Engineers Australia eNews contains the latest news from Engineers Australia and
a calendar of events.

2008 – Year of the Engineering Team

Engineers Australia
Positions vacant
Daily engineering news

Engineering studies in danger of being scrapped

Programs like EngQuest, which educate students about engineering, are currently supported in school curriculums. Shown here is (r) Connell Wagner engineer Stephen Hodgkinson teaching students from St George Christian School in NSW about power circuits in this year's EngQuest.

According to Engineers Australia, the importance of encouraging interest in engineering among Australian students has been overlooked in the draft National Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians published by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA).
In the draft declaration, "Technology" has been dropped from a list of key learning areas for Australian schools. This could result in engineering-related subjects like Engineering Studies, Manufacturing Studies or Engineering Technology being dropped from school curriculums as they are currently being delivered under the Technology area.
Opportunities to run educational programs like EngQuest, or the Science and Engineering Challenge could also become limited.
If endorsed, the declaration will set the direction for Australian schools for the next 10 years. In the previous declaration, the Adelaide Declaration, Technology was included as a learning area.
In its latest government submission, Engineers Australia urged MCEETYA to retain Technology as a learning area, putting it alongside other areas such as English, Mathematics and Science.
"The engineering profession is experiencing a significant skills shortage which is not being met by current university graduations or migration rates. We need more students who choose high-level school science, technology and mathematics subjects and continue into tertiary education in these fields, particularly engineering. The declaration must be structured to support this goal," the submission said.
A pdf of the draft declaration can be downloaded by clicking here.

Model disaster relief machine wins award

Four University of Adelaide students won this year’s Weir Warman Competition. The annual contest invites mechanical engineering students to design and build vehicles for the imaginary land of Gondwana.
This year, the Gondwanans wanted a machine for disaster relief. The vehicle had to deliver a tennis ball to a ramp at the end of a test track within the 30 second time limit. Students could not control the machine, which had to guide itself.
The winning device uses infrared sensors and drives on tracks the students made from a food-grade conveyor belt. The team’s captain Eric Parsonage said they spent a whole semester on the project, working at least an hour each day.
In that time, the device went through multiple design changes. Parsonage said they had to learn about different control systems and figure out the best configuration by trial and error.
The competition is organised by Engineers Australia’s National Committee on Engineering Design with sponsorship from mining equipment manufacturer Weir Minerals Australia.

Students find out what engineering is about

The Engineering Initiative program, which shows Year 10 students what an engineer does in their day-to-day working life, will complete its first intake this year.
Supported by the Tasmanian Department of Education, the University of Tasmania and Engineers Australia Tasmania Division, the program aims to provide a more authentic picture of engineering so students will be able to make a more informed choice about which career to pursue. The program was created by Martin Stalker, a development officer from the Tasmanian Department of Education.
The students are currently assigned to mentors in 36 engineering companies including shipbuilder Incat, the Tasmanian office of the Australian Antarctic Division, and Transend. They will spend about two weeks with the company.
Before that, the students attended a two-day camp with lectures, workshops and site visits. The program concludes with each student giving a presentation to Year 9 students at their school at the end of the year, speaking about their experiences.

Female membership surges

Recent figures show female membership of Engineers Australia surged to more than 10% of total membership for the first time in March 2008 and continues to grow. The increase in membership has been sustained since the launch of the Year of Women in Engineering in February 2007.
In March 2007, there were 782 new female members, the highest recorded increase to date.
Membership figures also suggest many of these women remain members after they graduate. In June 2008, more than 84% of female student members became graduate members compared with around 28% in 2000.
However, women make up just 4.9% of corporate members compared to workforce participation rates of betwen 9% to 11% according to census data.
The retention of female engineers is a longterm project and a priority for Engineers Australia and the National Committee for Women in Engineering.

Participation growing for student program

Engineers Australia's EngQuest program has generated a surge in interest in primary schools and now has 1500 teacher registrations across Australia. There are about 800 schools involved in the program with an estimated 15,000 primary school students.
EngQuest began six years ago and is intended to generate interest in engineering among primary school children by giving them hands-on exposure to practical applications of scientific concepts.
One of the activities this year involved building models with any materials. This inspired a South Australian school to build a model house using mud-bricks made in the school yard. Another school from the Northern Territory fashioned a bridge from uncooked spaghetti.
EngQuest is supported by the Australian Government through the Science Connections Program, administered by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. EngQuest ends 15 December.

Notices

Notice of annual general meeting 2008

Members are invited to contribute to the development of the next strategic plan for Engineers Australia (EA). The plan will provide the framework for EA's activities over the period 2010 to 2015.
Planning sessions will be undertaken in Divisions, College Boards, and special interest groups over the next few months. 
A final planning forum will be held next July, with the intention of recommending a new plan to Congress in November 2009.
The strategic plan must represent the interests of EA members and the community at large.
For more information, or to submit suggestions or comments, visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/strategicplan2010.

