Quick Chat with Prof John Yeaman AM FIEAust CPEng RPEQ, Professor of Engineering Construction at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Prof John Yeaman AM FIEAust CPEng RPEQ is Professor of Engineering Construction at the University of the Sunshine Coast, following 50 years in industry. John has served on numerous Australian Standards committees, including 24 years’ service on Engineers Australia’s Accreditation Board and the NSW Committee of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. He was a founding member of the International Society for Asphalt Pavements and is a life member of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists. Having worked for more than 10 years in overseas countries, John is passionate about engineering education and the necessity for the registration of engineers to practise.
What is your current job title and function?
I am currently the Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) Professor of Pavement Engineering at The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC).
Why did you choose engineering as a profession?
My father was a civil engineer, graduating from Sydney University in 1928, so I guess it was by osmosis.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a method for deciding the maintenance of roads and runways through the use of in situ pavement monitoring.
What is the most challenging or interesting project you’ve ever worked on?
The forensic examination of a $3 billion road failure in Qatar.
What do you see as one of the biggest issues facing the engineering profession?
Engineers promoting innovation to a buyer who does not have the required level of understanding. This tends to force engineers to ‘dumb down’ their philosophy, losing much in the translation, which frequently then fails to be grasped.
Congratulations on being awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day 2017 Honours List. What does this acknowledgement mean to you?
The recent award of an AM was very gratifying in that it made me feel that the effort that I have put into my profession has been worthwhile. I reflect that I join the ranks of family members who have received similar accolades including my father, my father-in-law and my younger son, who have also been recognised for their contributions to the community.
What’s the most recent present you bought yourself?
A copy of the text The Principles of Pavement Design. I am trying to keep pace with a changing technology.
What is your favourite TV show?
Midsomer Murders: the forensic approach to solving at least three murders simultaneously.
Who is your hero?
Inventor Barnes Wallis, particularly known for the dam busting bomb, for his persistence against overwhelming odds.
What inspires you?
People with perseverance. I reckon ‘perseverance’ is the greatest word in the English language.
What is your motto?
‘Punt high and follow on’.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
My work is my hobby. However, I really enjoy driving in the outback and in Europe. This gives me an opportunity to look at roads first-hand and to ask myself ‘what caused that condition?’, especially in parts of Europe that have roads dating back to the Romans.
If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would it be?
Field Marshal William Slim. Slim’s Burma campaign in WW2 was a benchmark standard of perseverance and innovation. He initiated some very interesting concepts to road engineering, including the use of oven-baked mudbricks to improve road bearing capacity. Although not an engineer, he exploited engineers’ skills to the maximum to make lives of the ordinary soldier much easier in a most unfriendly environment.
What is the greatest piece of technology released in the last decade?
Clearly from one who learned to use a slide rule at university, the computer must be the standout technology for practising engineers. More recently, the use of three-dimensional simulation, as demonstrated by the ‘cave’ at USC’s Engineering Learning Hub, as a recent development will lead the way to the analysis of all forms of engineering construction before a ‘sod’ is turned.
Image: Prof John YeamanAM FIEAust CPEng RPEQ discusses the finer points of asphalt technology with PhD candidate, Alyse Fox.