The Identification and Development of Strategies for Increasing Engineering Enrolments. There is a continuing nation-wide decline in high school student enrolment in higher level mathematics and science. This is already leading to a reduction in the number of students undertaking university engineering programs in Australia and the situation is expected to worsen. This project is directed toward a better understanding of the reasons for the trend and the development of strategies to reverse it. ....The Identification and Development of Strategies for Increasing Engineering Enrolments. There is a continuing nation-wide decline in high school student enrolment in higher level mathematics and science. This is already leading to a reduction in the number of students undertaking university engineering programs in Australia and the situation is expected to worsen. This project is directed toward a better understanding of the reasons for the trend and the development of strategies to reverse it. It aims to 1. Evaluate the most effective strategies that increase student's interests and understanding of engineering and increase participation in engineering studies. 2. Develop an optimised national communication strategy for promoting engineering studies to secondary students.Read moreRead less
Airports of the Future. This project will enhance the capabilities of Australian airport operators to design and manage complex airport systems. Research outcomes will enable the identification of patterns of behaviour and will provide tools to manage airport effectiveness and balance conflicting security, economic and passenger-driven pressures. Outcomes will improve productivity, enhance capabilities for critical infrastructure protection, and lessen the cost of mandated security, estimated t ....Airports of the Future. This project will enhance the capabilities of Australian airport operators to design and manage complex airport systems. Research outcomes will enable the identification of patterns of behaviour and will provide tools to manage airport effectiveness and balance conflicting security, economic and passenger-driven pressures. Outcomes will improve productivity, enhance capabilities for critical infrastructure protection, and lessen the cost of mandated security, estimated to grow to $152M by 2010 for the five major Australian airports. The deliverables of this project will be transferable to other complex socio-technical systems providing the potential to transform a range of Australian critical infrastructure and transportation hubs.Read moreRead less
Versatile dosimetry systems for radiotherapy and industrial applications: novel storage phosphor and associated reader technologies. Radiotherapy is an important procedure in the treatment of cancer, and it is essential that the radiation dosage can be accurately measured. This project will develop technology which will enable us to monitor radiation dosage in real time and very accurately. This will be of importance in medical science and also for industrial applications.
Aerodynamic interaction of bluff bodies with applications to sports aerodynamics. Numerical modelling and experiments will be combined by this project to characterise the flow and reduce drag on a set of objects in the wake of another object. The Olympic pursuit cycling team is a typical application, with small improvements leading to major competitiveness gains. Findings will also apply to Paralympic team sports, and potentially transportation.
Advances in real-time satellite monitoring of flow in rivers and estuaries. This project plans to improve the monitoring of our waterways by developing a novel moving drifter system that takes flow and water quality measurements along the pathlines of the drifters. One of the key challenges for Australian water management lies in monitoring and managing rivers and estuaries effectively over large geographical areas. Traditionally, instrumentation at stationary points has been used for such monit ....Advances in real-time satellite monitoring of flow in rivers and estuaries. This project plans to improve the monitoring of our waterways by developing a novel moving drifter system that takes flow and water quality measurements along the pathlines of the drifters. One of the key challenges for Australian water management lies in monitoring and managing rivers and estuaries effectively over large geographical areas. Traditionally, instrumentation at stationary points has been used for such monitoring, under the simplifying assumption that a single point adequately represents a very large region of water. By contrast, the Real-Time Flow Logging of Water (RT-FLOW) system expects to provide information from large regions of our waterways, providing stakeholders with more information to enable them to better manage issues including storm surge and erosion. The project also aims to provide improved validation of hydrodynamic models.Read moreRead less
Ultrafine grained titanium for bio-implant applications. The project underpins the potential niche applications of ultrafine grained titanium for biomedical implants and establishes a knowledge base for expanding Australia's capacity for manufacturing titanium parts. The novel technology will lead to a broader usage of titanium by biomedical industry and promote the development of the titanium manufacturing industry in Australia. The development of ultrafine grained titanium specifically designe ....Ultrafine grained titanium for bio-implant applications. The project underpins the potential niche applications of ultrafine grained titanium for biomedical implants and establishes a knowledge base for expanding Australia's capacity for manufacturing titanium parts. The novel technology will lead to a broader usage of titanium by biomedical industry and promote the development of the titanium manufacturing industry in Australia. The development of ultrafine grained titanium specifically designed for bio-implants will increase Australia's competitiveness in the global market. The project targets at least three of the priority goals specified under National Research Priority breakthrough science, frontier technologies and advanced materials.Read moreRead less
Advancing unsteady bluff body aerodynamics: applications to elite cycling. Delivering a better understanding of unsteady wakes has real potential to further our future capabilities of reducing bluff body parasitic drag. The national benefit derived from this project is the advancement of knowledge of a complex fluid mechanics problem, with secondary benefits arising from the specific and practical application to sports aerodynamics. By better understanding the wake structure and its interaction ....Advancing unsteady bluff body aerodynamics: applications to elite cycling. Delivering a better understanding of unsteady wakes has real potential to further our future capabilities of reducing bluff body parasitic drag. The national benefit derived from this project is the advancement of knowledge of a complex fluid mechanics problem, with secondary benefits arising from the specific and practical application to sports aerodynamics. By better understanding the wake structure and its interaction with a locally oscillating bluff body this knowledge can feed into the field of active flow control in the transport sector. The potential for emissions mitigation by lowering aerodynamic losses in the ground transportation section through active aerodynamic control is significant.Read moreRead less
Ultrasonic production of skim milk. Milk will be skimmed using ultrasonic waves and tiny bubbles that separate the fat droplets from whole milk, saving energy and cleaning costs. It will also be possible to precisely select different nutritional compounds from the rich resource that is whole milk, enabling future health products.
A 60% efficient solar microconcentrator for electricity and hot water. The aim of this project is to develop a microconcentrator for deployment on house roofs that will produce both solar hot water and solar electricity with a combined efficiency above 60%. The system will have a low profile and will be nearly invisible from the street. The system will track the sun. Concentration will be accomplished by a mixture of refraction and reflection. About 20% of the sunlight will be converted to elect ....A 60% efficient solar microconcentrator for electricity and hot water. The aim of this project is to develop a microconcentrator for deployment on house roofs that will produce both solar hot water and solar electricity with a combined efficiency above 60%. The system will have a low profile and will be nearly invisible from the street. The system will track the sun. Concentration will be accomplished by a mixture of refraction and reflection. About 20% of the sunlight will be converted to electricity using lines of tiny solar cells, with the balance being converted to heat which is removed by cooling fluid and stored in hot water tanks.Read moreRead less
Power systems with diverse generation - implications, control and capability. This research will generate a systematic methodology to handle the impact of the renewable energy sources on the NSW power grid. It increases our understanding of the impact of climate change policies relating to mandatory targets for greenhouse gas reduction helping to build Australia’s research capacity in the national priority area of an environmentally sustainable Australia. The anticipated methodology can also be ....Power systems with diverse generation - implications, control and capability. This research will generate a systematic methodology to handle the impact of the renewable energy sources on the NSW power grid. It increases our understanding of the impact of climate change policies relating to mandatory targets for greenhouse gas reduction helping to build Australia’s research capacity in the national priority area of an environmentally sustainable Australia. The anticipated methodology can also be seen as protecting the security of power infrastructure as well. Maintaining a critical energy infrastructure protects our way of life and ensures ongoing social, economic and environmental well being of Australia.Read moreRead less