Our people in the News: Melbourne School of Engineering

Our people in the News

Recent media coverage of Engineering experts

	$2.95 million Government funding for alternative to silicon in breast reconstruction October 2009 Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, in partnership with other Victorian researchers, receives a grant from Victoria’s Science Agenda (VSA) Investment Fund. Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings said the project was important in the treatment and recovery of women with breast cancer.

	What makes cheddar cheese crumble? Visions October 2008 Visions talks to Dr Sally Gras from the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering about her team’s work to understand more about the cheese making process.

	Robogals break World Record HeraldSun 30 September 2009 Robogals, led by Mechatronics student Marita Cheng, broke the World Record for robot dancing, on campus yesterday. The event helped raise awareness of the Robogals. More information, Robogals website

	Cloud computing and content delivery networks Computerworld, September 2009 Computer Science & Software Engineering researcher, Dr James Broberg, is feaured in article about his cloud computing project, which enables low cost, high performance, content delivery networks via the cloud.

	Engineers create hydrogen hope for engines Geelong Advertiser, August 2009 A research team at the Melbourne School of Engineering led by Dr Michael Brear has launched a prototype hydrogen fuelled engine in a step towards the future of the automotive industry.

	The Engineering of Cheese Newsroom, August 2009 Dr Sally Gras has been awarded a prestigious 2009 Victorian Fellowship to further her research into the food science and engineering of cheese.

	New institute to drive broadband innovation Newsroom, July 2009 Professor Rod Tucker, Director of the Institute for a Broadband Enabled Society, says the Institute will source skills and resources of leading University researchers and 10 major industry leaders.

	Chemical Engineering Professor skeptical of coal-to-oil plant claims SMH, July 2009 According to Associate Professor Sandra Kentish, the CO2 emissions reductions proposed in the new coal-to-oil plant deal between IER and TRUEnergy are "highly unlikely".

	Geomatics researchers partner with whereis.com in landmark navigation system Newsroom June 2009 Dr Matt Duckham, Senior Lecturer in Geographic Information Science at the Department of Geomatics says what makes this addition to whereis.com different from existing navigation systems is that it identifies the most suitable landmarks based on cognitive principles.

	20th anniversary of the Internet in Australia Newsroom 24 June 2009 Director of e-Research, Professor Leon Sterling, says the University of Melbourne was chosen as the site for the nation’s first connection because they were leading Australia with UNIX technologies.

	Telecommuting future The Voice 8 June 2009 According to Laureate Professor Rod Tucker, “There is potential for enormous carbon emissions savings with appropriate use of the internet to replace existing business, community and leisure activities.”

	Water Efficiency is everyone's business Newsroom 4 June 2009 City dwellers and farmers must work together to improve water efficiency, or the food demands of our growing population will not be met says Associate Professor Hector Malano, Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering

	Engineering better teachers Campus Review 25 May 2009 Associate Professor Roger Hadgraft, an Australian Learning and Teaching Council discipline scholar in engineering and technology and Director of MSE's Engineering Learning Unit, discusses industry involvement in Engineering curriculum. Read another interview with Associate Professor Hadgraft, Engineering better degrees: University academic is showing the way

	Cloud Computing and Irrigation ZDNet 19 May 2009 Melbourne's Dean of Engineering, Iven Mareels says profit increases of up to 300 per cent on an experimental farm are possible by using irrigation automation in concert with the predictive abilities of IBM's new stream computing software called System S.

	Technology to assist Drowsy Drivers The Voice 11 May 2009 Mechanical Engineering Professor Saman Halgamuge is interviewed about a research project investigating the development of a driver fatigue detection device, which will provide an almost 100 per cent accurate reading of how sleepy someone is behind the wheel. The article follows a March 2009 Popular Science story about the device.

	Medical Bionics: Cochlear Implants and Beyond 24 April 2009 Listen to an UpClose Podast from the University of Melbourne, hosted by Dr Shane Huntington. Featuring Electrical Engineering's Professor Tony Burkitt, the podcast covers bionic ear and bionic eye technology.

	Not a drop to spare The Voice 13 April 2009 “Water means life to the world and is becoming an increasingly limited resource,” said Professor Iven Mareels, Dean of the Melbourne School of Engineering

	New broadband technology provides cost-savings ABC Radio 25 March 2009 Dr John Ellershaw spoke about spreading High-speed Internet into rural areas. CUBIN academics presented the results of their research at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference in San Diego. The paper had significant coverage in the US, including A High-Powered Laser Offers a Low-Cost Way to Spread Broadband to Sparsely-Populated Areas Lasers may spread Internet to rural areas

	Order of Australia Award to Civil Engineering Academic Professor Graham Hutchinson received the Member of the Order of Australia award for services to civil engineering.

