From the new Dean...New Dean from 14 January 2002, Professor Brendon Parkergives his init ial impressions of the Faculty and somethoughts on the way ahead.

This Faculty is big — in student numbers, in research, in reputation andin the physical space it occupies on campus and in the resources itcommands.

It’s also clear that the Faculty is in good shape. It was reported onvery favourably by the IE(Aust) accreditation panel in 2001. Thepresent state of the Faculty is a tribute to the work of Professor MarkWainwright during his 10 years as Dean and to Associate ProfessorTim Hesketh who was Acting Dean when Mark became Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the search began for a new Dean.

The Faculty also has great staff who are committed to the veryreal challenge of maintaining excellence at a time when governmentsupport for universities does not match that in other countries.

Change is the only constant in universities these days, but wemust be careful not to introduce change for the sake of being seen todo it. The need for change is driven by external forces as well as thewish to create a better future. Our new Federal Minister is talkingabout "two universities of world class", how do we ensure we are oneof them?

The Faculty’s present undergraduate curricula are firmly focusedon the analytic side of engineering — something we do well. Toproduce well-rounded graduates capable of taking on the diversity of

careers that engineering offers we need more emphasis on the creative side of engineering,with a broad approach to design beginning early in the programs.

We attract a significant proportion of elite students and we could do more to challenge andexcite them to achieve greater things, especially in some of our major research activities,perhaps even ‘apprenticing’ some of these students to our leading researchers early in theiruniversity careers.

Students need an international perspective and we encourage as many as possible tocomplete part of their degree at an overseas university, preferably in a country where English isnot the first language. We also wish to strengthen research ties with overseas universities sothat our research students and staff can spend time in other laboratories with similar interests.

Future economic growth will be founded on small businesses exploiting intellectual capital,and we need to give our researchers the skills to form and manage such businesses, in additionto the excellent training in research we presently provide.

Our Faculty has outstanding success in gaining grants from the ARC and other competitiveprograms and we have a strong collaboration with many major industrial companies, but ourdialogue with smaller companies is less strong and I hope to strengthen these relationships.

Our staff is under pressure and some workloads are unsustainable. We need to carefullyexamine the deployment of our resources in order to reduce some of this pressure. This mayinclude fewer courses (subjects) on offer and more effective use of new ways of teaching andlearning. Our senior staff can also find themselves in leadership roles without adequatepreparation and we are looking at improved staff development programs and better planningfor leadership succession.

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 20022

UNSWENGINEERS is publishedby the Faculty of Engineering,UNSW.Phone +61 2 9385 4023Fax +61 2 9385 5456Email <unswengineers@eng.unsw.edu.au>

editorBlanche Hampton

design and productionMarjorie Fox

photographyAnthony Potter Photography

printed byRodenprint

ISSN 1442-8849

Front cover: Left to right: Norm Emslie andJohn Baker, Class of ’52.

Professor Brendon Parker, Dean of Engineering

I am privileged to have been selected to lead the best Engineering Faculty in the country. I am aware of theresponsibility to sustain and enhance its reputation and will work with the leadership team to achieve that goal. I wouldbe very pleased to hear from alumni or staff on their views for making the Faculty even greater.

Professor Brendon Parker, Dean of Engineering

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 2002 3

Cochlear wins Faculty award at IE(Aust) Engineering Excellence AwardsIn 2001, the Faculty of Engineering sponsored the R&D, Training & Processes Award at the IE(Aust)’s EngineeringExcellence Awards. The awards showcase engineering excellence and expertise within the Sydney region.

Finalists for the Faculty’s award included Hicom International for the production of novel industrial mineral powders;Hedweld Engineering, for a self-propelled mobile vehicle for the mining industry; Arnold Dix and Roads and TrafficAuthority, for their facilitation of the debate on the M5 East tunnel; Transgrid, for its Fibre Optic Current Transducer; andBovis Lend Lease for its ProjectWeb project management system. Cochlear Limited, the worldwide leader in themanufacture and sale of cochlear implant systems through its Nucleus® product range, won the Faculty’s award for itsContour™ implant.

Cochlear Limited was founded in Australia in 1981. Its Nucleus® Contour™ Cochlear Implant is an electronic devicethat enables useful hearing and improved communication ability for adults and children who have a severe to profoundhearing loss. Cochlear partners more clinical and technical specialists globally than any other cochlear implant company,with more than 600 implant centres in more than 60 countries worldwide.

President of the IE(Aust) Sydney Division, Andrew Leventhal, said the Engineering Excellence Awards demonstratednot only engineering design and innovation, but also business and management skills. "They demonstrate the enormousbreadth and strength of engineering skills in the Sydney division, and within Australia," he said. "The entries representinnovative design solution, originality and ingenuity. They provide a benchmark for future comparison."

Professor Brendon Parker, the new Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, hails from Shrewsbury in the UnitedKingdom, and with a cadetship from the steel industry, he graduated from Imperial College with First ClassHonours in Metallurgical Engineering in 1965.

The same year, Brendon was sent to Australia on an industry visit and three years later, he returned to take upa lectureship in Adelaide. In 1969, he moved to Monash University where he remained for 27 years, during whichtime he became a founding member of the highly successful materials engineering department, AssociateProfessor and Deputy Head, and developed his reputation as a teacher. Brendon’s research has mainly been in thedeformation processing of metals and alloys, including work with Comalco and BHP.

Brendon was appointed Professor and Head of the Gippsland School of Engineering in 1993, where he cameto appreciate the effectiveness of distance education delivery techniques. Due to his work there, he wasencouraged to apply for the Deanship at the University of Wollongong where he spent six years. He restructuredthe Faculty of Engineering, ensuring significant change in the curriculum and the development of some verysuccessful industry research groups.

