Barcaldine Armidale Bathurst Blue Mountains Broken Hill Cessnock Dubbo Emerald Goulburn

Cairns Lithgow Newcastle Orange Gladstone Queanbeyan Tamworth Mackay Wagga Wagga

Albury Gold Coast Coffs Harbour Gosford Greater Taree Griffith Hawkesbury Lake Macquarie Gympie Lismore

Lithgow Townsville Maitland Shellharbour Shoalhaven Palmerston Mount Barker Maryborough Mount Gambier

Mount Isa Murray Bridge Port Adelaide Port Augusta Port Pirie Rockhampton Port Lincoln

Victor Harbor Ipswich Whyalla Burnie Devonport Launceston Ararat Bundaberg Bairnsdale

Benalla Toowoomba Ballarat Bendigo Geelong Hamilton Sunshine Coast Horsham

Morwell Mildura Sale Roma Shepparton Traralgon Wangaratta Warrnambool Wodonga Albany Bunbury

Busselton Geraldton Kalgoorlie Mandurah

ENGINEERING QUEENSLAND NEWS

Edition 1, 2012

Queensland President’s message 01

Newly Chartered Queensland members 02

2012 Engineering Excellence Awards 03

Engineers promote community safety 04

There’s a new name in marine 05

Engineer recognised for service to TAFE 06

Featured Regional Group – Townsville 07

Thiess John Holland completes largest jacked box operation 08

Obituary – Ross Mangano 10

2011 Student Prize – Electrical Branch Medal 11

Engineering your career 13

UQ Engineering students Make it So in Cambodia 14

Women in Engineering Queensland 15

eChartered Update 16

Produced by:Engineers Australia Queensland division

Engineering House 447 Upper Edward StreetBrisbane QLd 4000

telephone 07 3832 3749Facsimile 07 3832 2101Email qld@engineersaustralia.org.auWeb qld.engineersaustralia.org.au

Content of this newsletter was correct at the time of printing. Please check the website for the most up-to-date listings of events and programs.

Advertising and editorial:ian McEwan, Executive directorEmail imcewan@engineersaustralia.org.au

SPONSORS

INSIDE

01

QUEENSLAND PRESIDENTSteven Goh

I am Steven Goh, and I am a proud engineer and your 2012 President!

It is a privilege and a great pleasure to be in this role, and to be living in beautiful Queensland. It is my vision to see that Queensland is not only known for its beaches and relaxed lifestyle but for its engineering ingenuity, expertise, sustainability and exploits. For a start, I would like to acknowledge the great work that Immediate Past President Dennis Wogan has achieved during his tenure, in particular, the development of a 3 year strategic plan for the Queensland Division which will provide focus and continuity. I would also like to acknowledge the election of Deputy President Simon Orton and his past role in leading Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management.

As a division, we have been focused on listening to our members and their aspirations and how Engineers Australia can lead the engineering profession forward. It is of my view that we need to be more visible within the community at large, be a considered and balanced voice to policy makers, and in particular, to be more relevant and engaging for our members. I believe our learned society in the past has been biased toward passiveness in the policy arena and with communicating the value proposition for membership. We have been active in developing and implementing strategies but I want to hear from you and get a real feel for how we can move forward together. With our colleagues in other states and territories, I believe we can make a real difference to the engineering communities that we share.

I’m excited by the prospects that many parts of regional Queensland are booming and present considerable opportunities for engineers and the organisations they work for. I recently toured the Airport Link Project and I was impressed by the engineering involved! And I am also very conscious of the enormous contributions that each engineer makes to society.

I will be doing my best to meet with as many of you over the coming months as I can to introduce myself and learn more about you and hear first hand your experiences within the engineering profession. In the mean time, you can find out more about me and follow my activities and announcements on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Steven-Goh/126349770767395.

I have uploaded my President’s Address to Facebook where I have tried to explain a little of my plans, and why I think we are all passionate about the role of engineering and what we all do. In this context, I am so proud to have the opportunity over this year to showcase your creativity, your innovation and your commitment to the engineering profession. My best wishes to you for 2012 and I look forward to meeting up with you soon.

