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ingenúity ISSUE 4, MAY 2014
A UQ engineering publication
Value-adding through
INNOVATION
How great minds are changing our world
welcome
I am delighted to welcome you to the 2014 edition of ingenuity and more news on UQ Engineering’s achievements, changes and opportunities.
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The theme for the 2014 edition of ingenuity is innovation, which is timely given that UQ Engineering has been reinventing itself in recent years to accommodate the considerable growth in student numbers, whilst continuing to respond effectively to the challenges and changes in industry and higher education.
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2014 is a year in which we will look to strengthen our position as one of Australia’s largest and most successful engineering schools, with over 4,600 undergraduates, 200 coursework postgraduates and 400 PhD students enrolled in engineering at UQ.
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I am particularly pleased that 2014 has witnessed significant growth in our female student engineering cohort, with almost a quarter (24.4%) of commencing engineering undergraduates being women. Growth has been fuelled by the work of our Women in Engineering program, which looks to grow our undergraduate cohort to 30% in the next decade. Continuing to develop significant research and industry partnerships is another Faculty focus. With 12 industry supported professorial Chairs across a wide range of engineering disciplines, connecting our engineering research and education programmes with industry remains vital and we welcome the opportunities that collaborations of all sizes offer. This year we also welcome Professor Simon Biggs as the new Executive Dean (page 8). Simon will build on Professor Graham Schaffer’s leadership and outstanding work over the past five years as our previous Dean. Major initiatives completed under Graham’s direction include the new Advanced Engineering Building, and the implementation of new and innovative engineering education programs that are attracting national and international recognition. I would like to place on record our thanks to Graham, as he returns to teaching and research in materials engineering. I hope you enjoy reading about how UQ Engineering students, staff and alumni are innovating to build a smarter, healthier, more prosperous world. Thanks for your continued interest and support – please stay in touch. Professor Caroline Crosthwaite (MEngSt 1978; BE 1975) (Acting) Executive Dean Faculty of Engineering, Architecture & Information Technology
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ingenuity
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A UQ ENGINEERING PUBLICATION editorial team
Jonathan Cosgrove Madelene Flanagan Trent Leggatt
contributing writers
ingenuity ingenuity CONTENTS 04
30
News
design
What’s been happening at UQ Engineering?
Wendy Oakley
08 Welcome to UQ!
18 Feature: Innovation
10
28
Our new Executive Dean, Professor Simon Biggs, shares his vision and goals for UQ Engineering
How tall is too tall? The Big Question: different perspectives on ‘scaling the heights’
Value-adding through innovation – how is UQ Engineering playing its part?
A day in the life of the AEB The Advanced Engineering Building: learn what a ‘live’ building is
13 Obituary: Ray Stalker
30 A more equitable future
14 New era in education
32 Meet a mentor
UQ remembers Australia’s first Professor of Space Engineering How the online revolution is changing higher education forever
16 College life – then and now
Life as student engineers at UQ colleges - what’s changed in a generation?
Kelly-Anne Alexander Simon Biggs Duncan Cameron Jonathan Cosgrove Caroline Crosthwaite Patrice Derrington Suzie Drayton Madelene Flanagan Wesley Ford Peter Halley Peter Knights Trent Leggatt Jim Litster Brett Taylor José Torero Grant Worner Leanne Wyvill
How UQ is changing the game for women in engineering How students are getting the edge through a new alumni mentoring program
Great engineering teachers 34 28 What does it take to be a great teacher? How is their influence felt beyond the classroom?
photography Madelene Flanagan Anjanette Hudson Peter Bennet publishing information Fergies Print and Mail Hamilton
contact alumni@eait.uq.edu.au CRICOS Provider Number 00025B
news
UQ Alumni named amongst top 100 Most Influential Engineers Seven UQ Engineering alumni have been listed amongst Australia’s 100 Most Influential Engineers. Compiled by Engineers Australia, the top 100 list recognises the ability of the nominees to participate in and lead business, innovation and change. Engineers Without Borders Australia CEO, Lizzie Brown (BE 2002) made the list – one of only 11 women that did. Lizzie was listed within the Community category, recognising her strong commitment to improving the quality of life in developing communities through humanitarian engineering. Also making the list under the Manufacturing category were
Managing Director of CSR, Rob Sindel (BE 1986), and President, Chair and CEO of DOW Chemical, Andrew Liveris (DSc 2005; BE 1975). Powerlink’s Chief Executive Merryn York (GCAppLaw 2001; MEngSc 1988; BE 1985) and Melbourne Water’s Managing Director Shaun Cox (MEng & MTM 1996; BE 1983) were recognised for their work within the utilities sector. Member of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Kathryn Fagg (BE 1982) was recognised for her contributions to industry. Meanwhile Andrew Buckley (BE 1980), received the recognition for his contribution to the consulting business, as Cardno’s Managing Director.
Lemons fly as
jet fuel of the future
Engineers dominate UQ Alumni Awards Engineering alumni are leaving their mark not only on society, but on the University too. In the 2013 UQ Alumni Awards, three engineering graduates were recognised for their tireless efforts and contributions made to society. Receiving the Vice-Chancellors Alumni Excellence Award, Kathryn Fagg was recognised for her leadership roles across the Australian business sectors including banking, engineering and logistics. Currently a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Kathy has been extremely proactive in encouraging women into technical and leadership positions, using her professional skills to advocate for change and
4 ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
improvement in the business world and wider community. CEO of Engineers Without Borders, Lizzie Brown was awarded a Distinguished Young Alumni Award, for accomplishments in her young career which inspire and provide leadership to students and alumni. Lizzie’s leadership and passion has inspired a movement of members, volunteers and engineering companies to strive to create change in areas such as clean water, sanitation, energy and engineering education across seven countries. Meanwhile Scott Fisher (BE 2012) was recognised as a Graduate of the Year for academic merit.
Using a chemical found in lemons and other citrus fruit, Dr Claudia Vickers (PhD 2004; BSc 1998) from UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology hopes to create a clean and renewable jet fuel. Modifying baker’s yeast to produce a synthetic form of the natural chemical limonene, Dr Vickers said limonene extracted from citrus peel had also been successfully used as a jet fuel component in demonstration flights in the past. “However large-scale limonene production from citrus peel is impractical. Producing it in yeast should provide a route to much greater yields of limonene which are easier to extract,” Dr Vickers said. Her research into synthetic limonene builds on earlier Queensland Government-funded research at the AIBN, which demonstrated that sucrose from sugarcane is one of the best biofuel feedstocks available in the state. The feasibility research had the backing of industry partners including Boeing, Virgin Australia, Mackay Sugar, IOR Energy and US biotech company Amyris.
Embracing the legacy Leaving a legacy of their time at UQ is a trend which is increasing amongst graduating engineering cohorts.
The graduating Engineering Class of 2013 raised $5,620.69 from 70 individual gifts, marking the highest participation rate to date. This support funded the creation of a mural which is permanently exhibited next to the main office in the Hawken Engineering Building for all students to enjoy. The Class Gift program was established by the Engineering Class of
Former engineering students in
fast lane to success
A product that allows electric cars to be charged 20 times faster than a standard wall socket was awarded the Nova 106.9 Award for Business Innovation at the 2013 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards.
2011 and supported a keynote engineering address focussed on leadership, which allowed current students to network with alumni. The Engineering Class Gift – currently unique amongst students at UQ – represents unity amongst the graduating cohort as they take their first steps towards joining the University’s alumni network.
Having met as engineering students at UQ, David Finn (PhD 2005; BE/BSc 2000), James Kennedy (BE 1999) and Paul Sernia (PhD 2006; BE/BSc 2000) developed the product under Tritium Pty Ltd, the company they founded in 2001. Initially involved in the University’s Solar Car Racing team as students, they founded Tritium to commercialise the technology they developed while part of that team. Tritium’s latest product, the ‘Veefil Electric Vehicle Fast Charger’ has been described as a game changer for electric vehicles and the electric vehicle market. Traditionally, electric cars can only be driven for just over 100kms before they require slow charging from a wall socket for up to 8 hours; however, the Veefil allows electric vehicles to be driven across hundreds of kilometres a day and recharge in less than 30 minutes. “Recognition of the team’s achievements by our local community leaders is a great encouragement for us to continue to innovate and strive to achieve more – and to keep doing it here in Brisbane,” Tritium Commercial Director Paul Sernia said. ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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news
UQ leads sewer-focussed project to
sweet smell of success A UQ led research project that is fundamentally changing sewer corrosion and odour management in Australia has won the prestigious 2014 International Water Association Asia Pacific Regional Project Innovation Award for Applied Research.
UQ Racing
races to top 100 finish in the world
The project, ‘Sewer Corrosion and Odour Research Program: Putting Science in Sewers’, is
believed to be the world’s largest sewer-related research project. The award recognises the substantial level of new knowledge, highly advantageous tools and innovative technologies that this research has uncovered to help water utilities across Australia deal with the huge problem of corrosion and odour in sewerage systems. “The team of world-class engineers, microbiologists, materials scientists, analytical
Competing against 22 teams from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom in the 2013 Formula SAE Australasian Competition, UQ Racing completed their most successful year in almost a decade. Having spent the previous 12 months designing, building and testing the vehicle, the team travelled to Werribee, Victoria in December to put their vehicle through its paces. Taking out first place in the Acceleration event, the team’s prototyped vehicle travelled 75 metres in 3.8 seconds from a standing start. This equates to a 0-100km/h time of approximately 3.5 seconds. After their initial success, the team competed in and finished every event in the competition, finishing 7th overall in the Australasian Competition, placing them 98th in the world! “The team is over the moon with the result as it is the best we have done since 2005!” said UQ Racing’s 2013 Marketing Director, Ash Willoughby (BE 2013).
