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Division MagazineeDition 3, 2011
QUeenslanD
insiDe this eDition• Queensland Csg energy debate• Queensland Young engineer of 2011 announced• special feature on intellectual property • Brisbane City hall restoration progress• spirituality in the workplace• inspiring the next generation of engineers
Queensland President’s message 01
Newly Chartered Queensland members 02
Queensland Division Committee update 03
Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management update 03
Queensland CSG - a balanced debate 04
Engineer profile - Ryan Solter, KBR 06
Inspiring the next generation of engineers 07
Queensland Young Professional Engineer of the Year announced 08
Spirituality in the workplace 09
Brisbane City Hall restoration progress 10
Young Engineers Queensland update 11
Intellectual property - special feature 12
Asia Pacific Forum 2011 report 14
Women in Engineering Queensland update 15
Produced by:Engineers Australia Queensland Division
Engineering House 447 Upper Edward StreetBrisbane QLD 4000
Telephone 07 3832 3749Facsimile 07 3832 2101Email [email protected] qld.engineersaustralia.org.au
Content of this newsletter was correct at the time of printing. Please check the website for the most up-to-date listings of events and programs.
Advertising and editorial:Taylor Hunter, Corporate Relations ManagerEmail [email protected]
insiDe
sponsors
01
QUeenslanD PresiDentDennis Wogan Fieaust CPeng
In June, I was fortunate to be able to see firsthand some of the humanitarian work by our young engineers. In the company of the Engineers Australia National President, the Queensland Division Executive Director, and the CEO of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), I visited the Kooma indigenous community in South West Queensland to view the great work being done there by EWB.
What I discovered was that this work is not about providing predetermined engineering solutions. It is all about working with the community to understand their needs and to help them provide the infrastructure they want and develop the relevant skills in members of their community. I think this is the essence of assisting under-privileged communities. EWB is currently working with this community to help them provide an amenities block on the property. The Queensland Division is assisting them in raising finances for the project.
In late August, Queensland Division provided a forum for Queensland leaders of major engineering organisations to explore and consider the social obligations of the engineering profession and how we should best respond to the needs of disadvantaged communities. It is important that as we move on from the promotional focus of the Year of Humanitarian Engineering, we do not lose sight of the need to continue to consider the humanitarian role of the engineering profession.
Over the last few months, I attended both of the major Queensland Division regional engineering conferences. The Central Region Engineering Conference in Gladstone was based on the theme of balancing the scorecard of finance, customers, internal operations, and learning and growth. The Northern Region Conference in Cairns had a humanitarian engineering theme focusing on disaster recovery and improving the quality of life.
Both were excellent conferences that showcased examples of the high quality of engineering work being undertaken in the regions as well as injecting presentations from eminent speakers from outside
the region. I congratulate the organisers of these conferences on the quality of the programs and the impressive planning and delivery that the events required. These conferences are an important part of our program of professional development in the regions. Next year is the Year of the Regional Engineering Team and I am sure that they will be signature events in 2012.
Planning for the future is an important element in any organisation. In September the Queensland Division Committee is undertaking a strategic planning day to look at where Engineers Australia should be heading in the future and to plan of key activities for the Queensland Division over the next three years. I encourage all units of the Division to start thinking now about what they want to achieve in 2012 so that the necessary preparation is well advanced when we start the Year of the Regional Engineering Team.
Dennis WoganQueensland President
Aumuller, CraigBagnall, Trevor Beardsley, PeterBinstead, RussellBioletti, AdamBird, AdamBlason, Lucas Blunck, AinslieBohara, ChandraBolt, BrendonBrace, MatthewBrooks, Krystle-RaeBuckett, CameronBugg, TimothyCampbell, GregCartwright, DavidChattopadhyay, Ujjal Chin, Tony
Coenders, MarijkeCreagh, MeeraCullen, PaulDalrymple, BradleyDe Gier, BrentDevine, BenDorst, JochemDwyer, DarrenEddie, BrettEdgar, NeilEdge, RyanEdwards, AllanEpaarachchi, DeepthiEveleigh, MelvinFanning, MatthewFarrell, JonathonFennell, SheilaFernando, Shyama
Fuks, MarekGamaetige, Moses Gore, CharlesHali, GholamaliHandley, Jocelyn Hanna, ChristopherHattigoda, ChamindaHavemann, WarrenHawley, ChristopherHayes, JamieHedjripour, AmirHeron, KatherineHo, NaomiHooper, DerekHowgate, AndrewHudson, Nick Humphris, ScottInnes, Patrick
James, Ryan Jenson, ChristianJepson, RobertJobling, LindsayJohnson, AndrewJohnston, TimKenny, LiamKing, BenjaminKordabadi, HojatLaw, Terry Lewer, GilesLi, Xilai Loganathan, S. Madigan,LukeMarkandu, K. McAuliffe, WayneMcEvoy, Zach McIntosh, SarahMee, StevenMilligan, RobMishra, AshokMitchell, AndrewNaude, WillemNguyen, Phu-CuongNguyen, Quan Parmar, RickyPerrin, TimothyPeterson, BrucePetho, LaszloPhilip, Timothy
Pollmeier, KlausPradeep, KPPrasad, MahendraRam, MasoudRegan, JoanneReid, JustinRichardson, DarrenSafi, Bela Scott, AlexSelvarajath, SivajithShields, AidanSilwal, NeetaSouthall, DemasStewart, JaredStock, GrantSuter, DanielToomey, KevinTrevorrow, GraemeTripathi, SantoshTynan, PhilipUddin, MohammadVargas, JohnWebb, Emily Weerakoon, RuwanWei, ZhengyuWhiffen, AndrewWishart, MichaelWu, AlexYoung, CaitlynYoussef, Morad
02
Congratulations to our newly Chartered Queensland members
CPeng
The Queensland Division Committee established a Flood Inquiry Review sub-committee several months ago in preparation for the release of the Flood Commission of Inquiry draft report. This report was released on 1 August and the sub-committee has been working to develop a formal response from Engineers Australia.
