Scott Adams, aka the creator of Dilbert, has written a post promoting the value of engineers in politics. Have a read.

 ”China’s leadership isn’t big on religion. And apparently they don’t see any upside in war. They handle their money wisely. They put a lot of energy into building infrastructure. And they care more about stability than human rights. In other words, they value efficiency over feelings. It’s exactly the way you’d expect a bunch of engineers to run a country. Obviously this approach has served China well.”

Food for thought.

‘Anything is possible when you follow your passion…’ That’s the message from the new campaign from the South Australian Government designed to encourage students to study maths and science and look to future careers in the field.

The campaign includes an interactive website, career ambassadors and a competition to win an ultimate worksite visit.

SA Deputy Premier, Kevin Foley announced, “We need more students thinking about careers in science, engineering and technology, as well as the mechanical, electrical and construction trades.” Adding, “Choosing the right subjects in the final years of high school is a vital prerequisite to working in these dynamic sectors.”

South Australia has a high demand for these industries, particularly due to defence, research, information technology and mining sectors.

This is an excellent resource for anyone considering their future. This campaign has the same core goals as EngVibe, so we’re big fans. Check it out, the main site is here:

 www.TheresMoreToIt.com.au

Overall, this is an outstanding initiative by the SA Government.

(Source: SouthAustralia.biz | Image: TheresMoreToIt)

An OECD report has shown that 35 percent of Aussie students that top the class in science have no interest in pursuing a career or further study in a related field. The data comes from a 2006 survey of 15 year olds and found that this proportion is slightly less than the overall OECD average of 40 percent.

Is this to be expected? There is always going to be the group of top students who do well in a range of subjects and then settle on the area that interests them most. No doubt the contrast does also exist where some students perform well in English and then choose to study in engineering or science.

The proposed solutions include making the sciences more appealing and fun for student and to improve the understanding of the career pathways in scientific fields. Agreed.

(Source: AdelaideNow | Image: TheTruthAbout)

Rory Stokes, a 15 year old student from the Australian Science and Mathematics School has put to rest the claim that goldfish have a 3 second memory.

He conducted an experiment where he associated a beacon with the feeding of fish. Over a period of three weeks he would feed the fish and activate the beacon. Six days later he returned the beacon and found the fish had retained the memory.

An interesting school science project - read the full article from the Sydney Morning Herald.

(Image by kakki)

Opportunity currently open:

Australian university students with something “eco” on their minds are being asked to step forward with their ideas on sustainable energy solutions for the 2009 Bayer-UNEP Eco-Minds Forum, and be in with a chance to represent Australia at an International Forum in Auckland, New Zealand.

In partnership with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the Bayer Eco-Minds program aims to foster awareness, thirst and passion for the environment amongst students from across the Asia Pacific region. In return, the winning students receive an all expenses paid trip to Auckland for the opportunity to present their ideas and participate in solution-orientated group work, cross-cultural activities and knowledge sharing in a bid to tackle real-life sustainable development issues.

In Australia, the initiative is being supported by leading environmentalist Jon Dee who believes the Eco-Minds Forum is an ideal opportunity for students to put their passion to good use. 

“What better way for young Aussie students to get their suggestions for sustainable energy solutions out there,” says Dee. “Eco-Minds provides the perfect forum for tomorrow’s leaders to exchange ideas with each other in a proactive, pan-Asia effort to make a very real difference to the future of our environment, today.”

2009 will see the third bi-annual Eco-Minds Forum take place. At the 2007 Forum in Thailand, university students Rachel Cain from the University of Adelaide, Laura Joseph from the University of Western Sydney and Eric Knight from Sydney University represented Australia when the best minds from across Asia Pacific came together to explore real-life issues and sustainable development ideas for fresh water supply. 

Rachel Cain, who has been involved with the Youth Environment Council of South Australia, as both a member and mentor, and has completed voluntary work in Central America, says:  “Eco-Minds has helped to fast track my career by providing me with an unforgettable experience to work alongside students from across the region to try and solve issues of sustainability that affect all of us.

“Each student brought their own knowledge and skill-set which helped fuel the discussion and ideas and allowed each of us to learn so much from each other. It’s opened up doors for me and I’ve created some wonderful friendships.” said Ms Cain. 

The 2009 Eco-Minds Youth Forum will focus on a topic that is of growing importance to the world - Sustainable Energy Systems: Challenges and Opportunities. As part of the week-long event, participants will look at some of the challenges around energy supply, including climate change, and the practical solutions that can overcome such challenges with a visit to New Zealand’s hydro and geothermal supply systems.

