A $1.2 million facility purpose-built to provide thousands of litres of rainwater for sophisticated water engineering research was opened today at the University’s Callaghan campus.
The extension to the University’s civil, surveying and environmental engineering space is one of two Australian Government funded buildings opened by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Senator Chris Evans.
The second building – the architecture and built environment workshop – is a $2 million state of the art facility that brings together engineering, architecture and industrial design students in a multi-disciplinary environment that is unique to the sector.
Professor John Carter, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, said the new spaces provided engineering and built environment students and researchers with world class facilities.
“Newcastle has a well established reputation for leading teaching practices and research in the areas of engineering and built environment,” he said.
“We are one of only two universities in Australia that is rated ‘well above the world standard’ for civil engineering research under the Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) system.”
Over the past five years, the University’s enrolments in undergraduate civil engineering have increased by approximately 50 per cent. There has been an even greater percentage increase in construction management students over the same period and the Faculty’s number of PhD students has doubled.
“These cutting edge facilities will fortify the University’s reputation in engineering and built environment, and help us to continue to draw students and researchers from across the world to study and work in Newcastle,” Professor Carter said.
The extension was funded by the University and the Australian Government’s Better Universities Renewal Fund (BURF) and the workshop was fully funded by the Government’s Teaching and Learning Capital Fund.
Senator Chris Evans, Federal Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs & Workplace Relations, officially opened both buildings.
For information: Carmen Swadling, Media and Public Relations, on 4985 4276 or 0428 038477.