So what does Brendon have in mind for Engineering at UNSW? "I believe in engineering programs thatstimulate creativity and innovation and convey the excitement that the profession can offer," said Brendon. "Wewant to produce research students who not only achieve excellence in their chosen topic, but are equipped tostart new companies or revive older ones, and we want staff to feel appreciated for their contributions. We alsowant the Faculty of Engineering at UNSW to have a reputation which sustains the value of the degrees andawards held by our alumni."

The University’s f irst graduatesOn 20 May 2002, the University will celebrate the 50thanniversary of its f irst graduation ceremony held in theGreat Hall at the University of Sydney in 1952, byholding a re-enactment in Leighton Hall at The Scientia,to be attended by the Chancellor, Dr John Yu, AO; theVice-Chancellor Professor John Niland, AC; theRegistrar, Crystal Condous; the Dean of the Faculty ofEngineering, Professor Brendon Parker; the Dean of theFaculty of Science, Professor Dennis Lincoln; the NewSouth Wales Minister for Education and Training, theHon John Watkins MP; and Her Excellency the NewSouth Wales Governor, Marie Bashir, and past Deansand Heads of Schools.

At that f irst graduation there were 32 engineeringgraduates from the University’s four founding Schools —Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Mining Engineering —who attended classes in rooms at the Sydney TechnicalCollege in Ult imo. We prof ile four of those f irstengineering graduates and see where 50 years has takenthem.

NORMAN EMSLIEBrisbane-born Norman Emslie (BE (Elec) (Hons) ’52) came toSydney in 1947 and heard about the new Institute ofTechnology being formed at Ultimo."Power stationengineering was what I was really interested in," said Norm."At that time, there were a lot of power blackouts becauseduring the war the demand for electricity had outstrippedthe capacity of the various power generation companies."

Armed with a cadetship from the Electric Light and PowerSupply Corporation, Norm spent the next four years studyingintensively for six months, followed by six months training in

industry. Though Normis now proud to havebeen the University’s13th graduate, his firstimpressions of theUltimo facilities weren’tpromising. "My memoryis of dark, musty, smellybuildings jammed closetogether, not much lightand dusty wooden floorboards. We had lunch ina lecture room and wewere given an urn and ateapot to make our own

tea. There were no grassy spaces or anything like that."There was also not much of a social life at the fledgeling

university, but young Norm and his mining engineeringfriend, John Baker, would head off to the Petersham TownHall to try their luck with the girls at the Saturday nightdance.

Norm especially appreciated the General Education aspectof his studies. "An American psychologist spoke to usgenerally on industrial relations and the handling of men. Hegave me a phrase that stuck with me all my life. "Peopledon’t act according to logical behaviour, Mr Emslie, they actthe way they feel, according to their hopes, fears andambitions".

On graduating in 1952, Norm worked as an engineer atthe Balmain Power Station for six months before, as part of agraduate overseas experience program, he travelled to the UKto work with boiler makers Babcock and Wilcox; on theconstruction of turbo generators in power stations withEnglish Electrics; and with the British Electrical Authority onthe operation of power stations. He then travelled to the USAto work with Westinghouse.

By the time Norm returned to Sydney in 1955, theElectricity Commission had been formed, subsuming all otherpower generation companies, and he was sent to work atLithgow where he met his wife, Noella. From there, heworked at the Wangi Power Station, before transferring tothe Tallawarra Power Station south of Wollongong where heeventually became the power station superintendent andlater manager.

After retiring in 1987, Norm travelled and continued hisinvolvement with the Dapto Rotary Club where he is pastPresident and a member for 32 years. He is also pastPresident of Keira Probus and is now in his 10th year asprogram Chair.

JOHN BAKERIn 1947, John Baker’s (BE (Mining)’52) high school teacher inAlbury told him about a new university starting in Sydneyand the range of engineering scholarships on offer —especially in the mining industry. With his Joint Coal Boardscholarship in hand, John took up mining engineering at thenew University and for the next four years alternatedbetween his studies at Ultimo and field work.

"All the mines were underground in those days, but theKurri Kurri mine was way behind the times with its horsesand equipment. The other two mines at Wallerawang, outsideLithgow, and at Mount Nebo, south of Wollongong, were far

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 20024

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 2002 5

more modern. I spent time with the mechanical engineers,electrical engineers, surveyors and safety officers to developan idea of a mine manager’s responsibilities."

After graduating, John worked at the Elrington Colliery,near Cessnock, and at an associated mine at Helensburg onNew South Wales’ south coast. After five years, John decidedthat he really didn’t want to spend the rest of his workinglife underground. The engineering company, GKN Lysaght,was working at the mine at the time, experimenting withrock bolts which they sold to the industry and Johnexpressed an interest in the work.

At GKN Lysaght, where John was to spend the next 15years, he worked mainly in marketing and initially on thedevelopment of new products, including rock bolts, framescaffolding and other building supplies. He later becamePresident of the Building Suppliers Association (Australia),and was invited to sit on the Metric Conversion Board inrelation to building industry products. He was responsible forestablishing GKN depots throughout New South Wales,including the Snowy Mountains development, and at theGove Peninsula in the Northern Territory. In 1960, Johnmarried his wife Jacqueline.

"Engineering’s a wonderful background to have. If youwant to branch out into something else, particularly inmarketing, you’re very well accepted. When people see the‘BE’ on your card, they think, ‘Now here’s a guy who knowswhat it’s about and won’t just be a salesman’.

In 1971, John joined Boral as Divisional Manager. Then, in1979, in search of a lifestyle change, he bought into a youthhostel. "I wanted to be independent, to get away from anine-to-five job and to see what else was out in the world.

These days I own andsupervise boardinghouses for people withmental disabilities.Changes to governmentpolicy have seen peoplewith mental disabilitiesbeing moved into thecommunity and there’s adesperate need forcaring accommodation.

"I’ve been semi-retired for the last 20years and now I like toplay golf and enjoy life."

