The items of news below show some of the achievements of members of the School and demonstrate the sorts of opportunities available to those with a qualification from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at The University of Adelaide.
Ph.D Student Wins European Internship
August, 2009: Electrical and Electronic Engineering PhD candidate Mr Yang Liu has just finished a valuable internship with OMICRON, a world leading electronic company in Austria. OMICRON is a successful international company that provides leading edge technology and innovative solutions on substations' primary and secondary equipments testing, with customers in more than 130 countries. OMICRON's products have been proved by its excellent quality and creativity. OMICRON has also won the "Best workplace in Europe" award in 2008.
From April to July of 2009, Mr Liu was working with the Software Embedded System team at OMICRON that helped him improved a variety of technical skills and earned him a great industry experience. The co-operated research project is to develop a Synchronized Event Logger that is compatible with the new IEC61850 standard. The project was preceded very well and the end result was significant. The Event Logger has been tested to be capable of transmitting Generic Object Orientated Substation Event (GOOSE) messages over a Local Area Network, and it was able to be synchronized with a time reference in the range of 200 nano-seconds.
Mr Liu received the Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with First Class Honours at the University of Adelaide, and he is currently in the first year of PhD candidacy in the area of power systems under the supervision of Dr Rastko Zivanovic and Dr Said Al-Sarawi.
Ph.D Student Scores Finals Position In AusBiotech Competition
24 September, 2009: Ph.D student Don Wenura Dissanayake became a state finalist in the 2009 AusBiotech-GST Student Excellent Awards, which was organised by AusBiotech (Australia's Biotechnology Organisation) and GSK (GlaxoSmithKline). Don's presentation was on "Wireless Micropump for Implantable Biomedical Applications".
Don is pursuing his postgraduate research in the area of Bio-MEMS and RF-MEMS, under the supervision of Dr. Said Al-Sarawi (EEE), Prof. Derek Abbott (EEE) and Dr Tien-Fu Lu (Mechanical Engineering).
Ph.D Student Wins IFMBE Diploma
September, 2009: In yet another example of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering's strong research performance, Kelvin Wong won a IFMBE Diploma in the World Congress of Medical
Physics and Biomedical Engineering held in Munich.
Kelvin's paper was entitled "A Novel Measurement System for Cardiac Flow Analysis Applied to Phase Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Heart". We congratulate Kelvin on his achievement.
More information about the World Congress can be found at The World Congress website.
Electronic Engineering Postgraduate Wins ACoRN Grant
21 August, 2009: Electronic Engineering postgraduate student Luke Balzan has won a grant to travel to Italy for collaboration with one of the world's leading communications researchers.
Luke received the grant from the ARC Communications Research Network (ACoRN) to collaborate with Dr Marco Martorella at the Laboratorio Radar at the University of Pisa. They will focus their work on Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) radar and its applications to Over-The-Horizon (OTH) Radar, a design concept for radar systems to allow them to detect targets at very long ranges, typically up to thousands of kilometers.
At the University of Adelaide, Luke works under Professor Lang White and Professor Doug Gray, recognised experts in communications technology.
Undergraduate Student Wins Overseas Scholarship
July, 2009: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering undergraduate student Lachlan Horne was one of 15 Adelaide University students who travelled to China for the Harbin Institute of Technology's Modern China summer school.
Lachlan was introduced to a part of China relatively few foreigners visit, and made some new friends and academic contacts at China's second-largest research institution. His hosts were very hospitable and helpful in explaining local customs (including some Mandarin), and showed him around their university, their city, and other parts of Heilongjiang province in northeast China. Lachlan reports it was an amazing experience which promises to be even better next year.
We congratulate Lachlan on his achievement and wish him all the best for his future. Lachlan's results demonstrate once again that the research and teaching program within the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering are capable of assisting students in achieving outcomes recognised by the world, and enjoying the opportunities which flow from that!
Engineering Student Wins ABC Scholarship
27 February, 2009: Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Daisy Correa has won one of this year's Women in Engineering Scholarships from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
"These scholarships are part of the national broadcaster's commitment to inspiring and promoting the education, training and advancement of engineering among young women in the broadcast industry," says ABC State Director South Australia Sandra Winter-Dewhirst.
