Shared values : diverse perspectives – engaging engineering educators in integrating Indigenous engineering knowledge into current curricula

BACKGROUND Engineering is a problem-based practically oriented discipline, whose practitioners aim to find effective solutions to engineering challenges, technically and economically. Engineering educators operate within a mandate to ensure that graduate engineers understand the practicalities and realities of good engineering practice. While this is a vital goal for the discipline, emerging influences are challenging the focus on ‘hard practicalities’ and requiring recognition of the cultural and social aspects of engineering. Expecting graduate engineers to possess communication skills essential for negotiating satisfactory outcomes in contexts of complex social beliefs about the impact of their work can be an unsettling and challenging prospect for engineering educators. This project identifies and addresses Indigenous engineering practices and principles, and their relevance to future engineering practices. PURPOSE This Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) project proposes that what is known/discoverable about indigenous engineering knowledge and practices must be integrated into engineering curricula. This is an important aspect of ensuring that engineering as a profession responds competently to increasing demands for socially and environmentally responsible activity across all aspects of engineering activity. DESIGN/METHOD The project addresses i) means for appropriate inclusion of Indigenous students into usual teaching activities ii) assuring engineering educators have access to knowledge of Indigenous practices and skills relevant to particular engineering courses and topics iii) means for preparing all students to negotiate their way through issues of indigenous relationships with the land where engineering projects are planned. The project is undertaking wide-ranging research to collate knowledge about indigenous engineering principles and practices and develop relevant resource materials. RESULTS It is common to hear that such social issues as ‘Indigenous concerns’ are only of concern to environmental engineers. We challenge that perspective, and make the case that Indigenous knowledge is an important issue for all engineering educators in relation to effective integration of indigenous students and preparation of all engineering graduates to engage with indigenous communities. At the time of first contact, a rich and varied, technically literate, Indigenous social framework possessed knowledge of the environment that is not yet fully acknowledged in Australian society. A core outcome of the work will be development of resources relating to Indigenous engineering practices for inclusion in engineering core curricula. CONCLUSIONS A large body of technical knowledge was needed to survive and sustain human society in the complex environment that was Australia before 1788. This project is developing resource materials, and supporting documentation, about that knowledge to enable engineering educators to more easily integrate it into current curricula. The project also aims to demonstrate the importance for graduating engineers to appreciate the existence of diverse perspectives on engineering tasks and learn how to value - and employ - multiple paths to possible solutions.

Materials, methods and systems for purification and/or seperation

Materials, methods and systems are provided for the purifn., filtration and​/or sepn. of certain mols. such as certain size biomols. Certain embodiments relate to supports contg. at least one polymethacrylate polymer engineered to have certain pore diams. and other properties, and which can be functionally adapted to for certain purifications, filtrations and​/or sepns. Biomols. are selected from a group consisting of: polynucleotide mols., oligonucleotide mols. including antisense oligonucleotide mols. such as antisense RNA and other oligonucleotide mols. that are inhibitory of gene function such as small interfering RNA (siRNA)​, polypeptides including proteinaceous infective agents such as prions, for example, the infectious agent for CJD, and infectious agents such as viruses and phage.

Fabrication of macro–mesoporous titania/alumina core–shell materials in oil/water interface

A series of macro–mesoporous TiO2/Al2O3 nanocomposites with different morphologies were synthesized. The materials were calcined at 723 K and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, Infrared Emission Spectroscopy (IES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–visible). A modified approach was proposed for the synthesis of 1D (fibrous) nanocomposite with higher Ti/Al molar ratio (2:1) at lower temperature (<100 °C), which makes it possible to synthesize such materials on industrial scale. The performance–morphology relationship of as-synthesized TiO2/Al2O3 nanocomposites was investigated by the photocatalytic degradation of a model organic pollutant under UV irradiation. The samples with 1D (fibrous) morphology exhibited superior catalytic performance than the samples without, such as titania microspheres.