RAYMOND ROGERSONIn 1944, at the age of 15, Raymond Rogerson (BE (Mech)(Hons)’52, MBA ’71) attended the Pre-Apprenticeship Schoolat the Sydney Technical College. From there he began a muchsought after apprenticeship with ACI Engineering as a fitterand turner whileattending night coursesto complete his tradecertificates and begin aMechanical Engineeringdiploma course.

In 1948, ACI andother industry leaderswere asked to sponsortheir best and brightestapprentices forenrolment at the newUniversity of Technology.One of ACI’s two chosenapprentices, Ray studiedmechanical engineering,graduating in 1952, the year he also married his wife, Helen.

"I’d walked through the grounds of the University ofSydney and of course there was no way you could compareinstitutions," said Ray. "One had open spaces and green grass,and the Sydney Technical College had concrete and tallbuildings. It was just so different, and yet at the end of yourcourse you would have a recognised degree. There was anexcellent sense of camaraderie between the very smallnumbers of students and lecturers alike because everybodywas working enthusiastically for the success of the newUniversity."

After graduating, Ray served as the GraduateRepresentative on the University’s fledgeling Council.

For 27 years Ray worked with many ACI companies,progressing from Technical Manager to Manager, andtravelling around the world to investigate new equipmentand production processes.

In the mid 1960s, along with other senior ACI managers,Ray was selected to train and implement a new year-longinhouse management training program for the 400 ACImanagers. This stimulated him to return to UNSW toundertake an MBA at the AGSM, graduating in 1971.

Ray resigned from ACI in 1972, becoming CommercialManager and then Managing Director of the heavyengineering company, Bliss Welded Products. From 1980 until1993 when he retired, Ray worked in his own engineering

continued overleaf

management consultancy, taking on projects for several majorclients. He also developed his long-standing family interest incompetition sailing and worked on the redesigning and buildingof several racing yachts.

Ray now works as a voluntary teacher with U3A andComputer Pals for Seniors, teaching basic and advancedgraphics and developing manuals for these courses.

IAN SOMERVAILLEIn 1945, Ian Somervaille (BE (Mech) ’52, PhD ’74) was keen tostudy physics at university, but his family’s financial positiondidn’t allow this luxury and, living in Newcastle, he took on afive-year BHP traineeship in mechanical engineering. He thenopted to study at the new University of Technology where hisdiploma could be converted to a bachelor degree.

While he studied, Ianalso worked at CSIRO as atechnical officer, but afterhe graduated a similarposition became available atthe new University in theSchool of Civil Engineering."There was a certainamount of overlap betweenmechanical and civilengineering, especially inthe materials area," said Ian.

After a short while, itwas suggested that Ianbecome a lecturer inmaterials. "By the end of

the year I didn’t ever want to go back to being technical officer.I loved teaching and knew I’d found my niche. It was a greattime. The staff were mainly young and enthusiastic and theplace buzzed, it was so full-of-life."

In 1966, Professor Al Willis, then Dean of the Faculty, alsotook over the management of the School of Civil Engineering,with Ian as his executive assistant. Ian reduced his teachingload over this time, and also made the switch from materials tostructural analysis using engineering computations. He alsobegan his doctoral thesis on finite elements — the highlight ofhis research work.

In the late 1950s, though not in favour of compulsory unionmembership, Ian decided to join the Staff Association. "Itseemed interesting because it involved interacting with peoplefrom different parts of the University," said Ian.

Ian served as Secretary of the Staff Association and asPresident in 1977 and on many later occasions, working withthree UNSW Vice-Chancellors — Sir Rupert Myers, Michael Birtand John Niland.

Ian retired in 1997, though he maintained his position asPresident of the Staff Association for another couple of years.

He has since taken up croquet and while steadily improving hisgame, is currently serving as President of the Coogee CroquetClub.

"When I first came to Sydney, I had only been inside oneuniversity — Melbourne," said Ian. "Going to university was soremote for me as an idea that I hardly even thought about it.Becoming part of a university, in the sense of being a graduatewas one thing, but becoming part of the staff was quiteremarkable. I grew to be very attached to the idea of being partof the University. I was certainly there at a wonderful time."

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 20026

On 20 May 1952, theUniversity awarded Bachelordegrees to:

School of Civil EngineeringHonoursMaxwell White (Class I andUniversity Medal)John Forsythe (Class II)Lance Spencer (Class II)John Walker (Class II)PassPaul FeketeJohn MurrayWilliam PageKevin Quinlan

School of Electrical EngineeringHonoursEdward Hopkins (Class I)Robert Mondel (Class I)Norman Emslie (Class II)Ronald Keith (Class II)PassRichard Clarke James JacobsPeter MeulmanJames StrongWilliam Wheeler

School of Mechanical EngineeringHonoursAlexander Carmichael (Class II)Geoffrey McNeil (Class II)Raymond Rogerson (Class II)Ian Somervaille (Class II)PassAllan CoxClyde DaveyKenneth O’BrienAlexander RolleyGeoffrey Ward

School of Mining EngineeringHonoursFrancis Gardner (Class II)Mitchell Muir (Class II)PassJohn BakerJohn DuncanKenneth FindlayLeonard Wright

At the same graduationceremony, the Universityawarded three honorarydoctorates to Viscount Nuff ield,Lieutenant-Colonel Sir CharlesBlackburn and Professor MarcOliphant.

School of Applied ChemistryHonoursJohn Robert Anderson (Class I)John Ragnar Anderson (Class I)Stanley Livingstone (Class I)William Pickering (Class I)Ellice Swinbourne (Class I)Ronald Werner (Class I)Gordon Aylward (Class II)John Courtney (Class II)John Garnett (Class II)June Griffith (Class II)Clive Harris (Class II)Prosper Lark (Class II)Gervaise Sutton (Class II)PassWallace Stephen

School of Chemical EngineeringHonoursRobert Cairns (Class I andUniversity Medal)Ronald Warner (Class I andUniversity Medal)Andrew Bellingham (Class II)Keith Bowling (Class II)William Briggs (Class II)James Macmillan (Class II)John Pilkington (Class II)James Smith (Class II)PassKeith Johnson

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 2002 7

BiomedicalENGINEERINGBlood f low and microbiomechanics byLaura Poole-Warren and Chris Bertram

The cardiovascular system brings bloodwithin diffusional range of every cell inthe body, in order to supply metabolicneeds and remove wastes. This exchangewith cells occurs across the monolayerof endothelial cells (ECs) which form thewall of the microscopic, but extremelynumerous capillary blood vessels.