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UQ welcomes new Chair of Rock Mechanics Furthering the research and teaching capabilities of the School of Civil Engineering, Dr Marc Ruest is set to join the Centre for Geotechnical Engineering. As the Chair of Rock Mechanics, Dr Ruest will provide leadership in geotechnical engineering research and teaching with particular emphasis on rock mechanics. Having established a strong industry career as the Head of Geotechnical Engineering with De Beers Group, an internationally renowned diamond company, Dr Ruest will bring with him over 15 years’ experience.
chemists and mathematical modellers have developed sustainable solutions to support the cost effective management of complex sewer corrosion and odour problems in the future,” Program leader Professor Zhiguo Yuan, from UQ’s Advanced Water Management Centre said. “Within the lifetime of this project, our clients and partners have already saved several hundred million dollars.”
UQ developed technology takes to the US The US Alpha Foundation has awarded UQ’s Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre (MISHC) a $US650,000 grant to improve risk management in American coal mining, in collaboration with the University of New South Wales and Virginia Tech. The MISHC developed, revolutionary risk management program ‘RISKGATE’ is an online body of knowledge built to assist the Australian coal mining industry in conducting and/or developing risk assessments, audits, incident investigations and management systems. Associate Professor and RISKGATE Project Leader Philipp Kirsch (GCHEd 2013; BSc 1982) explains, “In simple terms, RISKGATE enables an operator to access and apply the collective knowledge of the entire coal industry to the risk at hand.”
The consortium will evaluate adaptation and implementation of RISKGATE in American underground coal mining to improve risk management, and identify the changes required to meet
What dingo is that? Facial recognition software developed for use in policing and border control has recently found a novel ecological use.
cultural and operational differences between Australia and the US. “This is tremendous recognition of the impact that the RISKGATE program has had in Australia. The Alpha
Professor Brian Lovell (PhD 1991; BSc 1983; BE 1982) from the School of ITEE’s Security & Surveillance research group has recently conducted a trial of the software, which he originally developed, on a database of dingo images with very promising results.
Foundation’s first priority is to award funding to American universities so it is a coup for Philipp Kirsch and MISHC to have been successful,” MISHC Director Professor David Cliff said.
Working with Queensland National Parks & Wildlife, his research team assembled over 300 photographs of approximately 80 individual dingoes from the population on Fraser Island, located 300 km north of Brisbane. The software was able to successfully match the correct animal 80% of the time. “It’s early days yet, but rangers could potentially use the technology to identify animals in the wild, using smartphones with GPS locators,” Professor Lovell said. “The software evaluates the statistical frequency of facial features like light, shadow and texture, and measures the distances between facial features. “There would be the potential for members of the public to upload images to the database and share information on dingo activity to help with the management of problem animals. This could lead to a social media application for wildlife monitoring.”
ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
7
!
Welcome toUQ Born and raised in England, Professor Simon Biggs’ diverse and international career has seen him accept appointments at the CNRS (Strasbourg, France), The University of Melbourne and The University of Newcastle (Australia), The University of Leeds (UK), and now The University of Queensland as the new Executive Dean for the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology. Professor Biggs outlines his ambitions for the Faculty as he looks to build on UQ Engineering’s ground-breaking curriculum developments and outstanding research to ultimately drive a more productive, smarter, healthier world.
B
y any measure, UQ Engineering is clearly in an incredibly strong position. The challenge is to build on these excellent foundations and make the Faculty the number one in Australia for both research and student education. Having been the Pro-Dean for Student Education at The University of Leeds since 2006, I strongly believe that teaching and research are intimately linked, and the highest standards in both are achieved by ensuring a close integration of these central components of university life.
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Over time, I have increasingly come to believe that we need to think about ‘Student Engineers’ rather than ‘Engineering Students’. As academics, we must establish an environment where students understand that they are professionals in training, and their time at university is simply one part of a lifelong journey as an engineer. This means careful planning of the curriculum to ensure all students develop critical thinking skills, and are provided with the means necessary to act like professional engineers from their very first day. Ground-breaking curriculum developments such as the ‘flipped
classroom’, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Small Private Online Course (SPOCs) are gathering pace around the world. It is terrific to see UQ playing a globally leading role in changing the way we educate ourselves and our students in the coming years. This is one of the reasons why I am so excited to be joining and making a contribution for, and from Queensland. However, graduate engineers are increasingly seeking employment in the global marketplace, and we need to ensure that they are competitive when doing so. This means not only investing in their education, but also furthering
UQ’s research reach, and establishing global connections to benefit the researcher and the University’s international reputation. UQ already has a strong, preestablished research reputation for excellence, and I hope to build upon this within the Faculty. It is essential to build long-lasting partnerships with companies large and small, and involve researchers from across disciplines to create mutually beneficial outcomes. The benefits of active partnership to the company include the development of a skilled cohort of researchers, and academics with a deeper appreciation of the challenges they face, as well as an ability to contribute to the solutions for that organisation. In return, UQ should look for preferential access to industrial research projects, increased awareness of upcoming technology challenges and needs, and innovative idea-forming activities.
<< I strongly believe that
teaching and research are intimately linked, and the highest standards in both are achieved by ensuring a close integration of these central components of university life.
>>
We often hear reference to globally complex and interwoven questions such as ‘Grand Challenges’ – problems that will require a large multi-disciplinary and international effort to solve. To play leading roles in this type of research requires flexible and innovative approaches to building research capability. I hope that under my Deanship, the Faculty will play an ever increasing role in meeting these grand challenges. I feel honoured to be given the opportunity of joining and contributing to an immensely strong Faculty with a rich history and diverse array of highly-skilled people. I also look forward to meeting many of you in the forthcoming weeks, months and years. If you have any thoughts or ideas about the Faculty, please feel free to contact me directly, I’d love to hear your views. ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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The big question
How tall is Too tall? As the world around us continues to grow, so does the desire to scale the vertical heights. Tall buildings have many uses for both residential and business addresses; however, as the heights of these buildings increase, what does this mean for those at the top... and the people down below?
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A
s an architect, the question of How Tall is Too Tall, is one which I believe is relative to the city. As we look at Dubai, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur – these cities all continue to reach for the sky to such an extraordinary extent under the belief that they must represent objectives other than economic prosperity, or density for sustainability. Tall buildings – of admittedly more limited height – do however, continue to serve critical urban purposes. Let’s take New York City as an example. Stimulating its remarkable economic vitality with regular bursts of high-rise buildings, New York has effectively applied restrictions and economic incentives to maintain sunlit streets (through setbacks) and skyline harmony (design reviews). The city has also managed to moderate oversized developments (community activism) and unaffordability (80/20 housing requirements), all the while delivering the necessary public transit (municipal bonds). London, similarly economically ambitious and having been directed by the Blair Government through its “Urban Renaissance” report to press for higher
density and thereby achieve more efficient land use and urban vitality, has embarked on a wave of tower-building with 230 underway or in planning at last count. However, unlike New York, it has pursued this increased density objective only through height, without first considering an overarching urban aesthetic framework (that would compose an attractive skyline), the public space and green areas, and most importantly community input. Hence
<< It is undeniable that an urban efficiency is
achieved through utilising the vertical dimension.
– Dr Patrice Derrington (BArch 1979; BDesSt 1976): Professor & Chair (Global Real Estate), New York University – Schack Institute of Real Estate
>>
I
find the question a difficult one to answer. From a professional point of view I love the challenge and excitement of designing tall. There are a number of parameters that you need to take into consideration when designing high-rises such as wind & earthquake loading, constructability and just the general coordination to fit all the services into the building to make it a great place to work or live! As a student I dreamed of being involved in high-rise design and I have been lucky enough to live the dream. A building just can’t be too tall, the higher the better, continuously testing your technical ability –the boundaries must be pushed and exceeded to achieve an economical design. It’s quite an amazing thing to be part of a team to deliver a building that will feature on the city skyline for the rest of your life. You’re literally designing the future skyline of a city. Tokyo is the perfect example of density and populous living. Walking through the streets of this incredible city, and experiencing all those people going about their daily business while surrounded by the density of tall buildings creates an incredible
a new, privately-funded entity, New London Architecture, is pressing for an improved public process through a mayoral London Skyline Commission, in which the quality of development proposals receive more scrutiny and are fully presented to the community through a digital model of the city, extending the controls that protect the precious views of St Paul’s and Westminster to other urban delights including the Thames. While moving back from the dangerous and inefficient heights of record breaking skyscrapers, it is undeniable that an urban efficiency is achieved through utilising the vertical dimension. When debating ‘How Tall is Too Tall?’ for skyscrapers, I believe consideration needs to be given as to how urbanisation and height can work together in order to meet the needs of a growing city such as London, New York, or even Brisbane. However, guiding this vertical climb requires a very granular examination of the broader aesthetic and community aspects.
atmosphere. It is a great example of building tall around efficient public transport nodes, density and efficient public transport are critical for both to work. From a personal point of view I really wonder about the benefit of going super tall. I love sitting on my deck at home and seeing my kids kick the footy or play cricket in the backyard. It’s a bit hard to have that
same experience when you are 50 stories up in the air. Travelling to the top of the high-rises in New York is a buzz but when you get to the top, the people and cars at ground level are like ants running around, and you lose all relationship with the ground plane around you! One of our favourite family holiday locations is staying at Burleigh Heads. Usually we stay in an apartment on the 10th storey. A favourite pastime is to sit on the balcony enjoying seafood, a glass of wine and talk about the waves we caught during the day. Last year we were upgraded to a bigger apartment on the 25th floor; it was just too windy to enjoy sitting on the balcony. So how tall is too tall? When your relationship with the outside environment is not as critical (in cities such as Tokyo), go as tall as you like. But in Queensland’s subtropical environment 25 stories is too tall. I believe 10 stories is the maximum to enjoy a glass of wine and prawns on the balcony! – Brett Taylor (BE 1993): Director, Bornhorst and Ward Consulting Engineers ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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How tall is TOO TALL?
