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Adelaidean NEWS FROM ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY SEPTEMBER 25, 2000 Olympic pride burns brightly Accolade for WHEN the Olympic cauldron rose torch team high above Stadium Australia and burned publicly for the first time, ADELAIDE’S Olympic torch team has most Australians felt a surge of won an award for engineering pride. excellence. Researchers from Adelaide University’s Depart- But few felt it as keenly as a group of ments of Mechanical Engineering and Chemical engineers watching the event on television at Engineering and industrial partner Fuel and Com- a suburban Adelaide house. bustion Technology have been honoured for their The engineers were members of Adelaide work in developing the torch’s flame technology. University’s Turbulence Energy and At the annual South Australian Engineering Excell- Combustion group and its industry partner, ence Awards at Adelaide Convention Centre they Fuel and Combustion Technology (FCT), were named winners of the Innovation category. developers of the main stadium burner. The same team also developed the fuel and In another honour for the University, torch team combustion system for the Olympic Relay member Jordan Parharn won a commendation for torch and for the ceremonial Community the SA Division of the Young Professional Engineer Cauldron for the Games. of the Year Award. In making the award to the torch team, the judges Adelaide University's joint team leaders for the said: design of the stadium flame were Dr Gus Nathan and Dr Richard Kelso from the “The novel ceremonial torch for the 2000 Olympic Department of Mechanical Engineering. Dr Games is clearly visible to the public as a symbol Nathan said the lighting of the cauldron of excellence and it is contributing to the ethos of marked the climax of more than a year's work the Games and of the country. The significant on the project. Members of the Olympic cauldron flame team working on a one-tenth model of the cauldron innovative advances on previous designs provides under tight security at the Thebarton campus last year. Photo: Richard Kelso. much greater flame stability and it appears that “We’re very satisfied with the final this is the first Olympic torch for which performance,” he said. “The project has been cost-effective modelling techniques to predict was tested for its luminosity, shape, smoke environmental conditions for operation were very exciting for all of us, both because of the established, agreed before design, and international attention associated with it and performance and develop designs with emissions and stability at wind speeds of up to confidence,” Dr Nathan said. 100kph. FCT participated in the development demonstrated to be achieved. the technical challenges involved.“ Wind tunnel testing of air flow over Stadium and undertook the detailed design of the gas “The jury was impressed by the combination of The Adelaide-based team was selected by Australia was conducted first to assess the valve train and manufactured the hardware. principles, by the simplicity of the design and by SOCOG (from a national tender process) for its range of wind conditions to which the burner “Our close involvement with industry means the integration of the many contributors.” expertise in combustion, aerodynamics and would be subjected. The aerodynamics that our team is used to maintaining Several Adelaide University graduates were also the environment. SOCOG required a specific associated with the shape of the cauldron was confidentiality,” Dr Nathan said. “We have a flame shape for the cauldron, so a key honoured on the night for their work with private then assessed in the Department’s water strong culture of openness and cooperation companies. They included Ian Bateman (Rib Loc consideration was the aerodynamics tunnel. A one-tenth model of the cauldron was within the team but maintain strict Australia), Meredith Hue (Hue Technologies) and associated with the stadium. then built and tested under tight security at the confidentiality outside it. “ Ron Ely (Connell Wagner). “Our team specialises in the application of University’s Thebarton campus. The flame —John Drislane Jaw pain relief: a Strong links celebrated as click away? Adelaide welcomes Oxford VC VIRTUAL technology is the THE University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor latest weapon to be used in Dr Colin Lucas was guest of honour at a the fight against a painful jaw reception in Adelaide University hosted by condition which affects the South Australian branch of the Oxford millions of people world- Society. wide. Dr Lucas was in Adelaide as part of a tour of Australia’s The reasons for painful or clicking jaw leading universities. During his two-day visit, he toured joints still remain obscure. The Adel- the North Terrace, Waite and Thebarton campuses, met aide University-based Australian Jaw Faculty deans and other staff and delivered a public Joint Project (AJJP) has invited a lecture on the role and purpose of universities. Canadian academic, whose discipline