2011 Archived News

• SCEM News Bulletin - Vol. 3 - Issue 1 - January 2011
• SCEM News Bulletin - Vol. 3 - Issue 2 - April 2011
• SCEM News Bulletin - Vol. 3 - Issue 3 - August 2011

Research and International
ARC Research Scorecard
Minister Carr and the ARC released the Research Scorecard and UWS School of Engineering achieved a 4/5 in Civil Engineering, FOR Code (0905) which ranks UWS equal 3rd in Civil Engineering in Australia and states “ The Unit of Evaluation profile is characterised by evidence of performance above world standard presented by the suite of indicators used for evaluation.”

Engineering FOR Code (09) received a 3/5 at UWS which placed the School 10th out of 30 Engineering Schools in the Country. A ranking of 3 states “The Unit of Evaluation profile is characterised by evidence of average performance at world ‘standard presented by the suite of indicators used for evaluation.”

Australian Research Council – LIEF Project Grant Success

Australian Research Council – Discovery Project Success

The Australian Research Council has awarded $255,000 funding over three years to an ARC Discovery Project by Professor Brian Uy, Dr Xinqun Zhu and Dr Olivia Mirza from the Civionics Research Centre. The project title is The use of innovative anchors for the achievement of composite action for rehabilitating existing and deployment of demountable steel structures”. The research team will develop an innovative technology to connect steel and concrete elements in steel framed structures. This will allow new structures to be made demountable and will increase the remaining life of existing infrastructure. This will provide methodologies to increase the ustainability benefits of steel structures in construction. The method includes the use of blind bolting technology which has recently been used in the demountable end stands for the Sydney Olympic Stadium, Sydney and in the rehabilitation of the Westgate Bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne.

UWS Seed Grants for Early Career Researchers
The following staff have been successful in obtain UWS Seed Grants for Early Career Researchers:
Dr Won Hee Kang (Centre for Civionics - Infrastructure Engineering) "Rapid Risk Assessment of Large and Complex Civil Infrastructure" - $7,083.
Dr Ee Loon Tan (School of Engineering) "Design of composite steel-concrete beams with partial shear connection for curved bridges and highways" - $7,500.
Dr George Vasdravellis (Centre for Civionics - Infrastructure Engineering) "Assessment of the dissipative capacity of stainless-steel hourglass pins for use in high-seismic-performance steel structures" - $7,362.

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Aboriginal Astronomy
Dr Ragbir Bhathal delivered an invited public lecture on Aboriginal Astronomy on 24 July 2011 at the University of Utrecht’s Sonnenborg Observatory. Founded in 1636, the University of Utrecht is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and boasts ten Nobel prize winners of whom six are physicists. Dr Bhathal informed the audience that the Aboriginal people had been observing the night sky for over 40,000 years and in that time they have built an astronomical knowledge system which allowed them to use the stars for telling the seasons and seasonal food cycles, for illustrating family relationships, for using the phases of the Moon for ritual purposes and other aspects of their culture and society. In all probability they were the first people in the world to name the celestial objects. Dr Bhathal’s book on Aboriginal Astronomy was published in 2011.

International Association of Protective Structures – Australian Chapter

Prof Brian Uy attended the inaugural meeting of the Australian chapter of the International Association of Protective Structures on June 10. The purpose of the newly formed chapter is to promote research and development associated with security and protective structures in Australia and encourage multi-disciplinary approaches and collaboration between research institutions, government and industry.

SAGE Citations
Dr Yaping has received recognition from SAGE of his most cited paper published in the Journal of Fire Protection Engineering during 2009-2010. The paper is entitled “A Risk-based Equivalence Approach to Fire Resistance Design for Buildings” (Vol.20, pp.-26) and is co-authored with Stephen Grubits of Stephen Grubits & Associates.

Visit to Shanghai Jiaotong University
Professor Yang Xiang visited Professor Hui-Shen Shen, the Director of Institute of Engineering Mechanics, School of Ocean and Civil Engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University from 17 to 25 April 2011. They carried out collaborative research on nano-mechanics and the modelling of carbon nanotubes.

TVS Science Spectrum
Dr Ragbir Bhathal appeared on the TVS Science Spectrum Program  on the 19 April 2011 which was a documentary on researchers at the University of Western Sydney. The program featured Dr Bhathal’s work on the search for nanosecond laser pulses from outer space. According to Dick Galvin, the TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald, “the star of this episode was Dr Ragbir Bhathal”.