Steven Goh Queensland President qldpresident@engineersaustralia.org.au

Congratulations to ouR NEWly ChaRtEREd QuEENSlaNd mEmbERS

Congratulations to ouR NEW ENGINEERING EXECutIVE Baker, Andrew

02

ahmed, Zulfiqarang, Junweiappelcryn, Antonarewgoda, Sumanasiriavella, Juanaxton, AndrewBackhouse, DanielBahrambeygi, KamranBambah, RajeshBarrett, PaulBekker, RudiBeukelman, PaulBitzios, AdrianBoesch, Peter

Butler, DeanButterfield, ScottCharman, NicholasChen, HaimingColman, RobertCotter, MalcolmCurd, MitchellDarcy, GregDebeck, StephenDodhia, AmeeDonohue, DavidDouglas, JonDowd, ScottElliot, Martin

Frith, Jamesgarrett, Bradley McNieceghosh, Swadhingibbons, Patrickgrobler, Bengrose, Jonathan guadalquiver, Arturogurung, PranayaHackett, PaulJohnson, MatthewKingston, Davidlewis, Jeffreylimans, Nikolonie, Iain

Makwana, DhirajbhaiMarriott, AndrewMcniece, BradleyMohyud-Din, NayafMoir, ScottMorgan, HenryMortier, Jeremynayler, Benjaminnorris, Josephozaydin, AhmetPaladugu, MurthyPalmen, LukePalmer, LeroyPandey, NimishPapazoglou, GeorgeParr, AdrianPlamenac, DanielPokarier, DavidPoncet, GuillaumePuntil, Michaelradampola, Senanie rahmani, Mahdireed, Louisrobinson, Davidrosano, Flavio

rosbrook, Keithroworth, Johnsaul, Ianselmes, Philipsevera, ZdenekShafighy, Meharnsharma, Shyamal sherlock, Williamsingh, Manishspiteri, Christopherspoor, Kerrystacey, Seanstangherlin, Guidotaneka, StandfordVan ruth, AnthonyVignale, MarkWadley, GrahamWebb, RachaelWeeratunga, SisiraWest, AlexisWijeratne, HiranWilegoda Mudalige, TilakXia, GaryZhan, NingtaoZohar, David

CPEng

03

Engineers Australia plays an important role in promoting engineering excellence and the contribution engineering makes to the community. Our award programs seek to identify, recognise and reward outstanding achievement, eminence in the practice of engineering, and conspicuous service to the profession.

Entries are now open for our 2012 Engineering Excellence Awards that recognise engineering across a range of project categories and also our Individual Awards that recognise individual achievement.

Support us in raising the profile of the engineering team and nominate a project or individual for their due recognition. Full information regarding the Awards program can be found at our website www.engineersaustralia.org.au/queensland-division/awards

EnginEEring EXCEllEnCE aWarDs

The Queensland Engineering Excellence Awards program is an opportunity for businesses of all sizes, across a wide range of sectors to showcase their engineering achievements. The Awards recognise and showcase engineering excellence in Queensland, and receive wide recognition in industry, the engineering profession and the community.

Projects that were completed between January 2010 to December 2011 can be entered for consideration in the 2012 awards. Separable portions of a project are eligible. Entrants will receive valuable industry promotion:

• Peer recognition of your organisation at the prestigious awards event

• Inclusion in awards commemorative magazine, which is distributed to all Queensland Division members across the state

• Category winners will be invited to submit their projects in the National Engineering Excellence Awards

iMPortant DatEs 2012

tuesday 8 May: ‘Intent to enter’ registrations close

Monday 11 June: Final date for entry fee to be paid in full

tuesday 10 July: Full submissions due

Friday 14 september: Engineering Excellence Awards Gala Dinner

inDiViDual aWarDs

This is your opportunity to put someone forward that you believe deserves recognition for their contribution to the engineering team. Engineers may self-nominate for these awards, or can be nominated by an employer, peer or member of the community (with a member acting as a referee). The categories on offer include:-

• Professional Engineer of the Year

• Engineering Technologist of the Year

• Engineering Officer of the Year

• Young Professional Engineer of the Year

• Young Engineering Technologist of the Year

• Young Engineering Officer of the Year

PERSONAL AWARDS JUDGING CRITERIA

• Financial member of Engineers Australia

• Engineering competence

• Demonstrated leadership skills

• Positive/notable engineering works outcomes

• Creativity/innovation

• Service to industry, the profession or the community

iMPortant DatEs 2012

Monday 11 June: Nominations close

gEt rECognisED FoR youR WoRK

As many members would be aware, the broad ranging Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry has brought into sharp relief a number of key issues about decision-making at the time of last year’s floods.

