 |
A message from the Dean |
Professor Frank Bullen |
It has been a busy time for the Faculty since the last eNewsletter:
- The Agricultural, Civil and Environmental Discipline recruited two staff members to fill two vacant positions. Mr Paul Tilley commenced duties in August as lecturer in construction. Mrs Piumika Ariyadasa filled the position of senior technical officer in July.
- The Faculty has been selected by the Minerals Council of Australia to provide a leading educational role to the Minerals Industry National Associate Degree (MINAD) Project. The MINAD project will address the shortage of mining engineers and geoscientists by undertaking consultation to develop, pilot and evaluate nationally consistent Associate Degrees to be delivered in VET, dual sector and Higher Education institutions; and work with companies to create new workforce roles for paraprofessionals. The Project will develop and disseminate an Associate Degree program model as well as marketing strategies and materials for education institutions and employers.
- Planning is underway to build a state of the art civil engineering teaching laboratory in the Springfield campus. Purchasing of the equipment for this new Laboratory is almost at the final stage. It is expected that this new Laboratory will be ready in early 2013 for teaching of Practice Courses in Civil Engineering, majors in Associate Degree of Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering Technology and Bachelor of Engineering programs as well as construction degree programs.
- The Faculty achieved the highest number of higher degree research students (HDRS) completion/graduation: 21 HDRS completion for 2012.
- The Faculty took over as the USQ funding partner with Primary Industry Centre for Science (PICSE) after the Faculty of Sciences relinquished their involvement. PICSE - Toowoomba "promotes science, science education pathway, science careers and research to students and teachers in Toowoomba, regional schools and colleges. The Faculty of Engineering and Surveying plans to enrol more engineering agriculture into teacher professional training, and the annual Science Camp to further develop pathways for students to enter USQ.
Read more > | The Institution of Engineering and Technology Presentation | Outstanding Student Project Award at State Level |
Adam Clarke |
On 10 October, our final year student Adam Clarke, won the Queensland final of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) competition "Present Around the World Competition". This annual competition is jointly hosted by the London based IET and Engineers Australia. The competition (Queensland final) was open to all Universities in Queensland. This year there were representatives from UQ, QUT, JCU and USQ. The title of Adam's presentation was: "Deadbeat Control of Non-Linear Magnetic Levitation System Using Adaptive Techniques".
Adam will now represent Queensland at the National Round of the competition to be held in Brisbane in April 2013. Congratulations to Adam and to Paul Wen (his supervisor). | 
2012 Clem Jones Medal Winner Phillip Nixon (M). Presented by Geoff Wright and Dell Townsend |
2011 Bachelor of Spatial Science (Surveying) graduate Phillip Nixon was recently awarded two 'outstanding student project' awards at state level.
- The Aurecon Prize in his final year at USQ for the best Bachelor of Spatial Science seminar presentation and project
- Spatial Science and Surveying Institute Qld Centenary Prize.
His presentation focused on using sun observations to set an azimuth by combining and comparing Automatic Target Recognition in a Total Station with GPS observed time and position. Read more > |
Oktocopter | Refurbishment of Lab Z1 |
The reduced cost of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has made them a viable platform for remote sensing research applications.
These UAVs promise to be a boon to researchers and consultants as they allow great flexibility for image acquisition in terms of scale, attitude, timelines and cost.
The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) has recently purchased a UAV airframe to use as a platform for a number of sensors. When fully operational the system will be able to deploy a choice of a high definition panchromatic camera, a six channel multi-spectral sensor, a thermal sensor or a low cost laser scanner. The ability to deploy sensors cheaply on small experimental plots will allow USQ researchers to conduct feasibility testing as a necessary step towards future algorithm design and development. | A major refurbishment to the Civil Materials Teaching Laboratory in Z1 building is currently underway. The refitted Laboratory will be updated for flexible hands on investigation and is expected to be available for teaching of Practice Courses in Semester 1 in 2013.