New research Group - BENS
Reverse engineering the brain
A new Research Group for Bioelectronics and Neuroscience (BENS) has been funded by the College of Health and Science at UWS from strategic investment funds. Two new professors will join UWS as part of this effort: Prof André van Schaik, a world leader in neuromorphic engineering has been appointed as the group leader, and Prof Jonathan Tapson, an expert in statistical computation, sensors, and robotics, will join BENS in April, 2011. Expertise in sensory neuroscience is Aboriginal Astronomy provided by four staff members from the School of Medicine, Prof Vaughan Macefield, Prof John Morley, Dr David Mahns, and Dr Carl Parsons. Dr Antonio Lauto, an expert in biomedical engineering, from the School of  Biomedical and Health Sciences completes the current staff, with more staff expected shortly.

The question of how the brain works is one of the remaining big questions in science, and reverse engineering the brain has been listed as one of the most important contributions engineering can make to science in the current century. BENS will conduct neurophysiological and psychophysical investigations combined with theoretical, computational and electronic modelling studies, to discover how the brain creates a coherent interpretation of the external world based on input from its senses. The outcomes of this research will then be applied to create electronics sensors with built-in brains. 

Master of Fire Safety Engineering
The Master of Fire Safety Engineering course offered at the School of Engineering, University of Western Sydney received another international recognition. The University is listed by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, UAS, along with other 16 institutes worldwide that offer degrees in fire protection engineering. Our course is already recognised by Singaporean and Malaysian authorities. 
For more information go to -
http://www.careersinfireprotectionengineering.com/pathways_highschool.htm.


Women in Science and Engineering Summit

Dr Olivia Mirza attended the summit for Women in Science and Engineering at Parliament House in Canberra On April 11. The topic of
discussion was issues of retention and advancement for women in science and engineering professions.

Baulderstone Update, an Icon competition
Four School of Engineering students who enrolled in the Construction Management course were shortlisted to participate in the Baulderstone Update, an Icon competition. The competition was designed to discover and promote the most creative talent at Australia’s Universities and to test the knowledge and creativity of teams of university students in the fields of building and civil engineering.

Ms Suzanne Scott received the inaugural Eagle Award for being the best student in the Master of Fire Safety Engineering. Ms Scott achieved a GPA of 6.833 in her pursuit of the aforementioned degree. The award, valued at $3000, is offered by Eagle Consulting Group.

Community Engagement
UWS Open Day
This annual event was held on Sunday 28 August at the UWS Parramatta campus. More than 310 people attended the School of Engineering presentation sessions; Engineering, Constructing and Designing the Future. Feedback received from visitors was that this was the best open day they had attended and that our friendly and helpful staff made the day interesting.

Science and Engineering Challenge
Another successful Science and Engineering Challenge was held on June 30 2011. Two hundred and twenty five students from seven local schools participated in this year’s challenge. Schools competed in a number of fun and interesting activities including “Back to the Future”, “Confounding Communications”, “Eco-Habitech”, “Future Power”, “Escape from the Lost World”, “The Dish”, “Gold Fever” and “Mission to Mars”.
All activities were designed to show students the practical side of careers in science and engineering. The Challenge got underway around 9:30am and concluded at about 2:45pm with the spectacular testing of the bridges. Students became highly engaged in their respective tasks.  This year’s event was won by Patrician Brothers College, Fairfield. Dr Sasha Alexander, Associate Head of School, was the guest of honour who highlighted the importance of team work in Science and Engineering during his speech.

Outstanding Industry Partner Award

Scott Jameson, General Manager Operations, Mulgoa Quarries, Penrith was presented with the Outstanding Industry Partner Award by Dr Jeffrey Zou, Associate Head of School of Engineering.   Scott was nominated by UWS engineering graduate, Phira Na, who undertook a paid internship at Mulgoa Quarries arranged by the Careers & Cooperative Unit of UWS. Phira’s internship was the first link Mulgoa Quarries has had with UWS.  They are delighted with the results, and will take more interns in future. Phira has since been offered permanent employment.

Mulgoa Quarries is a family business started over 40 years ago by Rob Wearn’s father.  Rob is the Managing Director and owner of Mulgoa Quarries which employs approximately 80 employees.

NSW Manufacturing Leaders Forum and Innovation Techonology Showcase
The School of Engineering was one of the sponsors of the NSW Manufacturing Leaders Forum and Innovation Technology Showcase organised by the Regional Development Australia (RDA) and held at Olympic Park Novotel on the 2nd May 2011. The School was represented by the Head of the School - Prof. Brian Uy, Associate Head of School (Engagement and Industrial Design) - Dr Sasha Alexander and supported by the School Technical Manager - Dr Mithra Fernando, as well as, the School's Technical and Administration staff.  UWS innovation and Consulting was also represented by the Associate Director Innovation and the Innovation Project Officer. 