	Cloud Computing The Age 19 February 2009 Dr James Broberg a computer researcher with the University of Melbourne, says several people in its Grid Computing and Distributed Systems (GRIDS) lab are using the cloud to tap into their data remotely. Dr Broberg had been interviewed on ABC Radio earlier in February regarding Google's search engine crash

	Robogals featured on Visions broadcast Ann Chee Lim, Robogals team member and Engineering student, is interviewed in the latest edition of Visions podcast. More information about Robogals

	Making movies as cheap as chips The Australian – December 6, 2008 TECHNOLOGY that could revolutionise the way home electronic devices connect to each other is being perfected by a team of Australian researchers. The wireless technology replaces the often unwieldy collection of cables needed to connect everything from televisions and DVD players to games consoles and computers. Dubbed GiFi, the technology uses high-frequency radio spectrum to wirelessly send data between devices at speeds of 5 gigabits per second over distances of up to 10 meters. This allows content such as high-definition movies to be sent wirelessly between, for example, a digital video recorder and a plasma television screen.

	High-speed broadband growth unsustainable: expert ABC News online – November 25, 2008 A study by the University of Melbourne suggests the drive for high-speed broadband could end up making internet services slower. Researchers say the surge in energy consumption as the take-up of broadband grows will put too much pressure on the system. The research is to be presented at a Symposium on Sustainability and the Internet this week. The university's Dr Kerry Hinton says it shows the growth of the internet is not sustainable. Read the Media Release Find out more about the Green Internet Conference

	All about engineering Triple R FM, Einstein a Go Go - October 26, 2008 Professor Iven Mareels, Dean of Engineering chats about what exactly is engineering and what is a Dean? How is engineering applied to problems like water usage and distribution? Listen to the podcast at Einstein a Go Go.

	Team sets sights on first bionic eye The Age – November 13, 2008 VICTORIAN researchers are leading a team that plans to implant Australia's first bionic eye by 2011. Bionic Vision Australia, launched today, is a partnership between five leading research groups, which have been working separately on bionic vision-related technology and surgery. They include the University of Melbourne, the University of NSW and Victoria's Bionic Ear Institute. Read the Media Release Visit the Bionic vision website Find out more about Professor Tony Burkitt

	Delay-o-tron' to iron out commentary glitches ABC News – October 31, 2008 Some ingenious engineering students from Melbourne University have come up with what could be a salvation for a nation's sports fans. See also news article in The Australian newspaper: Melbourne students invent gadget that hits TV gripes for six More information about Endeavour

	New study to unlock the hidden world of a trapped mind The Age – October 25, 2008 IMAGINE being able to watch, hear and smell everything around you, but not be capable of responding.

	Opening the screen door The Age – October 21, 2008 So you think you're happy with your new high-definition 103-inch plasma television? The University of Melbourne has a massive high-resolution video wall made up of two dozen 30-inch LCD screens, called the OptIPortal.

	Stricter water bans loom with drier days The Age – October 19, 2008 THE dire state of Melbourne's water storages — by far the worst recorded for October — could force the imposition of stage four water restrictions when the Water Minister considers the issue next month...Water experts have suggested alternatives to stage 4 restrictions. John Langford, of Melbourne University, advocates daily water consumption targets.

	Plan firms for water targets The Age – October 5, 2008 MELBOURNE residents could be asked to cut their daily water use to 150 litres each this summer to counter the looming shortage caused by poor spring rainfalls. Professor John Langford ... favours a target of 150 litres instead of stage 4 water restrictions.

	Hurricane technology predicts premature baby blow-ins The Age – September 5, 2008 PREGNANT women may be able to know if they are at risk of a premature birth with the development of technology normally used to predict the path of hurricanes.

	Front of Mind The Australian Financial Review – August 29, 2008 Professor David Chalmers is working on a project with neuroscientists at the University of Melbourne to scan the brains of people who have been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state.

	Going to Ground The Age – August 28, 2008 As dams and rivers dry up, many farmers are seeking water from deep underground. But are we tapping too much?

