Punch re ale

p

378.9431 103

ISSUE No. 22

Queensland Institute of Technology, George Street, Brisbane 4000. Telephone 223 2111.

Punch re ale to top $100 million

The fir!>t $1/₂ million order was \ 1~1h and a~~1stancc I rom Au~tradc. "I he pres!> is not only more accurate placed this month for a high tech- lnAustraliaalone,about60presses than ib competitor~ it's quid.cr, nolog) industrial machine designed are sold each year. more llcx1blc, easy to usc, and ha~

at QIT under contract to Queensland "\\c ha\c had strong cxprc~sion~ machine and tool management firm l nhersal Engineering De\elop- olmtcrc~t I rom Rolls Royce. General ~ystems built in," he said.

ment Compan) Pty Ltd, a member E:lectricand Renault lordistnbutor- Alter 17 year~ in the turret press of the Girdi!. group. ~htps in Europe and America. I he market 111 the UK, US, Central

\Vorld-\\ldc sale~ arc conscna- compantc~ lind this idea attracti>e l·urope and Japan, he had come to 11\el) e~t1matcd at 200111 the liN 11\e under the Commmmealth gmern- Australia to lind a small, locallirm )Caro,. ment\ ollsct arrangement," Mr read\ to manulaeture a unit ol Dcmp~cy ~<ud. supc~tor 4uality and perlormancc.

l hl' '() ll C 6()' punch press makes

lwle. m large tlat steel plate (up to 20 \\ tth the Australian dollar dC\ alu- QIT will receive on-going royalties m1lhmctrcs thtck) accordmg to a ation. the machme \\as e\cn bcttc1 !rom sales. to be used ontnlw\ali\C ..:omputcr lontrollcd pattern. \aluc lm mone). cng111c..:nng projects at the lnslttutc.