The sub-committee will also identify positive aspects and lessons to be learned from the draft findings that can be used to
guide and educate members of the engineering team. This can then form the basis of workshops or other professional development opportunities. Our response to the Commission’s draft report will be submitted in September, and the sub-committee will also review and provide comment on the final report, which is due in February 2012. Keep a look-out on our website for a copy of our responses.
The Division Committee also established a Communication Working Party at the start of the year to review both the short-term task of how the Division Committee can enhance its communication with Division Groups, along with a longer-term view on both internal and external communication.
Initial suggestions from the Communication Working Party include better use of technology to provide office bearers with an online forum, increased use of social media to engage members and non-members, and the development of a long-term communications strategy to guide us into the future.
The Queensland Division Committee is charged with the responsibility of setting the Divisions strategies to meet our strategic plan. If you would like to raise any issues or suggestions, the Division Committee can be contact via email [email protected].
Ian McEwanExecutive DirectorQueensland Division
The annual Gen2X event was held jointly with YEA and WIE recently, where an enthusiastic crowd heard teams debate the generational topic: Humanitarians - heroes or hippies? Thankfully, sanity reigned and the heroes came out on top. However, it still remains unclear which generation won as each were equally entertaining.
Over recent months, CELM have out-reached to wider Queensland events. One recent event was a CELM forum for leadership at a key Queensland government department. A wide discussion was held on the positive aspects of leadership inspiration and how inspiring leaders will remove roadblocks to sustainable team success. Roadblocks can be minimised by leaders supplying achievable standards, innovation, prioritisation and other effective ways of keeping teams focussed.
At the Northern Region Engineering Conference in Cairns, I spoke about the role of each team member in inspiring others. Leadership development for our future leaders will be required for the challenges that are ahead for regional and city areas. The TLC Solutions/Engineers Australia ‘Great Leader’ Survey in 2010 surveyed teams for leadership traits. Of many good traits identified, the survey confirmed good leaders will:• understand the people they are
leading• encourage a climate of mutual
respect• be willing to work with others
in accomplishing a task or common purpose
• put personal relationships and politics aside to encourage team performance.
At the Central Region Engineering Conference in Gladstone, CELMQ representative Blake Barrett spoke about keys to building teams. Team building skills are an essential part of the Competency based checklist assessment system for Engineering Executive, which is a Stage 3 Engineers Australia competency matrix available for senior engineers transitioning to engineering leadership. Many of the ten competencies are related to team building. Competency elements include: leadership strategic direction and entrepreneurship, planning, change and improvement, customer focus, processes, products and services.
Simon OrtonQueensland ChairCentre for Engineering Leadership and Management
Division Committee
Centre for engineering leadership and Management
03
The Queensland Chapter of the Society for Sustainability and Environmental Engineering (SSEE) recently held a session on coal seam gas as part of their regular series of monthly CPD seminars. The event was fully subscribed with a capacity audience to hear from eight speakers and participate in an hour-long interactive panel discussion.
Coal seam gas (CSG) has been identified as a key energy source and as a primary growth sector for Queensland industry, forecast to provide significant economic benefit for the state. This rapidly growing industry has generated intense interest and controversy. Related issues, including land use conflicts, environmental impacts, groundwater and surface water management issues, all get media attention. It is a controversial subject and yet the benefits are touted as significant.
This technical seminar was organised as a professional development event for members and other professionals practising in the oil and gas, civil, environmental, mining and related fields, as an introduction to the CSG industry, and an opportunity to discuss the challenges and possible solutions for CSG water
management. Each of the panel members gave a short overview presentation introducing the audience to some related issues for further discussion.
