Highlights and Awards
ISST have received a Magna AWD ex test car from Mitsubishi Motors. Researchers will aim to retrofit an electric motor to the rear wheels while leaving the front wheel drive train intact, to convert it into a hybrid and demonstrate that this can be done on existing cars to reduce fuel consumption and save the cost of scrapping existing vehicles and replacing them with purpose-built hybrids.
Dr Jack Desbiolles has secured a consultancy with ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) as part of a 3 year project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and entitled Development and evaluation of conservation cropping systems in the drylands of northern Iraq - 2008-2011 Phase 2. This will involve visits to ICARDA - Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic to undertake training activities and optimisation of zero-till seeding machinery with Iraqi farmers and Syrian machinery manufacturers.
Adjunct Professor Monica Oliphant, who is currently President of the International Solar Energy Society, has been selected as a delegate in the Australia 2020 Summit in the population, sustainability, climate change and water area.
Professor Wasim Saman has been successful in receiving a Premier's Science and Research Fund (PSRF) to establish a Regional Sustainability Centre for Whyalla worthy of State Government investment. The Centre will work with industry and government in developing, evaluating and implementing activities of positive social, economic and environmental impacts in the regional community of the Upper Spencer Gulf. In addition the Centre will utilise UniSAs expertise in sustainable systems and technologies and other relevant capabilities to develop and demonstrate systems and technologies appropriate for the region and its specific resource development operations.
It is anticipated that some technology and innovative solutions developed and demonstrated locally will find their way to local manufacture and commercialisation thus assisting industry development within the Spencer Gulf region.
Dr Chris Saunders was awarded the Douglas Bomford Trust Paper Award for 2008 for his 2007 paper co-authored with Dick Godwin and Michael O'Dogherty entitlted A force prediction model for mouldboard ploughs incorporating the effects of soil characteristic properties, plough geometric factors and ploughing speed. The award is given to the author or authors of a paper published in the IArgE Journals demonstrating originality and technical excellence, potential for practical use and demonstration of the author's authority in the subject material in addition to other criteria.
Associate Professor John Boland has been named as Associate Editor of the Open Environmental Engineering Journal
Professor Phil Howlett has been elected Chair of ANZIAM (Australia and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics). This is a division of the Australian Mathematical Society and is the Professional Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematicians for both Australia and New Zealand. He is expected to hold the position of Chair for 2 years and will represent ANZIAM (along with one other nominated representative) on the Executive Committee of the Australian Mathematical Society
ISST - Transport Systems has been awarded the contract by the Department for Transport Energy and Infrastructure to provide vehicle flows from 2003 to 2007 at selected intersections in order to evaluate the effect of the travel smart program in the west.
Nikolaos Vogiatzis, a PhD research scholar, has been awarded a University Commercialisation Training Scheme Scholarship to undertake part-time study towards the new Graduate Certificate in Research Commercialisation in 2007.
Congratulations to Dr Yan Wang who has been elected for lifelong membership to the International Statistical Institute. The ISI is one of the oldest international scientific associations functioning in the modern world. It is an autonomous society which seeks to develop and improve statistical methods and their application through the promotion of international activity and cooperation.
Dr David Ness, an adjunct researcher of has been engaged by United Nation Economic and Social Commission to evaluate the Asia Highway project, spanning 25 countries and covering 90,000km. This is in addition to evaluating the Kitakyushu Initiative for Clean Environment.
Dr Rocco Zito has been successfully nominated to the University’s Inaugural Research Leadership Program
Assoc Professor Irene Hudson was selected for the 2007 Leadership Capability Workshop, UTS, Sydney. She is one of two selected participants from UniSA. The conference focussed on current critical organisational issues in senior university management - the impact of the RQF on research activities; the changing nature of research profiles; academic work; supportive cultures; innovation; business development and planning; and to meet both individual and organisational needs and priorities.