The workshop session speaker Dr. Dr Stuart Carr, Director, Carix Pty Limited was sponsored by the School of Engineering.

The Innovation Showcase had stands from 22 leading organisations in the sector, including the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney, CSIRO, Engineering Australia and others.

Over 250 visitors attended the Forum and the Innovation Technology Expo.

Indigenous employment and engagement
In 2010, the Indigenous Employment and Engagement (IE&E) Office was shortlisted as a finalist and the winner of the National Award administered by the Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI), the Fons Trompenaars Award for Diversity and Cross Cultural Management, for its work on negotiating Cadetships, Traineeships, Brokerage placements with Industry and Government and various other initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

As recognition of the School’s role in promoting indigenous Employment and Engagement, along with other UWS hiring managers, the School Technical Manager Dr. Mithra Fernando and the Indigenous Trainee of the School Mitch Quirk were invited by the Director, Indigenous Employment and Engagement, Melissa Williams to meet with the the Senator and the Minister for Sport, Indigenous Employment and Economic Development and Social Housing and Homelessness, Hon. Mark Arbib on Friday 18 March 2011 at the Parramatta Campus.

The Minister expressed the government recognition of the role played by the UWS Colleges and Schools in inspiring, motivating, advising and providing leadership in creating opportunities for the champions of the next generation of success stories. 

Staffing
Visiting Research Fellows
Dr Linren Zhou, from the Dalian University of Technology arrived on 30 August and will be a visiting fellow with the Centre for Civionics - Infrastructure Engineering over the next year. He will be working with Dr Grace Yan on her research project, Structural Health Monitoring and Damage Detection of Cable-Stayed Bridges.

Professor Lin-Hai Han, Professor of Structural Engineering and Director of Institute of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Engineering, Tsinghua University, China visited in August as part of his Eminent Research Visitor Fellowship at UWS. He was working on the research project of “Australian-Chinese Research Collaboration on Concrete-filled Steel Tubular Columns Under Extreme Loads”.

Dr Zhibin Wang, Lecturer of Structural Engineering, Fuzhou University, China is visiting the Centre for Civionics - Infrastructure Engineering from August 2011 to January 2012. He is working on two research joint projects with Associate Professor Zhong Tao, Dr Vivian Tam, Professor Brian Uy and Dr Fidelis Mashiri.

Dr Xingqiang Wang, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, Jinan Railway Institute of Technology, China is visiting the Centre for Civionics - Infrastructure Engineering from August 2011 to February 2012. He is working with Associate Professor Zhong Tao on research relating to material behaviour of stainless steel at elevated temperatures and after exposure to fire.

Staff Publications
Moving Loads
Dr Xinqun Zhu in collaboration with Professor Siu-seong Law (Hong Kong Polytechnic University) has published a second book by Taylor & Francis Group, CRC Press on 22 February, 2011. Titled, Moving Loads-Dynamic Analysis and Identification Techniques, the book is a study of the vehicle-bridge/track/ road interaction phenomenon.

Aboriginal Astronomy
 

As part of the School’s strategic initiatives of implementing a comprehensive Indigenous strategy and improving cultural sensitivity, Dr Ragbir Bhathal has researched and written a book on Aboriginal Astronomy.  His research shows that the Aboriginal people were not only keen observers of the night sky but were also able to distinguish the colours of the stars and even related the movement of the stars to the seasons and food supply cycles. They also beat the great physicist Isaac Newton to the recognition that the earthly laws of physics apply to the heavens. Their views of the night sky not only differ from, but probably pre-date, those of other civilisations. Professor Michael McDaniel, a former UWS Dean of Indigenous Education, congratulated Dr Bhathal for his work.

