Scientia Professors p4

Profile: Paul de Launay p18

Alumni Reunion Dinner p16

Scientia Professors p4

Profile: Paul de Launay p18

Alumni Reunion Dinner p16

UNSWENGINEERSFaculty of Engineering Newsletter | Issue 8 — May 2003

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 32

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

photographyKaren MorkAnthony Potter

printed byRodenprint

ISSN 1442-8849

Front cover: Scientia Professorsleft to right: Tom Davis, StuartWenham and Martin Green.

Professor Brendon ParkerDean of Engineering

From the Dean...Last November, the Vice-Chancellor, Rory Hume, pointed to the need for the University to havea clear vision for the future and new strategic plans to support it. Key themes revolved arounda vision for UNSW as a research intensive University of International Standing and includedissues of gender equity, teaching quality, student support and industrial and internationalpartnerships.

Since then, Faculties have been engaged in a planning process involving staff and studentsat all levels, addressing the question ‘What do we want to be?’ in the context of the overallvision of the University.

With input from the Schools, the draft Faculty strategic plan was presented to a whole-of-Faculty meeting, attended by the Vice-Chancellor, on 13 March. After further discussion and aplanning meeting of the Vice-Chancellor’s Advisory Committee in May, the strategic plan will bepresented for adoption at a Faculty Board meeting.

The Faculty plan includes:A definition of the characteristics we expect of our graduates which will guide our curriculum

development;— Induction and Career Development programs for research students;— Identification of research areas to be emphasised and resourced;— Academic staffing policy which supports areas of research strength while ensuring quality

teaching;— Encouragement for staff redevelopment programs, particularly to enhance opportunities for

non-teaching staff;— While the Faculty does not plan major structural change, it will continue to look at ways in

which its operations can be improved;— The evolution of undergraduate programs to meet changing demand and to reflect Faculty

objectives. For example, we hope to offer a double degree in Engineering/Commerce from2004;

— The restructuring of postgraduate coursework programs to improve their operationaleconomy and to more clearly reflect their objectives;

— The strengthening of relationships with external organisations, particularly the engineeringindustry, with a view to developing suitable partnerships;

— The strengthening of links with international institutions and increasing the number ofundergraduate and postgraduate students who have international experience as part oftheir program.The end of 2002 saw new faces in the Faculty leadership. Professor Rob Burford was

appointed Associate Dean (Research Planning and Strategy) and Associate Professor DianneWiley changed her Associate Dean role to become responsible for Research Training.

Professor Kerry Byrne retired from the University and as Head of the School of Mechanicaland Manufacturing Engineering and Associate Professor Robin Ford was appointed Head ofSchool. Professor Jim Galvin stood down as Head of the School of Mining Engineering in orderto take some well deserved study leave and undertake a major task for the Minerals Council.Professor Bruce Hebblewhite was appointed Head of School.

Professor Eric Hahn retired from the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineeringand was farewelled as a long term coordinator of the Co-Op program. He will continue activeresearch collaboration within the School.

There is uncertainty in the air as the outcome of the Nelson review is not yet public,although there are many rumors. Consequences for the Faculty are unlikely to be significantexcept, we hope, for some improved funding for research.

The Faculty continues to have a very bright future with perhaps the major challenges beingthe ability to recruit and retain talented staff and to accommodate our growing researchactivities.

Professor Brendon Parker

New Scholarship from Al Willis

A university scholarship gave Emeritus Professor Al Willis (PhD DSc(Eng) London, HonDUniv ‘96) his startin engineering and led him to a long and distinguished career at UNSW as Dean of Engineering and Pro-

Vice-Chancellor. In late 2002, Al Willis established The Al Willis / UNSW Endowment Scholarship.Valued at $8000 per year for four years, the scholarship will enable a student of high academicability whose economic circumstances may hinder their academic success, to begin anundergraduate degree in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.

Born in 1917 in Portsmouth, England, Al Willis grew up around the naval dockyards, working asan apprentice fitter and turner until he received a Whitworth Scholarship to study mechanical andcivil engineering at the University of London.

"If it hadn’t been for that scholarship, I might have become head of the dockyard drafting office,but I would never have got a degree," said Al. "I got a scholarship because an engineer endowedone, and I was lucky enough to get it."

During World War Two, Al worked as an ammunitions production engineer, but with the end ofthe war, he began lecturing at the University of London. In 1950, Al immigrated with his family to

Australia, where he became a Senior Lecturer at the recently founded New South Wales University ofTechnology, later UNSW. A year later, he became Associate Professor, then Nuffield Research Professor,and in 1954, the Head of the School of Mechanical Engineering. From 1956 to 1967, Al was Dean ofEngineering and was appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor from 1967 until 1978, when he retired.

Al attributes much of his career success to the scholarship which took him to university. "TheWhitworth scholarship opened up careers for me as an engineer and an academic, and I would like togive someone else the same opportunity. Engineering, like all professions, is best studied full-time andnot having sufficient financial freedom to do so, can really hold a good student back." The firstscholarship will be awarded in 2004.

Vale Stan Hall (1916 – 2003)

Emeritus Professor Arthur Stanley ‘Stan’ Hall (BSc(Eng) London, DIC, HonDSc ’00) was one of theUniversity’s founding academics and Head of the then School of Civil Engineering from 1974 to 1976.

After graduating from London University, Stan Hall arrived in Sydney with his family in late1938 and spent the next seven years with the Department of Public Works. In 1940, due to theshortage of engineers and scientists during the war, Stan was asked to teach maths part-time atthe Sydney Technical College (STC) and by 1944, he was teaching five nights a week, includingengineering subjects.

In 1946, Stan became Head Teacher for Civil Engineering at STC and nursed his students andstaff through the postwar shortages. In 1948, he began teaching Civil Engineering as a foundingdiscipline of the University which was formally established the following year.

In 1953, after the new University graduated its first students, Stan took what was theUniversity’s first sabbatical leave — to Imperial College (UK). With great foresight, Stan realised thatpostwar reconstruction techniques using pre-stressed concrete and the advent of computing forstructural analysis would require graduate engineers to upgrade their skills and began the

University’s first short postgraduate courses. In time, though not without obstacles, these became theMasters by Coursework programs which are now an integral part of education in this and otheruniversities.

Stan Hall is also author of many of the influential Australian textbooks on structural engineering,preparing new editions of his Concrete Structures in 1998 and Engineering Statics in 1999. Stan Hallretired in 1976, at the age of 60, but continued his research on stresses in floor slabs for another threeyears. In 2000, he established an undergraduate scholarship in Civil and Environmental Engineering forrural students (see page 17).

Stan Hall made invaluable contributions to both teaching and research in his field and until his deathmaintained his interest in the University he helped to build.