Notice of annual general meeting 2008

The 88th annual general meeting of Engineers Australia will be held in the Members Dining Room 2 of the Old Parliament House in Parkes on 20 November.

Voting opens for Sydney Division

Online voting begins this week for members of Sydney Division and closes on 21 November. For Victoria Division, online voting will open on 6 November and close on 26 November.
Members are advised to check and update their online contact details to ensure they are able to vote.

Civil engineer of the year to be announced

The presentation of the Engineers Australia Sir John Holland Award for Civil Engineer of the Year will take place on 23 October at 161 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands Victoria.
The award is presented by the Civil College of Engineers Australia to an eminent civil engineer considered to have made a major contribution to the field.

Get in early for Christmas event

The Christmas Networking Event for Engineers Australia South Australia Division will be held at Jolleys Boathouse on the banks of the Torrens on 27 November. The cost is $15. Prior to the Christmas Networking Event there will be a short AGM which will be free.
To attend either event, RSVP by 20 November to Norma Cowan, fax 8239 0932, email ncowan@engineersaustralia.org.au.

Regional members needed for survey

Do you live or work in a regional area? Then the Regional Taskforce of Engineers Australia needs your help to complete a short survey.
The group aims to improve access to membership benefits, such as access to CPD and peer support, for members living in a regional area.
Information collected from this survey will assist Engineers Australia in understanding its regional members and improve the planning of CPD activities and other services.
The survey can be taken by clicking here.

Representatives sought for standards reviews

Engineers Australia (EA) is seeking representatives for several Standards Australia Committees. Members interested in participating on the committees can email Nina Lenz for more information.
The committees are:

• AG-008 Gas Distribution
• AG-013 Components used for Gas appliances & equipment
• BD-033 Chemical Admixtures for concrete
• BD-050 Aluminum Structures
• BD-069 Accuracy in Building Construction
• BD-083 Earth Building
• CE-028 Test Pumping Water Wells
• CS-021 Swimming Aids
• EL-006 Industrial Switchgear & Control Gear
• EL-008 Power Transformers
• EL-048 Wind Turbine Systems
• EL-053 Fire Hazard Testing - Electrical Equipment IT - 007 Public Access to IT Equipment
• IT-033 eBusiness Architecture & Data exchange
• ME-002 Gas Cylinders
• ME-016 Unitary Air Conditioners
• ME-018-04 Maintenance of Diesel engine systems for underground coal mines ME-020 Internal Combustion Engines
• ME-024 V-Belt drives
• ME-037 Rolling Bearings
• ME-046 Gas Fuel systems for vehicle engines
• ME-062-11 Air & water handling for power stations
• TX-004 Ropes & Cordage.

Publications

Project Management Toolkit: The Basics for Project Success, 2nd Edition

$62.72 + GST = $69.00
Trish Melton

To the point, brief and entirely practical, this book is a road map for project success. The tools it presents are a powerful resource for anyone undertaking technical project management. Features # step-by-step tools for understanding and managing each of the project value-add stages # Developing a business case # Robust planning # Staying in control # Delivering benefits. Downloadable online project planning templates will get you up and running fast. 2007 9780750684408 300pp. Read more...

Planning and Design of Engineering Systems, 2nd Edition

$85.45 + GST = $94.00
G Dandy, D Walker, T Daniel, R Warner

This comprehensive introduction to the scope and nature of engineering offers students a commonsense approach to the solution of engineering problems. Case studies and real-world examples are used to illustrate the role of the engineer, the type of work involved and the methodologies employed in engineering practice. It focuses on civil engineering design and problem solving but also covers creativity, social and environmental issues, management, communications, law and ethics.  Its scope runs from the planning, design, modeling and analysis phases to the implementation or construction phase. 2008 9780415405522 403pp. Read more...

Project Planning and Control: Using Primavera P6

$100.00 + GST = $110.00
Paul E Harris

Professionals who would like to gain an understanding of how to plan and control projects using Primavera P6 will find this book offers a logical step process in plain English. It is packed with screenshots, constructive tips and contains workshops with solutions. Also considers some of the more complex aspects of the user manual does not address and highlights sources of information and methods you can employ to produce a realistic project schedule. 2008 9781921059209 360pp. Read more...

Calendar

Engineering Education Australia will run the following short courses:

• Contract management (2 days) Perth 20 Oct, Darwin 27 Oct
• Relate to Aussies (1 day) Melbourne 20 Oct
• Negotiation skills (2 days) Brisbane 21 Oct
• Asset management and maintenance (2 days) Sydney 21 Oct
• Creating and managing networks for successful business relationships (2 days) Melbourne 21 Oct
• Project management (2 days) Perth 23 Oct, Darwin 30 Oct
  
• Managing cultural differences (1 day) Brisbane 27 Oct
• Managing self and others (2 days) Sydney 30 Oct

• Mt Druitt, Sydney 20-21 October
• Brisbane 23-24 October
• Canberra 30-31 October