2007 News and Events
Reaching for the sky with one-person glider
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Anton Posthuma is looking forward to the day when he can take to the skies in a Skyboard one-person glider.
The former Masters student has been working with UC's mechanical engineering department on an improved version of Skyboard developed by Temuka-based engineer Bob Harris.
The craft, which is just over two metres long, is controlled by a pilot lying face-down. It is designed to be launched from either a fixed wing aircraft or helicopter at heights of between 10,000 feet and 35,000 feet. Its wings and tail automatically deploy once it has been launched.
Anton has re-worked the original design and developed a new model made entirely of carbon fibre. A new nose cone shape has been developed by third professional year mechanical engineering students.
"The earlier prototypes were built out of aluminium and fibreglass and were twice as heavy as this one. This latest design is completely carbon fibre. All the structural members, the wings, all the body work is carbon fibre so it's a whole lot lighter."
The latest model will be flight tested in the New Year, once load-testing on the ground has been done to ensure that the wings are as strong as calculations predict and that the design is safe.
"The Skyboard will be supported under a helicopter with a strop and it will be dropped from around 20,000 feet. Once the pilot has flown the craft down to about 2000 feet he will eject and a parachute fitted to the Skyboard will activate and the craft will land undamaged.”
Already it is receiving international attention, having been displayed at an air show in the United States.
Anton envisages the Skyboard, which he says could have a retail price of between $40,000 and $50,000, attracting significant interest from commercial skydiving operators.
Looking back in 2007 - Research Excellence
Thursday, December 6, 2007
The number of A-graded researchers at UC has increased by more than 25 percent and the University is ranked first or second in six subject areas and second equal in one, in the latest Q uality Evaluation of the Performance Based Research Fund.
The University is ranked number one in the following subject areas: Engineering and Technology; Other Health Studies (including Rehabilitation Therapies); and Foreign Languages & Linguistics. UC also has the highest proportion of new and emerging researchers awarded funded quality categories of any university in the country.
And the winners are ...
Thursday, December 6, 2007
University of Canterbury researchers were awarded more than $4 million in funding in this year's Marsden Fund round. The University secured grants for 11 research projects covering the disciplines of biological sciences, gender studies, geological sciences, computer science and software engineering, physics and astronomy, history, speech and language, civil engineering and chemistry.
Successful first year for Geospatial Research Centre
Thursday, December 6, 2007
If Dr David Park was to use one word to describe the Geospatial Research Centre's first year at the University of Canterbury, it would be “outstanding”.
The Centre is a partnership between UC, the University of Nottingham (UK) and Canterbury Development Corporation. It was set-up to develop and commercialise means of gathering and interpreting geographic information through the use of new technologies such as satellite navigation devices.
Dr Park, and four other researchers from the University of Nottingham 's Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG), moved to Christchurch to establish the new centre 12 months ago.
"We had certain expectations before we started – the size we could be by the end of the year, the contracts we could get, the countries we'd like to engage with – and all of those targets have been exceeded,” Dr Park says.
"We targeted to have three PhDs and we'll have six; we targeted a technical team of five, we'll probably have seven; we targeted $300,000 of contracts, we'll have three-quarters of a million. We've got contracts from the US , the UK and New Zealand. It's just going far better than we hoped it might.”
Dr Park says a number of factors have contributed to the Centre's early success. These include the support it has received from the University, the region, central government and industry.
And he envisages the Centre's success continuing in the future.
"I would expect that in two years from now we will have a technical team of between 20 to 30 staff, which will be a mixture of permanent staff and PhD students on part-time contracts. That would make us one of the world's largest centres in the technical space we're in.”
However, Dr Park concedes that it will not be easy.
"It's always going to be hard work. We're starting something from scratch, it's gone well but you're always judged on what's coming up.
"But the attitude from the University has been one of the key reasons why this has worked. Academics and students increasingly want to collaborate with us and we look forward to working with a range of departments in the coming year."
New breathing aid the focus of PhD research
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Patients may soon be able to breathe easier thanks to research being carried out by the winner of the prestigious 2008 RHT Bates Postgraduate Scholarship.
Callum Spence, a PhD student at the Centre for Bioengineering, decided to apply for the scholarship, never expecting to win. Winning the scholarship came as a surprise: “but it is fantastic and I'm very pleased about it”.
The RHT Bates Scholarship was established by the Royal Society of New Zealand in memory of Professor Bates who was a highly acclaimed researcher and scholar of information processing in engineering and science at the University of Canterbury.
"It is really encouraging for myself and the Centre of Bioengineering as Nicolas Buchman, last year's recipient, is also at the centre. It affirms what we are doing is important.”
Recently a high flow nasal interface has been developed by Fisher and Paykel Healthcare to deliver heated and humidified medical gas to patients at flows ranging from 5 to 50 litres per minute. Callum is taking an experimental approach to measure the flow dynamics created in patient airways to gain a better understanding of how the device performs.
The nasal interface devices are used in respiratory care and in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea, hypoxic pneumonia and for the treatment of respiratory conditions by ventilation or oxygen therapy. The nasal interface is more comfortable for patients to wear than current mask designs and has higher levels of patient compliance.
"The use of nose and full-face masks is well established, but there is little understanding about the flow pattern and pressures associated with assisted ventilation breathing where there is no seal between the patient and the interface.”
Callum will investigate the effect of nasal interface flow rates on respiratory tract flow patterns and pressures using the flow measurement technique, particle image velocimetry (mapping digital images), and scaled in-vitro models with physiologically accurate flow.
"Clinically, this product can be used in an intensive care unit or the ward and can act as a bridge between non-invasive and invasive ventilatory support and low-flow nasal tube. Current clinical experience has demonstrated this product's usefulness and suggests that therapeutic levels of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) are delivered to the patient.”
Callum said it was rewarding to research something that was contributing to society. After the completion of his PhD he wishes to travel and undertake postdoctorate research overseas with the intention of returning to New Zealand for a career in academia.
NZi3 building underway
Thursday, November 22, 2007
It was all hands to the shovels at the ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of a new building to house NZi3, New Zealand 's ICT Innovation Institute. Among those taking part in the ceremony were, from left: Chancellor Dr Robin Mann, Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Sharp, Registrar Jeff Field, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Town.
The building, on the corner of Creyke Road and Engineering Road , is expected to be ready for occupation by September next year. A webcam has been set-up on site to provide updates on progress. Images are updated every 10 seconds and can be viewed on the Institute's website. Work on the building comes as the Institute undergoes a name change. Director Dr Darin Graham says the Institute is allowing leading ICT researchers, students and industry partners within New Zealand to collaborate in a way never before possible. He says the Institute's national partnerships are reflected in its new NZi3 branding.
Medical imaging researcher 'surprised' by scooping hat trick of prizes
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Dr Anthony Butler, a postdoctoral fellow in Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been awarded three major prizes by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) for his medical imaging research.
Dr Butler, who is also working with members of the Physics and Astronomy department's medical physics programme, was presented with the prizes at the RANZCR Annual Scientific Meeting held in Melbourne in early October.
He was awarded the Thomas Baker Fellowship, worth $AU20,000, for overseas study; the Siemens Medical Systems Prize worth AU$12,000 to fund attendance at a major European radiology meeting; and the GE Medical Systems Prize, also worth AU$12,000, to support research.
Dr Butler, who graduated with a PhD from Canterbury University in April and is a consultant radiologist at Christchurch Hospital, said while he had applied for all three prizes, he was “very surprised” to be awarded all of them.
"It's a big acknowledgement by the college that the research work we're doing is good technology. The fact that it has won three awards is a big thumbs-up and means it has been identified as being worthwhile.”
Dr Butler is part of a team of researchers from Canterbury University's Computer and Electrical Engineering, and Physics and Astronomy departments who are working with the radiology department at Christchurch Hospital and the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences to develop a spectroscope for medical imaging purposes.
The spectroscope, like a CT, can take high resolution three-dimensional anatomical images but, in addition, gives the absorption of tissues at various levels of x-ray energies. It will therefore be able to give more information than current bio-medical x-ray systems about the tissue being imaged.
The scanner uses an electronic chip, the Medipix, which detects x-rays instead of visible light. Unlike other x-ray imaging detectors, which only record the total amount of x-rays hitting the device, Medipix also records the energy (wavelength) of the x-ray's beam. The analogy with visible light is that traditional detectors are black and white while Medipix is full colour. Thus the spectroscope, dubbed MARS (Medipix All Resolution System), can produce 3D colour (energy resolving) x-ray images.
The detector was developed at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva.
Dr Butler plans to use the Thomas Baker Fellowship to visit CERN and the University of Erlangen, Germany, in November, and will also visit the Mayo Clinic's Image Processing Group, Cambridge University's molecular biology lab and the Prague Technical Institute in April next year.
"While they are all different institutions and doing different research, they are all working on aspects of the spectroscope that I can spend some time learning about. CERN and Prague are working on the core components of the detector, researchers at Erlangen are simulating how to use it, and Cambridge and the Mayo Clinic have a biological focus,” said Dr Butler.
"It will be good to talk to the experts in these areas, spend some time learning, and exchange ideas.”
In July Dr Butler used the Siemens Medical Systems Prize to present a paper at an international workshop on radiation imaging detectors in Germany, and the GE Medical Systems Prize will go towards the development of the spectroscope.
Name change for department
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Department of Civil Engineering has been renamed the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering.
The name change was approved by the UC Council last week. It is being made to reflect the broader range of teaching and research being done in the department since it assumed responsibility for the BE (Natural Resources) degree in 2004.
Work experience report earns engineer a prize
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Canterbury University civil engineering student Euving Au has won an award worth $1500 from the Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand (ACENZ) for writing one of the best work experience reports by a tertiary student in 2007.
Euving's award is one of three ACENZ Best Practical Work Report Awards the association presents annually to students studying engineering at New Zealand universities. They are part of the annual ACENZ Awards of Excellence.
Euving, a third professional year civil engineering student, won the award for a report he wrote on work experience he did at Tonkin and Taylor, a Wellington-based geotechnical and environmental engineering consultancy. Euving, who said he was “pleasantly surprised” at winning the award, worked at the consultancy for four months last summer.
"I really enjoyed my time at Tonkin and Taylor and the people there were really great. I think that made it a lot easier to write the report because one of the aspects you have to cover is the personal interactions you have,” said Euving.
His report also included an overview of the company he worked for and the work he was involved in while there.
During my time at Tonkin and Taylor I worked as an assistant to the other engineers working on various jobs. My tasks ranged from small design projects, construction monitoring and site investigations, to less technical tasks such as data collection and entry.”
Euving said he spent much of his first month at the consultancy performing landslip inspections for the Wellington City Council and the Earthquake Commission.
"For the EQC my task was to assess the cause of the landslip and whether it adhered to the EQC Act so the property owner could make an EQC insurance claim. For the WCC it was more of an assessment of risk to determine whether further slope remediation, such as retaining walls, was required.”
Euving was presented with a certificate and a cheque for $1500 by Andrew Read of Pedersen Read, a Christchurch engineering consultancy, at a presentation ceremony on campus last month.
Euving said the prize money would go towards his masters degree, which he planned to start next year.
College of Engineering celebrates quality of research with four new awards
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The College of Engineering has awarded two new Research Awards and two new Young Research Awards to acknowledge and celebrate the high quality of research being undertaken.
The inaugural recipients, Professor Desmond Taylor, Dr Philippa Martin (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Dr Rajesh Dhakal (Civil Engineering) and Professor Tadao Takaoka (Computer Science and Software Engineering), were presented with their awards at a recent ceremony.
"While we pride ourselves on the research achievements of UC and the College as a whole, we tend not to celebrate our individual successes,” said Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Engineering) Professor Peter Jackson.
"We should recognise and applaud the accomplishments of our research stars and that is what these awards are designed to do. They are to be hung on the wall in a prominent place for you to be proud of.”
"It's always nice being recognised for one's work,” said Professor Taylor. "Over the past 35 years I've received several accolades for my work, but this award is one of the nicest.
"My department nominated me for the award and I would hope that the choice of me by the committee represents recognition of a number of years of research by our research group at a high level,” he said.
Professor Taylor is currently conducting research on advanced wireless systems and in particular on software defined radios and so-called cognitive or smart radio systems with major additional interests in modulation, coding and equalization.
"I believe that my present research is important as it has the potential to contribute to New Zealand's world stature in wireless through the development of advanced systems by companies such as Tait Electronics.”