Awards since September 2002

Honorary Doctorate Peter Simons, CEO HPM Industries

Emeritus Professor

Graham Hellestrand(Computer Science andEngineering)

John Hiller(Computer Science andEngineering)

Seeking knowledge – Scientia Professors In 1997, the UNSW established a specialcategory of Professor to recognise outstandingresearch performance – Scientia Professors.Scientia, or ‘knowledge’ forms part of the UNSWcrest. The Faculty has three of the University’sScientia Professors, Tom Davis (Centre forAdvanced Macromolecular Design), Martin Green(Centre of Excellence for Advanced SiliconPhotovoltaics and Photonics) and StuartWenham (Centre of Excellence for AdvancedSilicon Photovoltaics and Photonics and Head ofCentre of Photovoltaic Engineering).

Tom Davis’ (BSc ’83, PhD ’87 Salford (UK)) research is inadvanced macromolecular design, a multidisciplinaryactivity involving researchers from biotechnology,microbiology, chemistry and biomedical engineeringwho work with synthetic polymer chemistry,enzymatic synthesis, reaction kinetics andthermodynamics, using both chemical and biologicalpaths, to find new materials. The Centre works withdiverse industries, controlling molecules with similartechniques to achieve a wide range of outcomes fromflexible steel coatings, through hydrogels for contactlenses to virus removal from blood.

UK born, Tom was a self-confessed ‘wild child’, whonever revised and was always behind on his homework. Hisexceptional mathematical capacities however, were wellsuited to working with polymers for which there is asubstantial amount of calculation, and these enabled himto apply himself in what was a new field.

Tom did his PhD in hydrogels (soft contact lensmaterial) before going on to postdoctoral work in chemicalengineering in Canada. He then worked for ICI in the UK asa research scientist in composites. "I worked on car partsand very trendy, stone-effect kitchen sinks, which I justcouldn’t get excited about," said Tom, who then decided tofollow an academic research career.

Tom arrived at UNSW in late 1992, to lecture in theSchool of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry,then in the Faculty of Applied Science. "I didn’t have anystudents in my first year, and didn’t really have a lab. ThenI got a grant and my first two honours students, DaxKukulj* and Mike Zammit. Mike Gallagher from Chemistry

was generous enough to allow me to use his lab. "I was amazed that both students wanted to stay on,

but between them they published 26 papers as my firstPhD students and have both done really well in theircareers. Mike Zammit worked on pulsed-laserpolymerisation (basically to measure how quickly polymerchains grow) and Dax Kukulj worked on cobalt chaintransfer (using a catalyst similar to vitamin B12 to makesmall polymer chains). We are now considered worldleaders in both these areas."

Tom Davis is esteemed as a highly innovative andlateral thinker, with a prolific publications output (morethan 20 papers a year). His meteoric rise in themacromolecular/polymer field is due to his ability to adapt

his research to increasingly diverse applicatons. Tom also benefited from the School’s move in 1997 to

the Faculty of Engineering, and the personal interest of thethen Dean, Professor Mark Wainwright, who bothencouraged the establishment of the research centre andprovided assistance to develop the laboratory complexwhich enabled senior undergraduates studying polymerelectives to work side by side with post doctoralresearchers and PhD students in the research team.

"From 1992 to late 1997, it had been a real struggle,but I’d put in so much effort, I really wanted to see itgenerate something in return. I’d decided to back my ownresearch, but didn’t have enough money. Our grants werefinishing in December 1997 — when we were due to hear

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 20034 UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 5

about the next round of grants. We were really desperateand I was facing the idea that I’d done my best, but failed,when the grants were announced and we went fromhaving nothing to around a million dollars. All our grantapplications have been successful ever since.

"I still think it’s very difficult to get started, even foryoung, talented people who seem to have to wait so longfor academic recognition. Centres can be good places forpeople to flourish, though it really depends on the culturewhere people might only work as directed, or are alloweda degree of independence.

"I believe you hire the right people, give them the toolsto do the job and stand in their way as little as possible.One of the reasons we’re successful is that the staff andstudents have taken the opportunities that are here —knowledge, funding, equipment and support — and madebrilliant use of them. As the person in charge, my job is toactively lower barriers that stop my colleagues from doingthings. Every single decision should be based on whetheror not it will improve research or teaching. It’s reallysimple."

"While basic commodity polymers like polyethylene,polypropylene and PVC (though it’s a lot less popular now)are still big business, in research the emphasis hasdefinitely shifted towards polymers for specialistapplications from opto-electronics to biomedical implants.These days most devices tend to incorporate polymers forthings like liquid crystal displays.

"Basically, instead of making several tonnes of material,specialist companies now want to make a few kilos to sellat a very large margin. In the past, you set up a reactionwhich sustained itself and you got a lot of plastic at theend of the day, but now you can control the molecules youare making much more carefully. If nature makes aprotein, every single unit in the protein is well defined.Synthetic polymers aren’t quite there yet, but they aredefinitely moving down that route and controlling themolecule is where we can specialise.

"The same techniques for controlling molecules can beapplied across a wide range of fields. If we work for BHP,you might see a new flexible coating for steel, but we canuse the same technique with different building blocks fordrug discovery. It’s a bit different from other centres whichare focused on a particular outcome, but it’s very creativewith high levels of cross-fertilisation.

"Research in the field is rapidly transcendingboundaries and a lot of what we do is multidisciplinary, somy newer challenges are about getting collaboration

across different fields, especially for materials that aregoing to help in the health industry. I like the idea thatengineering is the application of science to improvepeople’s lives, and I know some of the younger people herereally have that ideal."

Martin Green (BE (Elec) ’70, MEngSc ’71 UQ, PhD ’74McMaster) and Stuart Wenham (BSc (Physics) ’78, BE(Elec) ’80, PhD ’86 UNSW) are co-inventors of theBuried Contact Solar Cell — the most successfullycommercialised new technology in the field globallyin the last 20 years, with more than $1 billion insales to date. They have also invented thin-filmmultilayer solar cells, currently the focus of a $50million commercialisation program at UNSW spin-offcompany, Pacific Solar.

Martin Green had always been interested in science andphysics, but the influence of a high school teacher steeredhim towards electronics and as an undergraduate studentthis developed into a fascination with the new area ofmicroelectronics.

The first factories for making integrated circuits werebeing established worldwide and AWA had openedAustralia’s first microelectronics facility in Sydney. In 1968,at the end of his third year at The University of Queensland,Martin visited Sydney to investigate this new field.

"I met Lou Davis, who was UNSW’s first conjointindustry professor and who also worked at AWA. He’dinitiated interest in electronics in Australia in the mid-50sand was probably the main driver behind the AWA facility.Lou was also interested in solar energy and showed me myfirst solar panel on that visit, although it didn’t make a bigimpression on me at the time."

Following his MEngSc, Martin began his PhD at UQ andthen won a scholarship to finish it at McMaster Universityin Canada. He returned to Australia in 1974 to take up alecturing position in Electrical Engineering at UNSW, whereProfessor Lou Davis was then head of the microelectronicsgroup and together they explored ideas for convertingsolar energy to electricity.