Dr Andrew King, director of the environmental consulting company EECO, provided an overview and introduction to the CSG industry in Queensland, describing just what coal seam gas is and how it can be extracted. Andrew provided an illustrative comparison using ‘tanks’, which showed the volumes of known reserves of CSG in Queensland and around the world, and the volumes currently being in extracted around the world and in Australia. Andrew Brier, the General Manager, Coal & CSG Operations with DERM (Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management) gave a brief overview of the Queensland and Australian regulatory and social environment, recognising that there are genuine concerns and rightfully high expectations of government and industry to regulate and manage the function of the industry. The vast majority of the concerns raised with DERM tend to be around the issues related with groundwater and fraccing (a process of fracturing
the coal seams to increase their hydraulic conductivity and improve CSG production rates). He explained that general understanding is improving in the community as communication and education between all parties increases, and outlined the development in legislation over the last 12 to 18 months.
Dr Helen Fairweather is a Research Fellow and senior lecturer in Engineering at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Helen referred to a number of issues often mentioned in industry Environmental Impact Studies, and focussed on the management of water related to the Great Artesian Basin, and the concerns that the level of extraction proposed by the CSG industry may not be sustainable. She stated that up- to-date modelling is not available, and that the current practices are exercised in an environment of uncertainty.
Drew Hutton, Acting President of the national Lock the Gate Alliance, spoke about why landowners should lock the gate on coal seam gas. Drew painted a picture of what he described as a ‘parallel universe’ where resources are exploited for the benefit of all and the environment is protected in
04
Csga balanced debate
QlD
QlD Csg DeBate
05
Practical Case Studies to Show You How to Maximise
Value through
Sustainability!24-26 October 2011
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
‘Escaping Silos’ SSEE 2011 Conference will showcase cutting edge practical studies, successful experiences and emerging business models for Sustainability that are driving performance and value across sectors.
The conference will deliver a dynamic and thought provoking combination of renowned international and national speakers, including: Annie Leonard (author of the Story of Stuff), Paul Gilding (author of The Great Disruption), Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, Amanda McKenzie (AYCC founder) and Professor Rob Adams from City Design, among others.
Register now at:
http://www.ssee2011conference.com/register.asp
t
ducation
ocioeconomic contex
ntegrated solutions
eadership
vercoming resistance
accordance with the precautionary principle. He spoke of the impacts to landholders of operations on their properties, and the risks and concerns of conflicting land use for both agricultural and residential uses. Drew made reference to the known professional skills shortage, stating his belief that significant resources are required within government to satisfactorily regulate the CSG industry.
John Edgar, who is a privately practicing solicitor in Dalby with experience acting on both sides of the CSG equation (for both landholders and CSG proponents), provided a brief overview of related legal issues. Without having time to go into specifics of the law, John reminded us that we are all equal under the law, and that common law overrides areas that are not incorporated in codified law. In his experience, CSG projects have both negative and positive impacts on rural communities.
Dr Michael Clarke, CEO of engineering consultancy METTS Pty Ltd, talked about CSG associated water and its relationship to aquifers, in particular processing and beneficial uses of water extracted in association with the removal of methane from coal strata. He recognised that CSG-associated water and residual wastes are valuable by-products, and that responsible water management is essential to the business of extracting gas.
Rebecca Pickering, Manager Land, Environment and Stakeholder, Origin Energy, gave an overview of Origin’s CSG operations and projects, where significant growth and development is anticipated in Queensland over the next 10 years. Origin’s stated advocacy of carbon pricing, and the use of CSG as a transitional energy source
in the move towards reduced greenhouse gas emissions, was quoted. Rebecca noted the approvals process and monitoring requirements for GCS projects in Queensland.
Ross Dunn, Director CSG Communications (QLD/NSW) of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) provided a broad industry perspective, acknowledging that regulation is developing as the industry develops. The principle that companies explore and extract as guests of the landholders, and that landholders are treated fairly and their rights are respected, was a theme in his talk.
The speakers presentations were followed by a lively debate where a number of views and opinions were voiced by panel participants and audience members.
The discussion demonstrated the broad ranging views held in the SEQ engineering industry, and further showed the necessity of having forums such as this where topics can be discussed openly and frankly, without fear or favour. SSEE wishes to thank all presenters, and the facilitator Giovanni Ebono for their participation in the event, and is proud to be able to assist in providing an unbiased forum where everyone can be heard.
Presentations kindly made available by panel members have been placed on the SSEE website (ssee.org.au) for access by members, and video-streaming of the event is available on the Engineers Australia website.
Please note that the information and opinions in this article do not necessarily represent the opinions of SSEE or Engineers Australia.
QlD Csg DeBate
06
Engineering discipline/qualification?Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) with 1st Class Honours and a Bachelor of Business Management in 2004.
Currentjobtitleandfunction? My title is Project Engineering Manager and I’m currently design manager for a LNG project in Queensland. I’m also a team leader for the Design and Project Management team in the KBR Queensland Water Engineering group.
Whyareyouanengineer? I enjoy the many challenges of working on engineering projects. It’s satisfying to start with a blank canvas and a team of people, and then develop and shape an engineering solution.