Professor Takaoka said that he was especially pleased to get the award. “I can dedicate the award to the soul of my mother, who passed away just 10 days before the award ceremony.”
"As I organise researchers in computer science, electrical engineering, and environmental science I feel I was recognised as a representative of the research team, meaning that the research activity in this area is recognised as important,” he added.
Particularly interested in researching the speed of algorithms, Professor Takaoka said that speed is not just speed: “It will bring us a better quality of solutions, as we can do more in the given amount of time with a faster algorithm run on a computer.”
"The concept of algorithms will play an even more important role for science and engineering in the future, just as that of differential equations influenced many engineering problems. It will not be an exaggeration to say our society will be run by algorithms in the future. The new MSA and shortest path algorithms that I have developed will be running on many computers in the world.”
Dr Martin was awarded a Young Research Award. She credited some of her success to Professor Taylor. “I got involved in communications research initially because I wanted to work with Professor Taylor.”
Dr Martin's research interests lie in the design of advanced digital communication systems and algorithms focusing on error control coding/decoding, coded modulation, iterative processing, space-time coding and co-operative communications.
"I love collaborating and learning from others. The great thing about research is that I never get bored — there is always something new to explore and invent,” she added. “The most interesting part of my research is visualising a new communication environment and then developing a new way to exploit its potential.”
Dr Dhakal, the other recipient of the Young Researcher Award, said that it was great that research efforts and achievements have been recognized and rewarded.
Currently he is involved in research projects related to seismic loss assessment of structures, development of innovative technologies to mitigate seismic risk, seismic design of reinforced concrete structures, and fire behaviour of structures.
Dr Dhakal said that there was a big earthquake in Nepal , his country of birth, in 1988. “More than 200 people were killed in my hometown and my house was severely damaged, forcing us to build a new one. As earthquake insurance was unheard in Nepal in those days, this turned out to be a very nasty blow. That was the first time I wished we could make structures earthquake resistant. That is when I decided to become a structural earthquake engineer.”
UC engineers in design contest final benifiting Indian orphanage
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Four Canterbury University engineering students are in with a chance to see one of their designs make a difference at an orphanage in India after being named one of six teams to make the final of the 2007 Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Australia Challenge.
The EWB Challenge, held for the first time this year, is a design competition for first-year engineering students from universities in Australia and New Zealand. Students work in teams to design sustainable development projects for disadvantaged communities with this year's challenge focusing on the development of the Uluru Children's Home, an orphanage in Alampara, southern India.
The UC team of Daniel Tredinnick, Duncan Henderson, Gareth Bruce and Gerald Lim, who are all first-year intermediate engineering students, is the only New Zealand team to make the finals, which will be held during the Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference at Melbourne University on 9-13 December.
The winning team will receive a cash prize of AU$3000 and be invited on a three-week EWB study tour, which will include visiting the Uluru Children's Home where they can see their project being implemented.
The team was “pretty surprised” by its selection into the finals but all four said they were looking forward to going to Melbourne to present their design.
"It's quite cool to be chosen to enter the competition in the first place, out of all the other teams at Canterbury that were involved. Then to get into the finals is pretty awesome,” said Duncan.
"And if we win it will be pretty exciting to see our design being worked on,” said Gareth.
The challenge has been incorporated as a major design component of the new Foundations of Engineering (ENGR 101) course, which ran for the first time at UC this year. The course is compulsory for all intermediate year engineering students from all disciplines and aims to introduce students to engineering concepts and design as well as help them develop problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills.
Course co-ordinator Professor Conan Fee (Chemical and Process Engineering) said the selection of the UC team for the finals was a good result for the University as “it shows that the University is giving engineering students very good training in design, even in their first year”.
All 650 students on the ENGR 101 course were split into teams of four and given a design project, not necessarily in line with their disciplines, to meet the needs of the orphanage. These ranged from designing building extensions and new facilities to water supply, power supply and permaculture projects. Three UC projects were entered into the EWB Challenge and these were up against 27 other teams from Australian universities. More than 3500 students were involved in the pre-submission phases of the competition through their first-year classes across Australasia.
The successful UC team designed a sustainable forestry production system which the Alampara community could use as a source of fuel, building material and income. None of the four are forestry students but they nevertheless came to grips with the project requirements and produced a high-quality outcome.
"These are real projects and the EWB is looking for real designs so, for our students, they're not creating something abstract. They're actually designing something that could affect people's lives for the better,” said Professor Fee.
Award recognition of work done by chemical engineer
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Professor Conan Fee has been awarded the 2007 Fonterra Award for excellence in chemical engineering at the annual Chemeca conference in Melbourne.
The award consists of a $4500 prize and a certificate of excellence. It recognises outstanding contributions in the industrial application of novel technology in the bioprocessing field from an individual or group of chemical engineers in Australia or New Zealand. Professor Fee was the only New Zealander to receive one of the nine chemical engineering awards presented on the night.
Professor Fee is a prolific and busy researcher in bioseparations and biomolecular engineering. Known for three distinct research areas, the first is in the modification and purification of PEGylated proteins, an important class of biotherapeutics which have increased circulation half-lives in the body and therefore greatly improved therapeutic effectiveness.
He has also developed an on-farm robot for capture of milk proteins, in collaboration with SensorTec Ltd, Dexcel Ltd and Amersham Biosciences (Sweden). As some milk proteins break down quickly after the milk is taken from the cow, especially in the factory during pasteurisation, it is preferable to extract and stabilise those high-value proteins at the raw milk (milking) stage. Professor Fee devised a robotic machine coupled to an automated milking system (AMS). After a cow “milked herself” with the AMS, proteins could be extracted from her milk immediately, maximising yield and activity.
His third area of interest is in p ost-ruminal drug delivery — looking at the controlled release of drugs in cows, work which has been carried out with Dexcel, InterAg and the University of Waikato.
Professor Fee said that developing pH-responsive polymer microcapsules where the drug was delivered into the abomasum (stomach), not the rumen, was topical. “We are looking at the polymer capsule pores remaining closed while in the rumen, then opening and releasing drugs after passing into the abomasum, where it is more acidic.”
Initially interested in civil engineering as a first-year student, Professor Fee became interested in organic chemistry and how it could be applied to life so decided to pursue chemical engineering instead. He completed his PhD at Canterbury in 1989, with a thesis on blood flow disturbances and atherosclerosis. “I was always a self-starter and have been interested in engineering and biological sciences. When I enrolled in chemical engineering I supplemented it with my own interest in biology and that has led on to where I am today.”
Stimulated by his various research interests and postgraduate students, Professor Fee said: “The award reflects who I work with and the good working environments first at the University of Waikato and now at Canterbury. You need good support and research students around.”
"Everyday is busy; I love being involved and like to renew my research every five years. The great thing in this field is that new things come along all the time.”
FRST backs research into revolutionary manufacturing technology
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Dr Susan Krumdieck and Dr Mark Jermy (Mechanical Engineering) and Hadley Cave (Mechanical Engineering PhD student) are working to optimise the design of a high-tech manufacturing system that could revolutionise industry.
FRST has awarded International Investment Opportunities Fund (IIOF) funding of $893,000 in order to further develop the pulsed-pressure chemical vapour deposition ( CVD) system, and ensure that UC plays a role in high-tech manufacturing.
The programme focuses on researching a cutting-edge numerical modelling approach, to develop a system that can be used to produce a range of thin film materials.
"Today, we are essentially in the thin film materials age,” said Dr Krumdieck. "Thin film materials are essential for electronics, sensors, communication devices, jet engines, plasma screens, medical implants — they are the foundation technology of our society.”
Many thin film devices are made using the CVD process. A precursor chemical vapour reacts on a heated substrate surface leaving a solid thin film deposit. Normally a carrier gas is used to transport the reactant chemicals to the surface, and engineering this process for the nanometer-scale perfection required poses big challenges and contributes to the high system costs, explained Dr Krumdieck.
"Currently clean-room fabrication machines for thin film materials (called CVD tools) are very expensive. The critical challenges for engineering CVD tools are delivering thin film quality, uniformity and production throughput.”
Dr Krumdieck has developed an innovative way of pulsing the chemical vapour, so that the chemical is transported to the surface by expansion rather than convection in a carrier gas. This innovation could mean lower cost manufacturing by solving several of the inherent problems with classical CVD.
"We have proposed a new mass transport regime — the expansion regime,” said Dr Krumdieck. “Engineering in this regime has really only ever been done for space propulsion, so we are continuously creating new knowledge, and probably writing a new chapter in flow dynamics and numerical modelling.”
The IIOF grant will support the UC team's collaboration with an expert team of numerical modelling researchers in Taiwan. “This collaboration had a very lucky beginning,” Dr Krumdieck said.
"Hadley presented a paper on an idea for numerical modelling of the PP-CVD expansion regime at the 25 th Rarefied Gas Dynamics Symposium in Russia earlier this year. The session chair, Professor J-S Wu, of National Chiao Tung University of Taiwan, was so excited about the prospect that he called and asked me if Hadley could change his plane tickets to return with him to Taiwan for a month.
"This extraordinary beginning has led to an amazingly productive collaboration, with several papers already submitted on the ground-breaking results.
"The funding will allow us to adapt the Taiwan collaborator's code so we can move the design-specific modelling back to UC and build a platform on the new Blue Gene supercomputer.
"There is a flood of potential products out there that could use thin film materials, like solar cells and ICT devices. Our focus is to enable low-cost, low-energy, and low-toxic processing by the PP-CVD process for these new emergent technologies. In particular, PP-CVD can produce thin films of ceramic materials on complex 3-D surfaces. With the capabilities we expect to develop, we could work with our partner, New Zealand manufacturer BSL, to build PP-CVD machines for an international market. There's a whole realm of new possibilities.”
Best paper award for UC team at major US conference
Thursday, October 4, 2007
A paper on research carried out by Canterbury University academics and students was named best paper in its category at a major international electronics conference held in the United States recently.
The paper, written by Professor Geoffrey Chase and Associate Professor XiaoQi Chen (Mechanical Engineering), Professor John Mander (formerly of Civil Engineering), Kerry Mulligan (a recent PhD graduate) and Geoffrey Rodgers (a PhD student), won the prize for the best paper in the applications category at the third American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Mechatronic and Embedded Systems and Applications held in Las Vegas from 4 to 7 September. The research work was recognised for its "contribution to solving an important practical problem in mechatronic and embedded systems”.
Professor Chen, who presented the paper at the conference, said winning the award was an achievement to be proud of.
"It is a leading and prestigious conference for mechatronic and embedded systems, and is sponsored by the two most influential engineering associations in the world. So, having our research recognised this way is a very big deal and a great reflection on our research programme,” he said.
"It certainly made the long trip to Las Vegas very worthwhile.”
The paper, entitled ‘Re-shaping semi-active structural response via simple applications of embedded computation, sensors and valves', discusses the development of a mechatronic device which can be used to reduce the structural response, thus mitigating structural damage and downtime, during seismic events. The methods developed in the research work could also be used to reduce vibrations in delicate machinery and a wide variety of other applications.
Professor Chen said the paper was based on an EQC Research Foundation-funded joint research programme on next-generation structures carried out in the departments of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, and formed the basis of Kerry's doctoral research.
Best paper award for PhD student Sayan Ray
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Sayan Ray, a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, has picked up a Best Paper Award for his paper last year in IETE Technical Review. The paper, ‘Fourth Generation (4G) Networks: Roadmap- Migration to the Future', received the 2007 IETE-Gowri Memorial Award. The IETE (Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers) is the leading professional society in India, devoted to the advancement of science and technology in electronics, telecommunication and IT.
Beca recognises future engineering talent
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Engineering consultancy group Beca has awarded scholarships totalling $13,500 to eight University of Canterbury students identified as young engineers who are likely to make major contributions to the profession.
The eight students were presented with their scholarships by Beca Regional Manager South Island Craig Price and University of Canterbury College of Engineering Dean Richard Duke at a function at Beca's Christchurch offices last month.
Beca, the largest New Zealand-owned professional services group in the country, established the prizes in 1990 to support promising young engineering talent at UC and encourage excellence in engineering.
Eu Ving Au (Civil Engineering), Rowan Sinton (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Robert Walker (Civil Engineering), all in the final year of a Bachelor of Engineering, each received Beca Engineering in Society prizes of $2000. The prizes place equal weight on academic results, general contribution to both University and community activities, and the student's potential to contribute to the engineering profession.