Martin spent his first three years at UNSW lecturingand developing his courses from scratch. "To teach well, Ireally had to learn my subjects thoroughly and I think Ilearnt more in those three years than I had in all myprevious education. I wrote a textbook here in ’78, justafter this intensive learning experience, and it’s still themost widely used text in photovoltaics."

continued overleaf * Profiled in UNSWENGINEERS Issue 6.

Tom Davis

Martin’s supervision ofStuart Wenham as a PhDstudent however, went on toproduce one of theUniversity’s most fruitfulresearch partnerships. "Westill see each other daily andour interaction still producesbetter results than possiblyeither could have produced byourselves. There are also anumber of other PhDstudents who have fired well,in the sense that research hasprogressed a lot, or morerapidly than expected.

"Throughout the lab’shistory, we’ve been able toattract high quality studentswho are idealisticallycommitted to this area and whoare willing to make sacrifices for their research becausethey feel there is more at stake than just training for agood job.

"We definitely need an alternative energy sourcebecause fossil fuel options just aren’t viable in the future.The only other option is nuclear, which produces a host ofproblems of its own. Solar is another way of proceedingthat can be much less expensive than nuclear, but withoutany of the disadvantages. So we see ourselves in a raceagainst time to get this technology to a stage where it canbe used by countries that are going to have a rapidlyincreasing demand for energy, especially developingcountries.

"The oil embargoes of the late 70s were important ingetting my initial work in solar started because it made ita very topical field. From 1983, our group began to breakworld records for silicon solar cell efficiency. The US efforthad probably peaked in 1980 and by the late 80s wounddown to almost nothing, by which point we were doingwell and were one of the strongest groups internationally.

"In the mid-80s, when we’d achieved 20 per centefficiency though, funding bodies thought we’d done allwe could, and local funding dropped. Luckily we were ableto tap into US funding. Then, after the Chernobyl nuclearaccident, there was a change and people apart fromresearchers began realising that solar energy could beimportant in the future. Some power companies startedputting in demonstration systems and experimenting with

the technology, which was asign that solar wasn’t alwaysgoing to be isolated, minorresearch, but had thepotential to make a worldwideimpact.

"As one of the fewresearch groups withcontinuity from the 70sthrough to the 90s, werealised we were in the bestposition to take on the bigchallenges facing the field,like making inexpensive, thin-film solar cells a viablealternative. We also felt if wedidn’t do it, no-one else could.

"But everything has takenabout twice as long as we hadhoped. To get even a great

research idea into production seems to take foreverand ideas we worked on in 1983 and 1984 are only juststarting to bring huge commercial returns.

"We’re still pushing for solar cell efficiency (25 per centis our best), but reducing the cost is more important. We’renearly there with the work we’ve done with Pacific Solar.The challenge now is to get the full potential of thattechnology recognised and financed. As Pacific Solar’sResearch Director, I’ve been heavily involved in fundraising— it’s one of the necessary steps in completing the job andseeing the end result that you are after.

Stuart Wenham’s interest in photovoltaics began in highschool. "I knew nothing of how solar cells worked," saidStuart, "but I saw the whole concept of being able toconvert sunlight directly into electricity, without needingturbines and moving parts and having no noise orpollution being produced as a result of burning fuels, assomething magical. No-one was even talking about solarcells, let alone studying them, so it became a hobby."

Stuart’s second stimulus came as an electricalengineering undergraduate student. "I heard that a newmember of staff, Martin Green, was giving a postgraduatecourse in solar technology, so I got special permission toattend. While it made me all the more determined to getinvolved, I still saw it as a hobby. Solar cells werescientifically and conceptually very interesting, but theyweren’t economically viable, and at that stage I thoughtthey never would be."

On Martin’s suggestion, Stuart then began workingwith Bruce Godfrey, one of Martin’s first PhD students, toset up Australia’s first solar cell production line for a UScompany specialising in marine navigation devices,Tideland Energy. "It really was a lot of fun and after twoyears, the production line was up and running well. Onindependent measurement, our cells were the mostefficient made on any production line in the world."

Stuart though, wanted to continue research in thearea. Stimulated by production issues, he had started aPhD while working, but returned to UNSW to complete itunder Martin’s supervision — and the rest is history.

Stuart credits Martin Green as being the world’s bestdirector of research in the field. "Martin has an amazingfeel for what ideas to pursueand is always there, tossingin little gems, to keep thewhole process movingsmoothly," he said.

Funding is vital to anyresearch team, and bothStuart Wenham and MartinGreen have been extremelyeffective in obtainingresearch grants. "The ARCscheme, with its emphasison academic merit, hassuited us very well becauseit’s an area of strength. It’salso an area of research thatI think is easy to make soundexciting.

"Just about all our staffhave been on contract, so alot of credit has to go to them. They’ve stuck with thegroup even though funding was uncertain at times. Ourstaff don’t just see this as a job — they see the technologywe are developing as something that can really make theworld a better place. In terms of the big picture, you aretalking about a research group that has existed for almost30 years and it’s that sort of sustained effort which hasgot the research to where it is now.

"Over the last two decades, the technology hasadvanced to such a level, and the cost has reduced to sucha level, that I’m now confident that it’s only a matter oftime before solar cells will be the automatic choice forelectricity generation on people’s rooftops, and will

eventually be cheaper than fossil fuel generated electricity.This is now becoming the industry perspective as well andthat is the big change.

"On the other hand, the basic technology we used inour first production line, which all the experts said wouldbe obsolete within five years, is with us some 25 yearslater, along with predictions that it has at least another 10years left in it. What is seen now as state-of-the-art, high-performance, lower-cost technology is an advancedversion of the technology developed in the early 80s interms of the materials, techniques and approaches.

"We always hoped that the industry would eventuallyget to the stage where we would actually have to set upour own degree program to train all the engineers it

needed, and when specialARC and industry fundingcame through to do that, itwas a dream come true. Theindustry is growing ataround about 40 per cent ayear, which is phenomenal.The technology is licensedaround the world and youcan now invest in thisindustry to make money,rather than just investing forthe future.

"From the technologyperspective, I’d really like tosee the next generation ofthin-film solar celltechnology in large scaleproduction, hopefully in fourto five years time. This

technology uses far less material, has the potential to befar cheaper and directly competitive with fossil fuelgenerated electricity.

"On the application side, there are billions of peoplearound the world who have never had access to electricityand without this technology, it’s hard to see how they will.We have started projects in developing countries likeNicaragua, Nepal, China and Vietnam, and it’s very excitingto see our students working with people and seeing thechanges that the technology can make to their lives interms of lighting, clean water, education and refrigeration.This really motivates me to see this technology developedand out there in the marketplace."

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 7UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 20036

Martin Green

Stuart Wenham

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 9UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 20038

assisting the installation of 10 million

tubewells in the area to obtain

underground water free from pathogens,

they didn’t anticipate the presence of

groundwater contaminants such as

arsenic. The situation is poised to

become a health disaster on an

enormous scale as many thousands have

already developed skin lesions, liver

diseases and cancers.