Whatareyouworkingonnow? I’m responsible for the delivery of the detailed design on a major LNG project in Queensland. The design scope includes approximately 13km of gas pipeline, as well as a gas filtration and metering facility. One of the most exciting challenges in my role is supervising and coordinating eight engineering discipline teams to ensure the successful delivery of the permanent engineering design for this landmark Queensland project.
Most challenging or interesting projectyou’veeverworkedon? Northern Pipeline Interconnector - Stage 2. The project formed part of the SEQ Water Grid and involved designing 50km of water pipeline
from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast, including a number of pump stations, water quality facilities and a balance tank. I was the deputy design manager on the project and was responsible for a wide range of activities related to coordinating the design delivery. It was challenging because of the need to work within the alliance project framework where the design team was required to coordinate its effort with a variety of other internal project teams including construction, commissioning, HS&E, communications, stakeholder engagement, environment, approvals and commissioning, and I enjoyed the challenge of working with such a diverse team.
Dreamengineeringjob?I intend to continue developing my skills and experience as an engineering manager and in the future undertake an engineering or project management role on a multi-discipline, multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project.
What makes KBR such a great place tobeanengineer? KBR has a strong focus on development of their young engineers. Anyone who has the aspiration to develop their skills and take on additional responsibility is often rewarded with senior project roles.
Any advice for young engineers juststartingtheircareer? Explore different engineering and project roles, develop a broad
understanding of the project life cycle and the engineering business you work in. And most of all, you must enjoy what you do!
If you weren’t an engineer, what do youthinkyou’dbedoing? I would be running a small ski/snowboard lodge somewhere in Japan or Canada. Engineers can save the world. Who else would you want with you on thisprojectteam? Carl Barron (for some light entertainment), Steve Jobs (for his innovation and financial backing) and Jamie Oliver (to keep the team well-fed).
Something or someone you miss mostfromchildhood? I grew up in a small beach-side community in NSW. I miss the early morning surf and unfortunately the South Bank beach does not fill this void.
If the whole world was listening, whatwouldyousay? I would ask for people to stop and consider all of the important contributions that engineers make to society, and ask for world peace.
What’s the most recent present you boughtyourself? With the good US exchange rate, a new snowboard from ebay for my next holiday. Biggestcelebrityyou’vemet? George Clooney at the Movie World premiere of Batman and Robin on the Gold Coast.
engineer Quick chat
with ryan solter CPeng Project engineering Manager, KBr
07
I recently visited two small primary schools on the western Darling Downs in Queensland to talk about engineering as a career. I think the children enjoyed and appreciated my visit, and it was an overwhelmingly positive experience for me too. I highly recommend other engineers consider visiting schools to talk to the children about our profession.
During my visit, I spoke to the children about engineering, and described what engineers do. Although I spoke generally about engineering, I used my own experiences and career as an example throughout the talk. The children asked some great questions and had some very imaginative ideas about where engineering might be able to help in the future. For example, one student thought it would be a good idea to develop solar cells that were able to generate power at night using the light from the moon. His theory revolved around the fact that moonlight was reflected sunlight.
At the end of the presentation, I had some activities organised to do with the children. I helped the younger children (up to about 8 years old) build a ‘human computer’ called Victa. Victa would only work when one of the children climbed inside and helped Victa perform some tricky calculations. The calculations were written on flash cards and fed into Victa by the other children. Victa (with its human brain) would perform the calculations, write the answer on the flash card and ‘output’ the answer to the waiting children. Although Victa sometimes had a problem, most of the time its answers were 100% correct.
The older children and I talked about electricity and magnetism and we built an electro-magnetic. The electro-magnetic was strong enoughto pick up paper-clips, but not a bull-dog clip. After explaining some of the theory to the children, they were able to advise me that we needed to add more windings to the electro-magnet to make it stronger.
When we did that, it was able to pick up the bull-dog clip. Once we had finished with the electro-magnetic, we knew enough to be able to build a simple electric motor and discuss how it worked. At the end of the discussion, I pulled the electric motor apart and left it on the teacher’s desk so that the class could experiment with it further in the coming weeks.
By the time I had returned from my morning tea with the teachers, the students had already re-assembled the original motor and found enough spare parts in my box to build a second motor!
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the western Darling Downs and appreciated the schools giving me the opportunity to talk about engineering with the children. It was a real privilege.
Dr Ian Faulconbridge FIEAust CPEng
insPiring
get involveD If you are interested in visiting a school, get in touch with us and we can help you organise it. Contact our Membership Manager, Sandra Cottam, on tel 3832 3749 or email [email protected].
the next generation
Queensland Young engineer of the Year
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Queensland’s 2011 Young Professional Engineer of the Year was recently awarded at the Young Engineers Gala Ball during Engineering Week in Brisbane. Emma Charlton, Associate Director of AECOM, was announced as the winner of the 2011 title.