It \\Orks at the rate ol se\cral I he pum:h press \\Ill b..: dcrnon- Also, Mr Kclh satd tlu: ben.::ltt to

~~~~~~~-""~~~-IWI~~··~~'''~''~"'C.Ii;a~t ~~h~~ ~ · ~19=~~7~l~·a:b~l:t.'C~·~h~c:. ~n~i b~~~~~~·~~n~

^{st utknts 111 \\ <;rk i ng unde 1}

Its ~peed. accuracy and \Cr~attht.

make it umquc 111 the world.

I he dc>clopmcnt proJeCt. wsting about ~500 000, extended mer li\c )Cars under technical dir.:t:lion ol lecturer tn mechanical enginecnng at Qll. Mr Jim Kelly.and commcrt:ial dtrection ol the company's managmg dtrector. Mr 1 CIT} Dempsey.

Sales estimates were based on markt:t analysis imolving overseas

I he lirsl oruu Li.llllt'l•·ont Lr,,b l:ll manula<.:tur<.:r, B&R l'rodu<.:ts. C\<.:11 though the macluncs <~rt: not yet rolling oil the produ..:tion lim:

only a \\ orking proto!) pe ha~ been built. B& R 1s the largest manulacturcr ol electro nit: and elcetncal enclosures in Australia.

l:ngmcering director ol B&R. Mr Paul Moreton, said the limtts ol accuracy achic>cd by the prt:ss meant 11 outperlormcd all other presses ol ib type in the world.

I''" graduate:' \\h' \\orh:<.:d on the proJCLt as Qll ~tudcnt~ no\\

\\ ork lor the company.

·1 he prOJCCt \\as rated as one ol the mo~t pronmmg ncr undertaken

\\ tth sponsorship ol the Australian Industrial Research and Dnclop- mcnt Incentives schcmt:. ·1 hc State

Departmt:nt ol Cummert:ial and lndustria!Dcvclopmcnt also assisted

\\ith preparation ol the company\

business plan.

An invention by a group of QIT

!>tudents will enable a paraplegic person to drh·e a standard motor scooter without leaving his or her

wheelchair. ·

1 he\vheclchaircan bed men onto the scooter !rom the rear >ia two ramps, and positioned mer the scouter seat.

I he ramps arc extended along both sides ul the scooter\\ tth groo\es lor the \\hcclchau \\heels\\ htch arc then locked 11110 place. l hc ramps arc dnl\\n up bclorc the ~cooter 1s started, and lm\crcd later 10 rc\crse the \\hcclchair oil the scootct.

'I he imenuon, \\htch the ltnal year mechamcal cngtnct:nng students call a motor tnkt:. has t\\O ~n'Jil . .l,lii!II.IJCil~h=ll on · side

'lahlt"<.: II

A spokesman lot the student group, Mr Jake l'tcnaar. satd thc motor tnkc had a numbt:r ol ad\antages.

lhc parts used to ad<~pt a ~tandard.

automatiC motor ~cooter cost only about $350, and \\ere easily a~semblcd. In !act. parapkgtc dri>crs could do 11 thcnN:hc~.

Student rc~carch tndtcatcs the motor trike \\ould I ill a btg mobtltty and price gap between clectnt: wheel- chairs and spemtlly comcrtcd cars.

OCTOBER 31, 1986.

Mr Ptt:naar said car cumcrston lor a disabled dmer invohcd the cost ol modilicauons on top ol the car price. whil2an clcctrit: \\ hcclchair

cu~t about $4000.

With a motor st:ootcr obtainabk lor around :t> 1000, the motor trike could bt: asscmblt:d lor a total cost, including labour. ol no mute than about $1500.

Mr l'ienaa1 satd tht: prototype dcstgn \HI~ based on a populat.

rcadtl:> a\atlablc automatic motor

., (

.1/ :1 cOil\ <.:111/oll<ll 11101<>1 C\ clc

"Apail lmm the gcnctal nwbtlll)

ad\antage~. nMny paraplegu.:s \\crc once keen motor cyclists. and\\ ould hke to bt: back tlll tht: road ... 1\\1 1'1cnaar satd.

l'ataplcgtcs and tht:raptsls ~unt:ycd

by students had bt:cn cnthustaslie about the moto1 tnkc.

Jake l'tcnaar\ lcllc>W tll\ct1lors 111 the year-long project art: l'aul Gooley and Damicn Ziebailh.

Jake Pienaar demonstrates the motor trike for paraplegics

All schools to offer masters

With the approval this month of the masters degree In Urban Design for introduction next year, all QITschools except the Law School w/JJ offer a masters by

1987.

Masters programs In Analytical Chemistry, Medical Laboratory Science, Business Accountancy and Business Communication commenced In

1985.

The Business Management program began this year. The Law School Is planning to start Its masters In

1988.

I believe these programs represent significant advances In

meeting QIT's professional development goal and are of

tremendous benefit to the students, to the professions, to

industry and to QIT. ·

They provide opportunities for graduates to further their professional education and to specialise In fields of their choice.

To support advanced programs, QIT must recruit and develop staff who are leaders in their f1elds, which also benefits under- graduate teaching. In addition, QIT's ability to conduct research for industry is expanded with a higher level of expertise and the resource of masters students.

The profession as a whole receives the benefit of advanced student research, stronger educational leadership and enhanced undergraduate programs.

In terms of the speed with which many things happen in the higher education sector, QIT is moving very quickly to fulfil its dual role of educating beginning professionals and facilitating professional development.

Dennis Gibson (Dr)

BCCpr

Gardens plan

with

'I he Bri1obane C.:ity Council

announced it!.

$3.5

million rehabili·

tation and development plan for the (it) Garden!> in September to be completed within two year1t.

'I

he linal plan

I olio\\.~

the publtc launch

la~t

}car ol a 12 month plannmg

~tudy

lor

Garden~

1'01nt by Qll untl the IK'C. led b}

~cn1or

h.:cturer 1n

lantl~eape

an.:h1tecture at Qll

. M~ Catherin

BulL

M~

Bull

~a1d tha

t

mo~t ul the

bruiJi.l SlliJLCg) recommendation~

in the orig1nal

~tud)

had been adopted

.

IJralt plan!> ammg

I

rom the

~tud)

\\en.: on

di~pla)

lor

~e\eral month~.

111\ltJllg and attracting more than

700 ~ugge~tiUil!>

lrom

member~

ol the public.

A

committee compmmg Bn!>bane arcluteet. M r Robin

G1b~on;

hortl·

cultumh~t

and

broadca~ter,

M r Colin Campbell; and the D1rector and Secrctar} ol the

Park~

and Gardens Hranch ol the BCC, Mr Llo)d

'Wilham~

and Mr Kerr) rarrcl.

rc\ 1cwcd these plans m the light ol public

~uggc~tlon~

and came up \\.lth a l1nal plan \\.htch

wa~

appro-.cd b}

the Coum:il.

M~

Hull congratulated the BCC on the lmal plan and the planning

proce!>~.

.. It\

a lirst in Brisbane lor public participation in open

~pac-.

planning.

and lor

c~tabli~hing

comprehensi-.e und Integrated planning lor the lmtonc heart ol Brisbane," she said.

MaJor elements ol the original Gardens strategy which were retained mclude:

• opening up the point lor a music bowl and broad area ot grass;

• creation ol a lormal gardens area

a~

the horticultural heart ol the CJardens

to be

kept clear ol inappro·

pnate

^u~e;

• reinlorcement ol the vegetative lramework between old Queens Park and the Gardens;

• the nc\\.

concour~c

and entrance oil Albert Alice Strecb and

pro\l~lon

lor Warana

out~ide

the Gardens core;

• location ul the }acht

lacilitic~

budtlmg;

• the central inlormation pa-.iliun;

and

• a

\\.e~tern

entrance via Gardens Po1nt Road

.

Hemcnb not reta1ned include

:

•

the central lake (replaced by the

lormul

garden~);

•

recreation ol the ParliamenUtJ'}

\

^l~ta;

• the Old Go'vcrnmcnt

Hou~c

vista;

and

• the

em~~

peninsula link

I

rom the Domain to the

Garden~.

I

he committee also supported the

~tud}

recommendations tor a city

bu~

loop into the campus and a letT}

lant11ng at the Domain to ser-.icc Ql'l

.

Ql'l 's Department ol Communi- cation has

e~tablished

an organisation which can provide expertise in liclds ranging

I

rom advertising. public relations and journalism

to

executive presentations.

The new Communication Centre will gi-.e specialist advice at the request of business, go-.ernment and the general public.

Normal commercial rates apply

.

According to General Manager, Mr Rod Miller, the centre extends Qll's role ol making new and ad'vanced knowledge and research methods available to the community.