There are many methods to remove

arsenic from contaminated water, but

any solutions involving water treatment

or replacement must be extremely cheap

as aid programs are stretched and the

affected people have very few resources

— the average per capita income in

Bangladesh is less than $US2 per day.

Dr Phillip Crisp and his team have

developed a simple way for treating

tubewell water to remove dissolved

arsenic, as part of a larger AusAid

project to provide safe water supplies to

five villages around Dhaka, the capital of

Bangladesh. The treatment system has

two stages and relies on reaction with

iron and adsorption onto iron oxide

surfaces to assist in the removal of

arsenic. This only requires sunlight,

rudimentary brickwork and scrap iron.

The treatment

system has been

working well for

more than two years,

including the past

year when it has

been running on very

high levels of

contaminated water.

The water emerging

from the treatment

tank has an arsenic

content lower than

the Australian standard.

Researchers are also trying to find

out the species of arsenic present at

different stages in the treatment

process, and to develop robust analytical

methods which can be used in

Bangladesh to measure arsenic

concentrations in tubewell water. Later

this year, Phillip Crisp and his team plan

to build a full-scale treatment system in

Bangladesh.

For information contact Dr Phillip

Crisp on +61 2 9385 4447 or at

p.crisp@unsw.edu.au .

CivilAND

EnvironmentalENGINEERING

Microbial risk assessment for safe

water by Nicholas Ashbolt

Associate Professor Nick Ashbolt, Deputy

Director of UNSW's Centre for Water and

Waste Technology, has received a grant

of $377,000 from the Innovation Access

(International Science and Technology)

program to support his group’s work as

part of a € 2.74M European Union Fifth

Framework project called MICRORISK,

which involves the microbial risk

assessment of drinking water.

Using a source-to-tap approach, the

study will investigate all stages in

drinking water production and identify

interactions for the provision of safe

water. This is the second largest grant

ever awarded under the Innovation

Access scheme in Australia, and the

largest to a university research group.

Australia is the first country in the world

to document a risk management policy

for drinking water and this project will

keep Australian researchers and water

agencies at the forefront of the

international water industry.

Internationally, water companies and

regulatory agencies are being told that

economic as well as management gains

should result from applying risk-based

approaches as published in the 2003

WHO guidelines, yet neither detailed

method nor verification has been

presented on how to change from

current end-of-pipe monitoring to

include the whole water process from

catchment to the user.

The project aims to develop, evaluate

and validate a risk assessment

framework for the management of

pathogen risks; provide a scientific

foundation for significant change in the

regulatory approach and management of

drinking water safety; and provide a

means to harmonise across all risks so

those attributable to drinking water can

be considered in a cost-benefit, non-

discriminatory and transparent manner.

Nick Ashbolt and his team will

examine the numbers and distribution of

pathogens within catchments, and the

variations in pathogen distributions at

each stage from catchment through

treatment steps to the tap. The 11

BiomedicalENGINEERING

New hope for spinal cord injuries

by Elizabeth Kyriakou

Syringomyelia is a fluid-filled, cystic

cavity in the spinal cord. Post-traumatic

syringomyelia (PTS) affects 28 per cent

of patients following spinal cord injury,

resulting in chronic pain, difficulties with

coordination and loss of sensation. Only

50 per cent of these patients improve

after treatment and our lack of

understanding of the causes of PTS

means that effective treatment is

unlikely.

In a collaborative project with the

Prince of Wales Medical Research

Institute, PhD student Elizabeth Kyriakou

is part of a team consisting of Associate

Professor Lynne Bilston (Biomedical

Engineering) and Associate Professor

Marcus Stoodley (Neurosurgery), who are

working to model the behaviour of the

fluid and tissue within the spinal cord in

an effort to explain how and why a

syrinx or cystic cavity forms there.

The research team are developing a

series of fluid-structure interaction (FSI)

models simulating the spinal cord, to

describe the behaviour of cerebrospinal

fluid and the interrelating effects of fluid

on spinal cord tissue. Other

developments within the field have only

considered fluid effects and have not

combined the interaction with

surrounding tissue. The numerical

analysis of the FSI problem is solved

using a computational modeling

package, ADINA.

To develop the initial model, the

team used magnetic resonance imaging

(MRI), which is a highly specialised

method for producing images of soft

tissue. While conventional X-ray

techniques produce images of bones,

MRI is able to show the structure of soft

tissues, including the spinal cord. Initial

model development involved obtaining

the spinal cord dimensions of a patient

with PTS and associated obstruction in

the cervical or neck region of the spinal

cord.

This allowed Elizabeth to develop a

two dimensional FSI model of the

cervical spine which simulated the spinal

cord and space below the obstruction. By

modelling the fluid structure interactions

in the 2D model, researchers have been

able to show that the mechanism of

syrinx formation and enlargement is

likely to involve local increases in

cerebrospinal fluid pressure. This increase

in fluid pressure is believed to force

excessive fluid into the spinal tissue via

spaces surrounding blood vessels.

Future developments of the model

promise to expand our theoretical

description of this clinical problem and

ultimately work to assist patients with

this condition.

For information contact Elizabeth

Kyriakou at e.kyriakou@unsw.edu.au or

visit www.powmri.edu.au

ChemicalENGINEERING AND

Industrial ChemistryDecontaminating drinking water in

Bangladesh and West Bengal

by Vicki Chen

Arsenic is a problem in drinking water in

more than 20 countries, however by far

the greatest difficulties are found in

Bangladesh and West Bengal (the state

of India adjoining Bangladesh). When the

World Bank and numerous aid

organisations spent billions of dollars

Around the Schools . . .

Elizabeth Kyriakou working to understandspinal cord injury.

Village tubewell in Bangladesh.

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 11UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 200310

ElectricalENGINEERING AND

TelecommunicationsBroadband access through the

‘Spiderbox’ by Rob Milland

There is a lot of discussion about

broadband communication and its

almost magical data carrying capacity,

but the flip side is that there are

mulitple products out there for

managing the data, from set-top PayTV

boxes to modems, and then there is the

matter of security of data

communications. The Spiderbox, which

allows mulitiple providers to transmit

and receive simultaneously to customers

through one secure device, could see a

much greater uptake of this broadband

technology.

In 1999, Rob Milland invented and

later (2001) patented the Spiderbox, the

first specifically designed apparatus to

offer consumers the full benefits of the

broadband cable which is, to quote Rob,

"lying idle in the streets". Rob formed

Access Wireless and Cable Pty Ltd in

2001 and further developed the concept

with input from an advertising associate,

John Hundy, and the School of Electrical

Engineering and Telecommunications,

which assisted in the building of the

Spiderbox prototype.

The Spiderbox allows multiple levels

of secure communication to run to a site

simultaneously, removing the need for

mulitple providers to supply their own

monitoring and security devices. A

Spiderbox can carry telephony, the

internet, PayTV, Free-to-air TV, medical

monitoring, home banking, home

security and electricity meter reading,

along with a

capacity for

intranet,

simultaneously

and seamlessly,

whilst

maintaining data

security.