Emma Charlton is an Associate Director of AECOM and manager of the Acoustical group in Brisbane. She has been working in the engineering profession for eight years and has played a key role in a wide variety of projects in the fields of noise and vibration, with a particular focus in the areas of architectural acoustical design, environmental noise modelling, vibration control and road and rail noise impact assessments.
Recent projects include:• $340M One One One Eagle St• $215M City Hall refurbishment• $900M Enhanced Land Force
- Phase 2 Stage 2B Project,
Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera• $85M Green Square Brisbane
Emma has held a key leadership position for AECOM for over four years. She has also managed the Acoustics discipline in Queensland since January 2008. One of the biggest challenges and opportunities arising during her time at AECOM has been responding to the merger of Bassett and AECOM in 2004. She has been responsible for overseeing the implementation of a number of changes to the reporting and management systems since the merger.
Emma also acts as project director on multiple projects in the Buildings group, providing high level leadership to the project team. This includes high level project direction, identification and management of risk and management of the client interface at a senior level.
In recognition of her role as a leader in the business, Emma was recently selected to attend the inaugural Senior Leadership Development Program developed by AECOM in conjunction with the Australian Graduate School of Management. She was one of only 25 people from the 4,500 staff across Australia and New Zealand selected for the course and the only person under 35 years of age.
Emma is an active member of the engineering community and participates on a number of committees including the Standards Australia committee AV-003 on Acoustics Human Effects. She is also a member of Engineers Without Borders and is currently part of the Energy Hub working group, developing guides to assist engineers in the field with the design and implementation of energy solutions for remote communities.
Emma Charlton BEng MBA MIEAust MAASAssociate Director, AECOM
09
Spirituality in the workplace
At the recent Central Queensland Engineering Conference in Gladstone, I made a presentation about Meeting Employees’ Needs and Improving Organisational Effectiveness. I have been asked to write something for this newsletter based on a couple of those main themes. You might wonder why I have titled this article as I have. In fact, in times past I have had a negative response to talking about this subject because the audience immediately correlates spirituality with religion. But what I am talking about is meeting human needs.
As Dr Phil Harker and I pointed out in our little book, The Myth of Nine to Five, humans have three general sets of needs. The first set of needs is the physical needs, the needs we have in common with all living things. If we don’t supply our physical needs we die.
The second set of needs is the social needs, the needs we have in common with animals because, like animals, we have the capacity to be aware of our outer world and to respond to that world through the processes of thinking, feeling, and decision making. Like animals we are intimately connected through strong emotional bonds to our fellow creatures, particularly those of our own species. If we don’t find reasonable satisfaction for our social needs we die - emotionally.
The third set of needs is the spiritual needs - needs for meaning and purpose, the uniquely human needs. We have these needs because, not only do we think and have an awareness of our social and physical world ( just as animals do) but we also have a faculty that the eastern traditions call ‘the witness’
that gives us the capacity to watch our own thinking and decision making processes at work.
Hence, we are self-aware and experience an inner psychological world as well as an outer material world. Because we can access our memory banks, we are consciously aware of the passing of time and look for some continuity of purpose in what we do day by day. In other words, we have a need to understand the meaning of our lives. If we don’t supply our spiritual needs and thereby fail to find meaning in our lives we can languish and die - spiritually.
Fulfillment of our spiritual needs is necessary to a sense of personal worth. We must find meaning and purpose in our lives if we are to experience our full humanity. The meeting of these needs provides a sense of well-being that transcends the conditions of our immediate social and physical circumstances and thereby allows us to be better adjusted in our attitude towards such circumstances.
And here is the message to organisations. Many of the institutions that we once turned for to gain a sense of meaning and purpose, e.g. the Church or the family, are declining in their influence. Therefore many employees (and often the ones that will have greatest impact) are seeking to have their spiritual needs met at work. Some very substantial research shows that if employees are having their needs for fulfillment met at work then
they will be far more productive than those who are not.
Well, how do we respond to these messages? Firstly, employees are more motivated to work for organisations that have social, perhaps even moral goals. Employees want to know that they are making a contribution to society and not just labouring to make more money for the shareholders. Leaders need to articulate their goals in a way that shows the organisation is making a positive contribution to society.
Importantly, leaders must then make connections for their employees between what their work roles are (their day to day activities) and how that contributes to the organisational goals.
This is the process that makes work meaningful for people. If leaders can do this they will have more fulfilled, and as a result, more productive employees. The process is enhanced if leaders can engender trust and empathy with the employees (i.e. have high emotional intelligence).
Readers wishing to know more might like to purchase a copy of the book mentioned above, The Myth of Nine to Five. Please email me at [email protected] if you desire a copy. Or you may wish to read some related essays on my blog site at tedscott.aampersanda.com.
ted scott FaiM aM, human relations and Management Consultant
10
Brisbane City Hall is the largest heritage restoration ever to be undertaken by a local council in Australia. It’s no surprise that City Hall was one of the ‘must see’ destinations during Australian Engineering Week with hundreds of people taking advantage of the opportunity to look inside City Hall’s Visitor Experience Centre.