"It

grew out ol the department's

---Publication Details - - -

Inside stories

If you know of a story which should

be

told in 'Inside QIT', submit it in writing or phone the QIT Public Relations Office:

Barbara Ewart .... ... ...

. 223 2130

Niki Charalambous .. ... 223 2361 Peter Hinton ...

..

..

...

.... 223 2386 Letters to the Editor are also welcome (maximum of about 250 words).

Published monthly during semester. Copy deadline is the lOth of

each

month for publication at the end of the month.

Advertising

External advertising is accepted at the discretion of the editor at a rate of $3.00 per col.cm. (plus art charge if applicable). Classified advertising is free for staff and students.

Acknowledgements

Published by the Public Relations Office, QIT,

('U'

Block), GPO Box 2434, Brisbane 400 I. Production by Mr Bob Prentice, Phototypesetter Demonstrator in QIT's Department of Communication. Printed by Time Off Publications.

--- _Page2

INSIDE QIT,

October

31, 1986.

• •

• _• II PARLI.AMtN:-r· HOUst ~ ^II

, ' '

....•. .

^:

. ... •..

. . - ^{. , • .}

tL.£C1"- ~RICKS

Ar ONCe .. ... ..

CouLD OPEN T"WO

( S££ PAGE

ROLLER ^DOORS 3 )

• • • •

I I 0 I

.

^'

Students win CSR scholarships

1

wo

Qll

student~

received

a

wa rds this month valued

a

t up

to

$10 000 each from CS R Ltd

.

I

hey \\.ere Jut!}' Stomlai (uccount·

ancy law) ol

I

he Gap. and Michael Wendt (mechanical engineering) ol Beaudcsert.

lhe awards arc part of C.:SR's undergraduate

scholar~hip

award scheme operating nationally.

1 his year the company ollered scholarships

^to

a first year student in accountancy and a second year student in mechanical engineering at Qll. l:.ach scholarship is valued at up to

$3000

per annum tor the remaining term ol the degree course, plus book allowance and paid

'v

acation employment.

Applicants are judged on academic

excellence,

per~onality

and career moti\ation.

CS

R 's Senior Personnel Ofllccr.

M r Ray Stuart, said the scholarship

~chcme

\\.as important tor the company in its graduate recruitment program.

.. It

gi\cs outstanding students a

ta~te

ot CSR, enablmg them to make a balanced decision on \\.hcthcr the company is a career opportunit) lor them," he said.

li-.e-ycar lorward planning last year,"

Mr Miller said. "The department decided its research and consulting activities needed greater coordination

to

develop the exchange of infor- mation with the community.

"We can draw on the skills of more than 20 stall as consultants whose academic backgrounds are matched by years ol practical experience.

"The centre is especially useful to maintain the personal development ot staff and to provide case study materials for students in tht: future."

Expert lields include organisational communication, social/ psychological research and the introduction of new technologies, including methods for teleconferencing.

As well as communication problem- solving and advisory services, the centre will arrange training and con- tinuing education programs.

The Communication Centre opened in August, and has already done some work for a government department and other clients.

It will be officially launched in the

·

near future.

Administrators are Communi- cation Department head, Dr Bruce Molloy, principal lecturer, Mr Tony Stevenson, and lecturer, Ms Pam

Byde.

·

"We ha

\c a !ugh ~ucccs~

rate on I he

latc~t

a\\artls bnng to n1ne

graduates under the scheme JOining

the number ol Qll

~tudents

bencl1t·

CSR." mg

lrom the C.SR

~cholarsh1p.

CSR scholarship winners, Judy Stomfai and Michael Wendt.

First microchip designed in Qld

A microchip, believed to be the first designed in Queensland for commercial purposes, was produced this month by QIT for a Cairns security company.

The chip, designed by lecturer in electronic systems, M r Gcoll Bcikoff using Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) techniques. was labricated by

A

WAin Sydney. The function of the microchip is undisclosed but it will enable the company to engage in high volume, low cost special component production

.

The work was contracted through Q SEARCH for lnstalarm Inter·

national Pty Ltd, a Cairns company specialising in high security alarms linked by radio.

Head of Departmen' of Electronic Systems Engineering at QIT, Dr Miles Moody, said VLSI techniques were well advanced overseas and in southern states.

However, Queensland needed a state ot the art facility to help its industries dc\clop competitive products. The chip was a small example ot what could be achieved.

Dr Moody said planning was well ad\anced lor establishment of a M icroclectronics Application Centre at Qrt. with funding sought from gowrnmcnt and local industry.

"1

he centre will make available to

electronic manufacturers, YLSI and printed circuit board design tools together with quality assurance tacilities necessary for export of latest technology de-.ices," he said.

An education pwgram

to

inform

·

local manufacturers of the benelits ol recent de-.elopments in electronic technology would also be undertaken.

Mr Geoff Belkoff with his microchip, the first to be designed in Queensland.

Two-car families should be Inter·

ested in a development In remote controlled garage roller door openers made possible by a QIT lecturer's electronic wizardry.

The new

system·~

remote control transmitter includes an option to use twin operation

button~.

This permits two doors, or a door and a security gate, to be separately controlled using one hand piece.

Institute electronics systems engin- eer, Mr Ken Curwen designed the circuitry for the system.

A major feature of the new opener

i~

a simplil1ed motor unit which makes it quicker and easier to install '"ithout llddly adjustment', Door travel and closure can be precisely controlled

.

The motor unit mechanics were developed by instrument engineer.

Mr Bob Turner, senior partner in Turner Instrumentation. which is producmg the roller door opener.

Mr Curwen 11nd Mr Turner were

commi~sioned

by Steeline Industries

It i~

about the length of a football lleld and co t 220 000 to build.

Construction of the

tlr~t

concrete- decked, cable

~oupported

pede1.trian bridge in Au tralia wa recently completed thanks

to

designer and QIT lecturer in ivil engineering. Mr Bob Heywood.

"The bridge iij a high technology solution thllt is aesthetically attractive," he said,

Supported by cables radiating from towers, it ha a concrete deck only

100

millim tr thick and

a

main

pan of 40 metres.

At two and a half metre wide

, the

bridge enables bike riders, pedestrians and di abled people to cross it.

It wa~

built over I abella Drive, a four lane divided arterial road in Tuggeranong, Canberra, and spans a floodway.

"The bridge i as afe a any other tructure de pite its slenderness, but is just a bit more b(}uncy than a conventional structure," Mr Hey·

wopd said.

It

was constructed n ar a recreation

ry

or w111

at the end of last

ye~tr

to design the new system, and basic development tinished in June.

The total development bill so far exceeds

$65 000,

exclusive of design charges which are to be amortised.

Production orders have been received for over 1000 units for delivery within six months. and some have alreudy been exported to Bahrain

tor

experimental installation.

Hrm production orders from the Arabs are expected

tu

follow, and Steeline agents in New Zealund are keen to take the unit.

The unit WIIS ofticially launched at the Australian Building and Con·

struction Engineering Show in mid·

September.