According to

Rob Milland, the

average

household will

need a Spiderbox because of its unique

capacity to perform all the current

comunications functions simultaneously.

"With the increased use of Home

Telecare, for example, up until now a

patient could not be visually monitored

because the usual ADSL phone line

couldn’t handle video," said Rob.

"Spiderbox, on the other hand, can

offer two-way audio/video. The doctor

can talk to the patient, the patient can

respond, the blood pressue or other

readings could appear on another

screen, all simultaneously operating

along with the internet, a PayTV channel,

and a meter reader. We could add a gas

meter, a burglar alarm and a fire alarm

as well. This is the power of Spiderbox.

"Added to this is that the reduced

need for separate communications lines

and devices makes broadband access

that much more affordable."

The Spiderbox has already attracted

interest from telcos, utilities, billing

contractors, secondary PayTV content

providers, and medical and

pharmaceutical bodies.

For information contact Rob Milland

on +61 2 9570 6111, email on

awac@optusnet.com.au or visit

www.spiderbox.com.au

MechanicalAND

ManufacturingENGINEERING

State-of-the-art machining centre

by Tony Harris

The School has used and taught state-

of-the-art computer-aided

manufacturing systems for many years,

using 2-axis lathe and 3-axis milling

processes. The acquisition of a Deckel

Maho DMU60P 5-axis milling machine

from DMG Australia, the first of its kind

in Australia, will greatly enhance the

School’s programs in computer-aided

manufacturing software.

Five-axis milling has the ability to

move the tool by computer control,

relative to the work piece, in five

different ways. There are many possible

machine configurations, with this

machine moving in three orthogonal

directions (X, Y and Z) and two rotations

(work table rotation and spindle-tilt

axis). By varying these axes

simultaneously, highly complex

components can be machined and this

type of machine is normally reserved for

high-end applications within industries

European partners in the MICRORISK

project and UNSW will combine their

expertise in microbiological analysis,

hydrology, treatment performance and

reliability assessments, statistics and

epidemiology.

Innovation Access is a Federal

program enabling Australian

participation in international science and

technology projects, in particular in EU

Framework programs. The Federal

Government will fund two postdoctoral

fellows and one PhD student at UNSW

to participate in the MICRORISK project.

For information contact Associate

Professor Nick Ashbolt +61 2 9385 5946

or at n.ashbolt@unsw.edu.au .

Computer ScienceAND ENGINEERING

Technology workshops for primary

school girls by Carroll Graham

Research from the USA shows that by

the time girls reach high school, they are

already less interested and less confident

in their abilities in maths and science

than boys, with twice as many boys as

girls showing an

interest in science,

engineering and

mathematics

careers.*

This situation

is mirrored in

Australia and in

1999, CSE began

offering a hands-

on workshop in

Science and

Technology to Year

5 and 6 primary school girls in an

endeavour to address the gender

imbalance present in many engineering,

science and technology disciplines. The

program grew to three workshops in

2002, with four planned for 2003.

The workshop is an all-day activity

(about five hours) that caters for 35 to

40 girls and includes a brainstorming

session, a lab experience, a University

tour and refreshments. These workshops

aim to engage girls in the process of

creating the technology of the future,

while giving them a better

understanding of

today’s technology.

The girls are also

introduced to the

higher education

and research

environment,

especially that of

UNSW. Although

these workshops

are offered by CSE

and use CSE

facilities, there is no

particular focus on computing apart

from the laboratory experience, which

takes place in the Human Computer

Interface (HCI) lab using state-of-the-art

Macintosh computers.

CSE covers the cost of this activity,

including staff costs, materials and

refreshments. The only costs to the

primary school are the time of

accompanying staff and transport which

can constitute a substantial cost,

especially for more distant schools.

All four workshops for 2003 were

fully booked within five days of being

advertised and will accommodate six

primary schools. There are a further 16

schools on the waiting list. Comments

from the first two workshops included, "I

can’t wait until I am in that university",

"It was fantastic" and "The things that

they [the women engineers and

scientists] said they did were really cool".

The two remaining workshops for this

year will take place on Tuesday 29 July

and Thursday 31 July.

For information contact Carroll

Graham on +61 2 9385 5318.

* Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities inScience Engineering and Technology Development: ‘Land of Plenty’, 09/00.

Typical raw water reservoir and associated water treatment works.

Left to right: Tiffany Villanueva, Ashalene Salter and Jordan Thomas.

Left to right: Rob Milland, John Hundy and Professor Branko Celler, Head of School.

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 13UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 200312

the economic attractions. Also, with the

possibility of moving the mining

infrastructure from site to site on large

vessels, like off-shore petroleum sites,

you can avoid building huge plants with

all their ramifications.

"Another potential plus of sea–bed

mining is the absence of a local human

population, and it is potentially more

environmentally friendly. All these

deposits will be deeper than where any

commercial fishing occurs and there are

expected to be relatively low levels of

waste due to the

high usable metallic

content of the ore.

As long as no waste

is released in the

zone of water where

photosynthesis

occurs (0-400m

below sea level),

there is the

possibility of

depositing it back

onto the ocean

floor."

Early last year,

Cameron Rees and

Jayne Holden were able to take part in

an exploration cruise with the CSIRO to

explore the ocean bed for potential

mining deposits around the north-east

coast of Papua New Guinea and the

Solomon Islands.

"The CSIRO offer was an unexpected

opportunity that helped us to

understand how deposits are found and

some of the difficulties of ocean mining.

Much of the work had never been done

before in terms of mapping the ocean

floor, so it was very exciting," said

Cameron.

For information contact Cameron

Rees on +61 2 9385 6118, email

cr@student.unsw.edu.au or visit

www.mining.unsw.edu.au

PetroleumENGINEERING

New CO2 Cooperative Research

Centre by Guy Allinson

The new Cooperative Research Centre for

Carbon Dioxide Sequestration (CO2CRC),

announced at the end of 2002, will begin

operations on 1 July this year. The

release of CO2 into the atmosphere is the

main contributor to global warming and

according to the new Centre’s Executive

Director, Dr Peter Cook, based in

Canberra, Australia has sufficient

underground capacity to potentially

store our total emissions for the next

2000 years. "We want to be sure it is

safe, secure, practical and economic to

do so. We hope to stage a demonstration

in the next three to five years," he said.

The CO2CRC will undertake research

into innovative greenhouse gas

technologies that have the potential to

enhance Australia’s capacity to separate

and capture CO2, and to sequester it in

geological or other environments. This

would allow Australia to sequester

significant quantities of CO2 in an

environmentally and economically

sustainable manner, bringing benefit to

Australian industry and the community

at large.

The new CRC will involve 60 to 80

researchers and 20

postgraduate

students, coordinated

by a highly experienced

management team.