	Zero emissions drive to green fund The Australian – August 18, 2008 A MELBOURNE engineer who has built a zero-emissions hydrogen engine has welcomed the proposed doubling of the green car fund, which would make $1 billion available for low-carbon vehicle research by 2011.

	Melbourne team aims to find green tinge in cyberspace The Australian – September 10, 2008 THE internet may allow us to shop, search and socialise online, but each click comes with an unacknowledged social cost: energy use. "Our growing love affair with the internet is increasing greenhouse emissions more than people realise," said University of Melbourne laureate professor Rodney Tucker, who heads a team looking for ways to make IT green.

Dams hit new low for July
The Age – July 13, 2008
MELBOURNE'S water storages have reached an unprecedented low for July of 29% — 4% lower than for the same time last year — raising the possibility of eventual stage 4 restrictions. Hydrologist Andrew Western, of the University of Melbourne, said land around water catchments was quite dry, which would hamper inflows.

Aussies win tech prize for saving water
The Australian – July 9, 2008
A computer program designed to save water for Australia’s drought-stricken farmers has won a major international technology prize.

Workable ideas for the real world
The Australian – June 18, 2008
THE art of Frank Caruso is to deploy infinitesimally small depth charges of anti-cancer drugs. “It’s about reducing the quantity of the drug that’s required, which of course would reduce any side effects,” he says.

New hydrogen engine no quick fix
ABC Science – June 16, 2008
Mechanical engineer Dr Michael Brear from the University of Melbourne will present plans for the super-efficient hydrogen internal combustion engine at the World Hydrogen Energy Conference in Brisbane this week.

Polymer to protect dams
Business Spectator – June 16, 2008
Melbourne University professorial fellow, David Solomon, announced that he is developing a polymer to reduce evaporation in June 2008.

Bid to grant ‘Burke and Wills campsite’ heritage protection
The Age – June 13, 2008
THE Queensland Government may prevent public access to an unprotected creek bed near Birdsville in the state's west believed to be a campsite used 150 years ago by the explorers Burke and Wills three months before they perished in the South Australian outback.

Signs said dig here for Burke and Wills tools, says researcher
The Age – June 12, 2008
IN APRIL 1861, the explorers Robert Burke and William Wills - sick, starving and desperate to survive - abandoned their surveying instruments and other non-essential items in outback Queensland and continued south on their ill-fated journey.

Imagine Cup’s surprise winners a boon for drought-stricken farmers
APC Magazine – May 24, 2008
Four technology students mounted a commando-style operation to snatch this year’s Imagine Cup from under the noses of the big schools.

Is desalination the solution?
The Independent Weekly – May 23, 2008
"To the thirsty I will give water without price from the fountain." Revelation 21:6
Not any more. The fountain is failing rich and poor in a thirsty world. If you doubt, look to damp, drizzly London, drying out thanks to increasing population and temperatures, where one of the first priorities of new Mayor Boris Johnson was to clear the way for Britain's first water desalination plant, on the banks of the Thames.

Green Cement
ABC Catalyst – May 22, 2008
An Australian company has started to make concrete which promises to dramatically cut the carbon dioxide ordinarily emitted during production. Concrete is the second most widely used material on earth, after water. Figures vary, but it’s estimated that the manufacture of cement, the reactive ingredient in concrete, is responsible for over 5% of the world’s CO2 emissions.

Clunies Ross National Awards – Iven Mareels
ABC Radio National – May 19, 2008
We meet some of the heroes of Australian science and technology as they are honoured with our oldest applied science and technology prize.

Scientists clean up technology awards
Business Spectator – May 15, 2008
Four scientists have been recognised for their work in commercialising technology at the 2008 ATSE Clunies Ross awards, held in Brisbane.

Top Aussie scientists honoured
Ninemsn – May 14, 2008
One of Australia’s space engineering pioneers is among five people being honoured at a major science awards ceremony.

Killer weather causes chaos
The Sydney Morning Herald – April 2, 2008
Wild winds are wreaking havoc across Melbourne this afternoon, with at least two deaths blamed on the weather, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power and severe transport disruptions.

Conroy names broadband panel
The Australian – March 11, 2008
The federal Government has revealed who will assess proposals for its $8 billion national broadband network.

Made in Melbourne
The Age – March 9, 2008
AN INNOVATIVE Melbourne company has developed a revolutionary type of cement-free concrete that will help slash global greenhouse gas emissions from one of the world's dirtiest industries.

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