Five first-year students picked up Beca Engineering in Society prizes of $1500 each. These prizes recognise students who not only achieve academically but make a contribution to school and community, and have the personality and drive to make a difference. The winners were Alex Chia, Robert Blakelock, Doug Latham, Robert Tang and Jonathon Kerkhofs.
EPECentre lightning bolt riveting
Thursday, October 4, 2007
A series of lightning bolts sparked off an electrical week for third-pro electrical and computing engineering students.
The world's first triple lightning display took place at the Electrical Power Engineering Centre (EPECentre) Expo in the UC High Voltage Lab last Wednesday afternoon. Members of the media, industry and public at the expo viewed power engineering students demonstrate lightning bolts along with some unique electric power engineering innovations.
"This is the only event of its kind in Australasia,” said Joseph Lawrence, 
EPECentre Manager. “We showed an exploding wire set-up that fired lightning bolts. Currently, we have the unofficial world record for man-made lightning bolts that are over 70m long — it looks like lightning, sounds like thunder!”
On display was also a high voltage Tesla coil which generates a multi-array of lightning and an installation of “Sun God meets the Sea Serpent”, a work by New Zealand artist Len Lye (1901-1980). The sculpture (serpent) spit a bolt of lightning through a large steel hoop to strike a large metal sphere (the sun).
An electric car was also on display, along with the famous “Lightning Waka” — the Undie 500 vehicle that had a captivating lightning generator with 15,000 volts of electricity on the roof. The car won the “best car” award in this year's Undie 500 race.
"We want to show people the exciting research and development that is coming out of electric power engineering, and the amazing possibilities it generates,” Mr Lawrence said.
Most of the students who conducted lightning demos in the High Voltage Lab then presented their final year projects at the Grand Chancellor Hotel in an event sponsored by the EPECentre.
New centre to focus on biomolecular research
Thursday, September 20, 2007
A new virtual research centre has been established at the University of Canterbury with state-of-the-art equipment supplied by Bio-Rad Laboratories, some of which has never been used before in the southern hemisphere.
The centre's work will focus on drug discovery, biotechnology and the development of new bio-nanomaterials. Work already planned includes the modification of proteins to make them last longer in the body as therapeutic drugs; development of new means of extracting and purifying valuable proteins from milk; and reducing fouling of stainless steel surfaces, a major issue in the food and pharmaceuticals industries.
The Biomolecular Interaction Centre (BIC) is a collaborative project spearheaded by Professor Juliet Gerrard (Biological Sciences), Dr Emily Parker, Adjunct Professor Bill Swallow (Chemistry) and Professor Conan Fee (Chemical and Process Engineering). They are in partnership with researchers at Lincoln and Otago universities, Crop and Food, and Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
Dr Parker said interactions between biological molecules were crucial to the processes that made life possible.
"The centre has invested in a collection of new instruments that enable us to study the detail of biomolecule interactions using the latest techniques available. The BioRad ProteOn XPR36 is a sophisticated instrument that allows us to observe directly the strength of biomolecule interactions via a technique known as Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). This instrument is the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere and will allow us to follow the interactions of molecules with surfaces in real time so we can see when molecules are being bound or released from surfaces under various conditions."
The primary investment in the new centre has been $1.85 million on new equipment of which the University of Canterbury has funded 49 per cent while the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has funded 43 per cent from its Innovation and Development Fund. The remainder has been covered by Crop & Food (5%) and Lincoln University (3%).
Professor Fee said interactions of biological molecules with surfaces played an important part not only in biological processes but also in industrial processes.
"Such interactions may be involved in reactions to create new products or in purification processes such as ion exchange chromatography.”
Bio-Rad Laboratories is a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostics products and the manufacturer of the ProteOn Surface Plasmon Resonance system.
Bio-Rad CEO Norman Schwartz said: “Bio-Rad Laboratories would like to recognise the newly formed Biomolecular Interaction Centre located at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand . It is our hope that the achievements of this new facility will lead to the development of new drugs to treat a variety of diseases and, ultimately, provide better health for all.”
While the centre is based at UC, it has been established to provide regional infrastructure to support the study of biomolecular interactions. It builds on the Growth Industry Pilot Initiative (GIPI) contract Canterbury and Lincoln universities were awarded in 2006, which has helped build up an enterprise culture within the biotechnology community.
UC researchers awarded $4 million from Marsden fund
Thursday, September 20, 2007
UC researchers have been awarded more than $4 million in funding in this year's Marsden Fund round.
The awards, which are government funded, are administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand. UC has secured grants for 11 research projects, totalling $4.1 million. The projects cover the disciplines of biological sciences, gender studies, geological sciences, computer science and software engineering, physics and astronomy, history, speech and language, civil engineering and chemistry.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Town, who oversees research at the University, says the grants illustrate the broad range of research undertaken at UC. "I congratulate our researchers on their successes. The fact that many disciplines feature in this year's round is a testament to the widespread commitment to research excellence here at Canterbury.”
Associate Professor Andy Cockburn (Computer Science and Software Engineering) has been awarded $400,000 over three years to develop and test new tools to improve navigation within and between computer documents. It will also deliver theories to allow designers to predict and explain the efficiency of alternative designs without the need for time-consuming implementation and evaluation.
Two of the projects to receive funding are Marsden Fast-Starts, designed to support outstanding researchers early in their careers. Dr Elisabeth Bowman (Civil Engineering) will receive $170,000 over two years to help shed light on the process of debris flow, which can be a highly unpredictable hazard in areas of mountainous terrain and high run-off.
HIT Lab NZ Ltd appoints new CEO
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The company responsible for commercialising technologies developed at the Human Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand (HIT Lab NZ) at the University of Canterbury has appointed Andrew Plimmer as its CEO.
HIT Lab NZ Ltd is owned by the University of Canterbury, the Canterbury Development Corporation and the University of Washington in Seattle.
Mr Plimmer has been appointed to help accelerate HIT Lab NZ Ltd's commercial applications and partnerships and lead the development of spin-out companies and licencing deals. Economic development agency New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is providing financial support to help HIT Lab NZ Ltd increase its level of commercialisation.
Mr Plimmer is currently CEO of BayCity Technologies Ltd. He has been responsible for transforming BayCity Technologies from a start-up family business into a commercial operation with three distinct businesses.
One of these was BayCity New Zealand, a rural satellite broadband internet provider. Mr Plimmer has been responsible for restructuring and re-branding the company, which is now known as Farmside Ltd.
Mr Plimmer has a high profile in the technology sector in New Zealand and Australia. He is chairman of the Electronics South electronics industry cluster and sits on the board of the ICT Canterbury group.
He takes up his new position on 1 October.
Staff take university information evenings up and down the country
Thursday, September 20, 2007
UC staff have been on the road spreading the word about what the University has to offer.
The University has just completed its inaugural series of regional information evenings aimed at prospective students. The joint initiative between the Colleges and the Student Recruitment and Development Unit saw information evenings held in Nelson, Invercargill, Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North.
Liaison Events Manager Tom Music said the evenings provided the perfect opportunity for parents and students to find out what it meant to be a student at UC. “UC Liaison staff, and outreach and advising staff from each of the Colleges were joined by alumni living and working in the regional centres. The accommodation adviser, Narina Sutherland, was kept busy with many parents and students giving careful consideration to accommodation options.”
Among the academics joining the road show were Dean of Science, Associate Professor Lou Reinisch, and civil engineering lecturer Dr Pedro Lee.
Professor Reinisch spoke at the Nelson event which was attended by more than 100 prospective students and parents.
"The students were interested in a wide spectrum of topics. Parents were, as usual, concerned about what the job prospects were from particular degrees. Students remain keen to specialise, but the parents would nod in approval at the idea of having a broad-based degree.”
Dr Lee gave a 20-minute presentation on engineering to more than 70 people at the Wellington event.
"The response was quite positive and I think the students found the evening very informative.”
Mr Music said he hoped the regional information evenings would become a regular part of the recruitment cycle each year.”
UC student takes on top computer scientists in contest in Croatia
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Whizzing through computer science problems as fast as he could against 285 other international students was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for UC student Thomas Steinke.
Thomas, a mathematics and computer science student, represented New Zealand in the 19th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in Zagreb, Croatia. Teams from 77 countries met in the Croatian capital to compete for medals in the prestigious computer science competition.
Coming a very respectable 25 points short of a bronze medal, Thomas was pleased with his result. "I felt privileged to compete against some of the best computer science students in the world. The competition is an excellent opportunity to gauge how good you are on an international level.”
Thomas received a $2000 grant from the College of Engineering and $500 from the Electrotechnology Industry Training Organisation, for both of which he was very grateful.
"The funding I received is hugely appreciated. It gave me the opportunity to go overseas and take part in a once-in-a-lifetime event. Computer science is my passion and meeting hundreds of like-minded people from all over the world is an experience I will never forget.”
The New Zealand team also included two year 13 high school pupils — Anton Jackson-Smith and Michael Riley — and two team leaders, one of whom was Tobias Thierer.
On each of the two competition days the students were given three problems to complete in five hours. The competition tasks were of an algorithmic nature — the contestants had to demonstrate their skill in problem analysis, algorithm design and data structures, as well as programming and testing of their solutions.
"Each problem came with a little story to explain it, the Croatian hosts often tried to incorporate a Croatian theme into their stories.
"The problems generally required finding an optimal solution or some unknown information about what the input described. The most challenging part of the problems was creating programs that did not exceed the specified limits, even for large amounts of input, rather than simply finding the correct answer. The programs usually had time limits in the order of a second.”
Funding set to turn the heat up on fire engineering research
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The University of Canterbury is to receive funding from the Foundation for Research Science and Technology to further develop existing fire engineering software.
More than $1.2 million was awarded to the Building Research Association of NZ Inc (BRANZ) of which the University will receive $427,500 to establish new scholarships.
"We will use the money to establish one PhD and three Master's scholarships per year for three years to enable work on developing the existing software that we currently have for modelling fires in buildings,” said Dr Michael Spearpoint, the UC New Zealand Fire Service Commission Lecturer (Civil Engineering).
"The scholarships will help to develop a much improved version of a building fire design and analysis tool that will allow users to simulate probable building fire outcomes and building performance. The current software doesn't allow for probability — once we have that then we can calculate the risk.”
He explained that if a meat plant or factory had a fire, it was not just the building and plant that was lost, it was also the jobs, the owner usually went under or moved on and a loss of productivity resulted. “We want to have a tool that will help protect against that scenario.”
"Calculating how much smoke, how hot the smoke is and how quickly the fire will develop or what is the chance of its spreading will help develop a risk outcome,” he added.
Such a tool was very much needed in New Zealand at the moment, Dr Spearpoint believed. New Zealand has a flexible performance-based fire safety regulatory environment which allows for fire design innovation.
"In New Zealand the regulations state that a building must be ‘safe' in a fire — as long as the engineer can demonstrate that the building meets the regulatory fire safety objectives it doesn't matter what the design is. That allows for fire design engineers to be innovative, but there is a risk that, like leaky buildings, that the design process is not of an appropriate standard. Having a risk-based building fire design and analysis tool will greatly assist with the design process.
"Use of the tool by end users will provide the Department of Building and Housing with confidence that appropriate methods are being used to support performance-based fire engineering designs. It will also show defined levels of fire safety in buildings are achieved.”
It was expected the new software tool would be applicable to fire engineers worldwide.
Inaugural UCi3 director takes up post
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The recently-arrived director of the New Zealand ICT Innovation Institute (UCi3) is describing his move to the University of Canterbury as a personal and professional adventure. Darin Graham has moved from Canada where he was president of commercialisation company, Innovation Initiators.
He says there are only a handful of research centres like UCi3 in the world and opportunities to be involved with them are limited. “And plain and simply, the culture of New Zealand is wonderful. It's a phenomenal place. We have lots of friends down here who said you have got to come down.”
The arrival of Dr Graham is a milestone in the Institute's development, which began after the Government's ICT Sector Taskforce identified a need to build and sustain a highly skilled ICT workforce.
Dr Graham says his main priority since arriving has been to talk to everybody with an interest in the Institute's development. “Getting all the inputs, ideas and directions and assemble them into a really strong strategy to help grow the UCi3.” Dr Graham says he is hopeful that within a year the Institute will be “on the ground running”.