UNSW is strongly

represented in this

new venture with

contributions from

Guy Allinson, Senior

Lecturer (Petroleum

Engineering), who will

study and model the

economics of CO2

storage and use;

Associate Professor

Dianne Wiley (Chemical Engineering and

Industrial Chemistry), Deputy Director of

the CRC, who will research the

application of membrane technologies

to, and the economics of, CO2 capture;

and Professor Robert Marks, Head of

Economics at the AGSM, who will

research macroeconomic issues related

to CO2 sequestration in Australia.

The project will involve work with

partners in the USA, Europe and Japan,

who will study technologies to allow

such as aerospace,

automotive and

medical.

The DMG

machine is a special

high-accuracy

version with

distinctive

components and

additional assembly

attention, making it

the most precise

currently offered by

DMG and an

important resource

for the School in

developing ARC

Linkage grant

projects with

industry.

The School is also selecting the most

accurate tooling available and is air

conditioning the laboratory environment

to ±1°C. This new laboratory will also

house an existing computer-controlled

2-axis lathe and a computer-controlled

robot mounted on a conveying rail track.

The robot will be programmed to deliver

and retrieve work material and finished

components to and from the new 5-axis

machine and 2-axis lathe. With the robot

also carrying out assembly tasks, the

whole configuration will form a flexible

manufacturing cell or FMC.

The installation itself was a

challenge, needing a 160-tonne crane to

bring the machine from just outside the

campus and lower it into position over

trees and power lines through a hole in

the roof. The whole operation took more

than three hours and the roof was

finally replaced by 4:00pm. At 5:00pm, a

60-knot southerly change arrived

accompanied by rain.

The School welcomes interested

parties to discuss possible

collaboration via ARC Linkage grants.

For information contact Tony Harris

on +61 2 9385 4113 or

ag.harris@unsw.edu.au.

MiningENGINEERING

Ocean–bed mining

by Cameron Rees

Assisted by the CSIRO, two Mining

Engineering PhD students are

exploring the ocean bed as the new

frontier for mineral extraction.

Cameron Rees’ research examines

extraction options for sea–bed

minerals, while Jayne Holden is

researching the possible

environmental impact.

According to Cameron Rees, ocean-bed

mining is still in the early stages, but it

presents the mining industry with a

different avenue to mine for metals like

lead, copper, gold, zinc and silver.

"We are looking at the very basics at

the moment, to determine whether it’s

possible to mine the material in a

reasonably economic manner in terms of

cost, energy and the environment.

Equipment requirements for ocean-bed

mining will be substantial as it needs to

operate at depths greater than 1600m,

with pressure over 165kg/cm2. It will

also need to be able to withstand a

potentially corrosive environment with

temperature differentials of more than

390°C.

"Even though the initial capital cost

might be quite large, there is a huge

potential over the life of infrastructure

and mining equipment, which is one of

The School's new 5-axis milling machine swings gently above the treeson its way to its new home.

Cameron Rees with some ore from the ocean bed.

A new way of containing CO2 emissions.

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 15UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 200314

carbon dioxide to be extracted from

power plants and factory flues, so it can

be subsequently stored geologically.

The Commonwealth Government has

contributed nearly A$22M to the

research, with a total funding of more

than A$100M over a period of seven

years. Other funding will come from

Australian industry and inkind

contributions from universities and

research organisations across Australia.

For information contact Guy Allinson

on +61 2 9385 5296,

g.allinson@unsw.edu.au or visit

ww.petrol.unsw.edu.au

Photovoltaic ENGINEERING

Students on aid project to Nicaragua

by Thu Nguyen

Fourteen Year 2 students from the

Centre have returned from Nicaragua

after the successful completion of the

first stage of the Korima project, named

after a native custom where beneficiaries

of a good harvest share with the less

fortunate.

Over two months in early 2003, the

students stayed in remote villages in

Nicaragua and worked with local non-

government organisations to build solar

panels from donated cells, inspect

existing solar systems and build solar

cookers. A single solar cooker can save

about 50 per cent of the firewood

needed by a family, which can be a

significant financial saving for poor

families. The solar electric systems

provide electricity for lighting and

vaccine refrigeration in places with no

electricity supply.

"We were there to look at established

systems and help develop better testing

methods and better maintenance," said

Dr Alistair Sproul, project supervisor. "In

these situations a lot depends on good

communication between those installing

the systems and the people who use

them, and how well-designed the

systems are to accommodate the

difficulties of a remote location. In the

long run, local people need to be well

trained to maintain their systems and

resolve problems, so they don’t have to

wait so long for outside help.

"It was quite an experience seeing

little solar electric systems giving

lighting to schools, homes and

community buildings. We visited a

remote health clinic where they just had

a few solar panels for the vaccine

refrigerator. For the local people, this

meant that their children had a much

better chance of going through a full

immunisation program, with enormous

health benefits for the whole

community."

According to student Susan Berry, it

was good to see how solar energy could

be fundamentally important. "The people

working there seemed to be really

excited about the things that we were

showing them, and I felt I was really

doing something to improve people’s

lives," she said.

This project has a great deal to offer

both the host country and the students

alike, and others are planned for the future.

For further information contact Dr

Alistair Sproul on +61 2 9385 4039,

email a.sproul@unsw.edu.au, or visit

www.students.pv.unsw.edu.au/Nicaragua/

index.html

SurveyingANDSpatialInformation SystemsNew Cooperative Research Centre for

Spatial Information by Chris Rizos

In late 2002, the School was advised of

the award of a new CRC for Spatial

Information (CRC-SI). UNSW is one of

three core university participants, the

others being the University of Melbourne

and Curtin University of Technology.

What is perhaps unique about this CRC

is that the partnership will include

universities, several State and

Commonwealth Government

departments and a large number of

small- to medium-sized

(SME) spatial information

businesses. The CRC-SI will

harness Australia’s

recognised research

strengths in spatial

information technologies

to create new products

and services, as well as

contribute to the

community’s wellbeing

through the execution of

‘public good’ projects.

It is estimated that more

than 80 per cent of information

contained within public and private

databases has a spatial data component.

Spatial data is information that can be

mapped or which communicates where a

person or object is located, relative to

others. Geographic information systems

(GIS), global positioning systems (GPS)

and remote sensing technologies are

used to gather spatial data which is

analysed in many ways and delivered to

users as information through a variety of

forms of digital media. It is utilised in

such sectors as transport and logistics;

asset/facilities management; agriculture,

forestry and fishing; resource and

environmental management; military

operations; telecommunications and a

wide variety of new consumer

applications.

The School will contribute its

expertise in the development of GPS

technology and applications. Professor

Chris Rizos is Program Leader for

Integrated Positioning and Mapping

Systems, one of five CRC-SI programs.

Professor Tony Milne (Department of

Biological, Environmental & Earth

Sciences, Faculty of Science), is the other

UNSW Program Leader for Earth

Observation for Renewable Natural

Resource Management.

