Medal to honour engineering bright spark

First published 23 October 2012

James Cook University’s top Engineering student will be recognised on Thursday night at the presentation of the annual Engineers Australia Charles (CN) Barton Medal in Townsville.

The medal is awarded to the student who has presented the best fourth year engineering thesis seminar at the School of Engineering & Physical Sciences.

Four students compete, one from each discipline of Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

The overall winner will receive $500 and the three runners up $100 each.

The names of the finalists and the titles of their theses are as follows:

7.00pm

Michael Tapiolas - Civil & Environmental Engineering

Water table rise? The effect on settlement of shallow foundations on granular soils

7.30pm

Daniel Black

Mechanical Engineering

Particulate and Container Wall Interactions in the Transport of Bulk Materials

8.00pm

Andrew Murray

Chemical Engineering

The Effect of Process Parameters on the Deposition of Copper and the Biomedical Applications of Copper

8.30pm

Michael Peever

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Machine Simulation using EMISA Collision Detection Architecture

The presentation of the 2011 CN Barton Medal winner

Date Thursday, 25th October 2012

Venue Medical Lecture Theatre

Time: Commencing at 6.50pm

Background:

Sir Charlie Barton (1907-1987) born in Bowen in 1907 was an eminent civil engineer in Queensland.

Prior to 1939 Barton was an active member of the militia and went overseas as Second in Command of the 2/15th Infantry Battalion AIF. He was captured near Tobruk in 1941 and spent the remainder of the war as a POW in Germany. His incarceration gave him time to tutor potential civil engineers and to assist in escape attempts.

After 1945 he returned to Mackay and continued with his practice and with his involvement with the CMF. He became Commanding Officer of 42nd Battalion, The Royal Queensland Regiment and Colonel of 3rd Cadet Brigade.

In 1963 he was invited by the Minister of Main Roads, Ernie Evans to become Commissioner of Main Roads and to reorganise both the Department and the Queensland road system. He decentralised the operations of the Department and made the local District Engineers very influential in their own areas.

In 1968 he was appointed Co-ordinator General of Works, the senior engineering appointment in the Queensland Public Service. He was involved in the establishment of JCU and in initiating research into the effects of wind on structures after cyclone Tracy in Darwin in 1974. After retirement he continued to serve Queensland as member of the Brisbane Port Authority. He died in March1987 in Auchenflower, Brisbane.

The bridge over the Ross River near JCU is named after him.

JCU Media contact: Caroline Kaurila (07) 4781 4586 or 0437 028 175.