Ms Winter-Dewhirst and Coordinator of Information Technology South Australia Anthony Pleic presented the Scholarship to Daisy at ABC's Collinswood centre.
"The Scholarships are awarded nationally each year to women undertaking studies in electrical Engineering and who have an interest in broadcasting, telecommunications or information technology," Ms Winter-Dewhirst says.
"Successful applicants receive a cash prize of $1500 and valuable industry experience in the exciting and challenging technology area of the ABC.
"Outstanding tertiary qualifications and enthusiasm for the broadcasting industry have made Daisy a perfect candidate for the scholarship this year."
Daisy Correa is currently in the fourth year of a double degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Finance at the University of Adelaide. She is expecting to graduate at the end of 2009.
Daisy has many academic achievements with a number of awards including the Dean's Merit Certificate for Outstanding Academic Achievement, and she was invited to join the Golden Key International Honour Society.
Daisy is also involved in the wider university community. She is currently a Peer Mentor for the International Student Centre's Orientation program and is on the Electrical and Electronic Student Staff Committee.
Ph.D Student Wins Outstanding Paper Award
February, 2009: In another example of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering's strong research performance, Kelvin Wong was conferred an Outstanding Paper Award at the 13th ICBME conference in Singapore.
Kelvin's paper was entitled "Flow Imaging and Validation of MR Fluid Motion Tracking". We congratulate Kelvin on his achievement.
Fan Lee Mun wins essay competition
January, 2009: Fan Lee Mun, a Malaysian undergraduate student in the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, has won a trip back home and a four-week internship with GHD Perunding Sdn Bhd.
Fan wrote an essay entitled,"The Student's Role in Building Bilateral Relationships between Australia and Malaysia." based on her experiences in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and her efforts were recognised with first place in the competition
See the full article in the New Straits Times
Yik Ling Lim wins postgraduate travelling fellowship
6 January, 2009: Yik Ling Lim, a postgraduate research student in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, has been awarded a D R Stranks Postgraduate Travelling Fellowship to perform experimental work at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom and to attend the 2009 International Radar Conference in Bordeaux, France.
Yik Ling Lim is conducting research into Passive Radar under the supervision of A/Prof Chris Coleman and Dr Tamath Rainsford.
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Shaghik Atakaramians wins overseas travel fellowship
12 December, 2008: Ms Shaghik Atakaramians, a postgraduate research student in the
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, was awarded the ARCNN Overseas
Travel Fellowships to visit Institut fur Halbleitertechnik at RWTH Aachen University in Germany.
Ms Atakaramians is conducting research into THz waveguides with sub-wavelength features and their application for bio/chemo-sensing under the supervision of Prof Derek Abbott, Prof Tanya M. Monro, Dr Shahraam Afshar V., and Dr Bernd M. Fischer.
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Don Dissanayake Wins Research Presentation Award
15 December, 2008: Mr. Don Dissanayake, a postgraduate research student in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, was awarded the best student presentation award for his presentation on "Corrugated Micro-Diaphragm Analysis for Low-Powered and Wireless Bio-MEMS", at the 3rd International Conference on Sensing Technology, ICST 2008, which was held in Tainan, Taiwan from 30th November to 3rd December 2008.
Mr Dissanayake is conducting research into Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Biomedical Engineering under the supervisorship of Dr. Said Al-Sarawi (EEE), Prof. Derek Abbott (EEE) and Dr Tien-Fu Lu (Mechanical Engineering).
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Martin Strange Wins Ph.D Design Award
27 October, 2008: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Ph.D. student Martin Strange has won a Reed Business Information (RBI) award in Sydney. RBI is Australia's leading and largest B2B publisher and information provider.
Martin won the award for his Ph.D. work on creating the concept of the Mesh.
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Qantas signs agreement for engineering alliance
12 August, 2008: The University of Adelaide and Qantas Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that aims to provide benefits to both organisations through collaboration on engineering teaching and research.