B
uilding height can be looked at from numerous angles, from the structural challenge of delivering an efficient and sound structure, to the commercial viability of urban densification, or the architectural challenge of separating people from the ground. In all cases there seems to be no limit for how tall a building can be. An angle that is rarely taken is the one of safety and the relationship that height might have with how safe a building is. Structural engineers will argue that tall buildings are particularly safe when it comes to winds and earthquakes with most of the major failures being experienced by low rise buildings.
Furthermore, tall buildings, given their nature can allow for a well-controlled environment that enhances individual safety. One angle that very few people consider is that of fire safety. Fire safety is probably the only area in which time and its relationship to height has a very complex meaning. In the case of a fire, the fire grows in time while people take time to evacuate, and structures deteriorate as their temperature increases in time. The paradigm employed to deliver fire safety in building design relies on evacuation. In the event of a fire, a building will be evacuated in an orderly manner. Currently, a rough estimate of evacuation time establishes that in a typical building it will take about a minute per floor, thus a 60 storey building will take one hour to evacuate.
Buildings are currently designed in a manner that fires will be prevented from propagating beyond the floor of origin. Facades are designed to prevent fire spread external to the building, floors are designed to prevent fires from propagating vertically through the interior of the building, and stairs and lift shafts are protected in many ways to prevent smoke and fire from penetrating these vertical conduits. So in principle, a fire should not extend beyond the floor of origin and people evacuating should not be affected by fire or smoke. While this is generally the case, failures can happen and in recent years we have seen a good dose of those [Camberwell Green (UK), Grozny City Towers (Russia), unnamed Shanghai (China), CCTV Tower Beijing (China) etc]; nevertheless tall buildings have an excellent track record when it comes to fire. Structures are insulated in a manner that they can withstand the effects of a fire for a predetermined period of time. This is labelled “fire resistance” and is normally established in hours. A typical requirement for tall buildings is four hours. From a simplistic perspective, does a four hour evacuation time define the height limit for a tall building? It will be nice to be able to use this argument, either to demand an increased fire resistance or a height limit, nevertheless, the problem is much more complex than that. Tall buildings compound failure modes because people are stacked on top of each other, resulting in great uncertainty in evacuation times, complex hazards if fires manage to break through and propagate vertically or a complete breakdown of the fire resistance concept if the structure is too optimised. Current design approaches do not look at these hazards in an integral manner, therefore, defining how tall is too tall seems a very hard question to answer. – Professor José Torero: Head, UQ School of Civil Engineering
<< ...defining how
tall is too tall seems a very hard question to answer.
>>
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obituary
ROCKET man T
he field of hypersonics would not be what it is today, without the pioneering efforts and dedication of Professor Raymond Stalker (DEng 1999). An unrivalled passion for space travel witnessed Professor Stalker become Australia’s first Professor of Space Engineering and pioneer of the world’s fastest jet engine, the Scramjet. Commencing work at UQ in 1977, Professor Stalker is remembered for his tireless dedication to his research, and for having invented the free-piston shock tunnel – known as the Stalker tube – which allows researchers to test new engine and spacecraft designs. It was this design which saw the world sit up and take notice, placing Professor Stalker’s skills and facilities in high demand on the international stage. Designing the first scramjet demonstrated to produce more thrust than drag, Professor Stalker is acknowledged for revolutionising the possibilities presented by space and air travel. Establishing UQ’s Centre for Hypersonics in 1997, Professor Stalker developed a team of keen researchers, leading pioneering work on scramjet technology at the University. As a result of Professor Stalker’s tireless dedication, UQ’s Centre for Hypersonics is now globally recognised for excellence and innovation in hypersonic aerodynamics research.
<< Professor Stalker is
acknowledged for revolutionising the possibilities presented by space and air travel.
>>
Professor Stalker received a plethora of honours during his career including the Order of Australia, and was the only Australian Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Professor David Mee, Head of the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at UQ, said “Ray had a great influence on many students and staff at UQ. Soon after the announcement of his death, we received messages from people from Australia and all around the world recounting how Ray had influenced them and their research. We were pleased to be able to pass a collection of these on to the Stalker family.” Even after retirement Ray continued to be involved with his research group and contribute to realising his vision of an affordable Australian space program.
Ray’s life work laid the foundations for a respected Australian presence in hypersonic aerodynamics. After a valiant and determined struggle with Parkinson’s Disease and the aftereffects of his stroke, Ray passed away on the 9th of February 2014. Due to the tireless dedication and work of Professor Ray Stalker, UQ has been able to firmly cement its hypersonic research capabilities on an international stage. Professor Stalker’s life work and research will continue as the University furthers its hypersonic portfolio in the coming years. He will be greatly missed by family, friends, colleagues, alumni and students alike. In a recent development, Oxford University is negotiating to acquire the driver of the ‘T3’ Stalker tube which was designed and built by Professor Ray Stalker in the 60s, and was the first large scale, high performance free piston shock tunnel to be developed. This facility paved the way for the pioneering family of ‘Stalker tube’ hypervelocity facilities which have been built all over the world. The ‘Oxford University Stalker Tube’ will use the T3 driver unit to power their existing ‘gun tunnel’ facility, and will be dedicated to the memory of Professor Stalker, acting as a platform for OU/UQ collaborative research. ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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A new era in engineering education With 70,000 students from around the world enrolled in UQ’s first ever MOOC – almost double the University’s entire student population here in South-East Queensland – what will it mean to complete a world-class university course from the comfort of your living-room?!
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T
he delivery of tertiary education is rapidly changing, as the rise of the internet revolutionises how students learn. The face of the revolution today is the Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC, as they’re commonly known. Allowing anyone with an internet connection to sign-up, courses are being delivered by the world’s best universities including Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Berkeley, and now The University of Queensland. Joining the globally renowned edX network last year, UQ is launching four MOOCs in 2014, with plans to further expand upon this. Designed to support an unlimited number of students, MOOCs are facilitated completely online, allowing anyone with internet access the opportunity to participate in higher education courses – free of charge. People from across the globe will be able to access learning in areas taught by UQ’s global experts in many top-ranked disciplines. Invited to join the select group of elite global partners, UQ is one of only two Australian universities in the not-for-profit edX enterprise.
<< MOOCs are
facilitated completely online, allowing anyone with internet access the opportunity to participate in higher education courses – free of charge.
>>
edX was created for students and institutions that seek to transform themselves through cutting-edge technologies, innovative education, and rigorous course content. Through its institutional partners, the XConsortium, edX aims to present the best of higher education online, offering opportunity to anyone who wants to achieve, thrive, and grow. This opens an exciting door for UQ Engineering. Once restricted by OP score, grade point averages, class sizes and availability of facilities, UQ’s engineering courses were offered only to those who met the prerequisites. Now,
the layperson, regardless of where in the world they live, has the opportunity to study rocket science – quite literally. ‘Hypersonics – from Shock Waves to Scramjets’ (HYPERS301x) is the first MOOCs course to be rolled out by UQ’s Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology. Delivered by UQ’s top Hypersonic experts, the objective of HYPERS301x is to allow students to build a better understanding of flight at speeds greater than Mach 5 and discover how to analyse the performance of a scramjet. Run over 9 weeks, more than 3,400 people have enrolled in HYPERS301x, with students expected to commit 5-10 hours per week studying the course content. Head of UQ’s School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, Professor David Mee (PhD 1987; BE 1982), said students who enrolled in the course would benefit from the knowledge of the University’s internationally renowned hypersonics experts. “We have developed the hypersonics MOOC from the material presented in a range of courses through our Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program. Students who have a background in calculus and introductory fluids mechanics and thermodynamics can work their way through compressible flows and the fundamentals of propulsion. We also have a route through the course for those without that background. Those without the prior knowledge can work their way through the background material without going into all the details, and still obtain an understanding of the principles of hypersonic flows and
scramjet propulsion,” Professor Mee said. The offering of MOOCs does not come without criticism. One of the major concerns is how the content developed for MOOCs will translate across to those courses which are offered on campus at UQ. Are ‘global’ MOOC students gaining to the detriment of local students? Not the case – explains Professor Mee. “The content developed for the MOOC has been specifically designed with the intention that it can then be used in courses offered to students studying on-campus.” Regardless of one’s standpoint on MOOCs, the secret is out and MOOCs are booming. As the world continues to embrace the internet and all it has to offer, so too will higher education institutions – increasing their international reach and capabilities. The line between online and campus learning is becoming increasingly blurred, with the internet playing an increasing role in content delivery and hosting tools which universities use when engaging with students. Lines will continue to merge as the international marketplace becomes more dependent on the internet for its ease of use, creating new avenues within which to engage and connect with students from across the globe. The ‘no barrier’ approach of MOOCs in providing education to the masses will continue to transform tertiary education as we know it. It will be fascinating to see how the world’s best universities harness the power of online learning for the global audience, whilst ensuring the on-campus student experience remains second to none. ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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Kelly-Anne Alexander –
College life – then and now Opening its St Lucia doors in 1956, having moved from its former Kangaroo Point location, St John’s College has long been a vital part of UQ’s student community. Life at St John’s College has changed significantly in the past 58 years, but there are some things which time cannot touch – the memories, spirit, friendship and experiences of students while at college. Current student Kelly-Anne Alexander, and 1987 graduate Duncan Cameron provide an insight into their own lives at college, and why they believe the college experience is one which is unrivalled.