“Hopefully the building will be all done. That we will have the different theme areas well organised and have very strategic plans for each one of them. I'm confident that the Institute will be a national ICT institute by then too, which was the aim right back when the first proposal was submitted to Government.”
He says with the Institute having some heavyweight founding partners - IBM, HP, Jade Software Corporation, Tait Electronics and HumanWare – he is looking forward to forming relationships with small-to-medium enterprises. “A very large proportion of the economy here in New Zealand , like other industrialised nations, is made up of companies with less than 100 people. So we have to start to engage with them.”
Paris trip a learning experience for engineering students
Thursday, September 13, 2007
UC engineering students Ellie Taffs and Chelsea Giles-Hansen have gained a new perspective on international engineering and the challenges facing women in the profession by attending a seminar programme for students in Paris recently.
Chelsea and Ellie, both undergraduate natural resources engineering students, attended a three-week seminar programme run by the International Institute of Women in Engineering (IIWE) in July.
The programme, held at the EPF ( Ecole Polytechnique Féminine) Ecole d'Ingenieurs in Paris , was attended by 40 engineering students from around the world.
Chelsea and Ellie said the programme had been a valuable learning experience, giving them new insights into the engineering profession in other countries and made them more aware of what to expect during their careers. “It was also an amazing networking opportunity,” said Chelsea, who is president of Women in Engineering (WIE) Society at Canterbury . “We lived with the other students in dorms, went to classes together and spent time sightseeing after class so we got to know the other students quite well.”
The aim of the programme is to inform students of the challenges women face as engineers and prepare them for their future careers. Students learn about international engineering practices, how to achieve a healthy work/life balance, and are introduced to the opportunities available in the engineering field.
Students attend lectures, go on site visits, take part in discussion groups, work on projects, meet working engineers and make presentations. The theme of this year's programme was “Women Engineers: Creating an Energy Efficient Future”.
Chelsea and Ellie said learning about engineering practices in other countries had been an eye-opener. “We worked in groups according to regions and did presentations on how engineering works in each part of the world and the participation of women,” said Ellie. “We were surprised to learn that Turkey has a good history of women in engineering, with up to 50 per cent of engineers in both industry and educational institutions being women. Africa was completely the opposite. The students from Africa said women had a hard time becoming engineers, mainly because of family pressures. Their families believed it would be hard for them to get husbands if they went to university.
“Compared with some of the other countries, New Zealand is quite good for women engineers — about 20 per cent of people in the industry are women — but there is definitely room for improvement.”
Chelsea said she and Ellie were also surprised to learn that while the theme of the programme was energy efficiency and sustainability, few of the other participants had heard of sustainability development concepts and engineering efficiency measures. “As natural resources engineering students Ellie and I had already learned a lot about these concepts during our course work,” Chelsea said. “But because the majority of other participants were from other branches of engineering they had not come across these concepts before. It was quite surprising.”
Ellie and Chelsea's attendance at the Paris event was sponsored by the College of Engineering.
New supercomputer brings cutting-edge technology to UC
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tertiary Education, Dr Michael Cullen, was the official guest at the launch of the University's new IBM Blue Gene supercomputer last month.
UC is the first research institution in the southern hemisphere to have a Blue Gene supercomputer. Other universities which already have Blue Genes include the United States-based Harvard University , Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
At the launch, Dr Cullen congratulated the University on its commitment to world-class research and said the acquisition of the Blue Gene put UC among the "big players in supercomputing research”.
He said world-class research and innovation depended on developing international connections.
"No matter how smart we are, we will never have a monopoly on the best ideas. So if we want access to the best we need to collaborate with others and exploit the opportunities that deepening connections in a globalised world can bring us. This supercomputer is an example of those connections working."
Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Sharp described the launch as a "great day".
He said while the Blue Gene itself was somewhat nondescript in appearance, the combination of its technology with the talents of the researchers using it would bring advancements across a range of research disciplines.
He also noted the support of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of Wellington and AUT University which are foundation partners in the Blue Gene project.
IBM New Zealand Managing Director Katrina Troughton said she was excited at the prospect of New Zealand researchers now having the technical infrastructure to help address critical health and environmental issues.
While UC's Blue Gene has only just been installed, it has already been officially recognised as one of the 100 most powerful supercomputers in the world.
The 29th edition of the prestigious Top 500 list released in July ranked UC's machine, dubbed Blue Fern, the most powerful supercomputer in the Oceania region and 99th overall worldwide.
Scholarship enables engineer to further develop high-flying technology
Thursday, September 13, 2007
As the inaugural recipient of the UCi3 $30,000 PhD scholarship, John Stowers is set to take his research to new heights. Working with the Geospacial Research Centre his PhD in electrical engineering will look at the use of vision for the control and navigation of unpiloted aerial vehicles.
After graduating from UC with a first class honours degree in electrical engineering, John decided to do a Master of Engineering in Management. As an undergraduate he was part of a 2005 University of Canterbury Entrepreneurship Challenge (entré) team that developed a hardware and software autopilot system for a model aircraft and as a result he co-founded Greenbird Systems Ltd. His masters looked at refining the autopilot system as well as commercialisation and monetisation of open source projects. "I didn't know what to do when I finished my masters but I knew I missed being involved with the technical side of engineering."
With nothing planned, John bought a car in Europe and has spent the last six months holidaying. “It's been a wonderful break. I feel fortunate to finally be here reading and planning what I'm doing for the next three and a half years.”
Worth $30,000 per annum, John said that the UCi3 PhD scholarship was “brilliant” as it allowed a certain amount of freedom to study in the direction he wished. “The UCi3 scholarship is a natural progression for me and I'm thrilled.”
Having spent the last six months travelling with friends, John said he had to catch-up on the recent advancements in unpiloted aerial vehicle technology. “Six months is a long time, so I have been spending a lot of time reading and researching what has been going on while I was away.”
The Geospacial Research Centre was established in 2006 by a team of five leading geospacial researchers from Nottingham University in the UK . The Centre provides a world-class geospacial technology and research capability within UCi3.
The development of unpiloted aerial vehicles is a key research area for the Geospacial Research Centre and is a platform for much of its inter-disciplinary projects. The technology may offer significant benefits to New Zealand 's farming, viticulture, defence and environmental monitoring industries, as well as search and rescue teams.
UCi3 has awarded more than $750,000 in scholarships this year. UCi3, the New Zealand ICT Innovation Institute, at the University of Canterbury is a Centre for Excellence in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The first teaching and research facility of its kind in NZ, it links academic and industry expertise to enhance high-tech capabilities and developments.
The UCi3 PhD scholarship is designed to encourage students to undertake applied research either in conjunction with a company or with the intention of developing and commercialising a product. Scholars are expected to participate in entre or an equivalent business plan competition.
John is a very worthy recipient said UCi3 Director, Dr Darin Graham . “John has already successfully developed an autopilot system for an unmanned aerial vehicle and co-founded a company to commercialise the technology. His demonstrated applied research and entrepreneurial skills are exactly what we are looking for.
John's skills and achievements to date fit well within the parameters of UCi3, which are based on transforming ideas into interaction and investment.”
UC engineers design robot capable of climbing walls
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Robotic research at the University of Canterbury has climbed new heights with the development of a wall-climbing robot.
The robot has been developed by a team of researchers lead by Associate Professor XiaoQi Chen in the University's Mechanical Engineering department.
The team is working on developing a range of mobile machines, including an underwater robot, autonomous guided vehicle and flying robot. The wall-climbing robot is the first of its projects to be developed to prototype stage. “It's a very exciting development for us,” said Professor Chen. “I think it will make a huge contribution to robotics research worldwide.”
Professor Chen said the robot, which took eight months to develop from concept to prototype stage, was unique in that it could climb on all surfaces. “There are other wall-climbing robots being developed overseas but they can only work on certain surfaces or in certain conditions. Our robot is more ubiquitous in terms of mobility. It can work on all kinds of surfaces — concrete, glass, wood, and on surfaces with cracks or gaps. It can also walk on ceilings,” he said.
Professor Chen could not reveal how the robot worked as the team was currently investigating patents. However, he said other wall-climbing robots being developed used either suction techniques, electromagnetic principles or nano-fibre based dry adhesion. “No-one else is using the kind of design we are or applying theoretical principles as we are to achieve this ubiquitous mobility. It is unmatched by any other wall-climbing robots in the world.”
Professor Chen said such a robot could have a range of industrial or commercial uses. “It could be used for building or wall inspections, repair work, cleaning or welding of containers or ships, security or surveillance — anything that requires vertical surface work.”
However, some work was still needed to make the robot commercially viable. “We now have to make it more practical in terms of operation. It's tethered now by tubing and cables so we need to get it untethered and operating without those lines. That's a very big step but it's certainly do-able.”
Professor Chen said an onboard computer would be installed to make the robot autonomous, and sensors and perception technology would be developed and integrated to allow it to recognise and avoid obstacles. He said the team also had to look at how to adapt the technology to smaller or larger scale robots. “This is not going to be a short-term effort but we're all looking forward to the challenge.”
Professor Chen hoped to have a prototype underwater robot and an autonomous land robot working later this year.
Centimetres separate winners in chemical-powered car contest
Thursday, August 16, 2007
It was bubbles of excitement and nerves as the battle between competing chemical reactions were put to the test at this year's Canterbury University Chem-E-Car competition.
Winning team CAPENZ75, comprising of Lance Brook, Kee Ming Heng, Hamish McCracken, Alia Salleh and Shuangyu Yu, used a zinc, zinc chloride and lead battery cell to power their car — and only being 1cm ahead of the second team, CAPENZ70, it was the closest competition in the history of the event, said organiser and senior lecturer Mr Ian Gilmour.
CAPENZ70, comprising of Khalis Ab Kadir, Hannah Farr, Alistair Lee, Jack Phelan and Henry Wadworth-Watts, used a lead-acid battery and nicknamed their car “Sparky”. It travelled at a good speed and only just stopped short of the line, 1cm behind the winner.
Second professional year chemical and process engineering students, as part of their assessment, design and construct a model car that is powered by a chemical energy source that will carry a load a given distance and then stop. The event tests students' ability to harness and control a chemical reaction and the winner is the team that can get its car to stop on or closest to the finish line.
One hour before the start the students were told their car had to carry 380mls of water and it had to travel 20m. A mad rush followed as students calibrated and tested their cars with those previously unknown variables.
Mr Gilmour said it was always an exciting challenge. “Applied learning like this is very valuable to the students. They have to work together in allocated teams, elect a team leader and get their cars to work, let alone win.”
Team CAPENZ77 comprising of Sarah Cooper, Robyn James, Ali Mohammadi Shiweh Kash, David Schrader and Andrew O'Connor won the poster section.“It's great winning the poster section as we had spent a lot of time on it,” said the team's captain, Sarah.
But the team's thoughts were on their car which ran on a zinc/copper sulphate/zinc battery. “It's so nerve wracking waiting and watching until your turn. We were disappointed with our first run; we put the cell together wrong and the floor is providing a lot more friction than we thought. But, we're getting better.”
The car belonging to Team CAPENZ73 (a.k.a Team Charisma) was powered by catgut and worked on collagen contraction and expansion in a salt solution and won the “Most Novel Award”.
Teams CAPENZ75 and CAPENZ70 will now prepare for the Chem-E-Car Grand Final at the CHEMECA 2007 Conference in Melbourne where they will compete against teams from other New Zealand and Australian universities. Canterbury University teams have won two out of five finals.
University mourns electronics pioneer
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The death of Sir Angus Tait last week represented a significant loss to the University of Canterbury, said Vice Chancellor Professor Roy Sharp.
Sir Angus, founder of Tait Electronics Ltd and a strong supporter of the University, was 88.
"There is no doubt the University has benefited tremendously from Sir Angus' experience, and his recognition of the value of education and research," Professor Sharp said.
Sir Angus served two terms on the University Council as a ministerial appointment and was a member of the University of Canterbury Foundation's patrons group since its inception.
His first significant financial support of the University began with the 1992/1993 Scholarship Endowment Campaign. He not only chaired the fund but contributed $1 million to establish the Tait Chair in radio communications.
Most recently the Tait Foundation, the charitable trust that now owns 80 per cent of Tait Electronics, pledged $1 million for the establishment of a Wireless Research Centre within UC's ICT Innovation Institute.