It is the subject of 11 patent appli- cution based on what are said to be two major improwments to existing roller door openers - the usc ol11n inlm·red detection tcchni4ue, und the uddition of electronic control ot door closure.

·• After sever11l prototypes, we

I •

decided to depart from the normal process of using cam-operated, limit switches within the motor unit to control door travel," Mr Curwen said. ''Instead we chose infra-red emitters and detecwrs

lO

pick up a response from a reflective strip mounted on the door itself. This decision greatly simplified the motor unit and removed the need to access it

to

set up the range of door travel.

"To overcome the need for exact placement of the rellective strip. we included visible light emitters in the detector he11d for 11lignment purposes and an electronic delay which stops the motor at an

adju~table

distance past the strip,11llowing precise control ol door closure."

M r Curwen did much ul \he basic electronics work on the new unit during live months' PEP le11ve.

Mr Ken C1.1rwin (left) and Mr

Sob

Turner (right) with the new rollerdoor.

yMont

P~rklng tpac11 on c•mput will be reduced by

180

during conttructlon of thelew/heelth tclenco building commencing on the Domeln 11rly next y1er. (Se1 R1uthtr'1 Column, p1ge 8 for dlt8111t) .

- -

Applicants for the Chief Llbrarltm position at QIT Included two internals. However, they received exactly the same fJUided to1.1r treatment as external applicants. Mr Tom Cochrane and Ms Janice Rickards, both of whom are lonf} term library staff and have acted In the position of Chief Librarian. were personally escorted from their prevlo1.1s Institute tour appointments for a gulcJed tour of the library and a 'meet the library staff' session. Mr Cochrane was collected on schedule from the Law School on the

7th level of the A M Fraser Library building

and escorted to a

lower floor by his current secretary, Ms Sheila Kerslake . . . just in case he got lost.

STOP PRESS: Mr Tom Cochrane was appointed QIT ChitJf Librarian at the October Council meeting.

. -

ANZ'e QIT Agency m1n11gor, Mr Petor Felrweether preaented 11

hlttory of thl blink to Dlroctor, Dr Dtnnll Glbton thlt month on beh111f of Qu~tntlend m•n•g,, Mr Bernie Dewaon. Tht book detell• thl benk'l orlglnl In

1882

and • 1erle• of merger~

over

the ctmtury. Howev1r, It doe• not document the QIT Agency beginnings In

1979.

- ^{• •}

With the Jacarandas out, It's obviously exam time.

All stiJdents should now have written confirmation of timetables tor the exams between Novembor 13 and December 1, but they can get rflplacement , If

nect~ssary,

from the enquiry co1.1nter In

'U'

Block.

The section has advised st1.1dents to br1.1sh up on examination rules published In the institute handbook, and to ens1.1re they

can

produce their ID cards at the

fiX

ami nations room.

If

lost, these can also be replaced,

Mi ion to ntice

tud nt

In Hong Kung ilnd Manila

,

Mr Bunge Will make trude

commi~'1on

~ho~room prc~entution'

to group' ol people belected Jur their ubiluy to inlluence particlpi!tiOil in

mcr~ea~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Wrt~r d~at1on ^and re~areh

"" m ..

park and hopping centre. and blends with the theme of the area.

"The bridge will prov1de an important landmark for people in Canberra."

Mr Heywood said it differed

I

rom

An

1rti

ta lmQr $/on at tho c1bl

'I iv ly'

other cable-

·

tayed ped

estrian bridges

as it had a concrete deck mther thun the typical steel deck

.

This made

con~truction

very

economic~tl.

"The bridge cost

$900

a square

Mr Ray Bange will repre~ent Ql I on

one week

~iMt~

to Bangkok. DJakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Smgapore under the Austr11de banner. He will also

v1~1t

Hong Kong and Manilu by spccinl urrungcmcnt \Hth local trade cummtssioners lind educution

authoritie~.

Mr B11nge hu turgets ol 50 lull- tee-puymg overseus student lor

I 9!l7, 150

lor JIJ!j!l <1nd

300

lor

19H9.

Armed with <1 video produced internal!}' with

fls~istancc I rum

the Department ol Cummuniclltion, brochures,

di~pl11y

material and a detailt!d knowledge ul the

ln~titute,

he Will man Ql'J \'land at the rir

I

Asean

1 m1ning

and Education Exhibition and Conlenmce lrum December

3-6

at the World

l

rude Centre in

'ingapore. I

he exhibition ib expected to uttmct

20 000

peuple.

u

metre rather than the

u~ual

cobt of between

$1000

ilnd

$1500

p

•r yuare

metre for conventional pedestrian bridges," he said.

The design wa completed in

19H5,

while Mr Heywood was working

He ~aid org:tnJ>ations like the

Hong K

ung Shunghw Uank und the

Edu~:at1on

Pcp11rtmcnt

111

Hong Kong helped place student'

o~ersca,.

"I

he Hong Kung Shanghai Bank

ha~ 30

tall

I

ully employed in placmg

tudem~ m

o\er

ca~ cdu~.:attonalmstl­

tutwn~

on bch;1ll ol tts

cu~tomcr,."

Mr Bange albo hopes

to

finalise agency aiTIIngemcnts wtth llppro- pnate South l:ast Asmn

orgam,allon~

which

~ould

promote and represent Ql'J '. intcre•t•

Ill ~he

region

.

~one

orj!.ani&Htton

I

am ne go!latmg with fw , an Australian parent and

14

outlet

111

Suuth

Ea~t

AMa wh1ch could be extremely usclulm prnmot- ing our

eour~e~

and other capu- bilitleb," he su1d.

Mr Bange returns to

Qll

on Decl:!mber I

K.

with Cameron McNamara Pty Ltd

.

He

in~pected

progress on the bridge in late August before

pre~enting

a pilper about itb dehign 11t a recent international conference on con-

~truction

in civil engineering.

upportod

Qtd

trl1n

brirJgt

over

laabt~ll

Driv , Tugg r

nang,

Canberra.

---

INSIDE QIT, October 31, 1986. Page3

r

bi

Queensland 'wetlands' like mud- flats, marshes, ponds and bogs could be used to recycle domestic and industrial effluent, thereby purifying polluted water, according to a QIT biologist.

Dr Habib Yetdani ol the Institute's Department ol Biology and Environ- mental Science said Queen~land \\-as lailmg to take ad\antage ol the latest scientific knowledge about the \alue ol wetlands.

While many such areas in the

~tate were being destroyed, artificial

\\etland~ were being created o\erseas to dispo~e ol waste.

Dr 't etdani said that most aquatic plants as part ott heir natural growth cydc absorbed mtrogcn and phos;

phorus, remtl\ ing them I rom, I or o.ample, se\\age, or domestic \\aste containing such matter as detngcnb.

Hy 'locking up'these nutrients, planb

like water hyacinth, and a number of sedges like bullrushes purified the water.

There were also recent advances in the use of wetlands for the disposal of industrial waste,

In the United State~. the 1 ennessce Valley Authority had constructed artificial wetland~ lor the treatment of acid draining from coallacilities.

During PEP lea\e earlier this year, Dr Yet.dani, a limnologist, attended an international conlerence on wetland~ organised by the Uni\crsity of Georgia's Institute ol b:ology.

He said \\-Ctlands had pre\ iously had the reputation ol unhealthy places ''here mosquitoes and other disease-can)ing organisms thri\ed.

However, there \\-ere no\\ etlectivc control measures lor mosquitoes and other disease carriers, and inter-

d to

t:

national scientific thought recognised that there was more to be gained from retaining wetlands than wiping them out.

"Wetlands are now regarded as precious ecological resources," Dr Ye1dani said.

Not only could they purity water, they moderated the destructive eflects ol lloods and storms, were breeding grounds lor fish, prawn and other marine and e~tuarine fish lite of commercial benelit, and provided unique recreational areas.

Dr Ye;dani, \\-hv has a special interest in aquatic plants, said Queens- land had all the right plant species to usc tor waste water treatment.