St John’s College 2014
W
ho are we, the Bumble Bee! St John’s College, the college where we have been wearing the colours of brown and gold for the past 103 years is a place of friendship, cultural, sporting, social, academia and many lifelong stories. In my year and a half at St John’s College I have truly grown an appreciation for the amazing peers and staff at this home and community. The people here have helped me in many ways, as study partners and friends when I simply need someone to chat to. It all started with O-week - the week that consisted of a very unfriendly committee and Executive. This strange week which was filled with even stranger events helped all of us ‘freshers’ bond closely in the weird and wonderful activities that took place, in turn fulfilling the goal of
Duncan Cameron St John’s College 1983–1987 (BE 1987)
I
graduated from UQ with many life skills, long term friendships, and fond memories gained from St John’s College and academic study in Mechanical Engineering. The Reverend Canon Professor John Morgan, who only recently retired, was a pillar of stability and guidance for the college community. St. Johns was a community whereby the older and graduate college members would mentor the younger “freshers” to develop them both academically and socially. I have fond memories of the lively discussions at the nightly dinners dressed in our academic gowns and ties – ‘Hogwarts” style. Communication was by talking face to face; there was no texting, emailing, or mobile phones. Plans to meet were made in advance and people simply turned up or missed out. Each week there were social functions, sporting events, and black tie
16 ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
the actually very friendly committee and executive. Since O-week, I have experienced many college social events including ‘at homes’ and various balls where I have made many friends at my own college, but also beyond the Johnian walls at the various other colleges. The amazing network the Inter College Council facilitates in the way of sporting, cultural and social events makes college life all the more enjoyable with a very fierce competition which has run dating back a decade. One memory I believe I will truly appreciate is the enthusiasm and spirit each college student has for their college. On the way to the swimming carnivals dressed in our Jabber dresses and the boys dressed in their Jabber attire, we march arm in arm ‘bisex’ (boy-girl) and chant the various Johnian Chants, 300 strong, at the top of our lungs. We do this until we come face to face with our opponents, where they are also chanting back and we all cheer and chant as the races go on, bantering back and forth funny ‘chat’ between colleges. This environment of ‘friendly but serious competition’ is to me what makes the college experience like no
balls within the St Lucia college community. The St John’s bar ‘club’ was a meeting point before dinner and social events. The fire was lit on the occasional cold evening. Friendships were forged across all colleges and within your own Faculty. The
other and is something that I will always cherish. One thing that I truly appreciate is the academic assistance that the college provides through complimentary tutorials and access to your fellow peers, who are literally just next door. Everyone is always willing to help you out and this is what makes college life truly great!
The college experience has been amazing and I will always hold it, and the people and friends I have met here close to my heart. Thank you St John’s College and all the people, facilities, events, time and effort encompassed in this institution for my experience so far. Who are we –the Bumble Bee, we’re the mighty Jabbers!
location of the Anglican St John’s next to the Catholic St Leo’s did result in some intense rivalry and occasionally missiles were hurled across the divide often as follow-on from a disappointing sporting outcome. The proximity of the college to lectures meant that you could sleep until five minutes before the commencement of lectures. If you missed a lecture, you could easily obtain a set of notes from a collegiate, although photocopies were expensive. Powerpoint wasn’t even thought of as you copied from the blackboard. It was a male-dominated existence within St John’s College (all male), many of whom were from male schools, and as an engineering student the majority of the cohort was male! To keep the balance, nightly visitations were made to the women’s colleges timed before men were locked out at midnight. I had my trusty motor bike on hand which was useful for taking short cuts across the campus to the dismay of security. Life didn’t change
much after graduation as many of us were posted to all male mining camps or in my case, offshore rigs. Computing was slow and tedious with mainframe computers operated by using batched input/output files from remote terminals. There were no floppy disks or USB sticks! Computer aided design and manufacturing was in its infancy with the University investing large sums in this technology. Many of us had to sit a special exam because we were found to be using a little known way to send our computer assignments to each other’s mailboxes. Unfortunately this was tracked by the system. I suppose today that would be called email. St John’s College and a UQ engineering degree initiated a journey that enabled me to develop my career and obtain life experiences on a global scale in the offshore oil and gas industry. I have lived in several countries and now reside in Perth, WA. My further study to obtain a Masters degree was certainly not as rewarding as being immersed in the intensity of college life located next to the engineering school. University for me was not just about obtaining a degree, it was a rich experience gained from living within an academic community. ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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feature
Value-adding through Innovation
Every day around the world, billions of people rely upon Australian discoveries and inventions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Hills Hoist, the Black Box flight recorder, and Wi-Fi to name a few. UQ innovations are among them, from hypersonic scramjets, hydrogen storage and high-performance solar materials to the superconductor technology used in two-thirds of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MRI machines.
18 ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
Innovation: the execution of ideas, technologies and processes that create value with solutions better designed to address a problem or deficit. Entrepreneurship: embracing the risk and rewards of translating the value of innovation into benefits for a wider community.
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feature: innovation
From excellence to excellence plus Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty, and UQ’s Director of Biomedical Engineering, Professor Stuart Crozier (DEng 2002; PhD 1991) is internationally renowned for his work in improving the technology of imaging equipment – two-thirds of the world’s MRI machines now use his technology. Professor Crozier shares his thoughts on why UQ Engineering innovation matters – and how value adding research is more important than ever.
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his Faculty is home to many talented innovators and some of the University’s most successful commercialisation activities. UQ’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Høj, has coined the phrase “from excellence to excellence plus” as an important approach to frame UQ’s research efforts. This essentially means encouraging excellent research that has societal impact, but more than that, we need to be selective as researchers in choosing which problems to address. The top projects for research impact at UQ were recently highlighted (http://goo.gl/4TbeQS) and more than half of these were developed by Faculty staff. The range of technologies applied to real world problems is truly amazing, from wastewater management innovations, clever software, to new materials. These successes provide some
of the inspiration for the stories featured in this section. At a time when there remains great concern over the long-term federal budgetary commitment to research and development, we need to advocate for a re-invigoration of the innovation sector in Australia. With the demise of automobile manufacturing, we need to urgently look to our strengths in scientific and technological innovation to develop and drive new industries that are sustainable in Australia and have strong export potential. It is important as a University that we focus on creating this culture as early as possible, both in our students and for our academic researchers, particularly those early in their career. To this end, and to provide external advocacy, UQ has created an Innovation Champions group – a group of senior researchers who have successfully translated their research into societal
Professor Crozier’s expertise lies in imaging technology and applications, instrumentation for physiological measurement and semi-automated diagnostics. The commercial and academic impact of the work in Magnetic Resonance Imaging has been significant, with about seventy percent of all high-end, clinical MRI systems installed worldwide after 1997 containing patented technology co-invented and fully developed by Stuart. Specifically, this
20 ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
benefit. As a member of this group, I look forward to working with the broader UQ community to help navigate the journey of translation of research and to assist with the selection of problems that we can, and should, address as multidisciplinary teams. I hope that you enjoy these stories that include innovations in medical devices, printed circuit board software, quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles, hydrogen storage technology and a small insight into the successes that two of our alumni have achieved. Just this small sample shows the diversity of our research expertise in the Faculty. Clearly we all need to work together better to progress the potential innovations in our Faculty, in order to produce outcomes that can benefit all of us. Our community of students, staff, alumni and industry partners all play important roles in these solutions for our future.
technology concerns a method of correcting the field shifts caused by pulsed magnetic field gradients by frequency and phase modulation of the transmitter and/or receiver in an MR scanner. This is significant because it changed the level of imaging fidelity possible and has allowed faster and more accurate images to be obtained, improving the quality of images that clinicians use in patient management. The work has also brought substantial financial returns to Australia.
innovation: student projects
Innovation and entrepreneurship have reshaped teaching, learning and research at the University, with UQ Engineering at the cutting edge of this transformation. UQ Engineering staff, students and alumni are increasingly supporting the national innovation agenda, the strategies in play to achieve Faculty and University objectives, and the entrepreneurial spirit enriching the value of UQ’s contribution. Australia’s star is rising on the international innovation stage. The Global Innovation Index 2013, published by Cornell University, INSEAD Business School and the World Intellectual Property Organisation, ranked Australia at 19th – up four places from 2012. Locally, Australian businesses that collaborate with research organisations such as UQ are 242% more likely to report increases in productivity from innovation, according to the Australian Innovation System Report 2013. However, when it comes to collaborative business innovation and business-to-research collaboration, Australia’s overall levels compare poorly with other OECD countries. For sustainability and prosperity, Australia must tap into alternative markets and generate new ones to compensate for the downturn in traditional export industries like manufacturing and mining. More so than ever before, engineers and designers are in demand to lead this exploration with their intellectual and creative resources. From the ‘big picture’ vision to the precision detail, who better to turn innovative ideas into actions with impact than these professions?