This space includes three teaching spaces/labs which have undergone a modernisation process. Civil materials testing of soils, aggregates, concretes - wet and cured, and timber is undertaken in this area. |
ARRB Young Researcher of the Year | P10 Hypersonic Facility |
One of our Roads and Maritime Services (NSW) graduates, Jason Keys, was awarded the ARRB Young Researcher of the Year prize at the 25th Australian Road Research Board Conference held in Perth last week.
The award was based on the paper 'The Effects of Improved Vehicle Technology on the Design of Acceleration and Deceleration Lanes at Freeway Entry and Exit Ramps' by Keys and Ayers, and resulted from the work Jason undertook for his final level Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) project in 2011 under the supervision of Prof Ron Ayers. Jason graduated in April this year.
This is a great outcome for ACE discipline and FOES. | 
Shock wave pattern |
A new hypersonic wind tunnel facility has been commissioned at the University of Southern Queensland. The development of this new facility was supported by the Queensland Smart State Research Facilities Fund and the Faculty of Engineering and Surveying at the University of Southern Queensland.
The wind tunnel has a much longer test flow duration than other hypersonic facilities in Australia making it suitable for development of air-breathing engine and space capsule heat shield technologies.
The figure shows the shock wave pattern near the inlet of a ramjet engine being tested in the facility. Current research activities with the hypersonic wind tunnel are being supported through the Australian Research Council and the Australian Space Research Program. |
Urban and Regional Planning | Power of Engineering |
Toowoomba CBD |
The urban and regional planning major in the Bachelor of Spatial Science was launched on the evening of the 24th September. Present at the event were school Principals, consulting town planners and planners from the Toowoomba Regional Council. We were pleased that Cr Chris Tait who leads the TRC Planning and Development Portfolio took time to attend the launch. The major has already received strong interest from potential students and employers and the marketing campaign continued with sponsorship of the Planning Institute of Australia's (Qld) Conference being held in Cairns in September.
Prof David Dowling and Mrs Marita Basson are currently engaged in a pilot program to define graduate capabilities for planners. The project is one of four sub-projects of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) funded project "Defining Your Discipline to Facilitate Curriculum Renewal in Undergraduate Programs".
Five workshops were recently held in Toowoomba and Brisbane to engage recent graduates, practitioners and academics. The report will be submitted to PIA by the end of the year. Indications are that, depending on funding, this project could roll out nationally next year. | 
Mr Steven Goh |
We are a passionate advocate of engineering as an innovative and creative channel to positively change the world. Our focus is on inspiring young women and non-traditional entrants to engage with the industry and build a future skills-base of Engineers.
Our Aims:
- Show high school students that engineering gives you the power to change the world
- Create new perceptions about the engineering profession
- Establish a strong connection between school students, teachers, parents, communities and universities and the engineering industry
- Link engineering projects to local community
- Provide an opportunity for university students to develop their professional skills and networks.
The project is owned by the Office for Women (OFW) out of Engineers Australia, Women in Engineering Queensland (WiEQ), the National Association of Women in Construction Queensland (NAWIC) and the Queensland Resource Council(QRC). Mr Steven Goh is at present seeking equity funding for this event to be taken on the road. |
New Program in 2013 - BTBV | Further information |
We will be introducing our newest program in Engineering & Surveying and Education - Bachelor of Engineering Science Bachelor of Vocational Education and Training (BTBV). Join us and become an effective education and training professional in the fast growing Engineering sector commencing Semester 1, 2013.
Specialist areas: Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Read more > | For general enquiries about this eNewsletter or to obtain a copy of award winning work mentioned in the eNewsletter, please contact Raylene Jones, Administration Coordinator, Academic and Student Support.
Also, if you are interested in reading about why Queensland engineering and technology graduates are enjoying being among the highest rates of employment in Australia, just read more. Read more > |
 |