With increasing population, demand tor water as well as tor ctrtuent treatment \\ould gro\\-.

Quecn~land should be ·using not abusing' its wetlands.

Pacemaker test ystem earns master's degree

A more reliable testing system lor pacemakers has been de\ eloped by a Qll master's student in medical

phy~ICS.

I he sy~tem integrates an electro- cardiograph machine with a nm:ro- computer, and is. aid to gi\e better results as \\ell as bcmg more et!1C1ent than present testing methods.

It \\as designed by electrical engmeer, Mr Ken Wilson, director ol the Physical Sciences Department at Bri~bane's Prince Charb. Hospital.

Mr Wilson wasa\\arded IllS Master ol Applied Science Medical Physics degree on October 15.

He said that pacemakers were no\\ te~ted by taking a standard LCG,then separately mea~uring paL-e- maker heart-rate using an electronic 1nterval counter. The intormation was recorded manually.

"W1th the nel\ ~y~tem, the electro- cardiograph part is specially de~igned to cope \\llh pacemaker s1gnab, and therelore gives a more taithlul ECG,"

Mr Wilson said. "As well, measure-

ment~ are automatically entered into pallent records on the computer, so that human error 1s le~s likely."

Mr Wilson ~aid the che~t hospital planned to put his system into regular chnical use in the near future.

The \\Ork lor his master's thesis 11as closely related to his position at Pnnce Charles Hospital: the Physical Sc1ences Department manages medical equipment within the hospital and has a small clinical role in providing technical support tor patients with pacemakers.

M ^r

graduate

QIT graduates this year arc likely to be even 'luckier' with employment than in previous years, according to the Institute's Graduate Placement Officer, Mr Gerry Connor.

He said that by last month, a record lS5 employers had visited the campus, compared with a total of 60 last year.

Mr Ken Wilson receives his Masters degree at the graduation ceremony held on October 15 for 250 students who completed courses mid-year.

r s

in 198

With the 'creeping awareness of the need for a more educated work- force', more and more organisations were now seeking graduates.

Mr Connor will conduct one of the workshops during the national employers and graduate careers advisors' conference to be held at Griffith University from November 30 to December 3.

ekQIT

Up to 200 company recrUitmg oflicers and graduate placement officers from tertiary institutions will attend.

The workshop will discuss assess- ment of graduate training needs and the design of courses to assist graduates in job seeking and the handling of interviews.

Page 4 INSIDE QlT, October 31, 1986.

Lecturer's first book on Au st. fi I m and

fiction launched

Senior lecturer in QIT's Depart- ment of Communication, Dr Graeme Turner, has just had his first book published, but he is not stopping there.

'National Fictions', an academic rather than a general readership

\\ork on Australian film and fiction, was launched in mid-September.

Its publication was underwritten by the Australian Film Commission.

The first in an Allen and Unwin series covering Australian cultural studies, the book was edited by Professor John Tulloch !rom Macquarie Univer~ity's Mass Com- munications Program.

It will be used for coursework at Qll !rom lir~t seme~ter next year, and is already being picked up by

Contingency plans are being devel- oped to counter any outbreaks ot exotic diseases like loot and mouth or rabies in Australia.

'I he 1-ederal Government asked all state pest control authorities to investigate dillerent specific groups ol animals that \\ould be likely carriers of exotic diseases, and to devise operational plans tor their control.

Among the possible vectors are nati\e and domestic rats, bab, !era!

pigs, goats and donkeys.

The relevant Queensland authority, the Rural Lands Protection Hoard was asked to devise operational plans tor the control of rodents and bats.

Qll authority on rodent popu- lation management, biologist, Mr John Wilson, did the research to produce a strategic support plan and tactical operating procedures lor the control of both urban and native rats.

His report has already gone to the Rural Lands Protection Board.

Mr Wilson said that because ot Australia's geographic location, the threat of outbreaks of exotic diseases was very real, and contingency plans were vital.

If an outbreak did occur, action would need to be quick and definite and this would happen only if pro- cedures were well defined.

"I considered this project one of

ERDU graphics workshop

ERDU will hold a workshop to demonstrate the capture of images from PC screens for production of colour slides, prints or laser print- outs.

The workshop will be held on November llS in the ERDU Seminar Room.

For registration and further infor- mation, contact Linda Kalle at ERDU on 2697.

other Australian tertiary institutions for their Australian film and Aust- ralian studies courses.

However, after four years (on- and-of!) work, Dr 1 urner is not resting on his laurels.

A second book in the same series is already in manuscript form, and a third book on film theory is now being written in conjunction with Communication Department head, Dr Bruce Molloy.

In another joint project, with Professor Tulloch, Dr Turner is co- editing a reader for tertiary level students of television.

Newly published author, Dr Graeme Turner, has a quick browse through his book.

the most useful pieces of research I ha\e ever done," he said.

Mr Wilson sa1d a Uni\crs1ty ot Queensland researcher had been asked to study the possible role ot bats as cxot1c disease carriers.

·1 he Queensland studies and those done in other states on specific groups of animals would be considered by the 1-ederal Government in preparing integrated control strategies.

M r Wilson said outbreaks ol exotic diseases could be expected anywhere in Australia, although the North seemed at the most risk.

Only isolated outbreaks were expected, so control plans could be expected to concentrate on containing these.

Grant aid s . research on rat control in cane

The Sugar Experiment Stations Board will provide more money lor QIT studies into the ecology of rats in sugarcane fields.

Twenty thousand dollars a year for the next two years will be made available to the Department of Biology and Environmental Science for studies of rats in fields where green cane harvesting and trash con- servation are practised.

The funds are in addition to a grant of $160 000 to biologist, Mr John Wilson for a three to four year study of rats in fields where cane is burnt prior to harvest.

Rat damage in Queensland cane fields causes sugar production losses as high as $28 million each year, despite extensive eradication measures.

Optometrists to loo through pistol sights

A request from an international pistol shooting champion to QIT's Optometry Department could lead to a lot more bulls eyes at Brisbane's Belmont Range, and elsewhere.

Lynne-Marie Freh, Australian pistol shooting representative and five-times national champion approached the department about research on pistol shooters' vision.

Ms Freh is a pistol-shooting coach, a sports reporter for the Daily Sun Newspaper, and a part-time journal- ism student at QIT.

··on's maths degree course has gl\cn me a sound tertiai') base to build on ~Ith exper11.:nce. It has helped me thm!... more logically."

1 hat is the \ 1ev~ ot M r Bruce Crouch, a ~ccond year student enrolled 111 the Bachelor ol Applied Sctence MathematiCs course.

l-or the past ten months, he has been employed by IBM.