For those “eco-minded” students who have ever seen something and thought “I could do it better”, this is their chance. The Bayer-UNEP Eco-Minds is open to all university students aged 18-24 years with delegates from Singapore, Thailand, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, India, Indonesia and China attending.

For entry details and application forms, students can log on to www.eco-minds.bayer.com, or contact the Australian Eco-Minds Co-ordinator on

(02) 4736 0892. Entries close on 28 March 2009.

(image by ian.plumb)

While travelling overseas recently I met a young Canadian engineer. We started trading stories about our respective university experiences where at one point she drew my attention to a simple metal ring she was wearing. She explained that in Canada engineers wear these rings after having them presented at a ritual on graduation. I was fascinated at this point: rituals, special rings; this sounded more like a secret society than an engineering graduation.

I did some further research and present the background and purpose of the ‘Iron Ring’.

In 1922 a civil engineering professor, Herbert Haultain, spoke to a meeting of engineers in Montreal which was attended by past presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada. At this meeting he suggested the need for a statement of ethics which would unite the profession and be something for engineering graduates to aspire to. This was well received and Haultain got in contact with Rudyard Kipling, who had mentioned the work of engineers in previous poetry. Kipling then wrote both an obligation statement and a ceremony titled, ‘The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer’. This ceremony was held for the first time in 1925 and is still conducted to this day in universities throughout Canada.

The full detail of what occurs at this ceremony isn’t public knowledge and my Canadian friend certainly remained tight-lipped about her experience. The purpose of the ceremony is well known however, and it serves to remind new engineer of their social responsibilities and obligation to maintain high standards of professional conduct.

As part of this ritual the graduating engineer is presented with an Iron Ring, a symbolic ring worn on the little finger of the working hand which acts as a symbol of both pride and humility. My friend said that she uses it as a reminder to always check her work and followed this us with a story about a Quebec bridge which collapsed in the early 1900s, killing 75 people due to an error in judgement by the bridge’s engineers – a sober reminder indeed.

I remain impressed by the notion of a simple, physical item which identifies someone as an engineer.  My question now is, could Australia engineers introduce a similar concept and would we want to? I believe it could increase the sense of belonging amongst engineers and generate a greater sense of pride and would support an initiative if it remained true to its purpose: humble and meaningful.

One thing I am sure of, next time I’m in Canada I’ll be keeping a look out for an Iron Ring, the symbol of a fellow engineer.

For more information visit www.ironring.ca.

The 2008 National Science Week grants have been announced and Scinema, a science film and multimedia festival has been a recipient. 

This grant means that scientific films, dramas, documentaries and short films will be shown at over 150 locations during National Science Week from August 16 to 24. Last time the festival was screened to over 10,000 people around the country.

Scinema (pronounced with a long ‘i’ ) will play in venues in New Zealand and the UK and is a partnership between CSIRO, Cosmos Magazine and the National Museum of Australia. 

Sounds like a top initiative and a great event. Learn more at www.csiro.au/scinema.

EngVibe is full of opportunities at the moment. The latest comes from the National Press Club of Australia who has just announced a new journalism award for Aussie journos. The award is sponsored by Engineering Australia and aims to widen understanding and raise the profile of engineering as a profession as well as encourage the media to acknowledge the engineering profession.

As their press release says, Engineers Australia and the National Press Club hope that this growing awareness to prompt young Australians considering their career options to realise the exciting and important opportunities available to them in this profession.

The award is open to all journalists including freelance journos who have been resident in Australia and working as journalists between 1 July 07 and 30 June 08. Applications close Monday, 30 June 08 with the award to be presented in Australian Engineering Week at the National Press Club.

Suggested topics include water policy, climate change, infrastructure, education, engineering skills shortages and research and development.

For more info visit www.npc.org.au.

A fluff-piece on working at Google.

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Adam Spencer, Australia’s (and our) favourite geeks are on ABC in the new year.

Their show ‘Sleek Geeks’ will air on Thursdays at 8pm from Jan 3 to Feb 7 in 2008. They will be joined with Yumi Stynes, Ruben Meerman and Dr Stephen Bosi to answer some fascinating scientific questions that pop up in everyday life.

The episode guide looks good, with topics that include ‘how Da Vinci was really a dirty old man’, Adam getting hypnotised and the story of Mike the headless chicken.

Visit Sleek Geek HQ @ the ABC website here.