Lacking smooth muscle, ECs wereoriginally thought to provide only alining to all blood vessels that preventedblood clotting. In the1980s, they wererecognised to have a vital role both inmediating responses of muscular bloodvessels to circulating hormones and inregulating the blood concentration ofsome of these agents. Recent research byProfessor Geert Schmid-Schönbein at theUniversity of California, San Diego

(UCSD), suggests that capillary ECs mayalso play a vital role in distribution ofblood flow.

In a new collaborative projectbetween the School’s Associate ProfessorChris Bertram and Professor Schmid-Schönbein, measurements in animalspointed towards a blood flow regulatoryfunction for the capillary ECs. Whilevessels upstream are the maincontrollers of blood flow, the ECs incapillaries are ideally positioned toconfer fine control of flow at the tissuelevel, ensuring even perfusion.

Back at UNSW, Chris Bertram hasteamed up with Dr Laura Poole-Warrento investigate how isolated ECs indynamic culture alter their ‘height’ inresponse to flow changes. Suchremodelling of their structure couldequalise flow between capillaries.Despite much literature on responses ofECs to fluid shear in general, these shapechanges remain largely uninvestigated.

The project will commence withCharles Williams, a Year 5 BE(Chem)/MBiomedE concurrent-degree student,culturing endothelial cells in parallel-plate fluid flow chambers, and will usemechanical and optical techniques tomeasure cell height and othergeometrical parameters.

This work could end up defining thedirect and immediate effects onphysiological function of EC remodelling.Aspects of remodelling have beendocumented previously, but without arole being found for them, except aspossibly necessary steps in theendothelial sensing of fluid shear andconsequent chemical releases.

For further information, pleasecontact Associate Professor ChrisBertram on +61 2 9385 3928 or emailc.bertram@unsw.edu.au

ChemicalENGINEERING AND

Industrial ChemistryWater demand and reverse osmosisdesalinat ion by Roya Sheikholeslami

Meeting the water demand for theworld’s growing population is a dauntingtask. Water scarcity threatens anincreasing number of countries,especially in southern Europe, the MiddleEast, North Africa, South East Asia,Australia and many parts of the USA.

Potable water and industrial processwater can be produced throughdesalination of seawater, brackish water,and saline wastewater using ROtechnology. These waters contain highquantities of dissolved solids, andseawater also contains high amounts ofbiological matter which needs to beremoved. Dissolved inorganics precipitateand along with biological materialaccumulate at the surface and foul ROmembranes, causing their performance

Around the Schools...

Dr Roya Sheikholeslami, Timothy Koo and TzyyHaur Chong.

Left to right: Associate Professor Chris Bertram,Charles Williams and Dr Laura Poole-Warren,shedding light on EC remodelling.

to deteriorate. Fouling costs industriesbillions of dollars annually. Desalinatedwater costs approximatelyUS$0.7–1.2/m3 to produce — thechallenge is to produce it well belowUS$0.5/m3.

Dr Roya Sheikholeslami is leading ateam in a study of fouling problems inbrackish water and seawater reverseosmosis systems. Silica in brackish waterhas created a major problem fordesalination, and is considered to be themajor unresolved scaling inorganic dueto its very complicated chemistry,speciation and complex polymerisationbehaviour. Research aims to betterunderstand silica fouling and theinteractive effects of other materials onsilica polymerisation, in an attempt toimprove silica scale control in RO units.

Another project applies state-of-the-art Direct Observation Over Membrane(DOOM) and Differential FluxMeasurement (DFM) to assess and modelthe interactive effects in compositeinorganic and biological foulingencountered with seawater desalination.The outcomes of these projects willcontribute significantly to understandingvery complex fouling mechanisms, leadto reductions in operation costs andaccelerate the development ofsustainable water purification,wastewater treatment and waterproduction by desalination.

Major funding (about AUS$400,000)for these projects has been provided bythe Middle East Desalination ResearchCenter (MEDRC), an international non-profit organisation founded as part ofthe Middle East Peace Process by sixcountries (Oman, Israel, USA, Japan,Korea, and the European Union).Industrial support has also beenprovided by Osmonics, BF Goodrich, andHydranautics of the USA.

For further information ondesalination and fouling projects, pleasecontact Dr Roya Sheikholeslami on +61 2 9385 4343 or emailr.sheikholeslami@unsw.edu.au

CivilAND

EnvironmentalENGINEERINGLong distance water researchby Ian Turner

A team of coastal engineers led by DrIan Turner at the School’s WaterResearch Laboratory (WRL) are using anetwork of four video cameras —installed on the roof of a 33-storeyapartment building — and the Internetto study beach erosion 650 km away inQueensland.

The cameras capture 2400 digitalpictures of the northern Gold Coastevery daylight hour. These images areautomatically pre-processed at the siteby a Silicon Graphics workstation, thentransferred via the Internet to WRLwhere sophisticated digital mapping anddigital image processing techniques areused to extract a wide range ofquantitative information. In this way,WRL researchers regularly map theshoreline to measure beach width andcomplete a ‘virtual’ 3-D beach surveythat enables the eroded or accumulatedsand volume to be quantified.

"The key to coastalimaging is the ability tomeasure an object’sprecise location in three-dimensions from a time-series of two-dimensionaldigital images," said IanTurner. "We do this bydigital rectification andmerging of images, usingsurveyed ground controlpoints (GCPs), as well asreal-time information ofthe prevailing wave andtide conditions."