·1 he course enablt:s second year students to have one year's paid mdustnal expcnence bet~ccn the second and third year ol the course.

Mr Crouch dtd a sub-maJor stud;

111 computer science and lound that his Job at IBM ttes in ~1th lm. coun.c

\\or!....

A member of the City of Brisbane Pistol Club, she was particularly concerned about the vision of pistol shooters with spectacles, although her own eyesight is very good.

"In contrast with rille and other shooting, pistol shooting concentrates on the pistol sights, not on the target," she said. "This seems to present a real problem to optometrists in making correct lenses for pistol shooters with spectacles."

Two linal year optometry students, Andrew Carkeet and Peter Chan have now done laboratory and field studies designed to throw more light on the relationship between vision, the pistol and the target.

At the Belmont Pistol Range,

they field-tested nine shooters with different types of lenses to see which improved their vision. .

In the laboratory they used a computer mock-up representing both the centre of an international standard target and gun foresight and rearsight to scientifically test how accurately shooters could line up the sights.

Ms Freh said pistol shooters she had spoken to were excited about the project because written infor- mation would now be available:

optometrists could be told 'in their own language' what shooters needed. The project is seen as one of a series which will help improve the accuracy of pistol shooters at all levels ot competition.

Electron microscope discovers radioactive chemical in liver

A radioactive chemical ~ith a hall-ltle of thirteen billion years was recently disco\ered 111 a human liver bemg analysed by a Qll lecturer.

1 he material, 1 horium, was detected by senior lecturer in medical laboratory science, Dr Da\id E.

Allen.

I he patient was belie\Cd to be sultenng I rom a liver tumor.

lmesllgatlon ol his history rc\calcd that he \\as one ol a large number ol people treated ~tth Colloidal

·1 honum Dwxtde over a period, from 1930-1950.

Dr ll n initiated a non__.,,...,.,,..,;.,,..

test usmg an electron microsq1pe, and X-rays sho~ed that depostts ¹¹¹ the liver contained htgh concen- trations ol 1 honum.

However, long term effects o!

exposure to 1 horium were not appreciated at the time of use.

Dr Allen said elimination ot

··1 horotrast' by the body is often

slo~ and incomplete and the-, horium content is radiuactive.

"It is now recognised that people exposed to '1 horotrast · ha\e a high incidence ot liver tumors, cirrhosis ot the liver and fatal blood disorders."

He said it was recommended that '1 horotrast' not be used in patients with a life expectancy ol more than

t~o years.

~ounded, and one stud:r ~ho\\cd

that ot 1107 patients treated ~tth the chemical, more than halt died.

QIT favourites in

Bakehouse recipes

by Barbara Ewart

Some well-kept culinary secrets of Brisbane and campus identities are revealed in a recipe book just produced by the QIT Union's Child Care Centre.

Among contributors to the book, the 'Bakehouse Collection' are the Lord Mayor, Alderman Sallyanne Atkinson, QIT Director, Dr Dennis Gibson, and ABC Radio personality, Ms Lesley Whitteker.

The title comes from the original function ot the Child Care Centre building. It was constructed in 1951 for pastry cook students attending the old Central Technical College, and since then has also served as a cooperative printery and a gymnastum.

1 he recipes range from Sallyanne Atkinson's ·orange borsch' to Lesley Whittekcr\ 'stuffed pumpkin a Ia

~tar\ing student', with QIT Student Union President, Jane 1-olliott, then seeing the need 101 a 'cheese sauce with a dillerence'.

You'll have to buy the book ($5 a copy) to find out what Mr Brian Waters puts in his Registrar's Surprise.

But the Director's contribution could have been only one thing Yorkshire pudding.

1 he book, of about sixty pages, also has a 'child's play'section which will tell you how to make gingerbread men, playdough and bubble mixture.

The 'Bakehouse Collection' was olticially launched at a Campus Club bullet on October I 0. 1 he extensive menu, each dish taken from the recipe book, included eight main courses and a similar selection ol desserts.

1 he recipe book can be obtained I rom the Child Care Centre and the Union shop.

QIT Child Care Centre Director, Ms Janise McGutfog gets a sneak preview of the 'Bakehouse Collection'.

··tam looked upon as a valuable resource. I have been trusted ~ tth a lot ol conlidenllal material and allov\cd to act as consultant \\ith some ol the company's btgger accounts."

M r Crouch said he\\ ould c\entu- all:. lil-..e to \\or!... as ani BM consultant domg mathematical analysis, com- puter programmmg and market mg.

Qll \ Mathematics Department ptoneercd the cooperative education program \\htch is nu\\ ollt:red as an option In all departmeNs 111 the

~choobol Applied Science and Com- puling Studies.

1 he matenal had onginally been detected but not Identified by radi- ography and light microscopy.

Marl-..cted as ··1 horotrast ', ·1 horium was Introduced as a contrast medium lor blood vessel radtography and pnncipally used tn the USA, Japan, and Europe.

edimentologist to s d ancient lake deposits

I he department lindsjobs lor the students Y\ho then arrange their o~n

interv te~s.

Bruce Crouch

U.S. academic guest lectures

An American academic with an international reputation fortransform- mg ailing organisations, will address master's students in QIT's Depart- ment of Communication on

ovember 14.

Dr Thayer, now Professor of Organisational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, has been a consultant to such major corpor- ations as Hallmark, IBM, Boeing and to US Government agencies including the Air Force and Post Office Department.

His evening talk to students will follow a one-day seminar arranged bj the Institute's Communication Centre for chief executives and senior management.

It produced greater contrast than other medta and had less immediate stdc ellccts.

Lecturer selected

for national tribology

panel

A Qll lecturer in mechanical engineering has been selected as a member of the newly formed National 1 ribology Panel. He is principal lecturer, Dr Will Scott.

Tribology is the study of materials in contact.

The panel, which was formed jointly by the Institution of Engineers Australia and the Australian Branch· of the American Society of Lubri- cation Engineers, will participate in the planning of the International Tribology Conference scheduled for

1987.

According to Dr Scott, the main areas of research in tribology at QIT are surface texture characterisation

~hich involves specification, pro- duction 3nd measurement of surface roughness; testing of solid and liquid lubricants; wear studies, and designs which minimise wear.

The panel aims to support and initiate technical work associated with tribology in Australia.

Sedimentologist, Dr Aro Arakel will study ancient lake deposits in China, France and the United States duringsevenandahaltmonths PEP leave beginning next month.

For the past two years, the lecturer in applied geology has been one of the researchers tor an International Geological Correlation Program project which is comparing modern and ancient lacustrine systems.

The program is coordinated from Switzerland and financed by the International Geological Union.

Dr Arakel is comparing the relatively modern lake deposits in Australia with ancient deposits in China and France.

He said the eventual aim was to assess the potential of salt lake basins lor mineral deposits and petroleum accumulation in order to develop exploration models. A related aim was to determine how the ancient deposits were formed.