A particular focus has become the role the engineers at Wivenhoe Dam played in the dam release and what happened consequently.

Many of you would have been startled by the public scrutiny of the performance of Wivenhoe Dam engineers, or felt that the profession of engineering was under threat, especially when extra hearings of the inquiry were called to examine in close detail the engineer’s management of the dam, possible instructions the engineers received from various levels of government and whether they had confected their testimony after the event.

It was to be expected that the inquiry would investigate the role of the engineers.

The difficulty for many of us was recognising that many of us are called on every day to make real world decisions – decisions that affect people’s lives in profound ways.

At all stages during this process Engineers Australia’s national office and Queensland Division have monitored the situation closely and developed a strategy to ensure that Queenslanders get an accurate picture of our professionalism and high standards.

A technical working group was formed in May 2011 to respond to the findings of the Flood Commission of Inquiry. A response to the Commission’s Interim report was submitted in September 2011, and this group will also formally respond to the Commissions final report when it is handed down. In addition, a working group consisting of the Queensland Division Management Committee, the Director of International and National Policy, the Director of Queensland Division, senior office bearers and executive level staff was formed some time ago to develop a media response strategy for the additional sittings ordered by the Commission. This group has worked closely to monitor the developments and provide comment to the media where appropriate.

Our National President David Hood has engaged in discussions with metropolitan press, clarifying and reinforcing the crucial roles of the engineering profession in disaster preparation and during times of disaster.

We all need to remember the crucial role we play in protecting community safety.

In the lead up to this, we should remember that when working on major infrastructure or more broadly within the community, engineers play an integral role in safe-guarding the community.

It’s difficult to contemplate, but the reality is that natural disasters, like the floods, have happened before and will happen again.

Communities need to be prepared. Nature does not always play by the rules, so the community’s preparedness to deal with natural disasters relies on professional engineers to make measured decisions under extreme conditions and a raft of unfore- seen circumstances.

Over the long term, engineers work to develop the preparedness of the community to deal with all kinds of natural disasters, alongside the vast amount of other work we undertake on public and private infrastructure. For example, engineers were on hand to assist Far North Queensland to rebuild following Cyclone Yasi and you only have to look as far as the Gateway Bridge to see engineering excellence on display.

Any move to limit the role of engineers in planning, building and managing infrastructure runs the risk of compromising community safety and could lead to a disaster far beyond the scale of the Queensland floods.

Just as we would never expect untrained officials to design or construct a skyscraper or an aeroplane, we cannot expect them to make decisions alone about a dam during a flood crisis.

WE sHoulD CoNtINuE to pRotECt CommuNIty SaFEty

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Engineers are trained to exercise not just technical proficiency in these circumstances, but sound professional judgement, backed up by years of experience.

Engineers Australia will not speculate on what the outcomes of the Inquiry will be as this is a matter for the commissioners. The Inquiry is looking to establish the facts of the events surrounding the Wivenhoe Dam release among a complex web of issues. Until the Inquiry hands down its final report on 16 March 2012, any discussions about the outcomes are merely speculative.

What we can say is that Engineers Australia will continue to protect standards in the industry and uphold the good name of our profession.

Engineers Australia expects and demands that its members conduct themselves in a professional manner adhering to Engineers Australia’s Code of Ethics, and perform on the job in accordance with expected standards of performance. Engineers Australia has rigorous procedures in place to ensure the highest level of compliance with the code by members.

It is imperative that State and Federal governments do not de-engineer infrastructure by reducing the important role that engineers play on major projects.

Engineers offer innovative and safe solutions to infrastructure, environmental and economic challenges to safeguard the community.

We all need to work to ensure that Queensland maintains highly skilled engineers in the profession for the benefit and safety of the community.

tHErE’s a NEW NamE IN maRINE

The Yemen LNG Project, built by Muhibbah which is involved in the Monadelphous Muhibbah

Marine joint venture at the WICET project in Gladstone.