The many potential benefits of the agreement include:
- the opportunity for Qantas to provide industry-specific curriculum advice to the University's Faculty of Engineering, Computer & Mathematical Sciences;
- guest lectures from Qantas, providing students in the University's engineering programs direct exposure
to state-of-the-art aviation industry practice; and
- the undertaking of joint research projects.
"Our agreement with Qantas means that the University of Adelaide is engaging with one of the world's most successful airlines, to the mutual advantage of our students, staff, and the company," says the Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor James McWha.
"This alliance will further strengthen our degree programs in Avionics & Electronic Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering and other related degrees. It will provide even greater opportunities for students to receive a quality industry-relevant education in their chosen areas of study, as well as strengthening the industry relevance of our research programs.
"We are extremely pleased to have the support of Qantas through this collaborative arrangement, and we look forward to working with them," Professor McWha says.
"As part of our commitment to the industry, Qantas Engineering is launching a range of initiatives with tertiary institutions to ensure we maximise the professional capabilities of both groups. The University of Adelaide is a key institution to ensure the success of this program," says Qantas Engineering Group General Manager Technical Services David Kelly.
"By establishing a closer working relationship with the University of Adelaide, we will be able to deliver mutually beneficial outcomes," Mr Kelly says.
"This agreement is an outstanding example of universities and industry working together to identify and achieve common goals," says Professor Peter Dowd, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Computer & Mathematical Sciences.
"The level of industry involvement in the teaching and research programs in our Faculty is at an all-time high. This means we are able to conduct research that has a genuine impact on industry; and, we can educate young engineers who understand today's industry requirements, but who are also prepared for the challenges of tomorrow."
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Dr Tamath Rainsford wins 2008 Tall Poppy Award
21 August, 2008: The School congratulates Dr Tamath Rainsford on winning a SA 2008 Young Tall Poppy Award for her research work on electromagnetics and biomedical engineering. The awards were announced on August 21 by SA Science Minister Paul Caica.
"These young scientists are not only contributing to our State's innovation and well-being, but they are also fantastic role models for the next generation of scientists.", Mr Caica said. "We need to inspire more young South Australians to study science and maths at school and to seriously consider the wonderful range of options in science for their future careers. The Young Tall Poppies are a success story that others can aspire to become."
Another winner of a 2008 award is PhD graduate and now Adjunct Lecturer in the School, Dr Mark McDonnell.
Read the full press release.
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School of EEE supports ICT Careers Week 2008
29 July 2008: Australia's first National Information and Communications Technology Careers Week was held at the end of July. ICT Week has been developed by the Australian Computer Society (ACS), the peak body for the ICT sector, aimed at helping students, teachers and parents appreciate the potential an ICT career can offer.
The School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering took an active interest in this event, and 'The Advertiser' ran a half-page article in their Saturday edition featuring extensive comments from Senior Lecturer Dr Wen Soong and ACS Chairman and School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Emeritus Professor Prof. Reg. Coutts on the event. A photograph was also included featuring Dr. Soong and digital electronics support technician Mr Greg Pullman with some of the robots to be used during ICT week.
The participants in ICT Week took part in the 'Robot Orienteering' exercise, where they programmed electronic robots to navigate a maze, simulating the Mars rover robot navigating obstacles on the surface of Mars.
Women In Technology Challenge
15-16 July, 2008: The 2008 Women In Technology Challenge is aimed to encourage more female students into technology-related degrees such as Electrical & Electronic Engineering.
Over this two-day event, female high school students discovered some of the fundamental principles of Electrical Engineering as they assembled a fully operational electric motor from very basic raw materials. After a brief introduction to the principles of electromagnetics, the girls set about making their own motor using just a length of wire, a magnet and two AA batteries as well as some basic fixing hardware to hold it all together. Within 30 minutes, the girls were able to get their motor coil to spin above the magnet, thereby creating one of the simplest electric motors in the world!
The simple nature of the experiment meant the girls could see fundamental electrical principles at work with no 'black box' adding any mystery to the experiment. These principles are the same ones that underpin many aspects of Electrical Engineering, including power engineering, power generation and sustainable energy, and a clear understanding of the simplicity but importance of these principles is fundamentally important to a successful career in Electrical Engineering. The exercise greatly helped to demystify the field of Electrical Engineering, and the manner of the participants demonstrated they learnt a lot from the exercise - and enjoyed every moment!
