Engineers Australia (Queensland) held the Engineering Excellence Awards 2010 presentation night on October 8th 2010 at the Great Hall of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. This is a premier event on the calendar of engineers throughout Queensland. The stated purpose of the awards is to “promote industry excellence, foster leadership, and encourage innovation and sustainability.”

Entries came from fields as diverse as the building of a suspended 25m concrete swimming pool at Brisbane Girls Grammar, to the roadside tolling systems used in the free-flow traffic control on Brisbane’s Gateway arterial road network.

E3k joined with Leighton Contractors to become finalists in the Research and Development category of the Awards. The entry was based on mathematical models developed to provide benchmarks for the consumption of energy used in hauling ore within large mining operations. A single algorithm was then developed which could be applied to assess the energy efficiency of individual machines over time and set targets for improvement in their consumption of energy. This same formula can also be applied to assist in the design of more energy efficient mine sites and the selection of vehicles appropriate to each site.

From the highly competitive field of entrants, the overall Award for the evening was presented to Project Services (Department of Public works) for their 6-star green office design, which houses the Joint Contact Centre at Zilmere on Brisbane’s northside.

The staff of e3k would like to congratulate all those who not only won awards, but who participated in this prestigious event and who, every day, use their skills and knowledge to help create a more sustainable, safe and aesthetically pleasing environment for all Australians.

E3k was there as Business Acumen held their inaugural Innovation Exhibition in the heart of Brisbane City on 26 & 27 July, 2010. This event provided an excellent opportunity for e3k and others to showcase their ingenuity to the general public and fellow participants.
Those attending the exhibition were encouraged to explore any element of research and development or commercialisation with one of the three e3k staff members who were on hand each day of the exhibition. For those who preferred to look rather than chat, e3k provided a power point presentation featuring the various aspects of innovation and the engineering techniques used to “turn ideas into reality”.
A feature of the event was the Seminar Program made up of 50 minute lectures on interesting topics such as “Selling your Innovation” and “Are you ready to commercialise?” These educational workshops were hosted by experts in their field and proved valuable to all who attended them during the event. The success of these discussions will no doubt see them become an integral part of future exhibitions.
The exhibition also gave e3k staff the opportunity to renew their acquaintance with previous associates and introduce themselves to others who share their passion for innovation. Other exhibitors included:
• UniQuest — the primary commercialisation company of the University of Queensland;
• Navman — now a recognised leader in GPS Technology which had humble beginnings in the garage of an innovator in 1986;
• Infinity Design who specialise in creating valuable and patentable intellectual property for their clients;
• Global Roto-Moulding – a connectable underground water storage company which grew from a part-time family business in 1998 to having factories in both Queensland and Victoria in 2010;
• Intellectual Ventures - With its headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, this company links inventors and investors through its extensive global database of ideas just waiting to become reality.
• Mullins Lawyers – a Queensland based law firm using their considerable expertise to assist businesses protect and commercialise their intellectual property.
• Austral Jaguar also chose the Innovation Exhibition as the ideal location for the Australian debut of the Jaguar XJ.
If you did not have the chance to visit the Innovation Exhibition for 2010, perhaps we will see you there next year. In any case you will be pleased to know that innovation is alive and thriving in Queensland.