Glass : re-materializing the digital screen

Glass has a long history of manipulating light. Though lost to digital media and discernible in experimental film practice a physical relationship to light still operates in glass art.In our digitally dominated situation, glass's materiality, luminosity and malleability positions this medium uniquely to comment on both digital media's strengths and absences.

Glass/carbon fibre hybrid composite laminates for structural applications in automotive vehicles

Light-weight structure is one of the keys to improve the fuel efficiency and reduce the environmental buden of transport vehicles (automotive and rail). While fibreglass composites have been increasingly used to replace steel in automotive industry, the adoption rate for carbon fibre composites which are much lighter, stronger and stiffere than glass fibre composites, remains low. The main reason is the high cost of carbon fibres. To further reduce vehicle weight without excessive cost increase, one technique is to incorporate carbon fibre reinforcement into glass fibre composites and innovative design by selectively reinforcing along the main load path. Glass/carbon woven fabrics with epoxy resin matrix were utilised for preparing hybrid composite laminates. The in-plane mechanical properties such as tensile and three-point-bending flexural properties were investigated for laminates with different carbon fibre volume and lay-up scheme. It is shown that hybrid composite laminates with 50% carbon fibre reinforcement provide the best flexural properties when the carbon layers are at the exterior, while the alternating carbon/glass lay-up provides the highest compressive strength.

Through the looking glass : teaching and learning in blended immersive multiuser virtual and real world environments

This paper reports on the participation of higher education students and educators in blended immersive multi user virtual (MUVE) environments and real life teaching and learning experiences. Selected next generation technologies engage students and educators within the virtual socially networked elearning landscape of Deakin Arts Education Centre , and support the interaction of communities of learners in multiple modes, ranging from text and images accessed within the Deakin Studies Online learning management system to the "through the looking glass" virtual world in which the user’s creative imagination transports them to the “other side“ of their computer screens.

These constructed environments enable multiple simultaneous participants to access graphically built 3D environments, interact with digital artifacts and various functional tools, and represent themselves through avatars, to communicate with other participants and participate in collaborative art learning.

Developing a facility for glass façade performance testing

This research aims to investigate whether real spaces can support legitimate measurements on glazing energy and thermal comfort analysis. This paper presents the development of a research facility for doing this. It will test simple to complex glazing and shading systems in a real (occupied) interior office environment. The purpose of this research project is to compare measured results with those being simulated with existing software and to discover discrepancies between simulation and real measured results. What parameters characterize a glazing system, whether simple or complex? Can these parameters be used to predict the energy transfer and comfort in the space? One must begin with simple glazing systems and verify measured with readily known simulated results. It is, at present, very difficult to use geometric based software with thermal based software to predict the performance of complex glazing systems. However, if we can characterize glazing systems with a set of reliable measurements, we can provide the data necessary for predicting performance in a live space. Specifically, the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) is a variable parameter based upon solar incident angle to a glazing system and is intended to be measured in its integral components: solar transmittance and inward-flowing fraction (radiative/convective) heat gain. A new instrumental approach through variable surface coated heat flux meters is being investigated to provide the measurement of interior glazing surface radiative and convective heat gain. The results suggest that this instrumentation may support be a viable method of testing inward-flowing heat gains from the interior glass surface. The test set-up also considers the application of a well-known B&K 1221 Comfort Meter for determining thermal comfort responses in the ‘perimeter zone’ on the interior side of a façade. This work requires further investigation, but is intended to be used in conjunction with solar pyranometers measuring transmittance as well as the heat flux meter and surface temperature instrumentation.

The silicon ceiling : women managers and leaders in ICT in Australia

When I was in high school, it was always talked up that women could do science, engineering and technical [work] too. While we are just as capable as men, when we get into these industries, we face other challenges. There have been brave women who have done their bit to overcome these challenges, but it also requires brave men to challenge the attitudes of these industries to women participating in their workplaces. (APESMA, 2010) Silicon: Elemental silicon has a large impact on the modern world economy ... Because of wide use of silicon in integrated circuits, the basis of most computers, a great deal of modern technology depends on it. (Wikipedia, 2011) The chapter begins with a historical and current analysis of female participation in the workforce, in education and in leadership. The second section focuses on the information and communication technology (ICT) workforce in particular. The third section presents findings from a recent case study that gathered both quantitative and qualitative data from a diverse group of professional women in ICT. The case study provides a view into the ICT profession from the female perspective and identifies a selection of factors that would make a significant difference to female participation and longevity in the profession. The conclusion reached after this investigation is that the silicon ceiling is certainly not visible, yet remains fixed due to nonessential job characteristics that persist in the industry. The future looks bleak unless more female managers and male champions ensure that these nonessential employment characteristics are removed from ICT positions.

Preparation of silica abrasives from water glass and application in silicon wafer polishing

Chemical mechanical polishing technique is more frequently adopted for planarization in integrated circuit fabrication. The silica abrasives in colloidal state are fabricated with the sodium silicate solution as raw materials through the polymerization reaction among silicic acid molecules. By continuous injection of silicic acid into the preexisting silica solution, the diameter of silica nanoparticles increases. The different sized silica nanoparticles are imaged by scanning electron microscopy, and the dried silica are characterized by X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. The polishing test on silicon wafer with as-fabricated silica abrasives shows that the surface flatness reaches 1.1 nm roughness, however, micro scratches are still present in the surface.

Introduction : Alice's adventures in wonderland and through the looking glass

 Signature edition

Energy absorption behaviour of rapidly manufactured carbon/epoxy and glass/polypropylene structures

In this thesis the crashworthiness of composite tubular structures was investigated along with the property structure relationships of a glass/polypropylene material. The energy absorption capacity of tubular structures in a number of different testing configurations was made. Two materials; carbon/epoxy pre-preg and a glass/polypropylene dry pre-preg were investigated.