The new Monadelphous Muhibbah Marine (MMM) joint venture has been awarded a $330 million contract with Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET) as part of the development of this major coal export facility at Gladstone in Queensland.

MMM brings together Monadelphous’ expertise in the construction of large-scale projects for Australian resources customers and Muhibbah’s global expertise in the delivery of marine and port works.

Work has started on the contract with MMM to construct a 1.8 km approach jetty and ship berth for Stage One of the terminal including a wharf; wharf conveyor; berthing and mooring dolphins; ship access platforms; jetty conveyor, including the onshore section; and transfer tower.

MMM spokesman Adam Edwards said work at the Wiggins Island project marked the first step in a broader strategic relationship as MMM pursued opportunities in the marine sector throughout Australia.

“We’re delighted to have secured a major contract on this important Australian coal infrastructure project,” Mr Edwards said.

“As we continue to expand our marine capability and presence, we’re looking for marine professionals to work on a diverse range of projects and build their careers with MMM.”

The MMM team is recruiting professionals with marine, jetty and wharf experience. For more details visit www.mmmarine.com.au or www.jobswithus.com.au

MMM is a 50:50 joint venture between Monadelphous Group’s wholly owned subsidiary Monadelphous Engineering Pty Ltd and Muhibbah Construction Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysian-based marine contractor Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd.

Monadelphous is a S&P/ASX 100 company and Muhibbah’s shares are listed on the main board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.

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EnginEEr RECoGNISEd FoR SERVICE to taFE

The group at the unveiling of the plaque. From left: Carol Webb - Assistant Director-General TAFE Queensland, Kerren Smith - Chairman Wide Bay Institute Council, Philip Atherton, Nigel Hill - Director, Wide Bay Institute of TAFE.

The plaque, which was placed on the wall outside the new facility.

Philip Atherton, a member of the Institution for more than 50 years, who has served on Congress, College Board, and Division Committee, was recently honoured for his service to the Wide Bay Institute of TAFE.

Philip has served as a volunteer on informal TAFE advisory councils since 1978, was a member of the first official College Advisory Council formed in 1988 and its Chairman since 1991. He was also an original member of the Wide Bay Institute Council and its Chairman from 2001 to 2008.

Philip is a very committed advocate for the provision of opportunity for education for anybody desiring it, and is an original and continuing member of the Committee for the local campus of Central Queensland University. In Engineers Australia he is an active advocate for access to CPD for Regional Group members, and was a member of the Educational Linkages Sub-Committee of the Queensland Division.

For his work in promoting education Philip was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001, and a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2005.

At a dinner held at the TAFE restaurant in Bundaberg on August 8th 2012, Philip’s service to and advocacy for TAFE was recognised by his being made an Ambassador for TAFE, and having the new Research and Information Centre at the Bundaberg College named as the Philip Atherton Research and Information Centre.

Engineers Australia is proud to have one of its members recognised for service to the community.

06

FEaturED REGIoNal GRoup – toWnsVillEDealing with the extremes of weather, distance and a skills shortage, along with balancing community expectations, requires a unique blend of ability and talent for engineers in a regional environment. It is the job of the Townsville Regional Group to ensure this ability continues to grow and flourish, whilst providing support to pursue Engineering Excellence and promote professionalism in the Townsville regional area.

Volunteers are the foundation of the Townsville Regional Group, and all have given substantial amounts of their time to organise, coordinate and advocate for events to be regularly held in the region. Last year proved to be quite a successful year for the group with positive responses to a number of events including:

• The Engineers Australia/YEA Gen2X Debate, “Is Grey Hair a Clear Sign of Capability?”

• Townsville Women in Engineering “Bring your Boss” night

• The jewel in the Townsville Regional Group’s crown, The Engineering Excellence Awards

Other events include technical seminars, site visits, eminent speakers, social functions and awards ceremonies. These are all regularly provided and promoted to assist local engineers to learn, grow, develop and broaden their knowledge, along with maintaining their Continuing Professional Development obligations.

Additionally, the Townsville Regional Group has been supported by local engineering employers who have regularly provided high levels of sponsorship, ensuring these events will continue to grow and provide a valuable service to the engineering community.