Projects to be undertaken within the

School include the further development

of centimetre-accuracy GPS-based

positioning techniques, research into

non-GPS techniques such as

‘pseudolites’ (GPS-like terrestrial signal

transmitters), GPS/inertial sensor

integration, and investigations into

positioning systems able to be

implemented in consumer electronics to

support the development of Location-

Based Services (aids to navigation to a

specific point).

The School is expected to gain up to

four new Research Associates and an

equal number of PhD scholarships. For

information contact Professor Chris

Rizos on +61 2 9385 4205 or

c.rizos@unsw.edu.au or visit

www.geom.unimelb.edu.au/crc_si/.

Photovoltaic engineering students working with Nicaraguans to build a cleaner and safer future.

Left to right: Professor Chris Rizos, Joel Barnes, Linlin Ge and Jinling Wang, part ofthe new CRC.

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 17UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 200316

Golden Jubilee Luncheon for Class of ’53

On 16 May, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wyatt R Hume

will join Engineering and Science graduates from 1953 to

celebrate the Golden Jubilee of their graduation at a luncheon

hosted by the Faculties of Engineering and Science.

On 21 March 1953, 39 engineering students and 32 science

students graduated in the Great Hall of the University of

Sydney, with degrees from the New South Wales University of

Technology, which later became the University of New South

Wales. These were only the second group of students to

graduate and they have contributed to setting the stage firmly

for the many thousands who have followed.

The University’s first Golden Jubilee Luncheon was held in

2002, and it is planned to hold similar annual events for each

50 year graduation anniversary.

Summer School for Indigenous StudentsFormer Prime Minister Bob Hawke, Democrat Senator Aden

Ridgeway and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rory Hume were

on hand to launch the Indigenous Australian Engineering

Summer School (IAESS) in early January this year.

The Summer School, hosted by UNSW and the non-profit

organisation Engineering Aid, is a live-in program designed to

encourage Indigenous high school students to consider

engineering as a tertiary study option and career path.

Over seven days, 20 students from New South Wales,

Western Australia and Queensland blew up pumpkins, measured

blood components and visited sites such as the Harbour Bridge,

the Eastern Distributor tunnels and Australia’s Wonderland to

learn how engineering concepts affect safety, environment and

design.

"Increased Indigenous participation is crucial for the sector,"

said program director and Associate Dean (Academic), Professor

Tim Hesketh. "Infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, water,

schools and communication is desperately needed in remote

communities and outback Australia. Unless there are Aboriginal

engineers, this infrastructure will be developed without their

input on what their communities need."

Taste of ResearchAs part of a strategy to promote research and development as a

career path for undergraduate students, the Faculty ran a 10-

week ‘Taste of Research’ undergraduate scholarship program

over the summer break.

The program aimed to raise awareness of research

opportunities amongst high-achieving Year 3 students by

placing them in research projects in areas as diverse as

biomedical engineering, computer and software engineering,

chemical engineering, electrical engineering,

telecommunications, mechatronics, mechanical and

manufacturing engineering, photovoltaics and surveying and

information systems. In addition to a stipend, many of the 34

students who were awarded the scholarships were also able to

use the experience as part of their industrial training

requirement.

It is clear from student comments that the initiative was

well received, with a majority prepared to recommend the

program to others. Their expectations had been varied, but in

most cases students gained a deeper understanding of the

research experience.

Most responded very positively when asked if they would

now consider undertaking postgraduate research or a research

career, with comments from "Definitely" to "[The program has]

extinguished my fears — research is quite fun!", "Has heightened

my interest and confidence" and "After working with lecturers

and other research students I am very interested".

Following the success of the inaugural Taste of Research

program, these scholarships will be offered again across the

2003–2004 summer vacation.

Engineering Scholarships for Rural StudentsIn March, 19 students from across rural Australia were awarded

prestigious Faculty of Engineering Rural Scholarships in the

third year of the program. The scholarships are worth $8,000 a

year for the four years of an undergraduate Engineering degree.

Each of the Faculty’s Schools offers academic mentoring and

the campus colleges also provide some accommodation for first

year rural students.

"The 2003 rural scholars demonstrate superior academic

skills, have excellent personal qualities and participate in many

other activities on campus," said Associate Dean (Academic),

Professor Tim

Hesketh. "The

Faculty is keen to

enrol students

from country

areas because they

often have a

special aptitude

for engineering as

a result of the

environment in

which they’ve

been raised. They’re very practical, motivated and have great

problem-solving abilities.

"Our rural students will have the opportunity to fully

develop their potential and interact with other students from

across Australia and overseas, building friendships and personal

networks that last for life."

For information visit www.eng.unsw.edu.au.

Alumni Reunion Dinner 2002On 15 November

2002, in response to

requests from

alumni, the Faculty

held its first annual

Alumni Anniversary

Dinner to celebrate

the 20th, 30th 40th

and 50th

anniversaries of

graduation. The

Dinner was held in

the Roundhouse,

scene of many

previous activities,

encounters and

memorable evenings.

Some 170

graduates and

partners, and past

and present staff,

including the Vice-

Chancellor, Professor Wyatt R Hume, first relaxed over pre-

dinner drinks before being warmly welcomed by the Dean,

Professor Brendon Parker.

In addition to the nostalgia of the venue, videos of archival

images and music from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s were played

throughout the evening, evoking memories and lively

discussions. Comments ranged from claiming/denying

participation in key Foundation Day activities to "Have you still

got those shorts?".

Another entertaining feature of the evening was the ‘roving

mike’ which prompted guests to wax lyrical on a variety of

escapades which, given the current high office of those

concerned and their potentially libellous nature, will not be

detailed here.

According to Tony Robinson (BSurv’62) the event not only

enabled him to catch up with friends from his University class,

but to also meet engineers from other disciplines, including

some he had gone to school with. "The Roundhouse is a superb

venue. When we were here it was the only place for students to

meet." he said.

Albert Avolio (BE (Elec)’72, PhD ’77), now an Associate

Professor in Biomedical Engineering, also had fond recollections

of the Roundhouse. "Memories flooded back of

my first visit in 1969," he said. "I enjoyed a hot cup of coffee

and listened to a heated debate on conscription and the

conflict in Vietnam. I was passing through and I thought, ‘I like

this place’. I transferred here for Year 3 Electrical Engineering in

1970 and I’m still here. It was great to see some of the faces

that go back many years – including a classmate who was at

the same table, which was a nice surprise. We still recognised

each other and it was great to catch up after some 30 years."

Civil Engineering, especially the Class of ’82 was very well

represented, in both numbers and volume. Peter O’Leary,

(BE (Civil) ’82) said, "Apart from meeting so many people I

haven’t seen in a long time, some of the tales told by those

from other years gave me a new perspective on our time as

students. Everyone I spoke to was reminded of what a good

time we’d all had then – and how much tougher things were now!"

This year’s Dinner on 14 November will focus on the

graduation classes of 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983 and 1993.