The $215m restoration is being undertaken to fix critical fire safety and structural issues and is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring the building back to its original design intent.It’s estimated 18 Olympic-sized swimming pools (45,000m³) of materials will be moved in and out of the building over the course of this three-year restoration and upgrade.
In July 2011, the restoration reached a significant milestone with all redundant services and non-heritage materials removed from the building and the strengthening work to what is one of Brisbane’s first steel reinforced concrete structures well underway.In addition to detailed heritage restoration work, important upgrades have begun so the building is equipped to service the community well into the future.
In June 2011, excavation five metres below the central Main Auditorium was completed, making room for a central kitchen that will be able to cater for up to 1200 function meals per day.
In July 2011, construction began for a new purpose built space for the Museum of Brisbane on the roof. The roof has long been a source of issues for the building. Waterproofing measures used on the roof were based on European building techniques and failed to withstand the hot Queensland climate. Subsequent waterproofing attempts also failed, causing significant water damage to the concrete structure over the past eight decades.
To add to the problems on the roof, a number of building structures were added over time that are no longer compliant with modern building standards. These structures were removed in 2010, and a new waterproofing solution was applied. From July 2011, work commenced to construct the new purpose built structure for the Museum of Brisbane that will complement the style, form, proportions, materials and colours of City Hall.
Restoring what is arguably Brisbane’s most iconic heritage building is a complex undertaking and it’s being carried out under the watchful eyes of Brisbane residents who have strong connections to the building. The Visitor Experience Centre located inside City Hall is open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm. Come and see for yourself the exciting restoration and future plans for this landmark building.
Further information, photographs and video of the restoration is available at brisbane.qld.gov.au/cityhall.
Brisbane City hallrestoration Progress
Load testing August 2011
11
This year, YEAQ have been actively working to spread the humanitarian message to our members through a variety of events. In June, we held the ever-popular Gen2X Forum, a comedy debate among participants from YEA, WIE and CELM to contest the point Humanitarians: Heroes or Hippies? After some great banter from both sides (and a slight cop-out by the judges who used an iPhone decibel reading app to decide the winner) the Heroes team emerged triumphant.
As July rolled around, so too did the Humanitarian Speaker night, where we heard from speakers from RedR, EWB and the Habitat for Humanity Hand in Hand project. These presentations were followed by a panel discussion in which the most significant point was the importance of beginning humanitarian efforts at home.
Most recently, we hosted our annual Gala Ball. With a record attendance of almost 350 guests, this was a standout event for our group. The undisputable highlight of the evening was the traditional indigenous song and dance performed by the Wakka Wakka Jagera Dancers. Spokesperson for the group, Kargun Fogarty (also
known as Moojidi), spoke about the engineering creations of his own people. He discussed how his people engineered the appropriate tools so that they could survive sustainably on this land. Highlighted tools included the woomera, which is a device used to improve the efficiency of spear throwing, and the boomerang, the principles of which were used to anticipate the flight of the helicopter. Most importantly, this performance and in particular Mooj’s words, served to remind the audience of the importance of mutually respectful cross-cultural relationships.
This year, Engineers Australia has taken a step in this direction with the creation of our first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This plan indicates a commitment to indigenous Australians through the intention to create a culturally aware engineering community: an engineering community that is able to work with the Indigenous community to develop mutually beneficial engineering solutions for a sustainable future. As always, commitments like this need to start at the foundation, and the foundation of Engineers Australia is its members.
Congratulations must go to Emma Charlton who has been recognised as the Queensland Young Professional Engineer of the Year for 2011. An Associate Director for AECOM and manager of the Acoustical group in Brisbane, Emma is also an active member of the engineering community, participating in the Standards Australia committee for Acoustics Human Effects as well as projects for Engineers Without Borders and The Energy Hub.
Upcoming YEAQ events: • Leadership forum, Sept 2011• Sporting event, Oct 2011• Trivia night and Committee
elections, Nov 2011
Jillian KennyQueensland ChairYoung Engineers Australia
YEAQ mAjor sponsor
Y oung engineers QUeenslanD UPDate
12
intellectual Property
sPeCial FeatUre
Professional engineers are required to have a wide skill set including the obvious technical knowledge but also an awareness and understanding of legal, human resources and other management skills.
The past decade has seen intellectual property (IP) become recognised as a set of significant business assets in addition to its more traditional role as a portfolio of enforceable legal rights. As economies across the world slowly begin the recovery process, innovation is a word that is being mentioned more and more as the key to long-term growth, underpinning the success of both companies and countries.
If you ask many people about intellectual property, a lot of them will know what the words mean, some will even know the major types of intellectual property such as copyright and trademarks, but rarely can someone identify more than two or three types or explain how they would go about getting the protection.
To further complicate things, the intellectual property area is filled with jargon and urban myths which make it very easy for someone not dealing with intellectual property as a full time job to make mistakes. So, what are some of these myths and how can you as a professional engineer enhance business valueand the all important ‘bottom line’?