Another group of like-minded professionals who have a desire to engage in regular networking and social events are the Townsville Women in Engineering (WIE) Committee, formed in June 2008 by local female engineers in the region. The committee has gone from strength to strength, maintaining steady numbers of female engineers from different disciplines and organising a variety of events each year with other professional women’s groups.

The committee operates as a sub-group to the Engineers Australia Townsville Regional Committee, with monthly meetings held and a liaison officer nominated to attend both local group and WIE meetings to ensure coordination and support for both committees.

Attendance at events organized by the Townsville WIE committee has been strong and the committee looks forward to another successful year. Some highlights from the calendar of events for 2012 include a speed networking event and a family oriented mini golf function. The Townsville WIE committee welcomes and encourages both female and male engineers to attend their events.

The Townsville Regional Group would like to take the opportunity to thank those volunteers who have contributed their valuable time to the Townsville Regional Group. Most importantly, we encourage all regional engineers and regional engineering employers to become active in their local communities, support their profession and donate their time and expertise to improving opportunities available in our great region.

07

tHiEss JoHn HollanD CoMPLEtES tHE LArgESt jACkEd Box oPErAtion in AUStrALiATo meet the transport needs of Brisbane’s growing population, the city is going underground and leading the way is Australia’s largest infrastructure project to date, Airport Link.

This AU$4.8 billion project incorporates Airport Link, the second stage of the Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron) and the Airport Roundabout Upgrade (ARU), which opened to traffic in February 2011.

Joint venture contractor Thiess John Holland (TJH) is less than five months away from completing the sophisticated Airport Link tunnel that will connect Brisbane city at Bowen Hills with the northern suburbs at Kedron and Toombul.

Over the past three years a range of techniques have been used to construct the 6.7kms of tunnel, including the construction of two massive concrete boxes.

In June and July 2011 two concrete boxes, the width of a rugby league field were pushed under Queensland’s busiest railway line without disruption to train passengers, as part of the Airport Link project.

As one of the most complex engineering aspects of the project’s construction, the jacking of the giant boxes was required to form part of the Airport Link tunnel.

The completion of the “jacked box” operation under the North Coast Railway line at Toombul was the largest of its type to be undertaken in Australia.

Traditional methods of tunnelling would have required up to 30 weekend track closures, affecting freight, city network and AirTrain customers. However, the box jacking operation during which two purpose-built concrete boxes were pushed and pulled beneath the rail embankment in Kalinga Park was successfully completed without any disruption to rail services.

The boxes, 65m long and 12.5m high, with a combined span of approximately 38m, were pushed approximately 55m into position beneath the railway embankment. While the actual jacking only took a couple of months, the operation was nearly three years in the planning.

Before jacking could begin, 48 canopy tubes were pushed through the embankment at Kalinga Park to form a platform providing stability to the North Coast Railway Line.

The two concrete boxes were then constructed beside the railway line, before hydraulic jacks and steel strands were used to push and pull them through the rail embankment.

08

Jacked boxes being pushed beneath 48 canopy tubes supporting the north Coast railway above

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tHiEss JoHn HollanD CoMPLEtES tHE LArgESt jACkEd Box oPErAtion in AUStrALiA

BoX statistiCs JaCK BoX 1 JaCK BoX 2

Dimensions 12.52 x 65.7 x 21.40m 12.52 x 61.3 x 16.70m

Concrete 4702 m3 3309 m3

Reinforcement Steel 1830 tonnes 1470 tonnes

Jacking Capacity 26,000 tonnes 22,000 tonnes

Weight of Box 11,500 tonnes 8100 tonnes

No. of Days of Push 17 days 19 days

As the boxes progressively moved forward, ten excavators sitting inside the boxes removed up to 50,000 tonnes of soil from the embankment.

Project Director Gordon Ralph said “To maintain stability of the rail embankment this work was done continuously for 864 hours straight,”

“Using a sophisticated laser level system, over 200 monitors were positioned along the railway line corridor to monitor any movement of the railway embankment and the tracks,” said Mr Ralph.

Survey data was then relayed to key personnel via email or text message, 24 hours a day.

The team working on these temporary works at the Airport Link Project’s Toombul site recently won the 2011 Fleming Award for geotechnical excellence in the United Kingdom.