Celebrate this occasion in a memorable fashion by putting

together a table of your former classmates. Also, as we would

like to invite as many from the graduating classes as possible, if

you know classmates who may be interested in attending the

Dinner, but who may not be on our records, please let us know.

Invitations will be mailed in early October.

For information, please contact Luciano Ferracin on

+61 2 9385 1516 or email l.ferracin@unsw.edu.au. Those

graduates considering reunions in 2004 and beyond, should

also advise Luciano Ferracin, so they can join Anniversary

Reunions in the relevant years.

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

Left to right: Ian Paver (BE (Civil)‘82), Chris Graham (BE (Civil)‘72), Tony Robinson(BSurv‘62), Ian Somervaille (BE (Mech)‘52). Stan Hall Rural Scholarship recipient Brendan

Short with Lois Chambers, daughter of theScholarship donor.

Re Issue 7, I noticed Colin Stapleton and Antoni Karbowiakdepicted on the faculty history page. These gentlemen weremy lecturers in 1972-74. Colin taught automatic control andgave me a reference and Antoni taught information theoryand allowed me to program one of the first personalcomputers (HP) to calculate and plot Fourier transforms.Coincidentally I am depicted (but un-named) in the samepublication in the RoboCup 2002 photo (back left). I havereturned to the UNSW for a PhD degree after 25 years inindustry. I don’t think either Colin or Antoni would rememberme, but if the opportunity arose . . . I would like to meet themagain and thank them for sending me on my way in life.Bernhard Hengst (BE (Elec)/BESci ‘75)AI Dept, School of Computer Science and Engineering, UNSW

What was he doing?The staff member in this photohas been identified asProfessor Richard Frost(Mechanical andManufacturing Engineering)

This was part of a biomedicalproject to insert stainless steelrods into the bones of childrenwith brittle bones syndrome.Professor Richard Frost ismeasuring a child in order toproduce an implement used in the process.Arthur Vergopoulos (BE (Mech) ’87)

UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 2003 19UNSWENGINEERS | Issue 8, May 200318

LETTERS

Educating engineers is a complex process and sometimesthe photographic evidence raises more questions than itanswers. What is the young man in the shorts and longsocks doing and why is the audience so amused? Was hegetting it ‘right’ or is the resulting geyser the result ofgetting it horribly ‘wrong’?

Late last year, Paul De Launay (BE (Civil ’89) won theprestigious IEAust Fred Hollows Humanitarian Award forhis engineering contributions in some of the world’s mostwar torn and desperate nations as a member of RedRAustralia working for the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Born and raised in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Paul was

conscripted into the Australian Army in 1969 and volunteered

for service in the Vietnam War. There he was exposed to aid

work as part of the Australian Army’s Civil Affairs Unit which

designed and constructed projects to aid the local population.

After leaving the army in 1971, Paul travelled extensively,

especially to developing countries and found he was more

attracted to visiting places less touched by western culture. He

also became interested in alternative technologies and how

other cultures adapted their natural resources to satisfy their

technological needs.

In 1976, continuing with his career in construction, Paul

became a founding partner for John Mountford Constructions

P/L and in 1979, he formed Top Hole Engineering P/L, a new

partnership which specialised in civil engineering design and

construction.

Conscious of the need for some formal qualifications in the

field, Paul also began a part-time Civil Engineering degree at

UNSW round the same time. "I was attracted to UNSW because

of the practical orientation of the course and because its

engineering degrees were highly regarded internationally," said

Paul. Socially inclined and resourceful, Paul was also treasurer

of the CivEng Society for one year, buying tax-free Toohey’s

beer by the pallet.

In 1988, Paul joined geotechnical and environmental

engineering consultants, DJ Douglas & Partners P/L, and in

1989, became actively involved in the rebuilding of Newcastle

after the earthquake. Since1991, Paul has run his own

consultancy in engineering design and construction project

management specialising in the reconstruction of disaster-

affected structures following floods, fires or other traumatic

incidents. His interest in humanitarian work grew and in 1999,

he joined RedR Australia (Registered Engineers for Disaster

Relief).

"For some years, I had sponsored children in Africa and I

began to be drawn to doing something that brought together a

number of my interests including emergency engineering

projects, support to communities disrupted by disasters and

travel to interesting places. So in 2000, with my first RedR

assignment as Technical Coordinator for UNHCR in Cambodia, I

took on the responsibility for planning, design, construction and

evaluation of infrastructure projects, particularly water systems,

roads, bridges and dams for the 60,000 Cambodian refugees

who were coming home to rebuild their shattered lives."

As the Senior Physical Planner working in the Engineering

and Environmental Services Section at UNHCR in Geneva, Paul

developed a Camp Planning Manual for emergency workers, and

went on field missions to assess and prepare potential refugee

camp sites in Guinea Conakry, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, where

he worked to identify and evaluate potential refugee campsites

for some 10,000 Afghans trapped on the border with

Afghanistan.

The following year Paul travelled to Eritrea where he was

responsible for the assessment, planning and provision of water

facilities for an estimated 150,000 Eritrean returnees from The

Sudan. As a Water Specialist, he conducted hydrogeological

studies, identified bore hole sites, monitored bore hole drilling

and pump selection and installation. He was also responsible

for the site planning of returnee settlements for populations up

to 10,000 people and implemented UNHCR’s shelter program in

Eritrea.

"Humanitarian aid work is extremely demanding, physically,

mentally and emotionally and often entails some degree of

personal risk. You spend most of the year away from family and

friends, living in places where you can’t speak the language or

even read a newspaper.

"Accommodation is frequently very basic and there is

usually risk of contracting some kind of sickness or disease and

GRADUATE PROFILEPaul de Launay

communication with the outside world is sometimes erratic. It

is not glamorous, romantic or well paid and usually nobody

thanks you.

In 2003, Paul took on the appointment of Reintegration

Officer with UNHCR based in Jalalabad in the east of

Afghanistan, responsible for developing a reintegration strategy

for the estimated one million Afghan refugees returning from

refuge in Pakistan.

"This reintegration process involves the design and

provision of adequate infrastructure in the sectors of shelter,

water/sanitation, health, education and income generation.

"Currently, the people of Afghanistan are still unsure

whether the peace will hold. The impression is one of a country

holding it’s breath in anticipation of a deterioration in the

security situation.

"The sheer scale of the task to resettle the displaced

population, and rebuild the shattered infrastructure is daunting.

However, I find my work immensely rewarding. As an engineer, I

work in places where my skills contribute to the wellbeing of

thousands of people. Technically, the challenge is to design and

build something, often using only materials that are locally

available. When my work is finished I can see the impact of my

work on the lives of the people I came to assist and that is

what makes it worthwhile. I am committed to continuing this

type of work for the rest of my working life.

"For those wanting to do this kind of work, my advice

would be to try to get experience as a volunteer somewhere

first, as it’s usually easier then to get into one of the aid

organisations. Everyone can contribute in some way, you CAN

make a difference."

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