A review of benchmarking in carbon labelling schemes for building materials

As one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the building and construction sector is facing increasing pressure to reduce its life cycle GHG emissions. One central issue in striving towards reduced carbon emissions in the building and construction sector is to develop a practical and meaningful yardstick to assess and communicate GHG results through carbon labelling. The idea of carbon labelling schemes for building materials is to trigger a transition to a low carbon future by switching consumer-purchasing habits to low-carbon alternatives. As such, failing to change purchasing pattern and behaviour can be disastrous to carbon labelling schemes. One useful tool to assist customers to change their purchasing behaviour is benchmarking, which has been very commonly used in ecolabelling schemes. This paper analyses the definition and scope of benchmarking in the carbon labelling schemes for building materials. The benchmarking process has been examined within the context of carbon labelling. Four practical issues for the successful implementation of benchmarking, including the availability of benchmarks and databases, the usefulness of different types of benchmarks and the selection of labelling practices have also been clarified.

A mathematical model for intermittent microwave convective (IMCD) drying of food materials

Intermittent microwave convective drying (IMCD) is an advanced technology that improves both energy efficiency and food quality in drying. Modelling of IMCD is essential to understand the physics of this advanced drying process and to optimize the microwave power level and intermittency during drying. However, there is still a lack of modelling studies dedicated to IMCD. In this study, a mathematical model for IMCD was developed and validated with experimental data. The model showed that the interior temperature of the material was higher than the surface in IMCD, and that the temperatures fluctuated and redistributed due to the intermittency of the microwave power. This redistribution of temperature could significantly contribute to the improvement of product quality during IMCD. Limitations when using Lambert's Law for microwave heat generation were identified and discussed.

Fast growth of polycrystalline graphene by chemical vapor deposition of ethanol on copper

High conductive graphene films can be grown on metal foils by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). We here analyzed the use of ethanol, an economic precursor, which results also safer than commonly-used methane. A comprehensive range of process parameters were explored in order to obtain graphene films with optimal characteristics in view of their use in optoelectronics and photovoltaics. Commercially-available and electro-polished copper foils were used as substrates. By finely tuning the CVD conditions, we obtained few-layer (2-4) graphene films with good conductivity (-500 Ohm/sq) and optical transmittance around 92-94% at 550 nm on unpolished copper foils. The growth on electro-polished copper provides instead predominantly mono-layer films with lower conductivity (>1000 Ohm/sq) and with a transmittance of 97.4% at 550 nm. As for the device properties, graphene with optimal properties as transparent conductive film were produced by CVD on standard copper with specific process conditions.

Materials and technologies for energy conversion, saving and storage: A global network enabling capacity-building for sustainable energy in developing countries

Access to energy is a fundamental component of poverty abatement. People who live in homes without electricity are often dependent on dirty, time-consuming and disproportionately expensive solid fuel sources for heating and cooking. [1] In developing countries, the Human Development Index (HDI), which comprises measures of standard of living, longevity and educational attainment, increases rapidly with per capita electricity use. [2] For these reasons the United Nations has been making a concerted effort to promote global access to energy, first by naming 2012 the Year of Sustainable Energy for All, [3] and now by declaring 2014-2024 the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All. [4]

Effects of particle size distribution in the response of model granular materials in multi-ring shear

Rail track undergoes complex loading patterns under moving traffic conditions compared to roads due to its continued and discontinued multi-layered structure, including rail, sleepers, ballast layer, sub-ballast layer, and subgrade. Particle size distributions (PSDs) of ballast, subballast, and subgrade layers can be critical in cyclic plastic deformation of rail track under moving traffic on frequent track degradation of rail tracks, especially at bridge transition zones. Conventional test approaches: static shear and cyclic single-point load tests are however unable to replicate actual loading patterns of moving train. Multi-ring shear apparatus; a new type of torsional simple shear apparatus, which can reproduce moving traffic conditions, was used in this study to investigate influence of particle size distribution of rail track layers on cyclic plastic deformation. Three particle size distributions, using glass beads were examined under different loading patterns: cyclic sin-gle-point load, and cyclic moving wheel load to evaluate cyclic plastic deformation of rail track under different loading methods. The results of these tests suggest that particle size distributions of rail track structural layers have significant impacts on cyclic plastic deformation under moving train load. Further, the limitations in con-ventional test methods used in laboratories to estimate the plastic deformation of rail track materials lead to underestimate the plastic deformation of rail tracks.