In China, Dr Arakel will give a number of invited lectures at the Institute of Geology, the Institute of Salt (which researches salt lake deposits), and at the Academia Sinica, the equivalent of Australia's National Academy of Science.

Institute of Geology Professor, Yijian Chen, a carbon dating expert, is one of the researchers in the international project. Last year Professor Chen spent six months studying lake deposits in Western and Central Australia.

Dr Arakel will spend about four months in France looking at Tertiary Period lake deposits in the Paris Basin. He will liaise with the Paris School of Mines and take part in

tield mapping exercises and detailed F-001 N01 E

laboratory analyses ol samples. In China, Dr Arakel will be putting hench and Australian salt lake in a good word lor Queensland and deposit samples will be analysed at for Qll. He will liaise with the the internationally-recognised geo- Director ol the Institute ol Geology chemical laboratories at the Univers- and the Australian Ambassador in ity ot New Hampshire in the United Beijing about the possibility of young States. Dr A rake! will spend some Chinese people studying in Australia. three months working with the ew He has also been invited to deliver a Hampshire team in\olved in the public lecture on the educational IGCP project and will also participate opportunities and lifestyle in in post-graduate students' seminars. Queensland.

ROYAL QUEENSLAND ART SOCIETY .•. ROYAL QUEENSLAND ART SOCIETY

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Enquiries

and

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A.13100S .LHV ONV1SN33nO 1V A.OH •.. A.131005 .LHV ONV1SN33nO 1YA.OI:t INSIDE QIT, October 31, 1986. Page 5

British avionics firm visits QIT to recruit staff

Representatives of G EC Avionics Ltd, Britain's leading exporter of aviation electronics systems, visited QIT at the end of last month during an Australian and New Zealand tour to recruit staff.

Eight final-year electronic systems,

electrical engineering and computing

students "'ere intcrvie"'ed over tv.o days.

Although 21 interviews were con- ducted in Brisbane, Qll was the only campus visited.

GEC Avionics Personnel Officer, Ms Caroline Burn, !>aid the company was seeking hardware, software and systems engmeers.

British colleges could not meet the

UK

demand tor engineers and Aust- ralian courses were broadly comparable.

Ms Burn said job applicants "'ere being assessed on motivation as well as academic ability

.

GFC A-..iomcs, based at Rochester,

Kent, employs 12 000 pcoph: at lour mmn s1tcs. At Rochester alone. there

are 5500 employees, chietly in elec·

tronic design and development for tlight control and navigation.

About 90 interviews were to be conducted in Australia and New

Zealand between mid-September and the end of October.

Successful applicants will not be notified until final approval is given by the company's head office.

Ms Caroline Burn and Mr Richard Watters from GEC Avionics Ltd with final year computer science student, Ms Donna Crighton.

tudent in p t r il electrific tion in Centr I ld

A party ol47 electrical and elec- tronic systems engineering

stude~ts

and stall from Qll visited Central Queensland on September 17 to inspect stage one development ol the State's massive mainline electrifi- cation program.

'I he $1000 million dollar project

involves electrilication of 1500 km ol main railway tracks and coal branch lines and is targeted lor completion in 19!19.

Stage one covers the elcctnlication of the existing line I rom Gladstone port to Rockhampton and Black- water, including a number ol branch lines

to

coal mines in the area.

1 he visit to the

Glad~tone

and Rockhampton areas was arranged by the Railways Commissioner, Mr Ralph Sheehy.

It

followed an invited lecture to final year students and stall by the Deputy

Commi~sioner

and Secretary.

Mr Ross Dunning. at the end ollast

~emester.

During the tour. the Qll

·

group was able to sec in action Queensland

Railways 'latest electronic, communi·

cation, control and power technology.

Highlights included inspection ot the libre optic data communication system installed at the Gladstone microwave station, and a visit to see the new electric locomutives, the locomotive commissioning and main- tenance divisions and training simu- lators at Callemondah.

Gladstone Harbour Board ollkiub arranged a tour of coal hundling and pori facilities at Clinton. and the party was shown o'ver the computer- controlled Rockhampton Control Centre lor the railwttys.

Head ol the Department ot Electrical Engineering. Mr Gmbam Littler, said the trip had given students a good insight inw the work per·

lormed by Queensland Rttilways.

It "'us gmtitying to meet 4uite a number ol Qll graduates 'on the job' in Centml Queensland, and prospects tor thb year\ gradutttes lor employment with the railways seemed excelltmt.

Student wins engineers award for final year project

tudy h w

have d fen

a ^ligh

.W. Pacific intere t in external

Health Admin cour

Don Rush, a tina! year student in Electromc Systems l.ngmccring at Qll v.as av.ardcd

u

medal

and a cheque for$100 at the annual students'

night held

by

tlw lnsotutwn

ol

Lnginecrs, Australia and the Insti- tution ol Electncal L:ngmccrs.

l K.

He

\\Oil

his av.ard on September 10. llJ!\6 tor lm paper 'D1g1tal Supcn 1sor-y System

'. \\hlch described·

a -..er) low error rate d1git

al ~uper­

\

isor-y 1-11-

ltnJ.. hetng designed lor

a local manulacturcr.

l he pri1c, donated hy the ll· L is av.ard

ed to the student gi\ ing the

best tina! year proJeCt presentation

. I \HI

students

I

rom Qll and tv.o lrom the

ll

ni\crsity ol Queensland v.cre selected

to

present the1r papers.

Medal winner, Don Rush

A QIT researcher says many motorists appear to be unaware of the 'defensive' \alue of their headlights.

Dn'vc rs ultcn lUI ned

^on their lights

only

to

sec the roau ahead; they did not thtnl. about lum well other dmers could sec them.

Ci\ tl engmcering lecturer

. M r

Phil Wtlltarns hw. completed the lin.t year ol a t"'o-year

111\e~ugatton

ol

\

eh1t:le lighting and trallu.: <tCCidents

at dust..

.

I he proJect

1mol\e~

the

oh~er­

\atton ol tv.iltght dri\1ng hab1h at 10 dtllercnt

stte~ 111

South

la~t Quecn~­

land

.

and a detailed

anal:r~~~

ol police reports ol

~omc

2500 road accidents

in the regton.

Stnce 'dust..· occurs at dillercnt times during the )Car. the site obscr-

'v

all

ons arc hemg collected lor the

lull 19!16 calendar yea r.

I

he road acctdent

report~

bc1ng used arc lor the 19K4-!15 lmanctal year. the most rece nt lull-yca 1

~taustics a

'vallablc.

IJata has been collected 111 li've- mtnute blocJ..s on the changing pro- portions ol 'no

hght~ ·.·pari<. ing light~

only', and 'headlights·. l he amount ol prc'vatling ltght at the time, the road en\! Ironment, and trallic lactors,

"'ere also noted.

Mr Williams sa1d although data was still being collated, preliminary

re~ults

indicated that a significant percentage ot part..ing lights "'ere 'virtually useless, and that

headlight~

"'ere tar salcr.

The only exception was tor some Volvo models which had a high

IV • v

intensity 'running light 'acti\ated auto- matrcally by the ignition.

ObserHH~

!>aid this ltght was highly conspicuous o'ver a "'

'de range ol um

bwnt

(prna1ltng) ltght.

One pomt to

emerge road accident analySis :1umber ut dusJ..-penod in'volving

pede~trians.

•

lrom lhc was the accidents

I

"Ob\loust} an} measures to improve the conspicuousness ut

•c

hicles

at

tv.ll1ght "

o11ld ulso en- huncc pedestrian ..,aJet}." Mr Willmms

SUIU.

MoLorc)~r

^'

