Beyond Green: The Cutting Edge of Sustainable Engineering

The headlines scream about the ever-growing threats to our planet: rising sea levels, extreme weather events, increased waste and dwindling resources. These aren't distant worries – they're the reality we face today. But amidst these challenges lies a beacon of hope – Sustainable Engineering. This rapidly evolving field is at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to combat a range of issues, including:

Climate change
Depletion of natural resources like water
Pollution of air, water, and soil
Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation
Waste generation and inefficient resource use
The transition to renewable energy
And many more!

With the world experiencing a period of significant transformation as we develop new technologies to tackle complex issues like these, Sustainable Engineering is an exciting STEM field that needs innovative thinkers and change-makers to help enhance our world.

Join us as we celebrate International Women in Engineering Day with our free webinar titled "Beyond Green: The Cutting Edge of Sustainable Engineering" which brings together some of Australia’s experts and emerging leaders in sustainability engineering, including ATSE Fellow and Distinguished Professor Vivian Tam, Director of the Centre for Infrastructure Engineering at Western Sydney University, to explore how women are enhancing our World with engineering!

This webinar is the latest in our 2024 Shape Your Future series, an educational initiative from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), which brings experts in science, technology and engineering into Australian classrooms for a virtual chat with students on the things that matter to them.

FREE CAREERS IN STEM WEBINARS — Brought to you by STELR
Shape Your Future webinars show students the different pathways that Australian scientists, engineers & technologists have taken in their careers. To watch previous sessions, visit Shape Your Future 2023 | ATSE

STELR
ATSE’s STEM in schools' education initiative — STELR (Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance) — modules include equipment, curriculum resources for classrooms, and teacher support. Teachers can access professional learning sessions as well as online and telephone support.

Speakers

Distinguished Professor Vivian Tam FTSE

Director, Centre for Infrastructure Engineering, Associate Dean (Research & HDR), Associate Dean (International) & Discipline Leader (CM), School of Engineering, Design & Built Environment, Western Sydney University

As a world-leading researcher, Distinguished Professor Vivian Tam has made her mark by combatting the climate crisis. She has achieved international recognition for inventing CO2 Concrete and contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals. Winner of an ARC Future Fellowship, Vivian has featured in 100 Climate Conversations and ranks among the world’s top 2% most influential scientists. She has graduated 10 HDRs and 55 Honours students at Western Sydney University and, in leadership roles, boosted her school’s research performance tenfold. At an ARC research hub, she leads field trials with 10 major industry partners, advancing research translation and commercialisation.

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Laila Halim

ATSE 2023 Ezio Rizzardo Polymer Scholarship recipient & Monash University

Laila Halim is passionate about sustainable engineering and creating a healthier planet for future generations. As a first-year PhD candidate at Monash University, she is putting her engineering expertise to work on the plastic waste problem. 

When advanced recycling techniques are applied to plastic waste, a complex mixture of smaller chemical components is obtained. Laila’s PhD project investigates how to filter out the useful components using polymeric membrane materials, in place of traditional high energy means of separation. Once isolated, the useful chemical constituents of plastic waste can be valorised into new products across various industries. She is particularly interested in finding ways to upcycle plastic waste for use in the green energy industry. 

Laila’s research treats plastic waste as an opportunity rather than a burden and contributes to Australia’s circular economy aspirations. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Bachelor of Science and has a stellar academic record with numerous Dean’s List commendations and scholarships. Laila is strongly community minded, evidenced through her work with the Tech Girls Movement Foundation and Engineers Without Borders.

Strategy and Development Environment Lead,
CleanCo Queensland Limited

Fiona is a certified environmental practitioner with over 25 years’ experience working both nationally and internationally on high-risk projects in risk management, governance, compliance, audit and assurance, approvals, management systems, emergency response, and sustainability. She has held government, consulting, and in-house roles in power generation, mining and the resource sector, petroleum exploration and production, aviation, defence, and as a regulator. Fiona also volunteers in her community by presenting at schools on environmental, technical, and emergency response aspects of major projects, as well participating in local government festivals to educate and encourage members of the community to engage in environmental management and sustainability initiatives at a local level.

In 2022 Fiona was awarded the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science and Resources Engineering Scholarship for Women in STEM, and is currently completing a post-graduate Masters in Sustainable Energy (Management) at the University of Queensland.

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Beyond Green: The Cutting Edge of Sustainable Engineering

Speakers