Engineering our nation

During the 1930s, Sir Archibald Glenn – one the oldest living alumni of the Melbourne School of Engineering – worked through the University holidays to calculate stresses in a seven-storey steel-frame building. To solve this equation he used 10-figure logarithm tables to solve equations with 17 unknowns – “these days they would do all of this with computers!” he says.

This year, the Melbourne School of Engineering – the oldest engineering school in Australia – commemorates its 150th anniversary. A celebration, which according to the Dean of Engineering Professor Iven Mareels, is a “wonderful time to reflect on the achievements of staff, students and alumni and plan for our future.”

In the late 1860s and 70s the city of Melbourne was expanding rapidly, and in light of this, the School of Engineering’s earliest graduates were able to greatly influence the shape of Melbourne as we know it today, being able to build much of the basic infrastructure such as bridges, roads, dams, rail and tramways, electricity, water and sewerage networks.

Yet despite their significant input into the city, much of the community at the time still perceived apprenticeships and vocational training to be the most important aspects of an engineer’s training.

That is until the University’s first Engineering Chair William Noyce Kernot passionately spread his notion that “Theory without practice is the foundation without the superstructure. Practice without theory is the superstructure without the foundation. The former is useless; the latter is dangerous.”

During his time as chair Professor Kernot aimed to raise the status of engineering to disciplines similar to law or medicine, while improving the quality of engineering practice within the community. By the 1900s, Kernot’s graduates had become well respected around the world and engineers were rapidly becoming prime movers of progress and civilisation.

As the 1900s progressed, there seemed no limits to what the ‘Age of the Engineer’ could bring. The benefits of steam trains, railways, electric light, the telegraph and telephone, motor cars and the clean and efficient delivery of water, spoke volumes about the engineer’s useful place in society.

By the time Professor Len Stevens – patron of the 150th Engineering Anniversary – began his Engineering degree in the late 1940s the demand for engineers able to take care of rural development, provide transport and communications as well as control water resources was unprecedented.

Professor Stevens, who went on to serve as a Faculty Dean for nearly a decade during the 70s and 80s, says he witnessed a lot of changes within the industry and within the teaching of Engineering at the University of Melbourne during his time as both a student, teacher and Dean.

“I remember students used to smoke in lecture theatres and even in the labs,” Professor Stevens says.

“I also remember the huge shift required when the school changed from the imperial to the metric system of measurement, the successful moves to attract more female students during the 70s and 80s, as well as the introduction of the faculty’s first computer laboratories, which revolutionised research and learning.

“But something that never really changed is the engineering students’ well-documented spirit of larrikinism. In particular, I recall a long-held tradition of designing very ‘innovative’ paper planes, some up to three metres long which were launched in lecture theatres, much to the dismay of academic staff. Perhaps the most creatively-designed, albeit slightly dangerous, example occurred in the Mason Theatre when a student launched a paper plane with a rocket attached. It went rattling around and it was just fortunate that it didn’t hit anyone – obviously this is not to be encouraged.”

Professor Stevens was given the opportunity to study Engineering thanks to the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme designed for those who served in the war, and a scholarship also allowed him to travel to Cambridge to complete his PhD.

In light of this, Professor Stevens has championed the creation of scholarship opportunities, through initiatives such at the Melbourne University Engineering Foundation (MUEF), which he established as Dean in 1982.

An extension to this, and in celebration of the 150th anniversary, the Len Stevens Scholarship Appeal has been developed this year and will provide scholarships for outstanding graduate engineering students who pursue innovative learning experiences as well as extra-curricular achievements both locally and internationally.

 “Those who have the fire to go out and do something ought to have the opportunity to fuel that fire,” he says.

“I’ve seen so many students who have been given such an opportunity and they’ve made so much out of it.”

As the school enters the 21st century, fuelling inspiration and passion in all students remains the focus – and is helped along by state-of-the-art and world-leading learning spaces which include nine Engineering design studios aimed at promoting collaborative learning, a series of unique, informal learning lounges, 24-hour access to design studios and informal learning lounges as well as a faculty-specific centre providing a range of student support services.

The school has also entered a new and exciting era of research, one that could be seen as emulating the 1900s ‘Age of the Engineer’ – with engineers set to play a vital role in providing solutions to current major global issues such as climate change, the energy crisis and improving our general quality of life.

Current research projects include answering questions such as: Could algae or geothermal be a viable alternative energy source? What would happen to our electric grid if everyone bought an electric car? How can telecommunications be more energy efficient? And working with Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) to develop a new device that can translate electrical impulses into nerve signals to be used as useful vision.

The Melbourne School of Engineering will continue to reflect on advances in teaching, and celebrate throughout the year its contributions to society during the past 150 years, yet Professor Mareels suggests that the best may still be to come.

Events to celebrate the anniversary will be conducted throughout the year and include:

• 50 years and Over Lunch, Friday 29th April, 2011
• 150th Gala Dinner, Friday 28th October, 2011

For more information go to:
http://www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/MSE150/