CE News Number 18 February 2005 05 2004 Departmental Staff * - Emeritus professors Alan Nicholson Frank Greenslade Academic/Research Staff Transport planning, engineering and safety Transport laboratory Chris Allington Roger Nokes Gary Harvey Structural concrete Fluid mechanics Concrete laboratory John Berrill Aisling O’Sullivan Brandon Hutchison Geomechanics, engineering seismology Natural resources engineering Computer analyst Andy Buchanan Alessandro Palermo David MacPherson Timber and fire engineering Structural engineering Technical Services Mgr, Environmental Eng. Des Bull Bob Park* laboratory and Department Safety Officer Structural concrete design, earthquake engineering Structural engineering Russell McConchie Athol Carr David Painter Fabrication and testing Structural dynamics, finite element analysis Water resources engineering John Maley Nigel Cooke Stefano Pampanin Structures laboratory Structural engineering Structural engineering Richard Newton Erica Dalziell Tom Paulay* Electronics workshop Risk, systems Structural design Tim Perigo Andre Dantas Mofreh Saleh Structures laboratory Transport planning, GIS Transport and pavement engineering Alan Poynter Rob Davis* Michael Spearpoint Model structures laboratory Geomechanics, continuum mechanics Fire engineering Ian Sheppard Mark Davidson Bruce Steven Fluids laboratory Fluid mechanics Transport and pavement engineering Bob Wilsea-Smith Roger Dawe Alex Sutherland Fire laboratory Surveying Sediment transport, coastal engineering Stuart Toase Bruce Deam Hugh Thorpe Fabrication, testing and stores Earthquake and timber engineering Groundwater, ecological engineering Michael Weavers Rajesh Dhakal Warren Walpole Electronics laboratory Structural engineering Structural steel design, earthquake engineering Kevin Wines Richard Fenwick David Wareham Fabrication and testing Structural engineering Environmental engineering Charley Fleischmann Ian Wood* CENews Fire engineering Fluid mechanics Volume 18 - Feb 2005 Bruce Hunt Groundwater flow, analytical analysis Support Staff Editor: Ian Mason David Elms* Louise Barton Design: Melody Callahan Risk Analysis Postgraduate Administrator Cover image: Bridge building - see page 20 Glen Koorey Rebekah Hunt Transport and traffic engineering Administrative Assistant Printer Production: The Caxton Press Jason LeMasurier Belinda Jemmett Many thanks to all those who contributed Eng. management, risk, geotechnical engineering Departmental Administrator articles and photos in the making of CE News. Kevin McManus Catherine Price Geotechnical and foundation engineering Undergraduate Administrator CE News is an annual publication by the James Mackechnie University of Canterbury Department of Civil Concrete materials Engineering. It is for staff, students, alumni, John Mander Technical and General Staff friends and industry. Views expressed are Structural and earthquake engineering those of the contributors, not necessarily the Melody Callahan University. Ian Mason Graphics, Publicity, Webmistress Environmental engineering Enquiries should be directed to: Peter Coursey Mark Milke Computer technician University of Canterbury Environmental engineering Nigel Dixon Civil Engineering Department George Mullenger Structures laboratory Private Bag 4800 History of civil engineering, continuum mechanics Christchurch, New Zealand 8020 Grant Dunlop Attn: CENews Editor Peter Moss Fire Engineering laboratory Structural analysis Siale Faitotonu www.civil.canterbury.ac.nz Geomechanical laboratory 2 www.civil.canterbury.ac.nz Head of Department Messages file, with more than half of the 32 staff having been appointed in the last six years. Incoming HOD On behalf of the Looking ahead to 2005, I am very pleased to Department, I must announce that Dr Alan Nicholson takes over as thank Andy for his HOD on 1st January, when I step down after five leadership during rewarding years in the job. the last five years. It In 2005 we will deliver new 2nd Pro courses for has been a period of the first time and finalise the new 3rd Pro cur- considerable change. riculum. There will be many new initiatives and Much rebuilding has lots of change as we welcome more new staff been going on, and this and new students. will continue in the next few years, but because I want to thank everyone in the Department of the high quality of for their efforts over the past five years. It has the staff we have been been a very productive period with several new able to appoint, we are initiatives and many new faces. I am sure that maintaining a high level Retiring HOD the next five years will be even more exciting of momentum. A lot of water has flown under the bridge in and rewarding for all involved with the Depart- 2004. A major change was implementation ment. In 