The database ofimages is freely available,with the websitereceiving more than60,000 ‘hits’ in two years,and resulting incollaborations with

researchers in the USA, UK andNetherlands, as well as supportingUNSW graduate student research.

Research is underway to develop thecoastal imaging system so thatnearshore processes including waveheight and direction and the strength ofrip currents can be measured, offeringbenefits to coastal engineers andmanagers, as well coastal researchers.

The Gold Coast City Council isproviding three years of funding tomaintain the cameras there, and a recentthree and a half year researchagreement between UNSW and the NewSouth Wales and Queensland StateGovernments will fund a further 16cameras straddling the New SouthWales-Queensland border. Images fromthese new cameras will support WRLgraduate student research, as well asbeing used by the two Stategovernments to assess the condition ofborder beaches.

For further information, pleasecontact Dr Ian Turner on +61 2 9949 4488(x229), email ian.turner@unsw.edu.au orvisit www.wrl.unsw.edu.au/coastalimaging/

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 20028

A key concept in coastal imaging is the ability to merge andrectify images so that the real-world (Australia Map Grid)coordinates of an object or objects can be measured.

Computer ScienceAND ENGINEERINGRASCL Lab, architecture groupby Hossam El-Gindy

The School’s RASCL Laboratory focuseson the research and teaching offundamental methodologies for thedevelopment and use of novelcomputing technologies. RASCL, anacronym for Reconfigurable Algorithms,Systems, Compilers and Languages, waschosen to encapsulate the researchinterests in reconfigurable computing ofAssociate Professor Hossam El-Gindyand Dr Oliver Diessel.

The laboratory has a number ofFPGA-based systems where newapplications and ideas are tested. FPGAs(Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) arechips that support the rapiddevelopment of large, new, and complexcomputing systems for use inapplications which process largeamounts of data, like medical, satelliteand astronomical imagery or encryption.Some FPGA-based systems havedemonstrated performance similar tosuper-computers in specific applicationareas.

"Our research concentrates on thedesign, management and use ofreconfigurable and FPGA-basedsystems," said Hossam. "We also trainour students how to use such devices todevelop cost-effective solutions, therebyanswering some of the industry’s needfor hardware designers. Building upspecial hardware or circuits is anexpensive process. It takes training timeand then time to build, debug, fabricateand validate the hardware design. Theuse of reconfigurable devices speeds upthis prototyping process. To some extentthe design resembles a program writtenin a special language. That design canthen be loaded onto the chip to see if itworks — if not, we can rapidly modify itand test it again."

The RASCL Lab acquired sufficientresources to support a sizable group offourth year Computer Engineeringstudents at the beginning of 2001.

"During the last year, we establishedexpertise in developing solutions onFPGA-based systems, developed activeresearch links with research groups inAustralian and international universitiesand guided our students to produceresearch findings that have beenrecognised in national and internationalconferences. Three student papers havealready been accepted for presentationin international conferences, and twomore are being considered. Three ofthose students haveprogressed topostgraduate research inthe lab. These are greatachievements in such ashort period," saidHossam.

For furtherinformation, pleasecontact AssociateProfessor Hossam El-Gindy on +61 2 93854034 or emailhossam@cse.unsw.edu.au

ElectricalENGINEERING AND

TelecommunicationsNew photonic engineering degreeby Iain Skinner

After more than 20 years research intooptical fibre and waveguide technologiesand almost as long teaching subjects onphotonics, the School has recognised theemergence of photonics as a disciplinein its own right by the establishment ofa new undergraduate degree programleading to Bachelor of Engineering inPhotonic Engineering.

From 2002, the new program,offered in conjunction with the Schoolof Physics, will provide students with abalanced syllabus, combining theeducation of a professional engineerwith study of the fundamentalproperties of photonic devices, therequirements and integration ofphotonic systems, and a wide range ofapplications, including, of course,telecommunications.

Photonics is about generating,manipulating (processing) and detectinglight (photons), and specifically lightthat is carrying useful information,whether voice telephony, images, data-files, or measurement signals, orperforming some other useful purpose,such as remote illumination. Photonicengineers unlock the enormousbandwidth that is in an optical fibre;

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 2002 9

Associate Professor Hossam El-Gindy andmembers of the RASCL group.

Dr Iain Skinner (centre bottom) with some of the School’s newphotonics students.

they deliver the huge storage capacity ofa CD-rom; their expertise provides theimages making keyhole-surgery possible;they implement the all-optical controlnetworks which enhance safety inindustrial environments whereinelectrical signals are fire hazards.

"In this 21st century, photonics willbecome as important, fundamental, andgeneric as electronics was in the 20th,"said Dr Iain Skinner. "This will occurbecause photonics offers a faster, moreflexible, and more efficient way tocollect, shift and process information.This, in turn, is one of the basic concernsof engineers as we meet society’s needs.

"Soon photonic engineers willdevelop processors with speedsthousands of times faster than anythingcurrently available and laserinstrumentation for new medicalprocedures. Photonics is an area of greatexcitement and possibilities and theopportunities for graduates withexpertise in photonics during thiscoming decade are outstanding.Australia’s photonics industry has anestablished reputation as one of themost successful and innovative in theworld, and exports to every continent. Ina truly global marketplace, our photonicsengineers, too, will always be needed,prized and rewarded."

For further information, pleasecontact Dr Iain Skinner on +61 2 93855153, email i.skinner@unsw.edu.au orvisit www.eet.unsw.edu.au

MechanicalAND

ManufacturingENGINEERINGEndowed scholarships supportstudents by Kerry Byrne

Over the last year, the establishment ofthree endowed scholarships represents amajor effort to support students,especially those from rural areas, whoare wanting to study in the School. Eachendowment, comprising a donor’scontribution and matching funds fromthe School, Faculty and University, is

invested by the UNSW Foundation andthe interest earned results in asubstantial scholarship of around$6000—$8000 per annum for a standardfour-year program, which can be offeredin perpetuity.

