Engaging multi-disciplinary engineering teams with diverse research backgrounds can put more elegant solutions within reach, Professor Brendan Burkett (pictured above) says.
If there ever was a poster child for a multi-disciplinary approach it is Burkett, who, after starting his career as a civil engineer in Australia, worked on oil rigs as a consultant in the North Sea before doing his PhD in biomechanics to pursue research into sport science and rehabilitation.
Add to that Burkett’s long-running involvement with the Australian paralympic team – first as a gold medal-winning swimmer and now as a sports scientist – and he has about as varied a background as you could ask for.
The University of the Sunshine Coast Professor of Sports Science (Biomechanics) will speak about the business imperative for diversity in engineering teams at the Australian Engineering Conference in November.
Through his own research into sport science and rehabilitation, Burkett says he has found a so-called ‘meeting of the minds’ can produce new and exciting innovations.
“The old days of the traditional silos of mechanical, electrical, civil and they all throw rocks at each other are over,” Burkett explains.
“Let’s put down those stones and look at how we can work together and expand into a couple of other areas.
“From my experience leading a number of research teams, I’ve learned it’s when we use a multi-disciplinary approach that we get some different ideas and perspectives and we can answer questions in a different way – I think that’s when we really make leaps forward in productivity.”
Integrating gaming technology with his research into sports science has resulted in new ways to improve people’s health and fitness, and his research into a form of bioengineering called osseointegration aims at improving outcomes for amputees.
Osseointegration is the structural linkage made at the contact point where human bone and the surface of a synthetic, often titanium-based implant meet. Used clinically since 1995, osseointegration’s original application was in bone and joint replacement surgeries – a procedure the Osseointegration Group of Australia says dramatically enhances quality of life for amputees.
It is a technique Burkett has first-hand experience with. While riding his motorbike in 1985, Burkett’s left leg was shattered in 13 places by a hit and run driver and was amputated above the knee. In 2011, Burkett underwent successful osseointegration surgery.
This type of bioengineering, which melds the work of clinicians with an engineer's ingenuity, showcases what is possible with a diverse research team.
“We can find solutions to today's problems that haven’t been answered thus far. If people keep doing the same thing in the same way they get the same result,” Burkett says.
“We can find a better mousetrap by talking to the guy across the road, and looking at how they engineer their solutions, and we can take the bits that fit our problem.”
To learn more, secure your spot at the Australian Engineering Conference where Professor Brendan Burkett, University of the Sunshine Coast, will talk about the business imperative for diversity in your engineering team.