Tait Electronics Managing Director Michael Chick said the company, country and worldwide radio industry was poorer for his passing. “He was an immensely determined yet compassionate man, a great innovator and mentor for so many. He was humble and curious; never seeking the limelight but never shy of making his voice heard if it would help business and education in New Zealand.”
Sir Angus first flirted with electronics when he was 13. Then a student at Waitaki Boys High School in Oamaru, he cast aside his homework to tinker with electronics.
In 1948 he formed his first company, A.M. Tait Ltd, on the back of mobile radio sales to two taxi companies. Without any sort of business plan the company's staff swelled to 100 by the mid-1960s. But by 1967 A.M. Tait Ltd was in receivership. Instead of taking an early retirement, Sir Angus mortgaged his house and started again. He is said to have told his bank manager at the time that he would not be making the same mistakes again. He would be making new ones in future.
Sir Angus is survived by his wife Hazel and their three adult children.
New staff in the College
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Dr Gabriel Visnovsky has been appointed lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering. Dr Visnovsky has a BSc (Universidad
Nacional del Litoral, Argentina) and an MSc and PhD (Ben- Gurion University of the Negev, Israel). Since 2004 he has been working in the Biocontrol and Biosecurity Group at AgResearch Ltd. His area of expertise is in Biotechnology, biochemical engineering and bioprocess engineering.
Dr Raazesh
Sainudiin has been
appointed a lecturer
in statistics in the
Department of
Mathematics and
Statistics. He has a
BS from Minnesota
State University and
an MS and PhD from
Cornell University.
From 2005 to 2007 he was a research fellow in
the Mathematical Genetics and Bioinformatics
Group at Oxford University. His research
interests include statistical decision problems
in population genetics, phylogenetics and
ecological genetics.
Visiting pukeko tries engineering
Thursday, August 16, 2007
An inquisitive pukeko visited the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering last week making friends with staff as they arrived for work.
Cheryl McNickel, Practical Work Co-ordinator in the College of Engineering, said the pukeko was found wandering around the building and was trying hard to get inside. “He must have been hand-reared as he was very, very friendly. He would come right up to you and bend his neck so that you could scratch him under the chin or behind his ears.”
Rather than risk the bird being run over by a car, staff launched a rescue mission and “Percy” was driven to the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. It may have been a case of returning home for Percy as the reserve is home to six hand-reared pukeko. “Willowbank wondered if this was one of theirs as their staff sometimes take young birds home to hand-rear them. Apparently they are quite capable of flying some istance if their wings haven’t been damaged or clipped.”
Leading researchers recognised with fellowships
Thursday, July 19, 2007
University of Canterbury research into cheaper solar panels and a more effective delivery of radiotherapy have been given a funding boost by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.
Dr Stuart Lansley and Dr Suzanne Furkert are among 11 researchers nationally who have been appointed Post Doctoral Fellows by the foundation.
The fellowships offer a maximum annual stipend of $58,000 plus allowances for research costs and ongoing skills development, usually for three years. In total $2.9 million has been allocated to fellows in this round.
Dr Lansley, a fixed term lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said he was “very pleased but also a little surprised” to receive the fellowship. “This opportunity will allow me to concentrate solely on my research for three years and hopefully make a significant contribution to this field.”
His research deals with X-ray detectors used in radiotherapy.
Effective radiotherapy relies on providing an optimal radiation dose to a particular region of tissue while leaving the surrounding tissue undamaged. This requires sensitive detectors to ensure the accurate control of radiation beams. A diamond-based radiation detector is ideal but the cost and availability of the natural diamonds that have the desired properties has led to research into the development of synthetic diamonds grown using chemical vapour deposition (CVD).
Dr Lansley will develop CVD diamond-based X-ray detectors for use in radiotherapy. “I will be buying in the diamond and investigating the fabrication, testing and application of diamond-based X-ray detectors.”
Dr Furkert arrives at UC in September to work on a project to develop a new type of solar cell that will be cheaper to produce and more efficient than the ones currently available. Currently solar panels are expensive, take a lot of energy to produce, and are close to their efficiency limit for converting sunlight into power. A new doped diamond material has been developed at Bristol University by Dr Furkert's research team, led by Dr Neil Fox, and costs only a few cents per square metre. This is a fraction of the cost of single crystal silicon which is the most widely used solar cell material at present.
The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology invests $6 million annually into the fellowship programme to foster the development of New Zealand 's emerging and future science leaders and build greater research capability and knowledge.
Revolutionary trampoline tested
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The safety features of an innovative trampoline designed by senior lecturer Dr Keith Alexander (Mechanical Engineering) were put to the test on campus recently.
The testing of the Springfree trampoline, carried out in a mechanical engineering workshop, was organised by the company selling the trampoline and recorded as part of a promotional DVD for the product.
A huge 600kg concrete block was placed on the trampoline to show how much weight it could support, and a heavy punching bag was swung into the trampoline's safety nets to provide evidence the nets could stop a bouncing person from falling off.
Dr Alexander said the DVD would be used by Springfree Trampolines for corporate promotions. It would also contain information about the history of the trampoline, how it was designed, how it worked, and where it was manufactured.
He said Springfree was hoping to move into the European market and the promotional video, with its testing section, would show buyers the trampoline met European safety standards.
The Springfree trampoline, the first completely new trampoline design developed in more than half a century, has no steel frame on the mat edge, eliminating the need for safety pads. The traditional trampoline springs have been replaced with composite fibreglass rods that flex with the jump, resulting in a smoother, more even bounce.
The trampoline was commercialised through UC's commercial arm, Canterprise, and the intellectual property was later bought by Springfree. The trampoline is marketed in New Zealand by Levin-based Canvasland.
Among those who witnessed the return of the Springfree trampoline to the workshop was Technical Officer Ken Brown (Mechanical Engineering) who was involved in the early development of the Springfree trampoline.
Mr Brown helped develop the plastic cleats which sit on the ends of the fibreglass rods in the hem around the edge of the trampoline. “It was interesting to see the trampoline here again. We've seen it develop over the years and the final shape and design have been refined quite significantly from what we started with,” he said. “The cleats that I worked on have been modified since the early development stage but the basic idea is still the same.”
Dr Alexander designed the trampoline after his wife said conventional trampolines were too dangerous for their children to play on.
There are now three Springfree trampolines on the market — the original trampoline with 3.66m diameter mat, a smaller version with a 2.51m diameter mat, and an oval-shaped trampoline. So far about 60,000 Springfree trampolines have been sold worldwide.
Government gets behind timber construction research
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Supported by UC research results, the Government has announced a number of new initiatives to encourage more buildings to be constructed in timber.
Forestry Minister Jim Anderton has recognised research under way at the UC Department of Civil Engineering into design of timber buildings. He wishes to encourage further research in the field. To head the research two new chairs have been funded; one at Canterbury and one at the University of Auckland. Professor Andy Buchanan was appointed the inaugural UC Chair of Timber Design late last year, and will oversee a team of inter-disciplinary researchers.
"The Government is unhappy about mountains of logs being exported. Instead the country should be exporting prefabricated large-span timber buildings, but before that we have to build more timber structures to show what is possible,” Professor Buchanan said.
The initiatives include two requirements for all new Government buildings. They have to be sustainable and a timber alternative must be considered before the building is constructed. “That's significant as currently most new buildings would be concrete or steel, and the research that we are doing here shows that timber can compete with those materials, which allows these initiatives to be possible.”
In the lab Professor Buchanan and his team are testing new timber construction systems, comprising timber beams, columns and walls pre-manufactured from glue laminated timber and laminated veneer lumber (LVL), which will be similar to buildings designed to be made of concrete. They will be assembled on site with steel connection devices and prestressing cables — similar to precast concrete construction.
The research team will work with industry to investigate the fire safety, earthquake resistance, durability and sustainability of new timber construction systems for buildings up to six storeys tall. “One reason that there are not more timber buildings is that there aren't enough engineers who know how to design a large timber building. In order to give a timber alternative there needs to be more research in timber structures.”
Professor Buchanan also points out that one of the advantages of timber construction is that it is more environmentally friendly. “It takes less energy to make wood than it does for steel or concrete and there are also carbon advantages. A managed forest retains a store of carbon, that carbon is also retained in the timber buildings. Fossil fuel use can be reduced due to wood waste being burned in wood-fired power stations which is carbon neutral.”
In the long term, Professor Buchanan sees that timber buildings will become cheaper as the cost of fossil fuels increases. “There is a huge international interest in timber structures. We are setting up a research facility within the industry to develop multi-storey prestressed timber buildings, which would be a world-first. And with a patent out on the technology that has already been developed, this is an exciting field to be involved in.”
Funding allows transport disruption minimisation project to progress
Thursday, July 19, 2007
UC research investigating how the movement of vehicles on New Zealand's urban road networks can be more efficiently managed after disruptive incidents has received $170,000 in funding from Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ).
The funding will be spread over two years and is for stage two of the project, entitled “Effectiveness of Incident Management on Network Reliability”. A 12-month pilot project, which received an initial $60,000 in funding from LTNZ, was completed recently.
Lecturer in Transportation Engineering Glen Koorey (Civil Engineering) is working on the project with Associate Professor Alan Nicholson (Civil Engineering), PhD student Susan McMillan and traffic modelling specialists BasePlus Ltd.
Mr Koorey said the aim of the project was to improve the reliability of New Zealand's existing transport network by finding ways of minimising disruption to traffic caused by incidents — accidents, congestion, road works — using new technologies such as Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and developing better incident management plans. “We've had a lot of interest in our research from within the transport industry, particularly in Auckland , because of the possible benefits that could come out of it in terms of network management and improved reliability for motorists,” Mr Koorey said. “These issues are well worth investigating and it will be interesting to see what solutions we come up with that are cost effective to implement.”
A review of worldwide literature on the subject and some preliminary modelling was carried out during the pilot project and stage two will involve the use of simulation models, together with collected field data, to reproduce the effects a range of incidents will have on the network.
The research team will also investigate whether tools such as traffic signal control systems and variable message signs can be used to detect and respond to traffic incidents. “This will help us come up with suitable strategies to deal with such incidents in a way that minimises disruption to traffic flows,” Mr Koorey said.
Kids on campus for festival of fun and learning
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Mesmerised by the workings of a gear pump are Jared Tinga (6) and his dad Robin, who were among hundreds of family groups who descended on campus recently for the TV2 KidsFest 2007.
Eleven Uni for Kids programmes were run by UC as part of the children-oriented festival which ran over the recent school holidays.
Jared and his dad were fascinated by the gear pump which had been placed in a clear plastic body so its working operation could be seen clearly. It pumped out red automatic transmission oil and was part of the workshop hosted by the Chemical and Process Engineering Department called “Chemical Engineering Magic”.
Elsewhere in the College there were plenty of activities to entertain and educate young visitors: The Human Interface Technology Lab (HITLabNZ) ran a two-day workshop where children could create a 3D model and take it on a journey through a virtual environment and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offered an electrifying experience with high voltage sparks and arcs. Some of the exciting ideas in computer science were explored in “Computer Science Unplugged”; and the Mechanical Engineering Department revealed how machines work and introduced young visitors to the first robot made in New Zealand.
UC student's winning research set to shake up earthquake engineering
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Developing novel devices that virtually eliminate building damage during major earthquakes has won a University of Canterbury PhD student a major award at the MacDiarmid Young Scientists of the Year Awards.
Geoffrey Rodgers has taken top honours in the Future Science and Technologies category for his invention that has the potential to absorb more energy during an earthquake.
The devices, which are small enough to fit inside building joints, cost just $100 to $200 each, but reduce building movement during shaking and eliminate the need for repair or rebuilding after a quake.
The technology is aimed at reducing the impact of 7.0 - 8.0 magnitude earthquakes, the size statistically predicted to hit Wellington every 100 to 500 years.
Geoffrey, who is studying for his PhD in the departments of mechanical and civil engineering, said that while existing structural designs were effective at reducing fatalities, the resulting damage to infrastructure had a long-lasting effect on both the regional and often the national economy, often crippling a community for a decade or more.
"My work is motivated by the need for a new design paradigm that will reduce the impact of major earthquakes and ensure critical services, such as water and hospitals, are maintained. Relatively few lives were lost during big earthquakes in the 1990s in the United States, Japan and Taiwan, however economic losses from each event topped US$100 billion."
