Archived News for Engineering Professionals - March, 2014
New Zealand physicists have used incredible ‘optical tweezers’ to split clouds of ultracold atoms and to smash them together.
New degree of collaboration for air maintenance
Aviation Australia has announced it will help run the University of Southern Queensland’s (USQ) new management degree for aircraft maintenance engineers.
Searchers' summit digs up new findings
A meeting this week brings together the finest minds in mineral exploration, as scientists and geologists descend on Geoscience Australia’s UNCOVER Summit.
Stakes named in robot resource revolution
Rio Tinto says robots are the future for productive mining, but the CFMEU says it won’t let human workers be replaced.
UK turns giant screws for flood help
Millions of pounds will be spent on a classic engineering solution to fix flooding in the UK.
Blockades and disobedience in angry workers' plan
Union workers have threatened to employ ‘civil disobedience’ in protests of large-scale job cuts.
Telstra testing with view to NBN billions
Telstra is shooting for $6 billion worth of contracts on Australia’s National Broadband Network, launching a pilot program to test its intended hardware.
Wireless plan to move solar close to source
The United States military is working on a project to gather solar electricity from space and beam it wirelessly back to Earth.
Serious issues seem not to set back massive military spend
Australia will likely spend billions on a Defence acquisition recently described as “unaffordable”, buying dozens of planes that currently cannot stay together for more than a few hours.
Bungled bund wall begs closer view
Several bodies are calling for increased scrutiny of the Port of Gladstone, as the federal environment department moves to delay its decision on leaking dredge spoils.
Court to hear new claims of Greg Hunt's failure
A court case will argue that Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt failed in his obligation to protect the environment, by approving the dredging and expansion of the Abbot Point coal terminal.
Erratic magnets clean wastewater for raw material
German scientists have detailed new ways to recover valuable substances from wastewater.
Wave site sees powerful info rising
New tools will help future wave power designs get the most from the ocean.
Camp energy planning can benefit all round
Mining companies often weigh environmental outcomes against economic ones, and choose actions which benefit the latter, but researchers say with better planning they can have the best of both worlds.
Industry calls for road charge change for more funding avenues
A new report has added weight to the argument that all users should pay for roads, highlighting new ways to fund advanced infrastructure.
Rock based panel throws light both ways
Engineers in Singapore have taken glow-in-the-dark to a futuristic degree, creating a material which can both capture and emit light.
Smashing plates make mountains curl
Advanced modelling has solved a generations-old geological question, as scientists investigate why long, curvy mountains form near places where tectonic plates smash together.
Job loss rumours swirl around long supply line
A regional newspaper has reported that a major gas project could be getting shut down, but the company behind has said nothing.
Nuclear on list for novel, profitable, new Australian age
A new report from analysts at Deloitte Access Economics has highlighted 25 sectors that could drive the Australian economy in the future, including nuclear power generation and waste storage.
Technological leap taken with natural leg-up
Scientists have been pinching designs from nature for some time, but have now brought living and synthetic materials together in an exciting new way.
Abetz lays groundwork for broad building changes
The Federal Government believes jobs and capital are at stake, as it moves to reduce union power on building sites.