The Peter Oxley-UNSW MemorialScholarship, which is available for anyprogram in the School, was establishedin memory of Professor Peter Oxley, aneminent and long-standing member ofthe School who worked in metalmachining. The NSK-UNSW Scholarshipwas established in conjunction with NSKAustralia Pty Ltd and is available forMechanical Engineering students. NSK isa major Japanese bearing manufacturerand a supplier of bearings in Australia tothe automotive and agriculturalmachinery industries.

The AE Bishop-UNSW Endowmentwas established by the BishopTechnology Group to acknowledge thelifelong contributions of its founder,Sydney engineer, Arthur E Bishop to theautomotive industry. The scholarship isavailable for students in the MechanicalEngineering and Mechatronics programs.The Arthur Bishop and NSK scholarships

are specifically for students fromregional or rural Australia and will beoffered for the first time in 2003.

Bruce Grey, Managing Director of theBishop Technology Group said, "Bishophas had an association with UNSW formore than 30 years. Establishing thisscholarship supports our commitment toteaching the innovation process totomorrow’s engineers. Bishop has foundthat young people with a farmingbackground often become inventiveengineers who are essential to aninnovation driven organisation such asBishop Technology Group."

Barnaby Smeaton, current holder ofthe Peter Oxley Memorial Scholarship, isa Year Two student from tiny Binalong,near Yass. Barnaby’s UAI was 99.2, andhe is studying for a double degree inengineering and arts. "Engineering offersthe opportunity to work creatively andhave intellectual satisfaction, to be well-rewarded and hopefully, help otherpeople while you’re at it," said Barney."UNSW has a good reputation and Iwanted to study here, but I wouldn’thave been able to without thescholarship. It takes a lot of pressure off,knowing that your living costs arecovered throughout session."

For further information, pleasecontact Professor Kerry Byrne on +61 2 9385 4088 or k.byrne@unsw.edu.au

MiningENGINEERINGVirtual Reality Training and ResearchLaboratory by Phillip Stothard

The School has established a VirtualReality (VR) Training and ResearchLaboratory from funds provided by anIndustry Research Grant and a UniversityInfrastructure Grant.

VR technology is ideal for 3Dvisualisation and training where theunderground or surface mineenvironment can be experienced throughsimulation — with the advantage ofoffering a comfortable, safe, andforgiving environment. These VR

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 200210

Barnaby Smeaton, recipient of the Peter OxleyMemorial Scholarship.

environments replicate real mine sitesand can be generated at remotelocations.

The Industry Grant was awardedwith the aim of performing a ScopingStudy to assess the feasibility of usingVR Simulator Technology to trainmineworkers and management in abroad range of disciplines includingequipment operators and maintenance,mine ventilation, safe-workingprocedures, and emergency response.

VR Technology was also evaluated toassess its potential as a tool foridentifying personnel who may be proneto risk-taking and was found to be wellsuited to this application. It is proposedthat the identification of 'risk takers' willlead to a reduction in accidents.

VR simulation was also found tooffer flexibility in time, place, rate andprivacy of learning; the development ofunderstanding and retention of learning;customised on-the-job training; faultfinding; easier communication ofcomplex data; evaluation of theconsequences of poor decision making;

trainee assessment;identification of trainingprogram flaws; accidentinvestigation andreconstruction.

Realisation of thesepotential benefits requiresthe VR simulator to beinteractive; immersive(using either using largescreens or immersiveheadsets); a realisticapproximation to the realenvironment; built onbest-practice safetydocumentation; simpleand quick to update.

The School of MiningEngineering’s VR simulatoraddresses theserequirements anddevelopment andevaluation of thesimulator is continuing

with real man-machine interfaces whichadd a further level of realism.

For further information, pleasecontact Dr Phillip Stothard on +61 29385 6663 or emailpmstothard@unsw.edu.au

PetroleumENGINEERINGAccredited blowout preventiontraining by Maria Tarabay

The School of Petroleum Engineering hasbeen providing training and assessmentto oilfield professionals through theNational Drilling & Well Control Program(NDWCP) since 1998. The Program is ajoint venture between the School andthe International Association of DrillingContractors — Australasian Chapter(IADC-AC) and is managed by the Schoolwhich provides three full-time staff toconduct the training and developtraining materials.

The major objective is to provide thecore knowledge and job-related skillswhich drilling personnel require tohandle well control situations withcompetency. Through the provision ofexpertly written teaching materials andcomputer-based simulated training,industry personnel are able to obtainqualifications that are both current andapplicable to this ever changing industry.The Program is recognised andaccredited by industry bodies such asthe International Association of DrillingContractors (IADC) and the International

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 2002 11

Students undertaking an immersive, interactive training sessionon the School of Mining Engineering’s training simulator —configured for instruction in the use of a Hydraulic Rock TestingMachine.

The School of Petroleum Engineering is the only IADC and IWCF training provider in the southernhemisphere.

Well Control Forum (IWCF). Excellence intraining is achieved and maintained via arigorous quality assurance process.

Major benefits to industry includeconfidence that rig crews haveconsistent quality instruction by highstandard industry trainers;internationally-recognised training; anddocumentation of training andcertification of records to meet safetycase requirements.

In the past two years, the NDWCPhas strengthened its position in Australiaand South-East Asia and remains theonly joint IADC and IWCF trainingprovider in the southern hemisphere.Most oil and service companies inAustralia are located in Brisbane andPerth and the program provides some 40five-day training courses a year fromtraining centres there. Courses are alsooffered in Adelaide and other cities.

Most clients are Australians based inAustralia and South-East Asia, but theprogram is also attracting increasinginterest from petroleum companies inAfrica and South America. The programhas exceeded expectations and expandedits client base to include clients whopreviously trained their own personnel ortrained them elsewhere.