~~~~~~--4M~--~~~~~~~~ .. ^~~--~~

by moturists, "'on some pra1sc

I

rom Sentor urcr in th admm the reseun:hers

I

or tht 1r t're4ucnt ust t ration, M r Paul H mdson \ 1s1tcd ol ltght't. I onga

,

W\.!stern Samoa, hJI, the Solomon lsl;mds, und Jlupua l'iev.

Gu1nea as pa rt

ul

h1s 1'[:1'.

He sur\eyed health

a

nd record admtntstra!Hm stall

¹¹¹

the reg1on to detc1 mine where

the~

gamed then·

protesswnal educuuon, and v.hat potent1al there

v.a~

tor recruitmg

student~ 11110

Qrl \ elltern;tl Bachelor ot !Justness Health Adrnnustratton course

.

Mr

Hmd~on

tound that 1t wus much more economical

1m

these countnes to support extl.!rnal ruther thun lull-lime studl.!nts.

"l

hey lo. c expertise dunng the umc sHtll arc 11"-!ty studying," he suid

.

Another dtsad'vantage "'as that

It

cost between $20 000 and

$36

000 a yeur

^tu

support a

I

ull-ltmc student 1n AuWalia, and that tour ur li've studenh could be supported with the same lunds on an external

b~tsis.

Mr Hindson said he received 4uite a lttrge number ol re4uests tor in! or- mation about Qll

's ~,:our'>e

in health administration,und that South West Pacific countries were •cry interested in the external progrum.

Civil engineering ltJcturt~r, Mr Phil WlllitlmS, investigtJtor of VtJhic/e lighting and traffic accidents.

He suid the •a rio us health depart- ments in the reg1un were willinl' to provide stan with time ott from work to stlldy.

~tnd

the use of their computer lacilitieh.

Library to

·m r

photocopy service

ational tourism award for Lizard I land proj ct

1

he Qll library will revamp its The value of a Qll Planning and photocopying facilities in 19H7. Landscape Architecture Department Options now under consideration project was acknowledged at the

are: National Tourism Awards presented

• to extend automation of existing in Adelaide on September 25.

photocopying

·

ervices with a Lizard Island, north east of magnet-ic card operating system Cook town, won the resort category to replace coin operation; and for combined accommodation and

• to install of new htgh volume, recreational facilities, after taking quality opiers before the 1987 thesamecategoryintheStateawards academic year. orpnised

by the

Queen land Tourist Page 6 INSIDE QIT, October 31. 1986.

and

1

ravel Corporation.

A Q SEARCH team led by senior lecturer, Ms Catherin Bull, has been heavily involved for

~ome

time in an improvement program for the

exclu~ive

resort.

The project

combine~

site planning, broad-scale landscape architecture development. and

re~afforestation.

~A

major element is to set up a

land · cape management unit," Ms Bull said.

Landscape architecture students have been acting both as research assistants and onysite labour for the project which

i~

ne>w in its second year, with likely extension to three years.

Li1ard lsi nd resort. which took its

fir~t

guests in 1975, is owned by

Air Queensland. Mr Paul

Hlnd3on.