He said the devices therefore provided a very low-cost solution to the large economic and social impacts of a major quake. Experimental, full-scale testing and extensive computer modelling has shown 50-80% reductions in building motion during a major earthquake, equating to far more resilient cities and communities.
Geoffrey credits his success to opportunities made available to him at UC.
"The opportunities that I received to work on high level research during my undergraduate degree through summer scholarships and during my final year project were instrumental in convincing me to stay on for the PhD and this project. These experiences were important in providing me the research and publishing experience necessary to successfully compete for this award where many finalists are at the post-doctoral level."
While his research is continuing to further improve and refine the results, Geoffrey and his supervisors, Professor Geoff Chase (Mechanical Engineering), Dr Rajesh Dhakal (Civil Engineering) and Professor John Mander (Texas A&M University), hope that these devices will ultimately be used in the building industry worldwide. "It is hoped that Geoffrey's award will raise awareness of the need for diligent investing in resilient communities if the economic and social impacts of a large earthquake are to be minimised," said Dr Dhakal. "The relatively low cost of the device means that this technology would be readily available to protect all types of critical infrastructure and not just those with a large financial investment," he added.
"This research is clear evidence of the potential and power of collaborating across sometimes rigid discipline boundaries - in this case including innovative design, materials engineering, structural and computational mechanics, and, most importantly, their innovative mix to create the whole research outcome," said Professor Chase.
Geoffrey's win is the latest in a string of successes for Professor Chase's students. "Our research group is proud of the recognition our work has received at these awards as it's the third MacDiarmid winner from my team in four years over three different areas - ICT, bio-engineering and now civil/mechanical engineering, including one overall winner in 2004."
Geoffrey said he will use the $500 prize money to present his work at an international conference and visit academic in US universities. "This type of opportunity to publish and collaborate internationally has been an important part of the experience I have had here and opens up the potential of the work enormously."
Forester 'humbled' by presentation of accolade
Thursday, June 28, 2007
UC academic Associate Professor Bruce Manley has been named Forester of the Year by the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF).
Professor Manley, Head of the School of Forestry, was presented with his award during a special ceremony at the school on 19 June.
Three Canterbury students were also presented with NZIF student scholarships worth $1000 each. Second year forestry science students Amanda Farrell and Erin Poulson were awarded NZIF undergraduate awards, and PhD student Justin Morgenroth received the Frank Hutchinson Postgraduate Award.
The Forester of the Year Award is presented each year in recognition of leadership and excellence in the forestry sector. It is one of the highest accolades the NZIF bestows.
Professor Manley, a Canterbury alumnus, said he felt "very humble" at being presented with the award. "I feel very honoured to be recognised by my peers - but in a sense I feel guilty in receiving the award because I've enjoyed my time and experiences in forestry. It's really about the people in forestry and I've been lucky to work with such open people, people who are 
willing to contribute ideas and come together to develop something for the common good. I'm very proud to be associated with a sector like that."
NZIF President Jaquetta Bradshaw said the award recognised Professor Manley's 31-year contribution to forestry in New Zealand . "Bruce has undertaken a number of roles for NZIF, including councillor, registration board chairman, journal editor and he remains Convenor of the Forest Valuation Working Party. His contribution to the institute was acknowledged when he was made a fellow in 2000, and this further award is richly deserved."
Professor Manley said he was drawn to forestry as a career while in high school through his love of the outdoors and his interest in science. "I've never regretted that choice. It's a fantastic sector to work in because of the range of opportunities it provides. You can basically write your own ticket because the sector is so broad. There are career opportunities in management or research or consulting or in policy and planning," he said.
Professor Manley, whose area of expertise is forest modelling and valuation, took up his position at Canterbury in 1999, becoming head of the school in 2006. Prior to that he worked at the New Zealand Forest Research Institute in Rotorua, where he led research teams in resource evaluation and planning, and value chain optimisation. He is actively involved in international research, and has been deputy chair of the International Union of Forest Research Organisation's (IUFRO) Working Group on Large Scale Forest Inventory and Scenario Modelling since 1996.
Go-karts put ME students' skills to practical test on Ilam Fields
Thursday, June 14, 2007
It was all thrills, spills and sausages as four go-kart teams and three engineering HoDs competed for the coveted go-kart grand prix title.
As part of the ENME456 Computer Aided Product Development course assessment, mechanical engineering students designed and built the go-karts. On completion they tested and raced their go-karts at the Ilam Fields car park.
The four teams of 11 students were given a 125cc motorcycle engine and go-kart frame. The students then had to build, and were tested on, the steering mechanism, suspension and transmission.
"It's a great way for the students to learn and witness the consequences of practical and analytically based design decisions," explained Dr Dave Aitchison, senior lecturer. "After an Erskine trip last year I thought I needed to make the course more exciting and came back to UC with this idea."
Understandably without much sleep the night before, Dr Aitchison said it was a good way for students to understand what they learnt in the classroom. "We organised the race last year, which was a huge success with no crashes. The go-karts are all quite different with their own strengths and weaknesses, although the brief was the same."
To ease the insomnia Dr Aitchison conducted a safety briefing with the students before the test rounds took place.
Event organiser and Team Mauve member Theo van de Wetering had high hopes for his mauve go-kart. "Ilam Fields itself proved a great venue, but did, however, claim the Team Mauve go-kart, snapping the chain and the gearstick in one over-zealous motion in a warm-up lap. But it wasn't so bad - James Powell managed to stack the team British Racing Green go-kart firmly into the fence, and Team Black confirmed their worries about their 35 degree steering kingpins, Team Red just battled away with a faulty engine."
With some running repairs all go-karts raced once again in the engineering HoD race. Professor Pat Bodger (Electrical Engineering), in his Superman outfit, was out first. "Professor Bodger made it round the first corner in first gear, ploughed into the first bale in his path, still in first gear, bulldozed that bale into another, still in first gear, and finally came to a halt, then resorted to his pushbike," commented Theo.
Dr Peter Gostomski (Chemical and Process Engineering) was next with a conservative, yet competitive run, then Associate Professor Milo Kral (Mechanical Engineering) wrapped it up with the fastest HoD time.
Finally for the students, Team Red won, British Racing Green was second, Team Mauve third, and Team Black fourth after having to push their kart around for the second lap because they had carburettor problems.
Summing up the afternoon, "speed, noise, crashes and sausages - how couldn't you have a good time," Theo said. "The faculty, David Aitchison, Mechanical Engineering technicians Scott Amies, Eric Cox, Bruce Sparks, Paul Wells, Alan Stokes in particular, the ENME456 students and ENSOC put in a great deal of effort and were duly rewarded."
MacDiarmid Institute’s excellence rewarded
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, in which the University of Canterbury is a major partner, has been awarded nearly $40 million in new operational funding by the Government.
The institute, which is hosted by Victoria
University of Wellington, is one of seven
national Centres of Research Excellence (CoRE).
It is concerned with high quality research and
research education in materials science and
nanotechnology.
The new funding will be spread over six years.
UC’s Professor Richard Blaikie (Electrical and Computer Engineering), who is the MacDiarmid Institute’s Deputy Director, said the funding was great news for all the staff and students involved.“It is through their efforts that this success has been possible.” He said Tertiary Education Commission feedback on the institute’s funding application described it as truly national and world-class. “It described our team as exceptional, it says our results to date have been exceptional, and says we have been relentless in our pursuit of excellence.”
The Tertiary Education Minister, Dr Michael Cullen, believed the institute was one of two exemplars among the current CoREs. He said it was doing outstanding research training future physical scientists who were acquiring excellent research, entrepreneurial and communications skills.
Professor David MacKay, Acting Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington, said the funding recognised the significant successes the MacDiarmid Institute had achieved in its first six years of operation.
Conference opens doors for artificial intelligence researcher
Thursday, May 24, 2007
PhD student Moffat Mathews (Computer Science and Software Engineering) has returned home from Waikato University victorious.
Winning best paper presentation at the fifth New Zealand Computer Science Research Student Conference (NZ CSRSC) in Hamilton was wonderful, said Moffat. "As was the chance to mingle with industry giants like Craig Nevill-Manning of Google New York who attended the conference. Ian Foster (University of Chicago), Tyrone McAuley (Sidhe Interactive) and Nigel Scott, of Park Road Post, a company of Peter Jackson's, were also there for students to mix and circulate with. The conference was a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk to these people, as research students we don't often get the chance to interact with people of this calibre. It is also good that we can see what other students are doing in the other universities and establish networks."
Fourteen Canterbury delegates attended the four-day NZ CSRSC conference that comprised of workshops, invited talks and company presentations. There were 22 presentations, 22 posters and eight short papers given by students, of which Moffat's presentation was voted as the best.
Moffat's paper on artificial intelligence in education was based on his honours thesis which he completed last year. He specifically looked at problem templates and how they affect learning in intelligent tutoring systems. An intelligent tutoring system is a software programme that is designed to give students individualised instruction without the need for an immediate teacher and is devised around the possible different behaviours of each individual.
Loving the opportunity to research and learn about computers he added that life was constantly about learning. "Once you are born, until you die, you learn. What you learn, and how you learn defines the way you view and experience life. I want to develop technology that adapts to and helps people learn, so they can create and improve their experience of life."
Currently Moffat is organising next year's conference. "A year may seem a long way off, but it isn't when you have to organise dates, keynote speakers, accommodation - there's a lot to do." As well as taking on that role, Moffat is preparing for the Artificial Intelligence in Education Conference in Los Angeles, US , where he is presenting a poster.
Scholarship gives earthquake researcher solid financial foundation
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Civl engineering student Brendon Bradley has been awarded the Brownlie Scholarship for 2007.
The scholarship, awarded to the top doctoral candidate for study towards a PhD, is valued at $26,000 a year plus tuition fees for three years. It was established in 1998 in recognition of the contribution to the development of Canterbury University by Professor Albert Brownlie, who was vice-chancellor from 1977 to 1998 and head of economics from 1965 to 1977. Brendon, who started working on his PhD this year, said receiving the scholarship was a welcome surprise. "It definitely helps financially and it feels like I'm doing a job rather than studying because I'm receiving what many people would get as a starting wage. It makes things a lot easier."
Brendon's area of research is earthquake engineering and for his PhD he is working on the development of risk/loss assessment methods to help estimate the likely lifetime cost of structures due to earthquakes.
A main outcome of the project will be the development of a computer program that will calculate financial, death and business downtime losses by taking into consideration the site of the structure, how the structure responds to earthquakes, the damage associated with the response, and losses due to damage.
Brendon said current earthquake design philosophies only considered preventing collapse during a design-level earthquake (the intensity of ground shaking that a structure is designed to withstand), but do not take into account the likely resulting damage.
He hoped the development of a loss assessment tool would help enable rational design decisions based on minimising the lifetime cost of the structure, in addition to ensuring life safety. "It will be a more advanced method if assessing structures using probability theory and detailed analyses. So, to make it feasible in a consulting situation there is a need for purpose-built tools to enable the assessments to be carried out efficiently," he said.
The computer program will be based on research data Brendon collects, as well as on structural testing he intends to carry out in the University's earthquake lab.
Brendon also received the Freemasons Postgraduate Scholarship for 2007, which is worth $10,000.
Top technology scholarship for UC student
Thursday, May 24, 2007
UC engineering student Lisa Woods has been awarded the 2007 Dick and Mary Earle Scholarship in Technology, worth $17,000, by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellor's Committee (NZVCC).
Lisa, currently completing her Masters degree, said she was very grateful to be the recipient of the scholarship as it would help her finish her studies and achieve her goal of becoming an innovative and successful structural engineer. "It would have been really hard to do a Masters without a scholarship so to receive this is wonderful," she said.
Lisa has completed the course component of her degree at the University of British Columbia in Canada and recently returned to Canterbury University to do her thesis investigating the seismic performance of pre-cast concrete floors, specifically hollowcore, in concrete frame buildings, under the supervision of Professor Des Bull and Dr Stefano Pampanin.
The scholarship was established by Dick and Mary Earle, both emeritus professors at Massey University, in 1999 to support and encourage postgraduate research in technology. The scholarship funds an individual to undertake research towards a masters or doctorate at a New Zealand university or other research institution, in one of two fields - innovation and product development, or bioprocess technology.
NZVCC Scholarships Manager Kiri Manuera said the committee and Public Trust, which manages the scholarship, were pleased to award the scholarship to "such an ambitious and outstanding student. Lisa Woods was chosen from a number of very impressive applicants, and we wish her well in her studies."
