LAUREATE Professor Scott Sloan said his appointment to the Officer of the Order of Australia is “fantastic news” not just for him, but his colleagues too. “It is a reflection of the quality of the research work in geotechnical engineering that has been done at The University of Newcastle over the past 34 years.”
When the founding director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Geotechnical Science and Engineering arrived in Newcastle in 1984, the geotechnical group comprised one other staff member with no research students and no research income.
“Now the team is 70-strong with worldwide recognition for its work on wide range of civil infrastructure and mining operations.”
His research has helped engineers design cheaper and safer civil infrastructure and he and Dr Brett Turner have patented a new approach for solving contamination caused by chemicals in firefighting foams, using hemp seed powder.
He said he drew “huge satisfaction” from training the next generation.
Helen Gregory
Helen Gregory joined the Newcastle Herald in 2010. She is the masthead’s education reporter and has written for the H2 and Weekender sections, as well as across a range of issues. Helen is a Walkley Award winning journalist and was also part of the Newcastle Herald team that won the United Nations World Environment Day Media Award for Environmental Reporting.
Helen Gregory joined the Newcastle Herald in 2010. She is the masthead’s education reporter and has written for the H2 and Weekender sections, as well as across a range of issues. Helen is a Walkley Award winning journalist and was also part of the Newcastle Herald team that won the United Nations World Environment Day Media Award for Environmental Reporting.