The Airport Link project is now more than 95% complete with Airport Link on track for completion by June 30 2012.

BoX statistiCs JaCK BoX 1 JaCK BoX 2

Dimensions 12.52 x 65.7 x 21.40m 12.52 x 61.3 x 16.70m

Concrete 4702 m3 3309 m3

Reinforcement Steel 1830 tonnes 1470 tonnes

Jacking Capacity 26,000 tonnes 22,000 tonnes

Weight of Box 11,500 tonnes 8100 tonnes

No. of Days of Push 17 days 19 days

Jacked box construction team in front of the cutter shield Excavation of the embankment from within the jacked boxes

an international team worked together to complete the project

Jacked box construction beneath the north Coast railway line in Kalinga Park east

oBituarY RoSS maNGaNo

1932 – 2012

10

Ross Mangano dedicated more than 60 years of service to Queensland Health supporting the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and the Royal Children’s Hospital by sourcing and maintaining medical equipment availability for clinical service delivery.

In 1950, at the age of 18, a young Ross commenced an electrical apprenticeship at the Brisbane Hospital. He travelled across town to work by tram every day. His first job was to change the light bulbs at Rosemount Hospital and bring back the lunches for the tradesmen.

Following his apprenticeship, Ross completed an Applied Electronics course at the Queensland Institute of Technology. It was then the hospital gave him the opportunity to set up the first biomedical maintenance team at Herston. The team, headed by Ross, was to focus on the needs of the new emerging medical technologies.

He became involved with many societies and colleges, and attended many of the Biomedical Engineering conferences that were held in Australia. Over the past 50 years Ross:

- Became an Associate of the Australian Branch of the Institute of British Surgical Technicians in 1966 and in 1972 received a Diploma of Membership from the Australian Institute of Surgical and Dental Technicians.

- Became a member of the Institution of Biomedical Engineering in 1976.

- Completed a Certificate in Hospital Administration and was a member of the Australian College of Health Service Administrators. He became an Associate Fellow in 1985.

- In 1981 was the Federal President for the Dialysis Society of Australasia and the Renal Society of Australasia.

- President of the Society for Medical and Biological Engineering from 1987 to current times.

- In 1993 was elected as an Associate of The Institution of Engineers, Australia and Fellow of The Society of Engineering Associates.

- In 2011 received an Engineers Australia Medal in recognition of his contribution to the engineering profession.

Ross had a vision for the biomedical industry and he campaigned tirelessly for its development and professional recognition. He supported Engineering students in vacation practice training positions during the 1970s, was involved in the introductory training of many technicians that continue to work in this area and supported many of the suppliers to work through the process of selling medical equipment to the Queensland Government.

He never lost his dedication to helping patients. Ross was often heard saying “I’m off to save lives”.

Ross passed away at RBWH on 14 January from cancer. He will be greatly missed by all who worked with him and knew him.

Ross has left a lasting legacy through his many personal achievements, and also though his dedication and commitment to guiding and developing all those that came after him.

Alexandra Price was awarded a combined Science/Engineering degree in 2011 from the University of Queensland having achieved a Grade Point Average of 6.8 out of a maximum of 7.

This accomplishment was recognized by Professor Tapan Saha, Chairman of the Electrical Branch of the Queensland Division of Engineers Australia, who recommended Alexandra to be the University of Queensland’s recipient of the 2011 Medal.

In addition to the Medal, Alexandra was also awarded a cheque for $500 from the Queensland Branch of the Electrical Energy Society of Australia (EESA).

This award is made annually to various universities across Queensland to an electrical engineering student with high academic achievement and an emphasis in power engineering subjects.

Pictured at the presentation are from left to right, Lawrie Cleary, Chairman of the Qld Branch of EESA, Alexandra Price and Keith Callaghan from the Electrical Branch of the Qld Division of Engineers Australia.

Alexandra recently commenced the Power Engineering Graduate Program with ENERGEX and hopes to pursue further power engineering studies in the near future.

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2011 stuDEnt PriZE ElECtRICal bRaNCh mEdal

06

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Following the success of the Engineering Careers Expos held in several other states across the country, the Engineers Australia Queensland Division will be holding a Careers Expo on Wednesday 4 April at the Mecure Hotel in Brisbane. The Expo will deliver an outstanding exhibition that will serve to not only promote employment opportunities in engineering, but also celebrate Queensland engineering excellence and advocate the importance of engineering leadership within the profession.