Since the formation of the NationalDrilling and Well Control Program in1998, hundreds of drilling professionalshave enjoyed the practical, relevant andprofessional training that they havereceived. For further information, pleasecontact Maria Tarabay on +61 2 93855184, email drilling@unsw.edu.au orvisit www.petrol.unsw.edu.au/ndwcp/

PhotovoltaicENGINEERINGLight-emitt ing silicon for microchipbreakthrough by Rory McGuire

For more than 25 years, a research teamunder the direction of Professor MartinGreen in the Key Centre for PhotovoltaicEngineering has led the global renewableenergy industry in developing siliconsolar cells that convert light directly intoelectricity.

But, while researching novel ways ofdoing this, Martin Green and Drs JianhuaZhao and Aihua Wang realised theirexpertise could allow them to reversetheir technology and convert electricityinto light. They also immediately realisedthis had a potentially huge application inallowing computer microchips tocommunicate with each other by usinglight signals instead of being able to useonly electronic signals.

The results of their first experimentwere reported in Nature on 23 Augustlast year (‘Efficient silicon light-emittingdiodes’) and indicated, essentially for thefirst time, that light-emitting diodes(LEDs) could be directly integrated intomicrochips. This would streamline thelink between two of the world’s biggestindustries — microelectronics andtelecommunications.

Martin Green said: "I think the mostimportant result of this development willbe the opportunities it gives us tochange the way microelectronicsdevelops, because it allows us to breakthrough the restriction of the presenttwo-dimensional structures, the‘flatland’, and into a technology of fullythree-dimensional chips.

"Present-day micro-chips will stillcommunicate electronically in two

dimensions, but will have the extraability to communicate ‘up’ and ‘down’using optical signals. This will allow therapid evolution of microelectronics to besustained well into the future, by freeingit from the constraints ofcommunication over metal wires.‘Moore’s Law’, which says the speed ofcomputer chips doubles every 18months, will be extended yet again."

Before publication of the Naturepaper, appropriate patents were securedand the inventors have since beennegotiating with leaders in the microchipand photonics industries.

For further information, pleasecontact Professor Martin Green on +61 2 9385 4018, emailm.green@unsw.edu.au or visitwww.pv.unsw.edu.au

SurveyingANDSpatialInformation SystemsSurveying in the f ine artsby Bruce Harvey

Admittedly, the idea of engaging theskills and concepts of surveying to theservice of fine art seems at first glance alittle incongruous. A second glancereveals a fascinating combination ofknowledge and technology to produce

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 200212

Light-emitting silicon now to be used in microchips.

accurate computer models andholographs, that in turn allow the studyof shadows and areas of darkness inpaintings.

Dr Paula Dawson, from the School ofArt at UNSW’s College of Fine Arts, is

internationally famous for herholographic art and was investigatingthe way in which early painters, like daVinci, portrayed ‘shadows’ or ‘darkness’-a close inspection of his work shows thatlight must have fallen from differentangles upon the drapery to give theshadows portrayed — whereas when thepainting is viewed uncritically theshadows appear entirely natural.

As an expert in holography, Paulasaw synergy between her work and themodels produced by the Laser Scanner,with its capacity to create 3-D imagesand to show shadows. Together withteam members John Damina from CRKennedy and Co, and Andreas Starickfrom the Department of Surveying andScanning at the Dresden University ofApplied Science, Paula Dawson and DrBruce Harvey conducted a survey as partof an Art Research project to transposethe historic use of shadow to ahologram. The finished hologram will beexhibited at the Ivan Dougherty Gallery,UNSW, in September 2003.

A 3D model was needed to replicatethe 2D paintings, so art historian, DrJohn Gage, was positioned, draped withcloth, and scanned with a Cyrax 2500 3Dlaser scanner from two locations. Eachscanner location measured around onemillion points in the scene and captured3D coordinates of each reflected point.Using two scanner locations enabled theback, front, and one side of the model tobe measured, allowing the finalholograph to be rotated through around180 degrees. Measurements to fourspecial control mark targets from bothscanner locations, allowed the two datasets to be combined by software, in aprocess similar to transformations inphotogrammetry. The resulting 3Dcomputer model can be rotated andmagnified, as seen on the website.

For further information, pleasecontact Dr Bruce Harvey, emailb.harvey@unsw.edu.au or visitwww.gmat.unsw.edu.au/News/Cyrax/cyrax_news.html

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 2002 13

Laser light as an art-aid.

Do you know someone who would like to receive UNSWENGINEERS?Please contact Marjorie Fox at the Faculty of Engineering Administrative Unit,

on +61 2 9385 4023 or email marjorie.fox@unsw.edu.au

To continue our attempts to more accurately represent the Faculty’s history, if anyone knows the names ofthe students in this classic UNSW photograph (above), would they please let us know.

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 200214

The founder of theUniversity’s Sunswiftsolar car project in1996, Byron Kennedy(BE ’96) has taken up thecause of energyeff iciency as acomplement toalternative energysources.

As an electricalengineer involved withsolar car teams for bothUNSW and the NorthernTerritory University (NTU),Byron Kennedy has helpeddevelop energy-efficient

motors that are proving useful far beyond their originalapplications. With research partners Dean Patterson and SteveCamilleri, Byron Kennedy heads up In Motion Technologies forthe commercialisation of energy-efficient technology.

"Basically, the motors we have all derive from the same(NTU) solar car wheel-motor concept and we just scale it up ordown depending on the application," he says. "Our motor is twodiscs that are next to each other, two plates that rotate. Theinitial reason for that design was so that it would fit into awheel very easily. After we did the analysis, we found there wasa whole range of other advantages to this motor."

For instance, their smallest motor fits in a normal ceilingfan. Whereas a normal fan uses around 75 Watts, a fan using InMotion Technology’s uses 20 Watts.

"The Australian Greenhouse Office are encouraging peopleto put up solar panels, and we’re saying if you use energyefficient appliances, you’re achieving the same thing. If the twotechnologies are combined, you can get really good results."