MYTH 1 IP is only for big companies.Microsoft wasn't a big company to start with, but is now. Big companies start small and, for many, the first successful idea has been crucial in establishing themselves. It is also important to realise that getting IP protection will not make your business successful. It is all about balance and where the intellectual property fits in your business plan. While protection can help make a small company large, or an individual inventor rich, the failure to protect a good idea can lead to an uphill battle in a market that could be your own.
The electrical power-board is a classic example. Invented in 1972, the product was hugely successful and it alone was the basis for Kambrook becoming a major producer of electrical appliances. But it was not protected. As Frank Bannigan, MD of Kambrook in the 70s, has said, 'I've probably lost millions of dollars in royalties alone. Whenever I go into a department store and see the wide range of power-boards on offer, it always comes back to haunt me.'
MYTH 2 Anybody can easily get around my IP bymakingsomeminor,insignificantchanges.You often hear that ‘you only need to change something by 10% to get around protection’. This is a classic urban myth. What is 10% of a microwave oven or 10% of a drug compound? The answer is not that clear. It is important to talk to someone experienced in the protection of IP in order to gain the broadest protection that you are entitled to.
MYTH 3I could never afford to enforce it.But if you don't have it, you stand no chance - putting a product on the market without protection amounts to making the inventive idea free for all. Worse still, putting a product on the market that someone else has protection for can end a business. If a bigger company wants to use your invention, it is far more in their interest to support your patent and to pay a royalty for a licence so that they can then have an advantage over their competitors who don't have licences. Patent disputes that get to court are generally those where it is a close call as to whether or not the patent is infringed. The mere fact that you have a patent - or a pending application - can act as a deterrent in itself.
By regan gourley BCom llB Beng (Chem) (hons) Partner, Cullens Patent and trade Mark attorneys
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intellectual MYsteries + ths
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MYTH 4 If I make it, it’s mine.There is not a bigger myth in the IP world. The golden rule is that in the absence of an agreement or arrangement to the contrary, the person who makes it owns it. This is easy to state, but the situation is not always clear. If an employee makes an invention, outside of work hours, but using equipment and material from the employer, who owns it? If one person has an idea and takes it to an expert to build a prototype, are they both inventors? Better to get good advice at the start, than to wind up in court 10 years later when potentially large costs are at issue.
ENHANCING THE BOTTOM LINE
Like any other business investment, intellectual property needs to withstand traditional cost-benefit analysis in order to be commercially viable. The value of intellectual
property is more than simply having the right to enforce it. The marketing value of being innovative can sway a potential customer in your favour. Companies can use the fact that they have registered rights to provide a sense of legitimacy when promoting it to their customers. When comparing your patented product to its unpatented competition, customers may be inclined to purchase your product.
If the objective is to license the invention instead of commercialising it yourself, you will need to file for a patent. Although you can protect yourself with nondisclosure agreements, generally this approach will not work and it can be difficult to enforce. Once you file for a patent, you are in a position to start selling your rights in the patent application. Of course, an issued patent is more valuable than a patent application, but the patent
application will still offer some protection as you try to license your invention.
In order to find someone to invest in your invention, you will need a patent. Applying for a patent conveys to investors that you are serious about your idea. Angel investors and venture firms generally do not sign nondisclosure agreements, so a patent is necessary if you are looking for capital from them.
It is therefore, easy to see that having some basic knowledge about intellectual property can be valuable to a professional engineer, whether for yourselves or for your employer. There are so many myths and mysteries in the IP world that the basic knowledge can be used to light your way through what could otherwise be a very dark area.
By regan gourley BCom llB Beng (Chem) (hons) Partner, Cullens Patent and trade Mark attorneys
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Over 80 practising structural engineers and academics recently gathered at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus for the Asia Pacific Forum on Structural Engineering for Extreme Events. The conference showcased experts in the areas of climate change adaptation, wind, disaster risk, earthquake, fire, uncertainty management, and insurance risk.
This was a timely forum in the wake of recent catastrophic natural events around the world and how structural engineers should deal with conditions that are extraordinary to the design codes of normal practices.
Established in 2005, the Asia Pacific Forum is an initiative of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Asia Divisions. It aims to provide a high quality series of presentations for the practising structural engineer and
is an annual one day event held in various centres around Asia where a theme is developed and eminent speakers are invited to present a paper on that theme.
The 2011 event was hosted by the IStructE Australia Division and the Structural Branch Queensland Division. The 2012 event will be held in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Anyone interested to know more on the future forum may contact the Structural Branch Chair, Dr Peter Ho, via email [email protected].
The speakers and their topics for this year’s forum were:• Dr Tom Connor: Incorporating
climate change adaptation into engineering design concepts and solutions
• Prof Kenny Kwok: Behaviour of tall buildings and structures in strong winds
• Prof Paul Grundy: Structural design for disaster risk reduction
• Des Bull: Earthquake and the effects on structures
• Justin Leonard: Bushfire and structures – engineering improvements
• John Carpenter: Preventing failure through the management of uncertainty
• Rade Musulin: Tropical cyclone damage risk insurance and the building envelope
The lessons learnt from this forum on disasters included:• There are many disasters in the
past that demonstrate wind speeds, earthquake magnitude, extreme fire are well outside current code of practices.
