Deakin Researcher helps keep Australian rowing on course

No one has been watching the performances of Australia's rowers at the Beijing Olympics with more interest, even intimate  knowledge than Deakin University’s Senior Research Associate, Matthew Dingle.
 
Matthew rowed with the six time Olympian James Tompkins and other members of the Oarsome Foursome in a sporting career that took him to the Australian Institute of Sport and also to the 1990 World Championships at Lake Barrington in Tasmania.
 
More recently, as one of Deakin’s world class experts in advanced materials, he has helped create some of the boats that are keeping Australia at the forefront of international rowing.
 
“One of my great loves is designing boats,” Matthew said.  “I have my own company called Applied Research and Development Pty Limited and we have an office at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds.

“I am also a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Material and Fibre Innovation.”

Dr Dingle was one of the pioneers of Deakin’s unique approach to research that involves strong industry partnership. He was among the first PhD students linked to the STAMP project that was set up in the stamping plant at Ford.

He then worked with Ford, before returning to Deakin as a lecturer and then setting up his design company.
 
“Working with Sykes Rowing in Geelong, the company that makes most of the Australian team’s boats and Leo Lazauskas, a mathematician from the University of Adelaide, I have helped design an eight that Scotch College used to win the Head of the River for the past two years," Dr Dingle.
 
“They took it to Henley in England and finished second with it over there.
 
“We have also designed a boat for Drew Ginn and Duncan Free for the pairs in Beijing, but we are not sure if they are going to use it.
 
“They have been rowing it and the initial test results confirmed that it is a faster boat, but a few injury problems to Duncan have left them a bit short of time to get the new boat absolutely the way they want it, so they might go back to their old boat.
 
“I guess that’s another reason to be watching the rowing closely, as well as keeping an eye on James.
 
“We rowed together in the Kings Cup, and we’ve also rowed against each other.
 
“He’s a couple of years older than me and it’s amazing that he is still competing at this level.
 
“He’s already won three gold medals and a bronze. I guess everyone will be interested to see if he can make it a fourth gold with the eight this Olympics.
 
“It is absolutely fantastic that he was given the honour of carrying the Australian flag at the Opening Ceremony.
 
“One way or the other, whether watching James, or keeping an eye out to see how Drew and Duncan go, I reckon there are going to be a few morelate nights coming up.”

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