Young Engineers Australia Blog

The Big Ideas

I was one of those watching the live streaming of action at the 2020

Summit

. Whilst I am still debating the merits of the

Summit

I was curious to know what 1002 of the ‘best and brightest’ had come up with.

PRODUCTIVITY

Parent and children centres

Learning for life

Golden gurus

ECONOMY

New Federation Commission

Sweeping review of the taxation system

Low-cost funds for housing

ENVIRONMENT

National Sustainability, Population and Climate Control Agenda.

Carbon and water accounts

Sustainable Cities Program

RURAL

New Government body to consider national and global food security

Northern Australia

as a new food bowl

Rural-city student exchanges

HEALTH

National Preventative Health Agency.

Bionic eye

Universal first aid training

FAMILIES

24/7 use of schools for day care

Micro-finance

National Disability Insurance Scheme

INDIGENOUS

High quality education

Indigenous future fund

National indigenous knowledge centre

CREATIVE

AUSTRALIA

National mentoring scheme

Digital art

Research priority

GOVERNANCE

Australian republic

Bill of Rights

Overhaul of federalism

SECURITY

Pacific Partnership

Regional energy security forum

High level advisory council

I had to admit I was bitterly disappointed at the summary remarks on the Environment. Nothing new, nothing hard fetching and nothing that wasn’t going to occur already… But some of the other sessions had some strong points and many of the sessions referenced climate change and environmental issues. For a summary of the big ideas: http://www.australia2020.gov.au/report/index.cfm

What are your thoughts on the ideas (leaving behind politics)?

Energy Efficiency VS Emissions Trading

You cannot open a paper without there being a discussion on energy. How much we use, where we use it, the scarcity of it and the alternatives. Recently Earth Hour asked Australian cities and other international cites to switch off, all in the aid of promoting the awareness around energy usage and climate change. I sat on the foreshore in Sydney Harbour to watch the lights switch off and overheard many animated discussions on energy (including whether Earth Hour was a gimmick – thoughts?) but the one thing that struck me was that even mums and dads had an opinion on energy. 

An emissions trading scheme is being set with implementation in 2010 and discussion is already occurring around an energy efficiency trading scheme (similar to GGAS in NSW).

Then there are the alternatives – renewable energy and then there was nuclear…!

Any thoughts on which is better?

Communications link

In 2007, 95% of all emails sent were spam and of the remaining, 50% were unnecessary.

I now dread the idea of going away for a week without email access. The terror of seeing several hundred emails on my return is too much. So what are the main cloggers in my inbox:

1. Your      faithful colleague that cc’s everyone in to say “thanks”.
2. ‘All      staff’ emails about the state of the fridge
3. eNews      from a myriad of companies
4. Invitations      to conferences unrelated to your field
5. Death/friendship      chain letters
6. Emails      from Facebook letting you know someone posted on your funwall
7. Those      FYI’s with no explanation except a link.

I find myself annoyed at the work colleague sitting 8m away who sends you emails like “have you completed the report?” Is it that hard to walk over, say hello and make the request? Has the personal touch gone?

And then there is email etiquette….

Is email the new sms? Can you be forgiven for lack of grammar and spelling mistakes? And how should you start an email?

The International Young Engineer

Having met many young professional engineering groups around the world, it strikes me just how often and how far young engineers travel – not just for pleasure, but for work.

I recently spoke with a young engineer who was describing their 6 months work program in Dubai as both exciting and extremely lonely. Since it generally involves working long hours at unusual times of the day, it is difficult to make friends outside the working team.

YEA has been working collaboratively towards the set up of Young Engineers International, which would serve as a communication point for linking young engineers around the world. Having this network, would allow the door to be opened to young engineering professional group activities in participating countries.

Do you think Young Engineers need this type of network? And should there be a young engineers group in the area – would you want to meet them and join in their activities?

Are there any experiences you could share about extended working experiences? Does it get lonely and if so what do you do…. And if it is the opposite, what makes the experience rewarding?

A change

We have elected new leadership for the country – what does this mean for the engineering community and Australia?

Kevin Rudd spent day one of his leadership looking at the process to ratify Kyoto and set us on a path to reduce climate change emissions. How much will this effect or impact the way engineers design for the future?

Will this create an avenue for innovation and creative design in the delivery of projects? Or will it add unnecessary costs and time? Where is the balance between delivering the needs of ‘right now’ versus the needs of ‘tomorrow’?