Advancing Physics by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory
Dr Ragbir Bhathal (UWS), Professor Manjula Sharma (University of Sydney) and Dr Alberto Mendez (UTS) have recently published a paper entitled “Educational analysis of a first year engineering physics experiment on standing waves: based on the ACELL approach” in the European Journal of Physics. The project was funded by an ALTC grant. It is the first paper on practical physics education at the university level to have used the ACELL (Advancing Chemistry by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory) approach. The standing wave experiment which is conducted in the first year engineering laboratories at UWS was peer reviewed and evaluated by a group of physicists and undergraduate physics students at a workshop. It was considered the best of eight first year physics experiments that were evaluated which satisfied all the ACELL criteria. The ACELL approach has been used very successfully in chemistry practical classes in Australian universities. The approach uses a statement of educational objectives and an analysis of student learning experiences. A key element is checking that there is ‘constructive alignment’ between learning objectives/outcomes, processes and assessment and that this alignment exits for students and staff - ranging from academic staff and demonstrators. The success of this experiment has led to the trialling of other physics experiments in Australian universities using an Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory (ASELL) approach which is supported by a new ALTC grant.

University Physics with Modern Physics

Dr Hugh Young (Carnegie Mellon University), Dr Roger Freedman (University of California) and Dr Ragbir Bhathal (UWS) have recently published the first Australian SI edition of University Physics with Modern Physics (see above for the cover page). The book is aimed at first year students majoring in physics and/or engineering in Australian universities. It is based on educational research in physics and has a 24/7 on-line mastering physics tutorial system based on the Socratic system and research based problem solving strategies. It also includes learning goals at the start of each chapter. One of the highlights of the book is the use of several examples on Australian research and Australian Frontiers of Research in physics and engineering. 

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Research and International
Academic Cooperation Agreement (ACA)

China Visit

PhD student puts steel into research

UWS PhD student, Olivia Mirza, hopes her research will contribute valuable new information about steel fibre reinforcing and encourage structural engineers to use the technology.

ARC Future Fellowship Grant

An ARC Future Fellowship grant  has been awarded to Professor Zhong Tao for his project ‘Behaviour and design of concrete filled stainless steel tubular columns at ambient and elevated temperatures’. Exchange Students from Cologne University

Research Postgraduate Forum 2010

Exchange students

Learning & Teaching
Searching for Nanosecond Laser Pulses from Outer Space - Dr Ragbir Bhathal

A public talk arranged by the Australian Institute of Physics & the Royal Society of New South Wales on "Searching for Nanosecond Laser Pulses from Outer Space by Dr Ragbir Bhathal, School of Engineering, University of Western Sydney, on Tuesday 22nd March 2011 at 6.30 pm at the Slade Lecture Theatre, School of Physics, University of Sydney. 

Summary of talk:
The main strategy for the search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (ETI) over the last 50 years has been to search for ETI signals in the radio spectrum.  However, about ten years ago three groups of scientists and engineers in the US (Harvard University, University of California and the SETI Institute) and one in Australia (OZ OSETI Project, University of Western Sydney) began a dedicated search for possible search for nanosecond laser pulses emanating from ETI.  No positive signals great or small have been detected to date.  However, according to the famous 19th century mathematician and physicist, Karl Gauss the detection of a signal from ETI “will be a discovery greater than the discovery of America”.  The talk by Dr Bhathal will review some aspects of the search for ETI and new directions in this fascinating field of science and engineering.

Graduation 2010
The first December Graduation Ceremony for the School of Engineering was held on December 15, 2010 and will become an annual event. Sixty two of our students were able to graduate at the end of the year as a celebration of their studies.

UWS Day at Penrith
UWS Day was held at Penrith on 3 November 2010 and was attended by many local high school students. School of Engineering staff and PhD students presented a variety of workshops, ‘Building the Future’ (Mary Hardie – Construction), ‘Inventing the Future’ (Assoc Prof Jon Allen – Industrial Design), drawing and rendering demonstration (Assoc Prof Jon Allen – Industrial Design), ‘Great Australian Engineering Projects’ (Dr Ragbir Bhathal – Engineering), CAD 3D modelling and rapid prototyping
demonstration (Assoc Prof Jon Allen – Industrial Design) and ‘Optical Fibres in Action’ (Dr Upul Gunawardana – Engineering).

Engineering Challenge
Yr 10 Students - Want to try Civil Engineering
Download the Engineering Challenge (PDF, 1.63Mb)

Imagine - Design - Construct
Try practical engineering activities such as field engineering, surveying, road modelling, computer aided drafting (CAD) and bridge building. 
For more information and registration contact Lilly Gabriel at Nirimba TAFE on 9208 7428 or email Lillian.Gabriel@tafensw.edu.au

UWS Open Day
UWS Open Day was held on Sunday 29th August at Parramatta Campus, and was well attended by staff and potential students and their families. The School of Engineering gave four presentations to potential students and their parents covering the three major disciplines of the School, and academic staff fielded questions all day in the two open rooms. The Vice Chancellor was in attendance and declared the event "the best ever" and noted that it was close to a record attendance.