The Engineering Careers Expo is the only official event of its kind to be held in Brisbane in 2012, replacing the Young Engineers campus run expo at universities. Penultimate and final year students, as well as recent graduates, experienced engineers, and overseas qualified engineers will have the unique opportunity to network with more than forty companies from a range of industry sectors. This will provide insight into areas including employment, education and

career opportunities, career path resources, engineering capability and engineering leadership.

In order to be effective at a careers expo, students need to make a good impression, and making a good impression requires thought and preparation.

The National Careers Development Manager will be attending local universities to prepare students for the expo by holding pre-expo workshops and offering advice on how to prepare for the day.

Attendees also have a great new tool to keep up to date on the go - the Engineering Expo mobile website. Compatible with Android, iPhone and Blackberry smart phones and tablets, the website provides a complete list of exhibitors, information about special guest speaker sessions and times, venue quick facts and more.

Research shows a great deal of the job search process for both the jobseeker, and for the employer, is not done in person.

Before being able to secure an interview with an employer of choice, time is spent researching organisations and submitting countless job applications, whilst the employer is screening hundreds of resumes and cover letters. One way to simplify the process for all parties involved is to take advantage of opportunities to meet employers face to face.

Careers expos offer a fantastic opportunity to make a great first impression in person, and to ask questions and learn more about the organisation than one ever possibly could on their website.

Engineers Australia would like to thank Anglo American Metallurgical Coal and SMEC for their continued support and look forward to working with them and our other featured exhibitors on expo day.

For more information on the expo including profiles of our featured exhibitors, access to the mobile website, and to register your attendance visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/engineering-careers-expo.

EnginEEring youR CaREER

University of Queensland undergraduate engineering students will apply their innovation and skills to ensure a floating village in South East Asia has access to a sanitary waste management system.

The project is being conducted as part of 2011’s Year of Humanitarian Engineering and the Make it So campaign.

The Tonle Sap is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.

As the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia, Tonle Sap is home to a number of communities who live in floating villages on and around it, who do not have access to appropriate lavatory facilities.

This has resulted in widespread contamination of the lake and a

range of health issues affecting locals within the region.

In collaboration with Engineers Without Borders, UQ’s Innovate Team (UQIT), consisting of five engineering students, intend to rectify this situation through the development of a floating bio-digester which will enable local communities to produce useable methane gas and fertilizer from their sanitary waste.

Senior Lecturer Dr Timothy Nicholson said that the Make it So Campaign, in conjunction with courses undertaken at UQ, had allowed students to work on the conceptual design of a new cutting-edge engineering product in multidisciplinary teams.

“The bio-digester project involves students in both technical and business oriented aspects of development such as: clarification of customer requirements;

formal product specifications; cost estimation and risk assessment methods; project management plans and business skills,” Dr Nicholson said.

The Make it So Campaign began as a competition in 2010, allowing people to share their visions about what they wanted to see “made so” by engineering teams.

UQ’s bio-digester project is a direct result from an idea which was submitted during last year’s Make it So Campaign.

Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering student and UQIT Operations Manager Mr Daniel Gillick said that the Make it So campaign was a great opportunity for the participating students to sharpen the skills they had learned in the classroom and improve the lives of others.

uQ EnginEEring StUdEntS maKE It So IN CambodIa

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The start of the New Year saw WIEQ hold its first get-together of “Baby Engineers”. This event was very popular and we received excellent feedback from those who attended, with many describing it as a great initiative. Baby Engineers will continue on the second Wednesday of each month until November, with venues listed on the EA events page.

In February we held a joint technical event with the Transport Panel which highlighted the career journeys of Julie Mitchell (Chief Engineer) and Emma Thomas (Chief Operations Officer) both with the Department of Transport and Main Roads. It is a testament to the stature of our presenters that this event was so popular it sold out not once, but twice. It is obvious that there is an audience for this style of presentation and WIEQ aims to continue to collaborate with other technical groups to deliver events highlighting the outstanding achievements of female engineers.

