management - Module 1 - Project Management
Australia
Fundamentals
Engineers Australia
Chartered Workshop
Articles Welcome
Chartered Status Workshops A FREE Chartered Status Workshop will be held for Members and Non Members interested in submitting an application for Chartered Status on Tuesday 23rd February 2010. The next workshop will be held Tuesday 30th March 2010. Our National Assessor Ewan Hazeldine will conduct the Chartered Workshop, which will feature invaluable information regarding Engineers Australia, Chartered Status accreditation and tips on writing Career Episode Reports (CERs) and putting together your Chartered Status application. Further dates for workshops can be obtained via the Engineers Australia South Australia Division website at www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa Registration is essential. Please contact Paul Godden on 08 8267 1783 or pgodden@engineersaustralia.org.au to register your attendance.
Do you have feedback about the Engineering South Australia newsletter or an article you would like included? We would love to hear from you! Feedback and articles can be submitted to Nathan Jones Membership Officer via njones@engineersaustralia.org.au or by phoning 08 8267 7070
• Preferred rate for members • Free telephone accounting advice • Free first tax return for student and newly graduated members • Free first interview for members Contact Jim McKenzie or Alex Reade Ph 8223 7311
12 The views expressed in Engineering South Australia News are not necessarily those of Engineers Australia South Australia Division.