PepsterTeam: Elliot Smith (BE 2012), Jeremy Herbert (BE 2012), Gavin Kremor (Class of 2014) and Dr Stephen Wilson
HSK instruments – breathe easy
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n their final year, the students were approached by a cystic fibrosis specialist from the Mater Children’s Hospital who was concerned about how often or how well people were doing their chest physiotherapy exercises outside of the hospital. Working on the project as part of their final year thesis, the group presented their solution at UQ’s Innovation Expo, where they received the award for ‘Most Commercially Viable Product.’ Winning this award saw them gain a place in ilab’s Germinate program. That student group became HSK Instruments and their leader of hardware and firmware development, Jeremy Herbert, said the ilab experience was the perfect complement to the team’s engineering degrees. “It was a fantastic place for us to learn about the real-world business aspects of bringing a new device to market,” Jeremy said. As a result of the three month intensive Germinate program with ilab, the team is well on their way to commercialising their first product: Pepster. Based around the Positive
Universities are the engine rooms of innovation: smart people and brilliant ideas colliding, fusing, and refracting to change how we understand the world and what could make it function better.
Expiratory Pressure (PEP) exercise, the Pepster system consists of a breath-measurement device that plugs into a tablet computer and a suite of applications, which transform measurements into interactive experiences for the user. The device is compatible with most standard facemask sizes and has a range of standard attachments for different respiratory prescriptions. The device has been designed to be easy to clean with isopropyl wipes. “We built the Pepster Apps as a means to demonstrate the many ways one can interact with the Pepster device. We wanted to show that physiotherapy can be engaging and interactive for younger users as well as detailed and informative for older users and healthcare professionals. We have developed a game, Pepster:Space as well as a more clinic-style app Pepster:Graph to demonstrate our ideas. One day we hope that Pepster will be a platform that others will want to develop for as well, so that those in need can perform the critical exercises necessary to improve their health.” Read more: http://hskinstruments.com
Researchers discover new intellectual assets by challenging and testing the technical capabilities of materials and matter. Academics confer and collaborate to enrich the knowledge ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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feature: innovation
innovation: student projects
created. Graduates apply their learning in a wide range of industries to generate value for the companies that employ them and the clients and communities they serve. Students are often at the vanguard of innovation – optimistic and fearless of failure, they ask new questions and challenge the status quo with an insatiable desire to make their mark and make a difference. Energised by this exuberance, UQ offers enhanced learning opportunities for students to complement their technical competence, such as developing their potential as entrepreneurs. Today, UQ Engineering students are encouraged to consider commercial possibilities for their ideas as an integral feature in the design of research assignments and projects with industry. Some have taken this concept further and applied for business development programs with one of Australia’s most successful start-up incubators, ilab, which is supported by the Queensland Government. Operated by UQ’s commercialisation company, UniQuest, and run by UQ Engineering alumnus Bernie Woodcroft (BE 1985), ilab supports early stage, high-tech ventures through their first few years of growth. It offers entrepreneurial students the chance to participate in an accelerated program of training, mentoring, and industry engagement whilst developing their technology-driven ideas into viable enterprises. Through the diverse learning and networking opportunities on offer at UQ, a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship is emerging through student and academic circles. And, as academics become more cognisant of the commercial benefits of their research, they are encouraging students to follow suit.
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Cartesian Co. team: Isabella Stephens (Class of 2015), John Scott (BE 2012), Ariel Briner (BE 2013)
Circuit boards... at the click of a button
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ounded in 2009, Cartesian Co. was created to fill a gap in the market students stumbled across while making Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). “Back then we were making printed circuit boards (PCBs) by hand and just couldn’t believe that personal fabrication had come so far but we were still making circuits the same way our parents did. So we started experimenting with completely new ways to make circuits and came up with the process the Argentum uses,” Cartesian Co. Co-Founder John Scott said. The Cartesian Co. Argentum is a desktop printer that allows you to print circuit boards with the click of a button. With the Argentum, printing circuits is as quick and easy as printing a photo – allowing you to print on the material of your choice. “The team have come a long way from the labs at UQ where they first dreamt up the idea. We were fortunate enough to be offered a place in ilab’s Germinate program which led and assisted us to develop the company. We all came from an engineering background without any prior business experience, so the ilab program was
pivotal in the creation of the company as it exposed us to all facets of the business process. ilab taught us the basics of how startups work and where to go to learn more. It also exposed us to a number of industry connections and mentors – all of which were extremely useful in getting advice and feedback on the product and business,” John said. What is unique about Cartesian Co.’s Argentum printer, is how the team funded it. Funded purely from ‘Kickstarter’ – an online crowdfunding resource – the team were able to gain maximum publicity for their product, in turn allowing them to sell a large amount of printers in a short period of time. Kickstarter sees members of the public pledge monetary support to enable the development of a product or an idea – meaning that each project is independently funded, allowing the project creators to retain complete control. “Kickstarter was great for us, because it allowed us to get our brand out there, and also provided us with enough money to develop the first batch of printers and rent office space,” John said. Read more: www.cartesianco.com
Today, driven by a much greater focus of ‘partner or perish’, academics are increasingly working with industry to more effectively realise the commercialisation opportunities of their research. Indeed, UQ is consistently listed in the top five universities for Australian Research Council Linkage grants. In 2012, UQ researchers attracted more than $100 million in research income from non-government sources. We are an ‘Essential Participant’ in a further six programs; and we have more copublications with the CSIRO (which has a strong focus on practical industry
UQ’s 30 research strengths include: Chemical Engineering Data and Knowledge Engineering Materials Engineering Environmental Engineering and Water Management Information Systems and Computational Science Mechanical Engineering Mining, Mineral Resources and Processing Nanotechnology and Bioengineering
innovation: academic projects
A new look for search and rescue?
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evolutionary technology developed by Dr Paul Pounds is set to change the world of miniature flying machines. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed by Dr Pounds could potentially replace piloted helicopters in search and rescue or surveillance operations for a fraction of the cost, with reduced maintenance and risk to people. The applications for this technology are almost endless with surf life-savers, police, fire fighters and rescue workers across Australia set to benefit from the UAV technology. Dr Pounds said his unique design for a new type of quadrotor UAV – a helicopter lifted and propelled by four independent propellers – was more agile, responsive and energy efficient than existing quadrotor designs. “It combines the aerodynamic efficiency of a helicopter with the simplicity and robustness of a quadrotor. I’m excited to be able to work with V-TOL Aerospace to take this technology out of the lab and into the field, where I believe it will prove to be the ideal platform for police and emergency responders,” Dr Pounds said.
Signing an agreement with Brisbane-based air, ground and marine robotics company V-TOL Aerospace, Dr Pounds’ technology is set to be prototyped, before being commercialised for the masses. V-TOL Aerospace Managing Director Mr Mark Xavier said the company was ready to take the UAV to the global market. “V-TOL will develop not only the product, but the
<< I’d had the idea for
many years, but only at UQ have I had the opportunity to give the idea flight.
>>
regulator-approved training and support services required to make this product Civil Aviation Safety Authority compliant,” Mr Xavier said. Dr Pounds said he went from conception to fruition very quickly. “I’d had the idea for many years, but only at UQ have I had the opportunity to give the idea flight. I worked with an undergraduate thesis student (who won an ITEE Control and Automation Prize for his work) to build the test platform and compare it against an almost-identical conventional quadrotor. Based on the strength of our experimental results, we knew that it would have a huge impact on the field,” Dr Pounds said.
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feature: innovation
Licensing and investment also strengthen UQ’s direct partnerships with industry. Appian Medical is a recently launched spin-off company developed from Associate Professor Udantha Abeyratne’s (GCEd 2006) research within the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Appian’s e-health entrepreneur Michael Thomas said, “I scoured the world for other algorithms and [Abeyratne’s] was clearly the best…He demonstrated that by recording a snore on a smart phone he could diagnose sleep apnoea as accurately as a sleep lab.’’ Appian plans to launch the technology onto the $7 billion global market for the 44 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women who snore. UQ has recently embarked on a new strategy to expand the quality and scale of mutually beneficial engagement. With a focus on UQ’s top-30 research strengths, which have been identified using data such as global rankings and the Australian Government’s ERA evaluation of research strengths (Excellence in Research for Australia), close to a third of these strengths are related to UQ Engineering. Promotion of UQ’s track record of translational research attracts potential industry partners. Proclaiming these strengths makes it easier for them to identify opportunities for collaboration. By investing in world-class research, such companies can attract more talent, produce more ideas, and convert more of those ideas into successful products. Thus begins a cycle of innovation for supercharging the momentum of change. Today, UQ Engineering engages with companies and industries of all sizes and origins around the world. Rio Tinto, Dow Chemical and Boeing are listed amongst a growing list of innovation partners.
