The Gazette, the University of Newcastle, Vol. 20, October 1988
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The University ofNewcastle VOLUME NO. 20 OCTOBER 1988 The GAZETTE AND CONVOCATION NEWS B OUR COVER- Dr. Elizabeth Evatl, President of Section of the Hunter Tapestry and Mary and Larry the Australian Law Reform Beeston at work on the tapestry in their studio at Commission, hasbeenChancellor NEWCASTLE SPECIAL RESEARCH Kilaben Bay. of the University since early this year. Graduation Dayceremonies The Friends of the University officially presented the opened with the admission ofthe tapestry, which comprises 12 panels, to the University newChancelJor(previously Chief CENTRE - $2,100,000 INITIALGRANT (as a gift for the Bicentenary) at a ceremony held in the Judge of the Family Law Court) presence of the Governor, Sir lames Rowland, on 10 an honorary doclOrate and her August 6. installation in the highest office in This year sees the new Centre for Industrial the University. Control Science (CICS) established in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Department gained "centre of excellence" status when the Federal Government announced large on-going grants to seven Australian universities under the aegis of the Universities Special Research Centres Program. The Commonwealth has assured funding of $670,000 a year each year until 1990, to carry out research in general area of control systems design. In addition, the research team will be Software for adaptive control is used for many applications including robot joint control e.g. robots to shearsheep. Some seeking support from other sources including of the members of the Control centre team are: L-R (back row) Car/os de Souza, Iven Maree/, Bflan Cook, Rick industry and expects to operate on an annual Middleton and /an Webster. Front (L-R): Andrew Mears, Brett Ninness, Steve Weller, Ross Cockrill, Peter Stephien research budget of $1 million per year for the and Professor Graeme Goodwin. next six years. laboratory is being established with assistance signal processing software for analysing The general area of the proposed research from various Australian companies and cracks, and the communication system work is control systems design. In broad should prove a major resource both for linking the remote vehicle to the central terms, control is concerned with the teaching programmes within the University location.' manipulation of the inputs to a system so that and as a technological base within the A third project concerns the development CONTENTS 't performs in some desired fashion. Simple Hunter Valley Region.) of a computer based power system load xamples of control systems include Newcastle Special Research Centre 1 Secondly, 'to establish a team of scheduler. This system facilitates scheduling automatic braking systems in cars, flight research engineers to develop a range of loads, including water heaters, in order to Profile: Maureen Strazzari 2 control systems in aircraft, and control of applications-oriented design projects. optimise the power utilisation and has evolved systems in industry which regulate the Library exemplifies change 3 There will eventually be approximately 30 from an undergraduate project which won a operation of various processes including, for staff associated with the Centre, including control system prize from the Institution of What happened to? Graduates' example, blast furnaces, rolling mills, people funded from University sources and Measurement and Control in 1987 business venture 4 hemical plants, etc. those engaged in projects directly supported Professor Goodwin said that in addition to The campus in winter. View ofthe The Centre for Industrial Control Science is from industry, industrial-related projects, CIGS was engaged Convocation News 5-8 courtyard adjacent 10 the Union and the Library. led by Professor Graham Goodwin and Finally, 'to invite experts from within in collaborative research with various Link between cities confirmed 9 Professor Robin Evans. Professor Goodwin's Australia and from overseas to the government bodies, including the Department main interests lie in the areas of industrial University in order to establish a of Defence. Some examples were: a Newsfront 9 control, adaptive control and estimation framework for collaboration and research manoeuvre autopilot which allowed aircraft Origins 10 theory, while Professor Evans' interests programmes at the highest international to be flown through pre-specified manoeuvres; centre on industrial control, radar systems, level.' a technique for predicting the rolling motion Where Are They Now? 11 fault tolerant computing and computer As Professor Goodwin pointed out, apart of ships in heavy seas to facilitate the landing control application. CICS has also appointed Sporting Roundup 12 from direct research benefits obtained from of helicopters, and techniques for fault an Administrative Assistant. Greta Davies the work in control systems design and detection and diagnosis for gas turbine has been seconded from the Department of microelectronics, there was also a flow aircraft engines. Electrical and Computer Engineering to through to the educational programmes A final project of interest is the development assist in the administration of the Research conducted at the University. 'For example, of an industrial adaptive controller. Professor Centre. the availability of high technology laboratories Goodwin explained that an adaptive controller Other members of CICS have research in the area of control systems and monitored its own performance and readjusted interests in electrical machine control, real microelectronics will allow new courses to so as to ensure that the control system time software, numerical analysis, power be developed, both for undergraduate operated at optimal efficiency. Such systems systems control and security assessment, students and as continuing education used ideas from artificial intelligence and theory of nonlinear interconnected systems, programmes for practising engineers.' self-learning systems. dynamic routing of telephone signals and VLSI design. The research team is currently involved in 'It is important to point out that such high some 20 major design projects many of technology applications could not be possible Professor Goodwin explained that control which involve collaboration with industry. without a strong parallel commitment to was crucial in extending the performance of One project, for example, is concerned basic research work in the area of control high technology systems and in improving with the design of an inclined orbit satellite and systems science,' he said, 'All of the safety, efficiency, product quality, and waste tracking system. Professor Goodwin said projects listed involve the use of new ideas minimisation, 'In order to carry out these both the hardware and software, for this and design paradigms which have been the goals, control systems research brings system would be designed and built at the subject of theoretical research work over the The new Library. together a number of basic results in signal University. The project is being carried out in last six years. The commercial adaptive processing with recent developments in collaboration with CSIRO and OTC and is an controller, for example, is based on some 20 computer technology, microelectronics and evolution of the group's previous activities in man years of theoretical research work on data communication systems,' he said. the design and construction of the servo the dynamics and performance of self-tuning Process control and automation were systems for the new Australian Radio control algorithms.' amongst the most important areas for Telescope project, he said. The basic research work carried out by economic development and industrial Asecond project concerns the design and members of the CICS has appeared in competitiveness and were emerging world construction of a vehicle for automatic several hundred international publications wide as key components in the industrial produced by the group, as well as a number base of advanced societies. crack detection in underground pipelines. The project uses advanced computer of books. (Indeed, one of these books was 'We have three main research objectives,' technology to detect small cracks in pipes selected as the best textbook in the area of Professor Goodwin said. They are: firstly, 'to and relays the information back to a central control engineering over the past three years establish a number of high technology location. - by the International Federation of laboratories at the University. One of In Professor Goodwin's words: 'This work is Automatic Control at its 1987 World CREDITS- these will concentrate on Computer Aided being carried out in conjunction with a local Congress.) Published by: The University of Newcastle. Design work using the latest work-station Edited by: John Armstrong (Information Hunter Valley company, for the South At the end of the day, the members of CICS design tools, and will be one of the largest Australian gas pipeline project, and has not only hoped to have contributed to basic Officer). such facilities in Australia. Design and Layout by: Marie-1. Wisniowski. world-wide significance for natural resource scientific and theoretical research, but to its Photographs by: John Fruend. '(Associated with the CAD laboratory will pipelines. CICS's involvement in the project application in the development of new Manuscript setting by: Linda Aurelius. be a facility for Very Large Scale Integration incorporates a range of acJivities including industrial control products, Professor