2005 there will be more change, with Andy has played an active and constructive of the new University structure forming the many challenges and opportunities to even fur- role during the recent re-structuring and his College of Engineering. Professor Peter Jackson ther enhance the reputation of Civil Engineer- contribution was recently acknowledged by was welcomed as Pro-Vice-Chancellor to take ing at Canterbury. Alex Sutherland, who was the Acting Pro-Vice- over leadership of the new College. Under the Chancellor (Engineering) during this process. Readers of CE News may be students, their new structure we have much more transparent While Andy has found it a rewarding five years, families, teachers, graduates, friends, col- budgeting and accountability, with excellent it has also been a rewarding period for the leagues, collaborators or clients of the Depart- new support staff in the College Office. Department, and I believe we are much better ment. If we are to serve you well as a stake placed to meet the challenges that lie ahead, as holder in the Department, we need to hear We have welcomed a record number of a result of Andy’s leadership. students in 1st Pro in 2004 (approximately from you, telling us what we have done well 110 in B.E.(Civil) and 20 in the B.E.(Nat.Res.) and what we could do better. Finally, I would re-iterate Andy’s invitation to those with a stake in the well-being of the degree programmes). On the staffing front we Professor Andy Buchanan farewelled Professor Rob Davis (after 32 years) Head of Civil Engineering (to December 2004) Department to help us to serve you better by and Dr Bente Clausen (after 7 years). Early in [email protected] telling us what we have done well and what we 2005 we will farewell Dr Kevin McManus who could do better. I look forward to hearing from moves into the consulting world after 12 years you in the future. here, and Dr Alex Sutherland who is to become Associate Professor Alan Nicholson a Commissioner in the Environment Court after Head of Civil Engineering (from January 2005) 37 years in Civil Engineering, doing a sterling [email protected] job as Dean of Engineering for the last 18 of those years. We have welcomed the arrival of new academic staff - Dr Aisling O’Sullivan in Natural Re- sources Engineering and Glen Koorey in Trans- Six hours in a rubber boat portation Engineering; both have made a big HOD Andy Buchanan led a team of depart- impact since their arrival. We also welcomed mental staff and assistants on an extraordi- new Departmental Administrator Belinda Jem- nary expedition down the Hurunui River in mett, who has rapidly become an enthusiastic November, 2004. The party examined the member of our growing team. effects of a range of Reynolds and Froude Still on staffing, we have recently made offers numbers on the velocity and stability of of employment to five outstanding candidates an inflatable raft operating in unsteady in the areas of Structures, Fluid Mechanics, non-uniform open channel flow conditions. Natural Resources Engineering and Geotechni- The consensus was that the experiment cal Engineering, and interviews are in progress was a resounding success, but that further for a new 3-year position in Timber Engineering research is required on Andy’s innova- funded by Carter Holt Harvey. When these are tive inflatable headgear. Hydrology rules, filled we will have a very different staffing pro- H2OK. 3 www.civil.canterbury.ac.nz Editorial: Unity in Diversity Scholars have a long history of travel. One of my favourite stories a normal part of academic life and exchanges is that of legendary Frenchwoman Alexandra David-Neel, who set and visits to other universities happen off for India and beyond in 1911 at the age of 43, telling her husband frequently. In his academic novels “Changing that she would be back within 18 months. Disguising herself as a Places” and “Small World”, writer David Lodge beggar-woman this intrepid traveller successfully entered the then illustrates that such cross-cultural meetings closed country of Tibet, walking in clandestinely from Sikkim. She may well generate a heady mix of learning, failed on this attempt to reach her goal - the capital, Lhasa. Unde- excitement, personal challenges and bewilder- terred she chose to take the long way around, travelling through ment! As Professor Morris Zapp of the State Japan, Korea and China, and finally after many years made it once University of Euphoria (Euphoric State) ex- more into Tibet and ultimately to Lhasa. En route she perfected claims on hearing that his English counterpart her Tibetan, listened, studied, wrote and visited many places, Professor Phillip Swallow of the University of accompanied by a young Tibetan monk whom she later adopted. Rummidge does