Archived News for Engineering Professionals
The Women in Science and Engineering Summit held this week in Parliament House Canberra has led to a number of commitments by research organizations and businesses to improving the retention rate for women in science and engineering.
These include:
Agreement by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC to changes in how they assess research publications in the grant applications of those with interrupted careers. The ARC committed to extending the period taken into account. The NHMRC this year will consider any nominated five years of an applicant’s career rather than simply the previous five years, and it has also agreed to monitor gender issues in general.
Airport Link and Victorian desalination projects leave Leighton in the red
Leighton Holdings Limited has announced a huge revision of its profit forcast for 2010-2011, expecting to report a loss of $427 million for the financial year versus its previous guidance for a profit of $480 million after tax.
New research centre for steel industry
Shanghai-based Baosteel Group has partnered with The University of Queensland , University of New South Wales, Monash University, and the University of Wollongong to establish the Baosteel-Australia Joint Research and Development Centre.
Watpac wins Queensland projects
Watpac’s Construction division has been awarded two contracts totalling $155 million in Queensland’s south-east region.
Smart grid training partnership to continue
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) will repeat a week-long training course in smart grids run in partnership with IBM and Ausgrid (formerly EnergyAustralia) for IT professionals, telecommunications engineers and electrical power engineers.
NSW government appoints North West Rail Link team
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell and Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian have announced the appointment of a project team to fast-track work on Sydney’s North West Rail Link.
Rio Tinto awards Pilbara railway job to Ansaldo STS
Rio Tinto Ltd has awarded a $96 million railway signaling and communications to the Australian subsidiary of Milan company, Ansaldo STS.
Victoria not meeting renewable energy targets
A report by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office has found that while total renewable energy generation in Victoria has increased, efforts to increase the proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources have not been effective.
Design partners announced for Great Western Highway upgrade
Sinclair Knight Merz and Parsons Brinckerhoff have been selected to partner with the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) to undertake the detailed design work and obtain the necessary environmental approvals for the upgrade of the Great Western Highway between Mount Victoria and Lithgow.
Australia climbs international clean energy ranking
The international environment agency, The Pew Charitable Trusts, has released a report that ranks Australia in 12th position in G20 countries - behind Brazil, Canada, Spain, France, India and Japan, but ahead of the UK - in terms of investment in clean energy.
Regal to trial new methane extraction technology
Enhanced Biogenic Methane (EBM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Regal Resources, is conducting a pilot project in Victoria for its biogenic methane enhancement (BME) technology.
Australian universities ranked in top 50 for engineering and technology
Four Australian universities have been ranked in the world’s top 50 universities in the inaugural QS World University Rankings for engineering and technology.
Strong outlook for civil engineering construction sector
Economic Analyst, BIS Shrapnel, has released its annual study on the outlook for the civil engineering construction sector in Australia, finding that the sector is growing strongly, with 25% growth forecast for the next three years due to mining, LNG and flood reconstruction activity.
BCA skills report reveals lack of engineering graduates
Universities are pushing out too many lawyers and commerce graduates and not enough engineers, scientists and mathematicians, according to a report by the Business Council of Australia.
Decmil Group awarded $71M BHP contract
Civil engineering and construction company, Decmil Group Ltd has been awarded a $71 million contract by BHP Billiton Ltd to design and construct the Warrawandu Village, around 25 km east of Newman in WA’s Pilbara region.
Gascoyne water pipe upgrade
Gascoyne Water Co-operative Limited (GWCL) and Pipe Fusions Australia (PFA) have signed the contract for construction of a new pipeline to deliver water for intensive agriculture development in the Carnarvon horticulture district.
$20 million train contract awarded to overhaul Queensland commuter trains
Queensland Rail has awarded EDI Rail – Bombardier Transportation Pty Ltd a $20 million contract to overhaul ten commuter trains at its facility in Maryborough.
Queensland tenders for road reconstruction works
The Queensland Government is about to tender for a broad range of road-repair projects in Far North Queensland, including major contracts worth around $80 million to be tendered in the next three weeks.
Executive Director of WSAA resigns
The Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) Executive Director, Ross Young, has announced his resignation after leading the Association since 2004.
New international system to speed up patent processing
A new online patent access system will enable IP offices in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom to share a digital library of patent search and examination reports.
Infrastructure projects awarded
Brisbane’s Gateway Upgrade Project has been judged as the nation’s best infrastructure project of the year at Infrastructure Partnerships Australia’s National Infrastructure Awards, held in Sydney last week.