24 ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
A lot more than hot air…
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n idea that started out as Dr Kazuhiro Nogita’s research project in the early 2000s has rapidly gained momentum and is now enabling the potential of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier, through storing the gas in a solid form – based on a proprietary magnesium alloy developed at UQ. Realising that their innovative research had the potential to be commercialised, Dr Nogita and his UQ team entered UniQuest’s Trailblazer competition in 2004 and emerged as the winners. This gave them and their nascent company – Hydrexia – the entrepreneurial launchpad and financial support it needed to thrive. Following the Trailblazer success, the team was encouraged to enter further business competitions and seek a number of grants, which lead to prototype testing in 2006.
<<
With the support provided by UQ and UniQuest, we were able to harness the commercial potential of Hydrexia.
>>
Hydrexia’s innovative hydrogen storage technology enables hydrogen to be stored in less space, with lower weight and at low pressure, making it safer and costing less than existing compressed gas systems. Having been successfully ‘spun-out’ of UQ and now under the leadership of CEO Jeffrey Ng, Hydrexia is going from strength to strength. Last year the company raised a further $9.25m in funding to focus on scaling-up its systems and processes, and to work with its development and supply chain partners to deliver commercial ready products to its customers. Dr Nogita said UQ provided the perfect launch-pad for both development of his research and commercialisation of the resulting technology. “With the support provided by UQ and UniQuest, we were able to harness the commercial potential of Hydrexia. Thanks to the excellent facilities, mentoring and business advice we gained at UQ, we were able to approach the business industry and take our idea from concept to market.” Read more: http://hydrexia.com
innovation: academic projects
and community outcomes) than any other university.
Leading a significant number of the project teams, and often the companies themselves (if not creating them), are UQ Engineering alumni. The success of alumni-initiated partnerships and programs underpins a third strategy: capitalising on the bridges created by UQ alumni when they join the world’s most influential industry circles. As a University, and as a nation, we are crossing into new territories, and harnessing the strength of our alumni and their focus on continuous improvement and development.
UQ Engineering alumni are leading the charge for innovation, creating, developing and commercialising their ideas, processes and services. They become leaders for existing ventures, and are increasingly, starting up their own. They are setting the pace with uninhibited ambition to succeed. Tapping into alumni success, the University benefits from the support alumni return to their alma mater. Contributions might include being a mentor at ilab. It might be as a guest lecturer and keynote speaker for events and programs, in Australia and
gatherings around the world. Some become Faculty members teaching and guiding the next generation of engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Others play a critical role in brokering partnerships with the companies they represent or lead. And a growing number are giving philanthropically to support the innovation agenda at UQ. The challenge for UQ and Australia is to ensure a truly value-focused culture can flourish and continually replenish within the student, research and alumni community. This means stemming the ‘brain drain’ from powerhouses of
innovation: alumni projects
Alumni creating [micro] waves John Ness (BA 1982; PhD 1977; BE 1971)
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company which can trace its genetic endowment back to UQ continues to create waves in the communication sector. Formed by John Ness and Peter Bradley (MEngSc 1983; BE 1979), EM Solutions is the brainchild of these two UQ alumni who were once part of MITEC - one of the first commercial spin-off companies to come out of a UQ research centre. Recognising a gap in the market, John and Peter developed EM Solutions with the focus not on products per se, but rather on the design and manufacturing skills necessary to provide technology solutions for identified market sectors. Not long after its establishment in 1998, the company segued its services into two main sectors within the communication sector. One was for high capacity microwave links, and the other was for the emerging broad bandwith, high frequency Ka band satellite network. Since 1998, the company has produced integrated RF modules used in low noise receivers and solid state high power transmitters for defence and commercial customers around the
world. These sophisticated components form the core subsystems used primarily in microwave terrestrial and satellite links, or in other applications such as radar, radio-astronomy, and remote sensing. Maintaining its links with the University, EM Solutions has recently entered into an agreement with UQ’s School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering to look at advanced antenna technologies, reducing costs and improving performance of the mobile tracking satellite terminals. After completing his postgraduate
studies, John said he retained his links with UQ via an external studies course and thus had 18 continuous years with UQ as a student, postgraduate, external student and researcher. “In retrospect, I can appreciate the depth of knowledge and the freedom to explore that knowledge provided by UQ. EM Solutions maintains good links with UQ, with staff providing occasional lectures, participating in yearly reviews of the Engineering course, taking on undergraduate students for work experience and offering positions to UQ graduates,” John said. “It’s a relationship that benefits us all.”
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feature: innovation
innovation and overcoming the privation of financial support that has seen so many Australian discoveries become the intellectual assets of other nations.
world standards. This, in turn, makes engagement even more attractive to global enterprises with the means to take Australian-based innovation to the market.
By encouraging more businesses and communities to engage with and leverage UQ Engineering students’ research – and by supporting opportunities themselves – UQ Engineering alumni can help lift the national aggregate of innovative, collaborative businesses above
Nurturing students’ natural curiosity and ambition for change, seeking synergies from research and industry partnerships, and maintaining strong links with alumni are just some of the ways UQ Engineering is adding value to the dividend from public and private investment in Australian innovation.
References Australian Innovation System Report 2013. Page 10 SnoreSounds quote from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/ business/apnea-app-aims-for-dreamrun/story-e6frg8zx-1226905109730#
Let us know your innovation story at advancement@eait.uq.edu.au
David Beck (PhD 2001; BE 1995) Beck Engineering
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ith three national offices, and one international office – Beck Engineering (BE) is a global provider of consultancy services for mining, gas, and oil projects, undertaking work with many of the largest and deepest mines across the world. Established by UQ greduate David Beck, BE’s main focus is Simulation Aided Engineering for difficult geotechnical environments. ”Simulation Aided Engineering can be thought of as providing a virtual laboratory for testing the performance of various courses of action at every stage in the design process” David said. “We work with clients that need complex analysis to understand how their operation is going to perform. Often the tools we need to do our job have to be developed as part of the commercial project and there’s always a push to be faster and to improve performance. It takes intuitive design engineers with an excellent background in applied mechanics, willing to show leadership. That is the heart of UQ Engineering’s philosophy. Our principal Engineers here in Australia all happen to be UQ engineers”. After graduating from UQ, David worked as a mining and rock mechanics engineer for Mount Isa Mines. “In the mid 90s it wasn’t
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possible to simulate deep mines with much precision, due to the lack of developed technology – the capacity to do so in 3D was just emerging. As a new graduate, it became my job to build and run the models which we used to optimise the life of mine plans. It was while doing this job that the seed of starting my own business was planted.” “While at UQ, I never dreamt that I’d one day be operating my own consultancy business, but I wholeheartedly believe my university education allowed me to do this. This is also why, to this day, I still maintain connections with UQ.” Supporting the next generation of engineers is something which remains vitally important to the company, and David personally. It is this philosophy that has seen BE support the growth of the 2014 Spark Engineering Camp –
<< While at UQ, I never
dreamt that I’d one day be operating my own consultancy business, but I wholeheartedly believe my University education allowed me to do this.
>>
helping students overcome the barriers to university education by empowering them to be confident in their own life choices, showing that university, and engineering, is a worthy goal and achievable ambition. “We believe the program is very worthwhile – we will all benefit from the future contribution of these young engineers,” David said.
innovation: alumni projects
Leadership in design
The leading provider of short courses for environment professionals in Australia IWES is the largest and most successful continuing education program for professionals responsible for industry environmental performance in Australia. Our mission is quite simple. It is to provide high quality short course training for environment industry professionals. Courses are taught by leading industry practitioners and designed to keep busy professionals abreast of the latest trends, technologies and practices. IWES has grown rapidly over the last few years, now establishing itself as a leading provider of short courses for environment professionals in Australia. Since 2008 we have run events annually in Sydney, Gold Coast, and Perth. We are now particularly proud that IWES is the training provider of choice with several large organisations, and we strive to continue to innovate in our course offerings and delivery. We look forward to continuing to provide a key service for environment industry professionals.
IWES is owned by The University of Queensland.
For further information phone 1800 000 404, Email info@iwes.com.au or visit our web site www.iwes.com.au
A day in the life of the
aEB
For over 100 years UQ has been a hub of learning and research that continues to make an important impact on the world around us. Yet it’s not just intelligent people on campus who are raising the bar… now it’s intelligent buildings too.