To celebrate International Women’s Day we conducted a “Learn to Play Golf” day at McLeod Golf Club, which included a 1-hour lesson and 9 holes under the tuition of the resident golf pro. Hopefully this will give our members the competitive edge when they attend the EA golf day later in the year.

From the collaboration between WIEQ, The Office for Women, NAWIC and WIMARQ the first “Power of Engineering” workshop was held at QUT on International Women’s day for high school teachers, year 9 and 10 female students and parents. The aim of the event was to inspire teachers and students about further education in engineering, maths and science. Through a series of hands-on workshops and industrial site visits it showed all involved that engineering has the power to change the world! Response to this workshop was overwhelming; it was fully booked in just two days, demonstrating that there is a real demand for this.

The committee will endeavour to reach all teachers and students through hosting additional events and arranging mentors for classroom presentations. The event was only possibly due to a grant from the Office for Women and the efforts of a fantastic network of sites and engineers who volunteered their time.

WIEQ would like to extend our thanks to all those who made this day possible. If you would like to be involved or a mentor in the Power of Engineering please email wieqld@engineersaustralia.org.au

Finally WIEQ will have a presence at the upcoming EA Careers Expo on the 4th April at the Mercure Hotel. Please drop by and introduce yourself to our committee members, who will be happy to let you know what else we have planned for the year and to sign up industry mentors.

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WoMEn IN ENGINEERING

QuEENSlaNd updatE

WIEQ majoR SpoNSoR

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By 1 July 2012, Engineers Australia (EA) will complete eChartered, a project that will deliver a new online assessment process for becoming chartered and registered. The new system seeks to deliver an improved user experience. It will also be the launch pad for the 2012 Australian Engineering Competency Standards Stage 2 for Professional Engineer, Engineering Technologist and Engineering Associate, currently under review.

Why eChartered? Ongoing member feedback, for instance from Young Engineers Australia, coupled with market research has concluded that the current Stage 2 assessment process is too arduous and time consuming. EA’s new system seeks to save time without compromising on the rigour of the current Stage 2 assessment process. Some of the more significant changes that will be introduced with the new system are:

• a requirement for those wanting to become chartered to be members of Engineers Australia before they start

• online enrolment and submission of material for assessment, including the verification of evidence of competence

• support for Professional Development Program (PDP) Partners to preapprove invoice items and run online program performance reports

• more consistent assessment through moderation at the point of assessment by allocating more than one Stage 2 assessor to each application

• direct entry to enrolment from the EA member My Page portal

• guidelines by areas of practice to assist applicants in writing their work experience against the 2012 Stage 2 Competency Standards

• more interactive training materials and resources as the system develops.

For PDP Partners transition arrangements will be made for those participants transferring to the new system from existing ePDP software and from the 2004 - 2012 standards.

Further information will be provided at PDP coordinator information sessions to be held in March. Individual PDP participants will be contacted separately.

So how might eChartered affect you? There are a number of important dates and activities to be aware of:

• By 1 July 2012, the new system will be live.

• The new system will be featured at the 2012 Leadership Conference in Adelaide held on 30 May - 2 June.

• In March information sessions will be held specifically for PDP Partners to discuss the upgrade of their programs. Other sessions may be run for other applicants and stakeholders.

• After 1 July only in certain circumstances will applications to become chartered and registered be accepted using the 2004 Stage 2 competency standards.

• Only Graduate members of Engineers Australia or above will be accepted onto the new system to complete their application to become chartered. Non-members and Student members will need to upgrade.

• Those seeking registration on one of the national registers will use this system for their competency-based assessment.

• Enrolment information will be available on the web before the official launch to make sure you’re up to date for when the system goes live.

There will be various resources provided to help members, valued partners and potential applicants learn more about the project and the new system launch. Look out for updates on the EA website, in this magazine, in divisional and other newsletters and in your mailboxes.

Fiona tregoning is Engineers australia’s manager for the eChartered project. To find out more about eChartered email echartered@engineersaustralia.org.au or contact the Member services team on 1300 653 113.

This article first appeared in the February 2012 issue of Engineers Australia magazine, published by Engineers Media, and appears here with permission.

nEW sYstEM WIll StREamlINE thE pRoCESS oF bEComING ChaRtEREd Fiona tregoning

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