Steel–concrete–steel sandwich system in Arctic offshore structure: Materials, experiments, and design

The gravity based structure (GBS) with external Steel–Concrete–Steel (SCS) sandwich ice-resistant wall has been developed for the Arctic oil and gas drilling. This paper firstly reported the experimental studies on the mechanical properties of steel and concretes under Arctic low temperature. With the test data, design equations were developed to incorporate the influences of the low temperature on these mechanical properties. Two types of Arctic GBS structure with flower-conical SCS sandwich shell type and plate type of ice-resistant wall have been developed for the Arctic offshore structure. Besides the studies on the materials, two SCS sandwich prototype shells and plates were, respectively, prepared and tested under patch loading that simulated the localized ice-contact pressure. The structural behaviors of the SCS sandwich structure under patch loading were reported and discussions were made on the influences of different parameters on the structural behavior of the structure. Analytical models were developed to predict the punching shear resistances of the SCS sandwich structure through modifying the code provisions. The accuracies of the developed analytical models were checked through validations against 27 tests in the literature. Corresponding design procedures on resistances of SCS sandwich structure were recommended based on these discussions and validations.

Materials processing under microgravity conditions using drop tubes

Drop tube provides a low-cost alternative to study the influence of microgravity in materials processing. In the present paper, the current status of the drop tubes and associated experiments on materials processing are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on the advantages and limitations of these studies. It is pointed out that despite size limitation, large opportunities exist to study the fundamental aspects of the influence of gravity in materials processing.

Synthesis and properties of nanodispersed granular materials

Nanometric granular materials represent a new class of materials with significant promise. We shall discuss in this paper two phase granular materials where one of the phases having nanometric dimension is embedded in a matrix of larger dimension. These materials show many interesting properties which include structural, magnetic and transport properties, The phase transformation of the embedded particles shows distinctive behavior and yields new insight. We shall first highlight the strategy of synthesis of these materials through rapid solidification. This will be followed by three examples where the nanoscale dimension of the embedded particles play a unique role. These are melting and solidification of the nanodispersed embedded particles and the superconducting transition. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.

Evaluation of the reactivity of titanium with mould materials during casting

A methodology for evaluating the reactivity of titanium with mould materials during casting has been developed. Microhardness profiles and analysis of oxygen contamination have provided an index for evaluation of the reactivity of titanium. Microhardness profile delineates two distinct regions, one of which is characterised by a low value of hardness which is invariant with distance. The reaction products are uniformly distributed in the metal in this region. The second is characterised by a sharp decrease in microhardness with distance from the metal-mould interface. It represents a diffusion zone for solutes that dissolve into titanium from the mould. The qualitative profiles for contaminants determined by scanning electron probe microanalyser and secondary ion mass spectroscopy in the as-cast titanium were found to be similar to that of microhardness, implying that microhardness can be considered as an index of the contamination resulting from metal-mould reaction.

Effect of grain boundary engineering on the microstructure and mechanical properties of copper containing austenitic stainless steel

The present investigation deals with grain boundary engineering of a modified austenitic stainless steel to obtain a material with enhanced properties. Three types of processing that are generally in agreement with the principles of grain boundary engineering were carried out. The parameters for each of the processing routes were fine-tuned and optimized. The as-processed samples were characterized for microstructure and texture. The influence of processing on properties was estimated by evaluating the room temperature mechanical properties through micro-tensile tests. It was possible to obtain remarkably high fractions of CSL boundaries in certain samples. The results of the micro-tensile tests indicate that the grain boundary engineered samples exhibited higher ductility than the conventionally processed samples. The investigation provides a detailed account of the approach to be adopted for GBE processing of this grade of steel. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.