Appointments
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Professor Nigel Priestley has been appointed an adjunct professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. Professor Priestly, a graduate of the University of Canterbury , is recognised as an international authority in the field of earthquake engineering and behaviour of reinforced concrete and masonry structures subjected to severe seismic motions.
Adjunct professors Kenneth Entwistle (Mechanical Engineering), has had his appointment renewed.
All appointments are for three-year terms.
PM makes contact with UC over high-speed hook-up
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
Prime Minister Helen Clark got to experience the new super high speed research network, KAREN, during a recent video conference link-up between the Human Interface Technology (HIT) Lab at Canterbury University and its counterpart in Seattle, Washington.
Ms Clark, who had been on a week-long tour of the United States, visited the University of Washington's HIT Lab and linked up with the Canterbury-based HIT Lab via video conference.
Ms Clark and the president of the University of Washington, Mark Emmertt, spoke with HIT Lab NZ director Dr Mark Billinghurst and HIT Lab international director Professor Tom Furness, who were in Christchurch.
The link was made possible using video conferencing equipment supplied by high-definition video communications company LifeSize and run over the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN). "Communication of this type is critical for New Zealand to stand on the international stage and contribute to important international research collaborations," Dr Billinghurst said.
The HIT Lab NZ has a number of ongoing research collaborations with the Seattle-based HIT Lab and KAREN will enable the delivery of this work. KAREN, which was launched last year, can carry huge amounts of data and is 20,000 times faster than dial-up internet and 10,000 times faster than a household broadband connection.
Energy availability modelling raises crucial issues for future transport and city layout in NZ
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
With the prospect of substantial urban sprawl in New Zealand cities and increasing car usage, Dr Andre Dantas (Civil Engineering), Dr Susan Krumdieck (Mechanical Engineering) and mechanical engineering PhD student Shannon Page have developed a software system to measure the impact of potential fuel shortages for a variety of future scenarios.
RECATS, the software model, was an outcome from their report Energy Risk to Activity Systems as a Function of Urban Form. The report, commissioned by Land Transport New Zealand, investigated the impact of little or no fuel availability - RECATS was designed to support-decision making in terms of the impacts of possible fuel shortages.
"We have presented our results and demonstrated the RECATS modelling capability to a range of transport engineers, council employees, and commercial trucking providers. The consistent feedback is that the RECATS could provide a vital tool in long-range planning and community development," said Dr Dantas. RECATS calculates a risk factor according to a given year, urban form and travel demand.
The prospect of running out of petroleum is a worrying thought. The impact would be far reaching, Dr Dantas said. "People would be heavily affected in their daily lives if they are not self sufficient - how are food and goods going to be transported if we don't have fuel for trucks and vehicles?
"Transport planners have historically assumed that fuel supply is unlimited . We go about our daily lives without worrying about the energy that we consume. Currently our consumption is higher than production. As long as we have an income to buy fuel we carry on as usual. New Zealand is the second highest country in the world per capita for petrol consumption. The highest is the US with 2.7 mega joule-km per person; New Zealand is 2.0 mega joule-km per person."
Surrounding the debate is the concern that currently there is no other fuel source that can currently replace petroleum. Nuclear energy is controversial, ethanol and biofuels have a diesel component and solar or wind energy can't generate enough energy.
"These energy sources do not produce enough energy to substitute economically and environmentally for petroleum. To run the Orbiter bus at 100% capacity, as it runs now, we would need a huge dam or a considerable part of the Canterbury Plains would need to be covered with solar panels. Realistically we will need to live with less fuel."
With recent world-wide disruptions to fuel supply there is vulnerability of existing transportation systems. Land Transport New Zealand commissioned the report because of the unsustainable trend in transport with declining energy supply, fossil fuel reliance and suburban growth.
Despite rising alarm about future energy availability, major planning initiatives such as the numerous urban developments around New Zealand have not yet incorporated energy shortage/crisis risks. " Pegasus Town near Woodend is built to last 200-300 years, yet fuel will not be available then. As fuel becomes more expensive what will happen to the town's viability, how will it survive," asked Dr Krumdieck. "In 2030 there is an 85% chance that people in New Zealand will have 30% less energy than we have now."
We're Going to the Zoo
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
In what is thought to be a world first in the advertising sector, mobile phone technology developed at UC’s HITLabNZ has been used to promote Wellington Zoo.
Saatchi and Saatchi used an augmented reality program, developed by intern student Anders Henrysson, to let newspaper readers view 3D images of zoo animals on their phones.The advertisement invited users of Nokia camera phones to download the program through a mobile texting service. When readers hovered their phones over a patterned square within the advertisement, 3D animal images were displayed on the screen.
The phone could be moved to view the animals from different angles. HitLab Director Dr Mark Billinghurst believed it was the first time this kind of technology had been used in advertising. Anders Henrysson, who is a PhD student at the University of Linkjoping in Sweden, said until now augmented reality technology had generally been limited to headset devices. He believed adapting the technology for mobile phones was a logical progression. “There are one billion camera phones out there right now and that number is increasing.”
Canterbury retains top Engineering school status
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
The UC College of Engineering has again been ranked number one in New Zealand for research in Engineering and Technology.
The results of the 2006 Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) evaluation were released last week. UC’s College of Engineering received a quality score of 5.1 in this subject area, with Auckland University next on 4.8 and both University of Otago and Massey University on 4.5. This is the second round of the PBRF, which is conducted by the Government to determine the level of funding given to each institution based on research excellence. The inaugural PBRF evaluation took place in 2004.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Engineering) Professor Peter Jackson says he is delighted with the result and says it demonstrates the College’s commitment to research as well as teaching.
"This is a fantastic achievement to be rated number one for the second time,” he says. “The College of Engineering is proud of the quality of its academic staff, many of whom are among the world leaders in their respective fields. The academic staff have passion for their subject areas and enjoy passing on their knowledge to our engineering students at UC.”
Robotic Planes flying out of new research centre
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
The development of an unmanned, robotic plane for farmers to collect data on animal health, crop and soil conditions, water uptake and water use is one example of the work to be done at the new multi-million dollar Geospatial Research Centre launched earlier this month.
The new Geospatial Research Centre is a
partnership between the University of
Canterbury, the University of Nottingham (UK) and Canterbury Development Corporation, and is based at the New Zealand ICT Innovation
Institute within UC’s College of Engineering.
Broadly speaking, geospatial research involves the capture and interpretation of data from a range of integrated sensors including imaging systems and satellite positioning devices.
Director of the Centre, Dr David Park, and four
other researchers from the University of
Nottingham’s Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG) have moved to
Christchurch to establish the new centre.
“The range of actual physical environments that
are available for research in the South Island
within a few hours of Christchurch in terms of
oceans, rain forest, glaciers, mountains, cliffs
and agriculture of all types makes it all very
exciting,” he said.
Dr Park said the centre is already trialling
an unmanned aircraft fitted with a Global
Positioning System (GPS), imaging systems
and communications facilities. “The idea is to develop a model which would
retail for about $10,000 and which would be
no more than a couple of metres in size, and
packed with electronics and sensor devices.”
Dr Park said the aircraft would fly over a
property and technology on board would
collate and feed information to a central
computer which would interpret the data and
produce useful information to help manage a
property more efficiently.
The new centre has received $2 million
in government funding and $900,000 in
regional funding. The centre needs to be self supporting
within two-and-a-half years. At the launch function, Dr Park told guests
they could expect “big things” to come out of
the centre.
Canterbury University Vice-Chancellor
Professor Roy Sharp said the launch was the
culmination of two years of hard work by the
centre’s partners.
He welcomed representatives from the
University of Nottingham who had travelled
from Nottingham to Christchurch to attend
the centre’s first board meeting and the
launch function. “This is truly a great day for the University
and we are very grateful to our partners at
Nottingham and the Canterbury Development
Corporation for working with us to make
this happen.”
Dr Park thanked his fellow researchers
for making the commitment to move to
Christchurch and set up the new centre. He
told guests the centre had already secured
several hundred thousand dollars worth of
contract work from the private sector.
One of the guests from the University of
Nottingham, Professor Alan Dodson, talked
about the University’s enthusiasm to
form research partnerships as part of its
internationalisation programme. The new
Geospatial Research Centre is the University’s
third offshore enterprise.
Major accolade bestowed upon UC power engineer
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Canterbury University researcher Professor Yonghe Liu was awarded the prestigious 2006 Cooper Medal at a special ceremony on campus last week.
The medal, awarded by the Royal Society of New Zealand, is presented every two years to the author of the best account of original research work carried out in physics or engineering.
Professor Liu, Electric Power Computer Applications Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Associate of the Electric Power Engineering Centre (EPECentre), was awarded the medal for a paper called 'Multi-level voltage re-injection - a new concept in high voltage source conversion'.
Professor Liu, who also holds a professorship at the Inner Mongolia University of Technology in China , has been working in the area of high voltage DC (HVDC) and Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS). His research, outlined in the paper, looks at power conversion and how high voltage power can be transmitted and distributed flexibly and economically.
The Cooper Medal was established in memory of Dr Edmund Roy Cooper, who was the first director of the Dominion Physical Laboratory from 1939 to 1950 and was an assistant secretary (physics and engineering) of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research until his death in 1952.
The medal and accompanying certificate were presented to Professor Liu by Emeritus Professor David Elms (Civil Engineering) on behalf of the Academy of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Prior to the presentation, Professor Liu gave a lecture on power station development in China which was broadcast live to about 20 engineers at Transpower New Zealand in Wellington.
Despite major growth in generation since 1979, China still produces relatively little power per person Professor Liu said. "In New Zealand power generation equates to 2.08kW per person compared to just 0.47kW per person in China."
In China, 75% of power generation comes from thermal resources, 24% from hydro power and 1% from nuclear and wind. The seminar and presentation to Professor Liu was organised and sponsored by the EPECentre based at the University.
Appointments
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The University of Canterbury has renewed the appointment of the following adjunct senior fellow: Robert Spiegal (Civil Engineering). The appointment is for a three-year term.
UC student to represent NZ at environmental forum in Thailand
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Canterbury University student Chelsea Giles-Hansen is off to Thailand in May to represent New Zealand at the second Eco-Minds Youth Forum.
Chelsea, a third professional year natural resources engineering student, is only one of three New Zealand students going to the Asia-Pacific forum being held in Bangkok from 31 May to 3 June.
The forum is organised as part of a global partnership between Bayer and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
New Zealand delegates are chosen through the Eco-Minds challenge run by Bayer New Zealand and the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO. The challenge involves writing an essay, the topic this year being "Ensuring a sustainable river basin".
Chelsea said she was really looking forward to taking part in what looked to be a challenging programme of events.
Three delegates each from nine countries will work together during the forum to discuss and develop practical solutions to address real-world sustainable development issues through an interdisciplinary approach. This year's theme is "Thinking Sustainability: Fresh Water Supply".
Participants will take part in forums, team assignments, tour Bangkok and provincial sustainability sites and go on an eco-walk.
Chelsea, who is president of the Women in Engineering Society at UC, said she hoped to come back from the forum with a greater appreciation of the global situation.
"I'm quite passionate about sustainability and the environment and I think it's really exciting that there will be people from a range of disciplines - engineers, scientists, managers, commerce students - dealing with real-world problems and trying to find solutions together.
"It's going to be really interesting hearing what other disciplines have to offer, and learning the views and ideas of other countries."
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Engineering) Professor Peter Jackson congratulated Chelsea on her achievement.
"I am sure she will find it a rewarding experience and will learn a lot from the other delegates and the programme itself to further her interest and study in sustainability issues. As the President of WIE, Chelsea is a good ambassador for the College of Engineering and I look forward to hearing about the trip upon her return."
While at UC Chelsea has been involved in a number of environment-related projects, including monitoring and reporting on the ecological health of Okeover Stream and an investigation into the environmental, social, economic, political, cultural and technical issues associated with proposed tidal turbine power generation from Cook Strait.
HumanWare sponsors Chair at University of Canterbury and joins UCi3
Thursday, March 15, 2007
HumanWare - the global leader in assistive technologies for vision, including products for the blind and visually impaired - is honouring the pioneering spirit of its founder, the late Russell Smith, by becoming the fifth founding partner of UCi3, New Zealand 's ICT Innovation Institute.