First drawn to environmental as opposed to electricalengineering, Byron settled on electrical engineering because, ashe says, "chemistry wasn’t my forté". "One of the things youlearn as you’re going through your uni course is that mostengineers end up in management. And you either accept that orlook for an alternate career path," says Byron.

His involvement with, and subsequent thesis on theUniversity’s 1996 solar car and its performance in the Darwin toAdelaide World Solar Challenge (they came ninth), ensured

interest in his skills and experience, and after six months withcommunications company Telegnosis, he joined members fromQueensland University’s solar car team in developing a hybridelectric bus.

After a year’s travelling, Byron moved to Darwin to keep aprevious agreement to work with Dean Patterson at NTU. "Deanand the team at NTU had designed a motor for a solar car, andthe aim was to take that motor and put it into a conventionalcar. At the time, it was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted tounderstand the technical aspects of a project before I got intoin a position of telling other people what to do."

Three years have been spent converting the car to electricpower, and free time was spent modifying the motor for otherapplications — bikes, scooters and ceiling fans. Indeed, motorsthat Byron and the team have modified could soon turn up insome interesting places.

"The dream of the US Navy is to have a completely electricship; to make less noise and to replace the hydraulics, forsimplicity. Dean is currently working on aircraft launcherswhere we’re looking to replace the steam catapults used toshoot planes off the ships with what is essentially a big rolled-out solar car motor.

"We’re also trying to work out how to sell our ideas - whichis not something taught in engineering. There’s a whole raft ofpeople with an interest in our technology, it’s just about usgetting out there and selling it to them."

Byron has always been interested in hands-on research andstarted the Sunswift solar car project when looking for a Year 4thesis topic. "I had done industrial training and that gave mehands-on with the normal electrical engineering jobs you wouldget, but a local power authority or private company doesn'tusually have the ability, time or resources to allow a student tobuild something different."

The Sunswift project threw Byron and the team in the deepend in terms of conceiving a project, finding funds and gettingit up and running. "You can be enthusiastic about a lot ofprojects because you don’t know all of the problems you’regoing to face. Some people thought we were mad, but that’snot bad territory to stray into. I’d always encourage that."

The skills and the experience acquired through his universityproject are now enabling Byron to make the most of his latestventure — establishing a business and licensing the kind of newtechnology that will support a more energy-efficient future.

GRADUATE PROFILEByron Kennedy

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 6, May 2002 15

Naval Architecture and Aeronautical EngineeringI note that in the latest issue of the UNSWENGINEERS newsletterneither Aeronautical Engineering nor Naval Architecture get amention in the ‘Around the Schools’ article. Have these been movedelsewhere in UNSW?

Paul Buchler

Dear Paul,

Both Aeronautical Engineering and Naval Architecture are programswithin the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.See article on Sydney SuperCat ferries on page 10 of the December2001 issue for a Naval Architecture story.

Editor

The changing face of engineeringThe plan to publish... what has been a wonderful history of successby the Faulty impels me to [record] my impressions. I wish a muchmore frequent publication of Faculty of Engineering newsletter.

I obtained my MEngSc ’97 degree in construction engineering andmanagement from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineeringand my Bachelor of Civil Engineering ’83 from NED University ofEngineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan. I have applied for PhDcandidature in Innovative Construction Technology.

The intellectually stimulating research environment provided by theDepartment [of Construction Engineering and Management] coupled(though not explicitly) with the motto of continuous professionaldevelopment in ethical perspective impels me to undertake researchfrom the School. The Department also encourages freedom ofexpression and demands respect for the rights of others to express adifferent point of view together with inculcating tolerance in allaspects of life.

Professor John Niland, the Vice-Chancellor was very much correct insaying that there was a time when people would come to theUniversity to go and serve in the field but in the present era thepriorities have changed, now the people go to the field first and theycome to learn and develop afterwards. This change is because ofdynamically changing needs of the industry, society and theeconomy.

My own experience in the construction industry business extendsback to more than 15 years and includes work with contractors. Mytransition to student life at UNSW was made much more easier bythe camaraderie among faculty students population from verydiverse backgrounds, a number of whom were also mature studentswho had taken career breaks to engage in full time study as I did.

I fully endorse the views of Lene Jensen, Head of Careers andEmployment at UNSW, expressed in UNSWENGINEERS, Issue 3,November 2000, wherein she [spoke of the] growing interest of non-engineering companies in engineering graduates. The reason beingthat the department while teaching interdisciplinary subjects alsoattaches importance to ontological factors.

On June 11, 1995 at the occasion of ASCE’S Engineering EducationConference a keynoter posed most rivetting comments when he said:"Engineers must know not only how to do things right, they mustknow the right things to do.". Based on these premises, the Schoolduring education and training emphasises non-engineering-specificskills like communication, both written and verbal, team building,business and management training, leadership skills, socialconsciousness and appreciating an interdisciplinary approach toteaching, research and development has attained reputation amongstacademia and the industry thereby [leading] them to acceptgraduates of the department of construction engineering andmanagement of UNSW.

Aftab Ahmed Siddiqui (MEngSc ’97)

Who are those people? UNSWENGINEERS, Issue 5, December 2001

I can help a little with identification. I am on the far left. Third fromleft and looking at the camera is Peter Carr-Boyd. The tall chaptowards the far right with the open neck shirt is David Montgomery.The location is one of the lecture rooms in the old buildings atUltimo where engineering at UNSW started. The others were mostlyColombo Plan students. The class was Electrical Engineering, and thegraduation year for that class was 1960. I do not know which yearthe photograph was taken. I have lost contact with both Carr-Boydand Montgomery. If you have any contact details I would appreciatereceiving them.

Stephen Redman (BE (Elec) ’60)

This accords with the memory of Tony Stuart (BE (Elec) ’60, ME ’63)who advises the following: From left to right, Steve Redman;unknown sitting man, Peter Carr-Boyd, David Montgomery, unknownstanding man, Henry Chinn, Norman Hearnden and far right OliverWilson.

Many thanks to Steve and Tony for searching their memories.

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