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t is most likely that one day, your home and office will ‘work’ for you. Guests to Bill Gates’ house, noted for its design and the technology it incorporates, wear pins that automatically adjust temperature, music, and lighting based on their preferences upon entering a room. But for larger high-use structures, the Advanced Engineering Building (AEB) at UQ’s St Lucia Campus has taken sustainable intelligent buildings to the next level. Classed as a ‘live building’ – one that automatically adjusts air and temperature for your comfort -the AEB self-manages its energy output throughout the day. The buildings designers, Richard Kirk Architect and Hassell, have delivered on a challenging brief to create a building that embodies an interactive learning environment, and which offers the most advanced teaching methods for the engineers of tomorrow, while incorporating state-of-the-art green technology specifically suited to the unique Queensland climate. Each day the AEB makes informed and calculated decisions to measure and monitor internal and external conditions, contributing to a 40 percent reduction in annual energy performance. With the operational data available, the AEB provides students with best practice models in action to monitor the environmental performance as part of the curriculum. For example, students can
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Watch a smart building at work 6:30am
As the first occupants of the building arrive, hallway and ambient workspace lighting will be automatically activated and deactivated along the paths they travel, without touching a switch, in order to save as much energy as possible.
7:30am
The visible header tank, that supplies reticulated water to the hydraulic teaching labs, starts to flow, also acting as a water feature at the Lakeside Café as staff, and some students, get their morning caffeine hit.
9:30am assess elevator energy outputs, air conditioning levels and the building’s structural performance, all in real time. Physically, the AEB enhances our ability to transform engineering education with multi-purpose, active learning spaces where lectures are integrated with laboratories that can be used for design, build and test purposes. These learning spaces and research laboratories provide students with a powerful and active learning environment for improved teaching and learning. The AEB can be naturally ventilated for 183 days of the year through combinations of high efficiency and innovative features by continuously monitoring temperature, humidity, air quality and fresh air levels. Visible labyrinths are located on the lower levels, storing cooled air that is passed through the building in place of conditioned air where possible. Cool air is then delivered directly to the laboratories and workstations of the occupants of the building, ensuring the best possible indoor conditions, while also saving energy. The building’s exterior incorporates a variety of features to help reduce the energy demand on internal services. Along the northern side of the building, over 6600 terracotta tiles specifically crafted and imported from Germany have been carefully positioned with thinner tiles placed at eye-level, and thicker tiles above and below internal viewpoints, controlling the amount of natural light.
Recycled materials such as wood, rubber and fibres have been incorporated into timber facades, flooring and structures of the building as well as strain, movement and temperature gauges embedded throughout floors, walls and support columns – the crux of our ability to provide real-time interaction and experimentation on the features of the building. The flat-panel photovoltaic solar array, located on the roof of the AEB, generates electricity for the building and the wider St Lucia campus, and underpins research projects in diverse areas including physics, economics and sustainability. We see the interface between smart buildings and the smart grid as an extremely important contribution to a sustainable future both by reducing our own emissions, but also to pave the way for others to follow. By 2050, the human population will have reached 9 billion people with 75 per cent of the world’s inhabitants living in cities, and our infrastructure will need to respond to this growth. At UQ, we’re focussed on embedding sustainability and Green Star principles into the University’s design guidelines for all infrastructure projects as part of our strategy to reduce emissions associated with land use and the built environment. The AEB now plays another important role as the benchmark for future sustainable building projects at UQ.
Motorised venetian blinds along the windows of the Design Studio wing come into action and block the morning sun, controlling the solar heat gain on the building.
12:00pm
Sensors on the AEB’s exterior instruct the sunshades on the atrium roof to adjust to allow the right balance of natural light, glare and heat into the building.
2:30pm
Internal and external louvers automatically open to encourage a natural airflow between work spaces and social meeting areas.
5:00pm
Strain measurements taken from sensors embedded throughout the building are used to infer changes in the stress present in the AEB’s structural elements as afternoon winds increase.
7:00pm
The lighting control system stems the use of unnecessary lighting energy in unoccupied areas of the building. ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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Creating, achieving and discovering
a more
equitable
future
Having developed a program that attracts and retains female students into engineering, UQ is setting a national benchmark. With the first year results now in, the outcome speaks for itself. By Suzie Drayton – UQ Women in Engineering Communications Manager
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hese are exciting times for UQ’s Women in Engineering (WiE) program. Since its establishment in late 2012, the program has gone from strength to strength, recording some impressive results in its first 12 months. In 2013, female engineering students accounted for 19% of the entire undergraduate engineering student cohort, with the program’s aim to increase this number to 30% by 2023. In 2014, women made up 24.4% of the incoming first year student cohort. This encouraging first year result suggests the program is well on track to achieve its ambitious goal. Engaging directly with female high school students, UQ’s WiE representatives provide students with an insight into the engineering profession, showcasing the array of career pathways available within the industry. In 2013, the UQ WiE high school outreach program directly engaged with more than 1,600 female high school students from 47 schools across Queensland. Inspiring future engineers is something which my colleague, UQ’s WiE Development and Communication
Manager, Meghan Stephensen (BE 2002), holds close to her heart. A mechanical engineer herself, Meghan is passionate about engineering as a career path and is excited to be leading this change for UQ. “Engineering is such an exciting and diverse field and through our events and school visits, students are able to explore how engineering puts you on the ‘front line’ of discovery, design and application. These activities really open students’ eyes as to how engineering places you in a unique position to contribute to solving local and global challenges. “Our program tagline is ‘Create, Achieve, Discover’ because we believe that an engineering career is second to none with respect to the profound impact engineers can have on our shared future. This vision is also shared by our program partners Rio Tinto, API, and APPEA who have committed to supporting this program. Through the support of our program partners, we’re not only educating female students, we’re supporting a more equitable future for their workforce and better outcomes for the industry,” Meghan said. The WiE Program is led by both myself and Meghan, and we have now enlisted the help of 15 outstanding young female students from across the engineering disciplines as UQ WiE Student Leaders for 2014. These student leaders act as the program ‘champions’ for current and prospective students – providing advice, support, mentoring and inspiration. Student leader and fourth year Chemical and Biological Engineering student Divya Sholaga said she initially wanted to be involved with the program to express her gratitude for the amazing experiences she’s had as a female engineering student at UQ. “Being part of this team, I’ve
If you’re interested in engaging with Women in Engineering at UQ, please contact Meghan and Suzie on + 61 7 3365 3934 or wie@eait.uq.edu.au
realised my passion for engineering is shared among the other inspiring young student leaders who are part of this initiative, making their excitement and passion contagious,” Divya said. UQ’s WiE program aims to attract prospective female students and also act as a support for current female undergraduate engineering students at the University. “It’s important to interact with the current female cohort so that they feel supported, encouraged and championed. In 2013, we hosted the Women in Engineering Annual Lecture to provide students with career and leadership insights of successful women within the industry. This year, we will increase the interaction with current students, familiarising the cohort with the work we do and the ways in which we can support them. With alumni like Kathryn Fagg, who delivered the Annual Lecture, and Leeanne Bond (MBA 2008; BE 1987) who has supported a female-focused engineering scholarship, we’re seeing a growing number of female alumnae also get involved, which is great,” Meghan said. With the aim to achieve an increase in female engineering numbers nationally, UQ hopes to see many other universities adopt this program, both across Australia and internationally. (Acting) Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, Professor Caroline Crosthwaite, said the first year program results are a positive start, and a great indication that this produces results. “The University of Queensland, along with our partners, is leading the way to increase female participation in engineering degree programs. While the program’s first year of results are impressive, I believe the best measure of success will be the longer term improvement in gender diversity in engineering studies and industries, on a local, national and global scale. To do this we must share our successes and challenges, and learn from others, so that increased female participation is realised across the board,” Professor Crosthwaite said.
<< Through the Women in
Engineering program, I want to encourage girls to look for different opportunities and to seek new experiences. The engineering industry is rapidly developing, and it is wonderful to think of the contributions future female engineers will make toward exciting innovations. Through the UQ Women in Engineering program I really feel like we can positively influence the future for the next generation of Australians.
>>
Maria Moffett Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Class of 2015)
ingenuity / issue 4, 3, may 2014 2013
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meet a
mentor
Developed in 2013, the Meet a Mentor program aims to connect students with established alumni and help them feel empowered as they graduate and enter the next exciting phase of their careers. As a fifth year Chemical Engineering student in 2013, Wesley Ford had the opportunity to connect with New Guinea Energy’s CEO Grant Worner (BE 1988) – gaining some great insight and establishing a rapport that continues today.
Grant Worner CEO, New Guinea Energy What made you decide to participate in the program? I graduated from UQ in 1988 and, despite subsequently working in 10 cities around the world, I still feel as though I left only a couple of years ago – there’s that emotional attachment. It’s a privilege and quite a responsibility to mentor someone, particularly during a time when lifechanging decisions can be made, so it wasn’t something I took lightly.
What learnings did you gain from taking part in this? It was great to re-engage with UQ and be reminded of what an exciting time it is to be in the final year of your undergraduate degree. There’s quite a transition when moving from formal education to what can sometimes seem like an unstructured work environment. Hopefully I have helped at least one person prepare for the journey.
How did you approach being an effective mentor? At the end of the day I don’t have the ‘right’ answer for someone’s future. All I can do when mentoring is provide some feedback on how people are describing and approaching their issues, maybe use my experiences to offer some perspectives they haven’t thought about, and suggest some options and tools to use when they are searching for solutions.