University Physics
Dr Ragbir Bhathal, has written an Australian edition of a widely used text book, University Physics.  It is aimed at first year students doing physics and engineering in Australian universities.

Community Engagement
FPAA Ron Coffey Award
Ms Leanne Grocott received the inaugural Ron Coffey Award in 2010 for academic excellence in the Bushfire Protection Program. The award, valued at $500, is issued by the Fire Protection Association of Australia (FPAA). Ms Grocott graduated in 2010 and achieved GPA 6.0 in her pursuit of the Graduate Diploma in Bushfire Protection. The award was presented at FPAA conference at Gold Coast in October 2010. The award is part of fulfilment of the MOU signed between the College of Health and Science and FPAA in February 2010 to promote professional education and research.

The First Eagle Award

Ms Suzanne Scott received the inaugural Eagle Award for being the best student in the Master of Fire Safety Engineering. Ms Scott achieved a GPA of 6.833 in her pursuit of the aforementioned degree. The award, valued at $3000, is offered by Eagle Consulting Group.

Honeywell Engineering Summer School
UWS School of Engineering hosted the Honeywell Engineering Summer School on Thursday 9 December.  This is a week-long summer camp which aims to show gifted and talented year 11 students what a career in engineering can offer. The students visited the major Engineering Universities in the Sydney region, as well as some industry related site visits. 103 High School students from around the State attended, and were educated and entertained by a lecture and hands on workshops in smart materials, a 3D truss bridge experiment, learning to not cry over spilled water, but rather use it to their advantage, a robotics extravaganza and experimenting with optical communication.
The College of Health and Science, with supporting sponsorship from participating Rotary Clubs, organised a three-day program of activities for high school students from 7-9 December at Campbelltown campus. Dr Ragbir Bhathal put together an exciting program of talks and practical workshops to allow students to gain firsthand insights into the opportunities offered by a career in engineering, medicine and science. Presentations from the School of Engineering included, “Mobile communications” (Dr Upul Gunawardana), “Nano-second laser communications” (Dr Ragbir Bhathal), “OFDM in Telecommunications” (Dr Qi Cheng), “Inventing the future” (Assoc. Prof. Jonathon Allen), and “Robotics” (Dr Gu Fang), as well as workshops in “Design” (Assoc. Prof. Jonathon Allen) and “Measuring gravity” (Dr Ragbir Bhathal).

Schools Industry Partnership Award

Schools Industry Partnership has recognised Dr Mithra Fernando of UWS for his outstanding contribution to education attainment and career transition through the Imagine  - Design - Construct program. Schools Industry Partnership serves the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Penrith regions and is part of the Career Advice Australia network. This network supports young people aged 13 to 19 in their transitions through school and onto further study, training or work.  The SIP Awards also recognises students for outstanding achievement in their Vocational Education & Training courses, as nominated by their teachers.

Dr Mithra Fernando was awarded a certificate at the Schools Industry Partnership Awards 2010 held at Penrith RSL Club Cnr Castlereagh & Tindale St, Penrith on Monday 8th November 2010.

The School of Engineering quarterly newsletters:

• Volume 1 - Issue 3 - Sept 2011 (PDF, 7Mb)
• Volume 1 - Issue 2 - June 2011 (PDF, 7.99Mb)
• Volume 1 - Issue 1 - March 2011 (PDF, 4.93Mb)
• Volume 4 - Issue 4 - December 2010 (PDF, 2.8Mb)
• Volume 4 - Issue 3 - September 2010 (PDF, 6.2 Mb)
• Volume 4 - Issue 2 - June 2010 (PDF, 4 Mb)
• Volume 4 - Issue 1 - March 2010 (PDF, 1.85 Mb)
• Volume 3 - Issue 4 - December 2009 (PDF, 4.287 Mb)
• Volume 3 - Issue 3 - September 2009 (PDF, 2.21Mb)
• Volume 3 - Issue 2 - June 2009 (PDF, 772Kb)
• Volume 3 - Issue 1 - March 2009 (PDF, 236Kb)
• Volume 2 - Issue 4 - December 2008 (PDF, 2Mb)
• Volume 2 - Issue 3 - September 2008 (PDF, 1Mb)
• Volume 2 - Issue 2 - June 2008 (PDF, 2Mb)
• Volume 2 - Issue 1 - March 2008 (PDF, 2.28Mb)
• Volume 1 - Issue 1 - November 2007 (PDF, 2.45 Mb)