I would also like to introduce myself as the new YEA National Chair, taking over from Nick Harley who set the scene for these blogs. I look forward to some robust discussions.

So, is this the start of exciting times?

Nuclear

Is nuclear a viable option for Australia? There is always ongoing debate within the EA membership on this topic but YEA voices haven't been heard. There's no doubt we have the ore to power ourselves for a very very long time and have some of the safest geological formations to store the relative small waste that is produced; but do we have the water resources or the skills to operate a facility? And is a little bit of nuclear waste ok? Is it worth the ten year wait and will it really be cheaper that altenatives (carbon storage, solar, geothermal, wind) that are claiming their manufacturing costs are dropping significantly year by year?

If fission was available today, would we want that technology? Should Australia be investing in fission research, not fusion?

What do you want?

We are always looking to put on better events and provide better services to our young engineer members. We regularly run, in various state divisions, cocktail nights, dinners, financial seminars and generation exchange nights (mingling with the oldies).

But what other ideas do you have? What sort of events do you like to go to? Hit us with all your criticism and ideas on the events we run.

On another note, continuing professional development is critical for all of our development. Who do you look to when you want professional development? Internal courses from your company, external providers, Engineers Australia? And who pays, you or your company? Do you feel as though you are getting the support you need? There is no doubt that we continually need to skill ourselves as technology changes and industry's needs change. Especially in the face of a world that will change the way we use and produce energy and water, this is vital for engineers.

Geoff Atkinson, 2007 Tasmanian Innovation Seminar

> Download podcast (mp3, 7mb)

The 2007 Tasmanian Innovation Seminar took place on 17 April 2007. The seminar was delivered by the Tasmania Divisions of Engineers Australia and Young Engineers Australia and brough together speakers from around Australia who exemplify excellence in innovation and entrepreneurialism.

Geoff Atkinson is the State Manager of the Tasmania State Office of AusIndustry and has been in the role since 1996. Prior to taking the helm in Tasmania, he worked across a diverse range of policy portfolios within the Department of Industry, Tourism & Resources including Small Business, Science and Technology, Innovation and Biotechnology. Geoff holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Tasmania.

AusIndustry is the program delivery division of Australian Government Department of Industry, Tourism & Resources. AusIndustry provides incentives to help Australian businesses to conduct research and development, grow small businesses, take up new technology, develop new products, processes or services and access tax or duty concessions. Geoff manages a team of 9 staff in Hobart and a Regional Manager based in Launceston.

Diane Tompson, 2007 Tasmanian Innovation Seminar

> Download podcast (mp3, 9mb)

The 2007 Tasmanian Innovation Seminar took place on 17 April 2007. The seminar was delivered by the Tasmania Divisions of Engineers Australia and Young Engineers Australia and brough together speakers from around Australia who exemplify excellence in innovation and entrepreneurialism.

This podcast features Diane Tompson as she addresses the links between leadership and innovation, and what drives innovation in Tasmania.

Diane Tompson is the General Manager of Novaris, a manufacturing business which custom designs products to protect electrical equipment against lightning strikes. Diane oversees all financial aspects of the business, human resources, staff training and marketing. In addition, she is a director of five other electrical engineering and communication companies. The former Conservatorium of Music graduate is also a member of the State Government's Tasmanian Agreements Training Committee. In 2005 Novaris was Tasmania's 1^st Generation Award winner and Diane was named Telstra Tasmanian Business Woman of the Year.

Michael Brett, 2007 Tasmanian Innovation Seminar

> Download podcast (mp3, 14mb)

The 2007 Tasmanian Innovation Seminar took place on 17 April 2007. The seminar was delivered by the Tasmania Divisions of Engineers Australia and Young Engineers Australia and brough together speakers from around Australia who exemplify excellence in innovation and entrepreneurialism.

This podcast features Michael Brett as he explores the links between leadership and innovation, and the relationship between the innovator and the entrepreneur.

Michael Brett began his professional career as a systems engineer with Ball Solutions Group. Michael’s primary focus was the F-111 Mission Data Preparation Environment (MDPE) where he developed several new features in the product and provided technical and training support to F-111 aircrew. In July 2005, Michael joined SnowSports Interactive, a high tech start up company aiming to dramatically enhance the experience of skiers and snowboarders throughout the world. Michael is now an independent consultant specialising in wireless communications and tracking systems, and an active member of the Royal Aeronautical Society where he acts as Information Director for the Australian Division. In 2005 Engineers Australia recognised Michael as one of Most Inspiring Young Engineers in Australia.