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As a mentor to Wesley – what sort of advice/insight were you able to offer him for his future? You’re not alone; it’s hard making career choices! A role that is appealing to one person can be deplorable to someone else so it’s important the mentor’s personal biases don’t override the person being mentored. I think it’s important for anyone to consider whether the job being offered increases or decreases future opportunities, or if it can develop a new skill set. Also, for graduates especially, they need to consider how the role will affect how they live, i.e. what the hours are, where is the job based? But most importantly, I hope I was able to impart that to have a successful career, you need a role that fulfils your passion.
What would be the one key piece of advice you have for current students? Know who you are! The answer to this is not as obvious as it seems and could take quite a bit of self-reflection to work it out. When I was at university I did quite well academically and excelled in thermodynamics, so thought that that was my passion. But over the years I discovered I was actually passionate about converting ambiguity into a conceptual model, and applying systemic thinking to create solutions. In the business world that’s called complex problem solving and developing business strategies, which seems a world away from understanding thermodynamics. So… who are you?
men
Wesley Ford Graduate Process Engineer, Origin Energy What made you decide to participate in this program? As I approached the end of my degree I needed to start making critical decisions about my career – things like which industry I wanted to enter, which companies to consider, the type of job I wanted for myself, and so on. I realised that a mentor who has gained a wealth of experience could offer me invaluable insights that would guide my decisionmaking and plans for the future.
What benefits did you gain from participating in this? The program itself was really beneficial in the sense that it compelled me to assess my career ambitions and consider what I needed to know in order to plan for this. The program also served as a reality check for me in terms of where I could take my career and how quickly things were achievable.
How did you approach the program, as a mentee, to get the most out of it?
If you are interested in participating in the Faculty’s MEET a Mentor program, please contact Lara Pickering, Associate Director (Alumni and Community) on alumni@eait.uq.edu.au
I adopted the mindset that I would drive the whole interaction with Grant, thus I needed to ensure that I had clarity on what I wanted to learn. So firstly, I thought about the insights that I was hoping to gain based on my career aspirations – anything from specific advice to general life advice. From this, I compiled a detailed list of questions that I intended to ask. I then ensured that I captured all the answers and insights that my mentor provided me.
tor
As a mentee to Grant, what sort of advice or guidance was he able to provide you with? I believe I was very fortunate to be connected with Grant because he had exposure to the oil and gas industry and management roles. As a result, he was able to offer me insights into the state of the industry, the variety of roles available to my discipline, corporate structure and culture, the nature of various job roles, lessons learnt from his experiences and more general things like the nature of people and the importance of aligning your job with your passion. This was in addition to the typical, but equally valuable, insights which are normally targeted towards someone who is just starting their career: important aspects to consider when applying for a role, setting career expectations, leadership etc.
How did this help you as an undergraduate student when thinking about your future? By far the greatest benefit was being able to view things with a broader perspective. It helped me in making important personal decisions about which type of industry and role I wanted to pursue, as well as establishing realistic expectations in regards to time frames for career progression.
Did the program provide you with any insights or advice that you weren’t expecting? Some of Grant’s responses gave me unexpected insights into the types of people that I may encounter throughout my career and things I would need to consider when interacting with them. He also shed light on the experience of leading a publically listed company – insights of significant interest to me and which most students would not have access to!
<< By far the greatest benefit was being able to view things with a broader perspective. >> ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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Great engineering teachers of the
past and present The impact which a great teacher has upon their students can transcend the years. Encouraging a thirst for knowledge and intellectual curiosity, it is often great teachers who are the drivers behind graduate achievements, inspiring current students to pursue their passion and achieve great things. At UQ Engineering we’re fortunate to have many great and inspiring teachers – three of whom have been recognised by their colleagues on these pages. These teachers have spent years researching, developing and innovating methods of best-practice teaching – all to improve the student experience, and in turn, produce great engineers.
associate professor Mehmet Kizil by Professor Peter Knights (GCELead 2010) Over the past two decades, Associate Professor Mehmet Kizil has touched the lives of so many Mining Engineering students at UQ, and many staff, including myself. Mehmet graduated with a BE in Mining Engineering in 1986 in Turkey. He obtained his PhD in Mining from the University of Nottingham, UK, and briefly spent time as a lecturer at Dokuz University in Turkey before relocating to Australia in 1996 to take up a research officer position with Mining Engineering at UQ. Mehmet has won the Dean’s commendations for Excellence in Teaching on numerous occasions. In 2006 he won the School of Engineering’s Excellence in Teaching award, followed by a Faculty award in 2007. In 2008 he led an application for the Mining Engineering Australia program that won a National
34 ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
Australian Learning and Teaching Council Excellence in Teaching Award. Mehmet possesses many professional and personal qualities that make him a great teacher. Professionally, he is well-known for his early work on Virtual Reality applications in mining. He is widely known and respected within the mining industry, where he counts many colleagues as friends. His humility, and capacity to listen to people and provide unbiased advice have led him to be widely respected and admired by both students and staff alike, and I greatly appreciate being able to call upon him as a colleague. Mehmet has also introduced many innovative practices to teaching at UQ. For example, he is responsible for the use of bar code scanners in the assignment submission chute within the Faculty. As the case for many great teachers, Mehmet’s dedication to students extends well beyond the class-room. This is evident in the career and life advice that he freely provides to both students and alumni alike. He has been a stalwart of
support for students struggling with personal life crises as well as academic issues. The School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering is delighted to acknowledge the exceptional contributions that Mehmet has made to life at UQ over the past two decades.
professor Ian Cameron by Professor Peter Halley (GCEd 1997; PhD 1993; BE 1987) Ian’s teaching and curriculum development in chemical engineering is world class, as exemplified by many awards (the Australian Award for University Teaching in Physical Sciences, the Prime Minister’s Award for University Teacher of the Year, part of the team from UQ Chemical Engineering that won a national AAUT institutional award in 2005 for educational enhancement via project centered curriculum and course innovation). Ian has been involved in innovations in teaching in the School of Chemical Engineering from resource-based education, project-centered curricula, new BE/ME courses to current innovations in curriculum design software. Throughout my time at UQ, I have come to appreciate more and more the tireless dedication
professor Caroline Crosthwaite by Professor Jim Litster (PhD 1985; BE 1979) Caroline Crosthwaite has dedicated her career to engineering education, from teaching at the coalface, to administrative leadership in the Faculty, to international leadership in curriculum innovation. I first had the opportunity to get to know Caroline well when she rejoined UQ Chemical Engineering about the time I became Head of Division. She is a dedicated teacher who is well prepared, well organised and passionate. She has high expectations of her students but always goes the extra mile to create an environment where they can achieve. However, I believe the biggest direct impact Caroline has had on the student body is through the enormous amount of student academic advising she has undertaken. She treated this role with the respect it deserves but does not always receive. She shows the same compassion and commitment to all students, be they high fliers looking for extra challenges or
which Ian shows to his work. Ian is organised, a strategic thinker, and very empathetic and caring with people. In students’ first lectures with Ian, they are not only struck by his clear handwriting, but how well structured the information is, how well it is presented and how well it is integrated with other learning from the course. Also Ian always seems to be able to create time in the design phase of projects [i.e. be able to think strategically before he acts] so that the outcome is extremely high in quality and exceeds all project requirements rather than just meeting project time deadlines. Ian has the great ability to see things at multi-scale levels – from an overall system viewpoint right down to the fundamentals at the chemical or nanoscale – many times I have drawn upon these skills of Ian’s. This ability is then passed on effectively and clearly to colleagues in research projects and to students in courses. Ian is a true servant of chemical
struggling students looking to recalibrate and make important decisions about their future. When we first worked together, Caroline played a vital role in the implementation of the new Project Centered Curriculum (PCC) in Chemical Engineering. Joining the team, as PCC was rolled out, she ensured the program
engineering – selflessly giving up his time for the School, industry partners, his students and the profession. His dedication is hugely appreciated by our students, myself and my colleagues.
got over its early teething problems. She also added rigor and ensured continuous improvement by collecting data from cohorts before and after implementation to measure the impact of change, making sure we acted on this feedback. As a result, this innovative and genuinely world leading curriculum received major national learning enhancement awards from the Australian Awards for University Teaching and the Australian Association for Environmental Education. PCC was the forerunner to a slew of exciting student centered learning innovations in UQ Engineering, in many of which Caroline has had direct involvement. One of the first in a group of teaching focused academics, Caroline has risen to Professor and has held major leadership roles in the Faculty for the last ten years. In this role, she now mentors other academics, individuals, and teams running with their own new and exciting innovations in student centered learning, while acting as a consultant on curriculum development for some of the worlds most prestigious engineering universities including Imperial College and Purdue University.
Tell us about the great engineering teachers you remember at UQ – we’d love to hear from you. Please contact: advancement@eait.uq.edu.au ingenuity / issue 4, may 2014
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What if new solutions for providing universal access to clean water, or delivering clean and affordable energy to millions in poverty, remain trapped inside the head of someone who canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford an education? Your gift to scholarships at UQ Engineering will help to ensure talented young people can access, and benefit, from a transformative education. Alumni support matters because it helps student engineers to fulfil their truest potential at UQ, so they may go on to make a critical difference to the world that we all share.
Contact Jonathan Cosgrove, Director of Advancement phone +61 7 3365 4302 email j.cosgrove@uq.edu.au web http://goo.gl/vA446q