Mr Withawat Withayachumnankul wins IEEE Fellowship
July, 2008: Mr Withawat Withayachumnankul, a postgraduate student of Prof. Derek Abbott in the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, was awarded the IEEE LEOS Graduate Student Fellowship for 2008.
The IEEE is the world's leading professional association
for the advancement of technology. We congratulate Mr Withayachumnankul on this achievement from such a prestigious and well-respected organisation.
Dr Tamath Rainsford wins multiple teaching awards
July, 2008: We congratulate School of
Electrical & Electronic Engineering lecturer Dr Tamath Rainsford who was awarded the following teaching awards for the 2007 academic year:
- The University of Adelaide Stephen Cole the Elder Award for Excellence in Teaching
- ECMS Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching
- ECMS Executive Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
The Stephen Cole the Elder Award is a University-wide award presented to educators who represent
some of the most talented and dedicated individuals working at the
University. In 2007 the Teaching award was presented to just three academic staff throughout the whole University, one of which was Dr Rainsford. The ECMS Faculty Prize and Executive Dean's Awards are teaching recognitions awarded at Faculty level, where Dr Rainsford was again recognised amongst her peers for her efforts.
These awards recognise the outstanding effort Dr Rainsford has made to ensure her students are constantly encouraged, challenged and rewarded as their studies in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering pave the way for their future career. They also recognise the ongoing committment of the School to recruit only the best teaching and research staff to ensure our students receive the most up-to-date information, presented in the most engaging manner, by experts who are passionate about their field.
Dr Rainsford currently lectures classes in Electronics II (pdf 29kB) and Engineering Electromagnetics (pdf 30kB) in the School.
Engineers as "scarce as hen's teeth"
March, 2008: Adding to the evidence of an escalating shortage of qualified electrical and electronics engineers, ElectraNet Chief Executive Ian Stirling is quoted in "The Advertiser" Saturday March 8 as saying "Specialist Engineering people with a mathematical bent are scarce as hen's teeth." According to the article, ElectraNet will be investing $1 billion in expanding the State's electricity transmission network between 2009 and 2012 and aims to increase staff numbers from 183 to 250 over the next 18 months. It recruits 10 graduates into its graduate employment program each year including electrical and telecommunications engineers.
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Aim For Adelaide Interactive Student Day
26 June, 2008: During "Aim for Adelaide Day" held on the 26th June 2008, groups of Year
9 and Year 10 students from SA Fairway schools visited the University of
Adelaide. The Fairway Scheme provides an extra opportunity to study at
the University of Adelaide to students from schools under-represented in
higher education. These schools involved in this year's event were
Mannum Community College, Seaford School, Charles Campbell Secondary School, Peterborough
High School, LeFevre High School, Christies Beach High School,
Smithfield Plains High School, Eudunda Area School, Heathfield High
School and Birdwood High School.
During the 'Robot Orienteering' exercise, students worked in teams of two or three to program a robot to
move through a maze of blocks, simulating the Mars Rovers moving
through the landscape on the surface of Mars. The students involved in this exercise put a lot of work into measuring the maze, converting this into a program for the robots and then fine-tuning the program as the robot got closer and closer to the finish line. They had a lot of
fun competing with rival teams and gained a great deal of satisfaction in seeing the robot follow their instructions and successfully complete the maze!
The students went away with an understanding of the nature of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and why it can be such a rewarding and enjoyable discipline to study.
Smart Sensors, Smart Packages
31 May 2008: A research collaboration between the School of Electrical &
Electronic Engineering and Collotype Labels Pty Ltd has been awarded
$300,000 to develop a new generation of product packages. Electronic
sensors and control circuits embedded within these smart packages will
make it easier to identify package contents, protect them during
shipping and storage, and market them to consumers.
The project is led
by Dr Said Al-Sarawi and Dr Braden Phillips of the School of Electrical
& Electronic Engineering and is supported by the South Australian
Government through the Premier’s Science and Research Council.
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