is More than 100 people, including many old Oxonians, neuro-muscular physiology, to contri- attended the reception in his honour. bute to the exploration of the condition. Vice-Chancellor Professor Mary O’Kane said Adelaide The AJJP was set up in late 1998 by was pleased with the long-standing links between the co-convenors David Wilson, Grant two universities. Adelaide University Vice-Chancellor Professor Mary Townsend and scientific director Ole O’Kane with the University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor Dr Since 1904 Adelaide has sent 90 students to Oxford on Wiebkin. It is a consortium of more Colin Lucas at the reception. Photo: Ben Osborne. than 30 clinicians, educators, basic Adelaide University graduate Rhodes Scholarships. They have included such researchers and commercial interests Professor Alan Hannam from the distinguished names as Nobel Prize winner Howard the history of 18th century France, principally the French from around the world linking together University of British Columbia. Florey, who went on to be Professor of Pathology at Revolution. in a bid to fully understand why Oxford; and the current Chief Justice of South Australia, In addition to its many normal John Doyle. From 1990 to 1994 he was Professor of History and Dean clicking jaw problems, such as arthritis functions, in October the AJJP will of the Division of the Social Sciences at the University of and painful clicking, occur. host a month of specialist activities Professor O’Kane said Adelaide University could also Chicago. He became Master of Balliol College in 1994 The consortium has received $50,000 including seminars and a public lecture count many Oxford graduates among its staff. Oxford, and has been Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford seeding funds from the competitive exploring provocative updates on jaw likewise, had several Adelaide graduates on its staff, since 1997. He holds an honorary doctorate from the Special Medical Research Initiative of joint research. including Law professor, John Finnis. University of Lyon-11 in France and is an honorary fellow the Faculty of Health Sciences. Continued Page 2 Dr Lucas is a distinguished historian and a specialist in of Lincoln College, Oxford. INSIDE University signs Human organ Bald facts exposed IT deal with HP transplantation for diabetes page 3 page 4 page 8 Approved For Print Post 565001/00046 For Print Post Approved PAGE 2 SEPTEMBER 25, 2000 ADELAIDEAN COMMENTARY THE TEAM BEHIND THE OLYMPIC FLAMES by Dr Gus Nathan confidence. Many of these modelling Mechanical Engineering techniques were pioneered by Dr Peter Mullinger, joint founder of FCT and now a In the aftermath of the Olympic torch relay, it is leading member of the TEC group. perhaps the words of Kelly Nestor, who Perhaps one of the most important aspects of interviewed our team for the ABC StateLine both projects, and certainly one of the most program last week, which best capture our enjoyable, was the strong team spirit. From the feelings when she reflected that we had “given outset we tried to make the projects inclusive. the community a gift”. All twenty or so members of the TEC group were Such thoughts did not enter our heads when our given the opportunity to participate in the torch team was first approached in late 1997 to design in some way. We sought both to capture submit a proposal to design the fuel and the best of each member’s ideas and to create combustion system for the relay torch for the effective organisation by adopting a team-based Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. At that stage we structure. Each team addressed specific were attracted by the technical challenge and aspects of the design, such as aerodynamics, by the “once in a lifetime” opportunity. We did selection of the fuel and flame testing. We not anticipate that it would attract such wide valued the spirit of openness and co-operation media attention, involve speaking to more than sufficiently to entrust each person in the team 50 schools and community groups, or allow us with confidential information, such as to provide displays for Scienceworks Museum, knowledge of the shape of the torch, while also The Hon John Olsen presents Dr Gus Nathan with the Merit Award for Engineering Excellence the Investigator Centre and the ARC. Nor did stressing the importance of absolute con- (Innovation) with Dr Keith King (3rd from left), Dr Richard Kelso (far right), Dr Peter Lanspeary we anticipate being awarded the contracts to fidentiality. The trust proved to be well founded. (2nd, right) and Professor Sam Luxton (3rd from right) at the IEAust Engineering Excellence design the fuel and combustion systems for the The magnitude of the technical challenges is Awards ceremony. Photo: Kimberley Clayfield. community cauldron used in the relay, and also well illustrated by the fact that no torch has for the main cauldron which sits atop Stadium even approached the mythical status of the significant technical challenges contributed Australia.

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