HumanWare is joining HP, IBM, Jade Software Corporation and Tait Electronics at the Institute, which is based at the University of Canterbury 's College of Engineering.
The company is establishing an Assistive Technology research theme within UCi3 and sponsoring a Chair to recognise the contribution to ICT and education by Dr Smith and his wife Marian D'Eve, who died in a plane crash in 2005.
Dr Smith was the driving force behind the creation and growth of Pulse Data International and its development into HumanWare. Dr Smith, often accompanied by Marian D'Eve, travelled the world tirelessly to help build a fast-growing New Zealand-based company.
Professor Peter Jackson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Engineering), says Dr Smith was a key supporter of the University and of UCi3.
"As an Electrical Engineering PhD graduate from the University of Canterbury, Russell remained a true advocate of the University, serving on the UC Council and assisting the engagement of the University with industry. Marian D'Eve was also strongly involved with UC.
"Russell had demonstrated his strong support for the creation of UCi3 through a letter sent with the original Partnerships for Excellence application. However his death brought an unfortunate but temporary halt to further discussions on collaboration between HumanWare and UCi3."
In March 2006 Dr Richard Mander was appointed CEO of HumanWare and negotiations were re-opened to explore how the company could further its research capabilities through UCi3 and at the same time recognise Dr Smith's contribution to the ICT sector and the University.
"We are delighted to have HumanWare on board with UCi3 and look forward to developing the Assistive Technology theme to build upon Russell's original PhD research which paved the way for the multinational entity that HumanWare is today," Professor Jackson says.
The Assistive Technology research theme will involve extensive collaboration among HumanWare, the University of Canterbury, industry partners and others in academia to conduct research that identifies technologies, processes, services and programmes which have potential to enhance the lives of people with disabilities.
HumanWare's current world-renowned technologies include Braille, book reader, text processing and video-magnification solutions.
HumanWare CEO Dr Richard Mander says: "We're proud to be honouring Dr Russell Smith and Marian D'Eve while becoming even more closely involved with the University of Canterbury. As a UC graduate myself, I know how important their involvement was both to them and to the University. We are also more than pleased to be joining the other founder companies in UCi3."
The Russell Smith and Marian D'Eve Chair in Assistive Technology will be announced at a launch function later in the year.
Visiting mathematician in his prime
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Why did David Beckham and Michael Jordan both choose to play in the number 23 shirt?
According to Oxford University mathematics Professor Marcus du Sautoy, players wearing prime numbers are more successful. He tested his theory on his own football team, Recreativo Hackney, which plays in a London local league. He persuaded his team members to wear prime numbers and the team jumped up the league table.
Professor du Sautoy is fascinated by prime numbers - whole numbers that are only divisible by one and themselves - for more serious reasons. Prime numbers play a key role in nature; one species of cicadas lies dormant for 17 years making it harder for its predator to synchronise its life cycle. Prime numbers are also the key to e-business encryption allowing people to keep credit card accounts secret from hackers.
Professor du Sautoy visited UC last month as a Maclaurin Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (NZIMA). During his week-long visit he worked closely with Dr Ben Martin (Mathematics and Statistics) who is researching generalisations of the Riemann zeta function, which encodes information about the distribution and properties of prime numbers.
Professor du Sautoy also delivered the first of the year's Science Prestige Lectures in which he outlined why prime numbers are the "atoms of mathematics, the hydrogen and oxygen of the world of numbers".
Mathematics is the science of patterns yet mathematicians remain stumped by the task of predicting when the next prime number will occur.
"The overall theme of Professor du Sautoy's lecture was that, although prime numbers are very mysterious and their behaviour seems random, if you look at them in the right way then some beautiful patterns appear," said Dr Martin.
"The first person to understand these patterns - by proving the so-called Riemann Hypothesis - will win $US1 million from the Clay Mathematics Institute."
Professor du Sautoy is the author of numerous books on mathematics and presents the BBC 4 television programme Mind Games. He has been named by the Independent on Sunday as one of the UK 's leading scientists and in 2001 he won the prestigious Berwick Prize of the London Mathematical Society awarded every two years to reward the best mathematical research made by a mathematician under 40. Signed copies of his book, The Music of the Primes, are available at the University Bookshop (UBS).
Coast to coast a family affair
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Competing in New Zealand's premier multisport event is becoming a family tradition for the de Lacey family.
IT project manager Dr Emma de Lacey (Information and Communication Technology Services) and her son Jacob, a second year computer engineering student, took part in the 25 th anniversary race of the Speight's Coast to Coast on 9 and 10 February and came third in the family team section.
For Jacob it was the first time competing in the gruelling event, but it was the fourth time for both his mother and his father Guy, who were among the contingent of 11 "originals" who competed in the inaugural Coast to Coast in 1983 and who returned for the anniversary race.
Mr de Lacey competed in the one-day event for the first time this year and won the classic (50+) men's division.
Dr de Lacey said the appeal the race still held for her was "the idea of getting from one side of the island to the other on your own steam". She also loved the fun atmosphere, the competitors' camaraderie and the tremendous support racers were shown along route from crowds that turned out to watch and cheer.
For Jacob it was a case of following in his parent's footsteps.
"I'd heard about it ever since I can remember so thought it would be a good challenge," he said.
On the first day Dr de Lacey set off from Kumara Beach on the West Coast and rode the cycle leg and Jacob did the mountain run and on day two it was mum off again first, this time in a sea kayak on the Waimakariri, and Jacob got to ride into Sumner on the second cycle leg.
"It worked out quite well as Jacob did the second thing each day and he doesn't like getting up early and he also got to finish and get the beer and I don't like beer," said Dr de Lacey.
Jacob says he is keen to give the race another crack in the future and for Dr de Lacey the goal is to be back to compete in the longest day in 2008.
Appointments
Thursday, March 1, 2007
The University of Canterbury has renewed the appointments of the following adjunct senior fellows:
Dr John Fink (Centre of Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering),
Dr Geoffrey Shaw (Centre of Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering),
Robert Spiegel (Civil Engineering),
John Tustin (Forestry).
All appointments are for a three-year term.
Inaugural scholarships a boost for ICT students
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Next generation mobile communications, power management solutions and the inter-operation between computer programs are all topics that will be tackled by the inaugural recipients of UCi3 Master's Scholarships.
The scholarships were established last year on behalf of sponsors of the ICT Innovation Institute (UCi3) at the University of Canterbury to encourage research in the information and communication technology (ICT) field, either in conjunction with a company or with the intention of developing and commercialising a product.
The scholarships, worth $30,000 each for a year, were awarded to three engineering masters students.
Electrical and computer engineering student Arpan Mandal said he and his family were "overjoyed" when they found out he had received the scholarship.
Arpan, who did his undergraduate studies in engineering electronics and communication at Bangalore University in India , will return to study after six years in the workforce.
Arpan's master's project will involve him working on an aspect of 4G (fourth-generation) mobile communications technology.
Under the supervision of Professor Harsha Sirisena (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Dr Kishore Mehrotra (Tait Electronics), Arpan will conduct research on advancing high-speed wireless broadband technology known as WiMAX.
"The technology is not yet fully developed and there are thousands and thousands of engineers working on this worldwide but to our knowledge we are the only academic institution in New Zealand working on this technology," Arpan said.
Thomas Venning, a fifth-year student in electrical and computer engineering, will work with the Christchurch branch of Eaton Powerware, a leading global provider of power quality and management solutions .
Eaton is developing a new range of rectifiers (electrical devices which convert alternating current to direct current) and Thomas will be involved in researching and testing different base designs to develop a low-cost, low-power rectifier under the supervision of Dean of Engineering, Associate Professor Richard Duke.
Computer science and software engineering student Di Zhou (Joe) said he was very proud to receive one of the inaugural awards.
"I was really excited because the scholarship has presented me with an opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge in search of solutions to real-life business problems."
Joe's master's thesis will see him working with JADE Software Corporation to better understand how software agents work in the business sector and communicate with object-oriented database management systems. He will also investigate the suitability of an intelligent multi-agent system to inter-operate with JADE computational platform in logistic areas, for example in a port. He will be supervised by Dr Richard Pascoe (Computer Science and Software Engineering).
Pro-Vice Chancellor (Engineering) Professor Peter Jackson said the scholarships were an important part of the University's strategy for making UCi3 "an icon for the ICT industry in New Zealand ".
"By setting their value at the top end of the range and having them awarded in association with ICT companies, we hope to attract top students into postgraduate research in this general area.
"In particular, we are looking for students who are interested in product development with an industrial focus and are very pleased with the standard set by our inaugural scholars."
Appointments
Thursday, February 15, 2007
The University of Canterbury has renewed the appointments of the following adjunct senior fellows:
Professor Hai Jin (Computer Science and Software Engineering),
Dr David Park (Mechanical Engineering),
Mr Patrick Tottiers (Engineering Management Programme).
All appointments are for a three-year term.
State-of-the-art human interface technology on show at conference
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Interactive story-telling, advanced networking software and future human computer interfaces were all the rage at the Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HIT Lab NZ) 2007 annual conference last week.
The two-day conference held on the UC campus, entitled Next Generation Experience Technology, gave participants a glimpse into the future of experience technology through a range of workshops, interactive demonstrations and addresses by keynote speakers.
Among the speakers were Professor Tom Furness, the founder of the HIT Lab at the University of Washington in Seattle, and Dr Michael Haller, a senior lecturer in the department of Digital Media of the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences in Hagenberg , Austria .
During the conference participants got to check out interactive clinical pharmacology, an interactive science exhibit using augmented reality to explain the behaviour and creation of volcanoes, New Zealand's first three-screen immersive stereo projection theatre, and meet in a virtual meeting room.
UC projects receive funding boost from TEC
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Two Canterbury University-led projects have been awarded a share of $9.7 million in funding from the Tertiary Education Commission.
The funding comes from the fourth and final round of the TEC's Innovation and Development Fund (IDF), which aims to foster innovation in tertiary education.
One of the projects, led by Professor Phil Butler (Physics and Astronomy), aims to transfer to New Zealand some of the latest research and technology for detecting ionising radiation. It will lead to increased capability in the teaching of, and research into, the fields of medical imaging and high energy physics.
Professor Butler, Dr Jenny Williams, Associate Professor Lou Reinisch, Dr Richard Watts and Dr Juergen Meyer (Physics and Astronomy), Associate Professor Phil Bones and Dr Anthony Butler (Electrical and Computer Engineering), will be working with scientists from Auckland and Massey universities with input from researchers at Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) and the University of Otago Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Professor Butler said that over a 12-month period the project group planned to enhance existing university courses on high energy physics and medical imaging with new technological information acquired through links with CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Geneva, Switzerland.
"One of the spin-offs of the experiments at CERN has been the development of much better detectors for X-rays, and this project spins out of that," he said.
The group also plans to look at ways of transferring that new technological information into improved imaging devices for medical and biological processes.
The project is linked to a CPIT proposal to develop an interactive multimedia practice environment for medical imaging students.
Another UC-led project aims to develop a Biomolecular Interaction Centre (BIC) in Canterbury .
The collaborative project is spearheaded by Professor Juliet Gerrard (Biological Sciences), Dr Emily Parker, Adjunct Professor Bill Swallow (Chemistry) and Professor Conan Fee (Chemical and Process Engineering) in partnership with researchers at Lincoln and Otago universities plus Crop and Food, and Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
Professor Swallow said the project built on the Growth Industry Pilot Initiative (GIPI) contract Canterbury and Lincoln universities were awarded TEC funding for in March last year, which had helped build an enterprise culture within the biotechnology communities.
"The GIPI project has worked really well but the thing we realised was that the infrastructure's not there in terms of the equipment we use, it's not up to par."
The UC foursome got together and with the help of others in the consortium devised a "shopping list of equipment".
The IDF funding is being matched by the University's colleges of Science and Engineering as well as funds from the Crown Research Institute partners to purchase a suite of state-of-the art instruments which will be housed at UC.
BIC will be a "virtual centre" to concentrate regional infrastructure around an area of niche specialisation and drive cross-disciplinary research in the area of biotechnology, particularly in medical and veterinary applications and nanotechnology. The new suite of instruments will enable the BIC to bring critical mass to the region's key chemistry, engineering and biological capabilities in these fields.
UC researchers are also partners in projects looking at implementing e-learning guidelines across the tertiary sector, the establishment of a National Energy Research Institute, the development of a digital science database (BeSTGRID), and internet-based medical learning tools.
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