• Engineers must consider the implications of climate change on natural forces.
• The performance of structures during these disasters may not be well understood.
• The results of investigations that followed the disasters would have significant implications for structural engineers.
• There are changes in practice that flowed from the disasters.
• There are changes that should be made by engineers and policy makers in order to better manage disasters.
This was a thought provoking exercise and it is hoped that those who attended will further consolidate the aim of Structural Engineering:
Structural engineers combine expertise with innovation to meet any building challenge. Key creative members of every design team, structural engineers around the world are committed to sustainably developing a safer built environment.
AsiaPacificForumreport 2011
strUCtUral engineering ForextreMe
events
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The Women in Engineering Queensland (WIEQ) committee recently held our AGM in which Jamie Mullins stepped down as Chair and I was elected the new Chair. We would like to thank Jamie for her magnificent contribution to the committee and to wish her well as she moves to Perth to continue her career. The AGM was well attended with the majority of existing members staying on in new roles, plus a number of new committee members, bringing our total to 10 committee members. A number of new positions were created to enable us to target our areas of interest more effectively as we move forwards.
Our Education Coordinator is primarily responsible for overseeing the ‘Girl Talk’ program
at high schools, which is to encourage and inspire female students to consider a career in engineering. Our Website Administrator handles all electronic media, such as the Engineers Australia WIEQ website (new website due September), the WIEQ Facebook page and LinkedIn. Our Policy Advisor is responsible for reviewing all new policies relating to our engineering careers and to identify and address issues that may affect our members.
We would like to thank our new major sponsor Sedgman Limited, who has generously agreed to sponsor WIEQ for the next year. This sponsorship will be invaluable as it will enable us to deliver better events to more members, and contribute more to progressing women in engineering.
Over the next year, WIEQ events will cover a broad range of networking, technical, business acumen, leadership and professional development topics. Coming up soon we have our annual Leadership Breakfast with keynote speaker Kathy Hirschfeld on 30 September 2011. We are also planning a presentation from three prominent businesswomen in October to explore ways to be more business savvy in both your profession and personal life. In November, we’ll be offering a fun networking lawn bowls evening. So, we have some great events planned during the next few months and would love to see you there - all are welcome!
Jo KirbyQueensland ChairWomen in Engineering
Women in
engineeringQUeenslanD UPDate
WIEQ mAjor sponsor
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Over 100 delegates attended the first ever Australian Humanitarian Engineering Summit in Brisbane on 26 July 2011. A diverse group of participants descended on the wonderful Brisbane Powerhouse for a day of inspiring keynotes, engaging forums and meaningful networking. The morning's forum, which saw delegates discuss the humanitarian imperative and potential engineering profession responses to such imperatives, was a very energetic period of the day.
A strong outcome from this session was the ability to distill priority areas for humanitarian engineering in Australia. These were identified as: commitment and leadership, education, capacity building, appropriate technology, reconciliation, and partnerships. These priority areas will be further work-shopped at events over the next few months, and will form a solid foundation for deeper conversations at the end of year Australian Humanitarian Engineering Summit.
Where to next? Keep an eye on makeitso.org.au/yohe for ongoing YoHE events. A Technical Workshop Series on the acute phase of disasters, conflict and complex emergencies will be touring Australia over the next few months. Keep watch for when the event hits your part of Australia. They are thoroughly recommended.
And start getting excited about the Australian Humanitarian Engineering Conference in Melbourne from 30 November to 2 December! This event will bring together many of the themes explored by members all around the country throughout 2011, and lead to outcomes and projects that the sector will take forward in 2012 and beyond. Register your interest at makeitso.org.au/year-of-humanitarian-engineering/conference.
Brisbane humanitarian engineering summit
makeitso.org.au/yohe
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Lead asustainablefuture
Kristiane Davidson, real QUT graduate.
Our masters degrees focus on vital contemporary issues in engineering and feature strong elements of sustainability, projectmanagement and leadership. They foster career development and creative thinking for long-term global solutions. Be inspiredand stay in demand.
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An alternative entry pathway to these masters exists through the Graduate Certificate in Built Environment and Engineering.
More informationVisit www.qut.edu.au/explore/events to register now for QUT’s postgraduate options evening on Wednesday, 19 October 2011.
To learn more about our masters courses or how to apply, phone (07) 3138 1433 or visit www.qut.edu.au/bee/study/postgraduate.
Produced by:Engineers Australia Queensland Division
Engineering House 447 Upper Edward StreetBrisbane QLD 4000
Telephone 07 3832 3749Facsimile 07 3832 2101Email [email protected] qld.engineersaustralia.org.au
