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Honour
for Peter Hodgson
A university in Krakow, home of Copernicus, one of the most famous scientists in history, has honoured one of Deakin’s finest.
Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza University of Science and Technology presented Professor Peter Hodgson with an honorary medal, struck of course in the finest of metals, for: “his outstanding scientific achievement in materials science as well as for excellent cooperation and contribution to development of the Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science.”
The medal re-confirms Deakin’s premier place in the global search for better materials and fibres.
“It’s more an honour for Deakin than me,” Professor Hodgson said.
“We have worked closely with AGH in a complementary partnership that began in the early 1990’s.
“They specialise in computer modelling. We provide them with the latest information on the advanced materials we are developing here and they develop their computer models.
“Because of the large testing facilities we have here at the Geelong Technology Precinct, we can then validate their predictions.”
The partnership also extends to a student exchange relationship.
“For the past few years we have had two students come from Poland to Deakin, and our students have gone over there,” Professor Hodgson said.
Deakin’s first Federation Fellow has also made a number of visits to Poland, the first more then a decade ago when he became aware of the AGH University’s desire to re-engage with the Western World.
“My colleague Professor Maciej Pietrzyk was one of the keenest in Poland to test his research against what was happening in the West after the days of Communism ended in Poland,” Professor Hodgson said.
“For me it has been an interesting personal journey as well as a professional one to see the changes in Poland each time I go back.
“It is very heartening to see the things have developed there.
“While the initial focus was on pretty fundamental research related to the hot forming and properties of metals we are now looking to apply it in some Australian manufacturing companies.”
Professor John Jonas – Collaboration with McGill confirms Deakin’s meteoric rise!
As
well as a hard piece of rock from the centre of the continent, Professor
John J. Jonas, OC, CQ, FRSC, Birks Professor of Metallurgy, has a soft
spot for Australia, and especially Deakin University.
The rock comes from the remnants of the Henbury meteorite that crashed into central Australia 4700 years ago.
The fondness for Deakin is much more recent and stems from Professor Jonas’ involvement in the early careers of two of the University’s top researchers, and for the work they and their colleagues are now doing trying to produce safer and more fuel-efficient cars.
“I have two of my former students here and Deakin is doing some of best darn research in creating light metals in the world,” said the highly distinguished Canadian scientist as he mused over his macchiato in the Geelong Technology Precinct’s coffee shop.
The two former pupils are the Director of the Centre for Material and Fibre Innovation at Deakin, Professor Peter Hodgson, and Dr Matthew Barnett, who both spent time with Professor Jonas at McGill University in Canada, the former as a postdoc.
“They have gone on to have great careers after they left me,” Professor Jonas smiled. “They have helped make Deakin a leader as we all work to try to make cars lighter and especially more fuel efficient.
“It is important that we make our countries less reliant on oil from the Middle East, Russia and South America.
“It is also important from an environmental point of view to have more fuel efficient cars, so the pressure is on us to develop the sorts of aluminium and magnesium materials that can replace steel in cars and make them lighter.”
Professor Jonas is spending three months at Deakin on this visit.
“It is an exciting exchanging of ideas … I guess we pick Deakin’s brains a bit and they pick McGill’s,” he said.
“But really it is a very good partnership. Research these days crosses all the boundaries. It has to because it really is about doing what is best for the world.”
Professor Jonas has been honoured many times for his work with metals, especially the rolling of steel.
He is famous in his native Canada for developing fine-grained steels tough enough to withstand the extreme elements and allow oil and natural gas to be piped safely through the freezing fastnesses of Canada and Alaska.
“Steel can become very brittle under freezing conditions,” he said. “This becomes a problem when you are sending natural gas along a long pipeline.
“If the steel is not tough, cracks as long as ten kilometres can develop, which is not what you want at all.”
The Canadian Government gave Professor Jonas the equivalent of the Order of Australia in honour of his work.
The provincial government in Quebec awarded him a knighthood.
The work with the meteorite pieces is also a part of the process of developing better quality steel. As well as the Australian meteorite, he has bits of space rock from Africa, Scandinavia and Siberia.
“They are very old, three and a half billion years old, many older than the Earth,” he said.
“A meteorite cools at around one degree per million years.
“Steel in the mill cools much more quickly, obviously, but if we can understand how the atoms take their places in the cooling meteorite, then we might be able to apply that to steel making in order to improve the man-made product.”
As for Deakin, well it’s mightily pleased to have a researcher of Professor Jonas’ stature as such an enthusiastic collaborator.
“It really is an honour to have John come back to Deakin for another stint,” said Dr Barnett.
“As well as being a great friend, he is one of the greatest scientists in his field. His willingness to work with our scientists at Deakin is a clear sign of the quality of the work we are doing here.”
A meteoric rise, you might say!
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Food for thought as Deakin assesses Kitchen Garden Project
Most people agree - the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Project seems like a pretty good idea.
But just how good? Well it has become the job of a group of researchers from Deakin to answer that question.
The team comprises Dr Lisa Gibbs and Dr Mardie Towsend from Deakin’s School of Health and Social Development and Dr Petra Staiger and Susie Macfarlane from the School of Psychology.
“I think we all feel that what Stephanie Alexander did at the Collingwood College in 2001 when she set up her first kitchen garden is a good idea simply because it aims to give children a better idea of what they are eating,” Dr Gibbs explained.
“That’s no doubt why the Victorian Government has funded the introduction of another 40 kitchen gardens in primary schools in the State.
“In turn, VicHealth has funded Deakin University to carry out the evaluation program.
“It is important to be able to demonstrate just what difference the program makes.
“”The things we will be focussing on are whether the project’s goals are universally achievable in all schools, or just some schools.
Assessing the benefits
A team of Deakin researchers based at Warrnambool has received a grant from the prestigious Geoffrey Gardiner Dairy Foundation to assess the potential economic and social impacts on dairy farming communities of the spread of plantation forests.
The team is Associate Professor Kevin O’Toole, Dr Monica Keneley and Dr Margaret McKenzie.
“This is a pretty unique grant for the Gardiner Foundation and one for which we are very grateful,” Professor O’Toole (above) said.
“Usually they are looking at the science of dairy rather than policy and social issues but this has become a very hot issue, something we became aware of because our Warrnambool campus is positioned close to both industries in South West Victoria and also to the local communities.
“Plantation forestry has generally been established in broad acre farming areas in the far west of the State.
“Now though, there are a number of dairy farms being transformed into farm plantations and timber companies are actively seeking more land.
An update on Biodeakin...