news | 02 February 2012

Boat design offers challenges for mechanical engineers

ASME reports: ‘Boat design offers adventurous opportunities for those with a natural affinity for the water, to go along with critical thinking skills. William Lasher, professor of mechanical engineering at Pennsylvania State University, who has spent the last decade focused on sail dynamics, says this is a field that becomes passion as much as career.’

news | 01 February 2012

Engineers Australia members receive Australia Day Honours in 2012

A number of Engineers Australia members were recognised as Australian Honours recipients on Australia Day, Thursday 26 January 2012. A total 19 members of Engineers Australia were formally recognised by the Governor General for their excellence, great achievements and meritorious service to the nation through engineering.

news | 01 February 2012

Smallest-ever nanotube transistors outperform silicon

Technology Review reports: ‘A nine-nanometer device shows that nanotubes could be a viable alternative to silicon as electronics get even tinier.’

news | 01 February 2012

Used cooking oil an energy source

Vegetable oil is attracting a renewed interest, with the focus shifting from transportation to stationary power generation. Story courtesy of ASME.

news | 31 January 2012

Keeping high-performance electronics cool

ASME reports: ‘For the past few years, a collaborative team of engineers and other scientists from academia and industry has been investigating an advanced cooling system for electric and hybrid cars as well as computers and telecommunications systems, particularly for military use in radar, lasers, and electronics in aircraft.’

news | 31 January 2012

Bicycle pump-like device generates electricity

Discovery News reports on a bicycle pump-like device that harnesses wave power to generate electricity.

news | 30 January 2012

Female engineered work uniforms named a finalist

WIENC PPE Fit for Work Project has been named as a finalist in the Chamber of Minerals & Engery WA Women in Resources Awards. The winner will be named on 8 March 2012

news | 30 January 2012

Spain, Mit Collaborate On Citycar Project

A concept car designed for urban travel will soon be manufactured in Europe.

news | 30 January 2012

Six common technologies that save millions of lives

E4C reports: ‘The real heroes of health care today are mosquito nets, rebar and toilets.’

news | 27 January 2012

Engineer who inspires young Australians to take on the world is honoured with Australia Day award.

The Founder and Chairman Re-Engineering Australia Foundation, Michael Myers, has today received the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in recognition for his work with students over the past 14 years to raise up a new generation of innovators and technicians with a “No-one said we couldn’t” attitude.

news | 27 January 2012

“Year of the Regional Engineering Team” Launch 2012

In 2012 we are celebrating our regional engineers. We have already profiled some in the January issue of our Engineers Australia magazine, and on 13 February, we will host the official launch in Darwin. Our keynote speaker will be Lyndon Frearson MIEAust. Lyndon heralds from Alice Springs and is the General Manager of CAT Projects. He won Young Professional Engineer of the Year in 2011 at the Engineering Excellence Awards. At the 2011 National Awards in Canberra, CAT Projects won the Sir William Hudson Award for Engineering for the Bushlight India project. In keeping with the theme of the "Year of the Regional Engineering Team" Lyndon will talk about his experience working regionally.

news | 26 January 2012

Engineers Australia Member named Young Australian of the Year for 2012

Inspiring female engineer, Marita Cheng, has been named the Young Australian of the Year for 2012 at a public event on the lawns of Parliament House Canberra this evening

news | 26 January 2012

The Sydney Morning Herald reports: ‘Young Australian of the Year is Marita Cheng'

The Sydney Morning Herald reports: ‘Young Australian of the Year Marita Cheng is looking forward to talking with Prime Minister Julia Gillard about how the government's education reforms can get young people interested in maths and science. ‘The 22-year-old university engineering student is dedicated to encouraging other girls to take up studies in the field, where women may up only 10 per cent of the workforce.’ Marita founded Robogals Global in 2008, as a response to the traditionally low levels of participation by women in science, engineering and technology. Robogals Global uses fun and educational activities to teach secondary school girls about science and technology. Robogals has now run workshops for 3,000 girls in Australia and has now expanded to 17 branches across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Robogals was one of the many events that formed part of Australian Engineering Week in August last year.

news | 25 January 2012

Company gets USD70m to turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into liquid fuel

Technology Review reports: ‘Joule Unlimited, a startup based in Bedford, Massachusetts, has received $70 million to commercialize technology that uses microorganisms to turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into liquid fuel.’

news | 25 January 2012

High school students fly miniature satellites

Mechanical Engineering reports: ‘With feet planted firmly on Earth, Bay Area high school students will set machines in motion on the International Space Station Monday. ‘Two local teams will beam their computer code into space for the finals of the Zero Robotics SPHERES Challenge -- a programming competition run by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.’

news | 24 January 2012

Engineers may chain Concordia to the reef

Discovery News reports: ‘As Dutch workers of the Smit Salvage company are preparing to drill into the ship's fuel tanks and pump out 2,300 tonnes of fuel oil, experts are also considering anchoring the ship to the reef to prevent it from sinking.’

news | 24 January 2012

Ten low-tech ways to irrigate crops

E4C reports: ‘Low-cost, low-tech and efficient irrigation is possible. These are ten technologies that work.’

news | 23 January 2012

Fracking would emit large quantities of greenhouse gases

Robert Howarth, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist, and Anthony Ingraffea, a civil and environmental engineer, both from Cornell University, have reported that fracked wells leak 40 to 60 percent more methane than conventional natural gas wells. Story courtesy of Scientific American.

news | 23 January 2012

The cost of water in the desert

The Fujairah desalination plant in Abu Dhabi has a freshwater generation capacity of 492 million liters a day, dwarfing anything in the West. But desalination is an energy-intensive business. Could solar-powered plants be the answer, or do consumers just need to become waterwise? Story courtesy of CNN.

news | 23 January 2012

The cost of water in the desert

The Fujairah desalination plant in Abu Dhabi has a freshwater generation capacity of 492 million liters a day, dwarfing anything in the West. But desalination is an energy-intensive business. Could solar-powered plants be the answer, or do consumers just need to become waterwise? Story courtesy of CNN.