Episode 2 – Underwater Technology Podcast

Episode 2 of the SUT weekly podcast is now available here  and will shortly be available from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and others too – search for ‘The Underwater Technology Podcast’

This week CEO Steve Hall interviews Geraint West, Global Business Manager for Oceanographic Systems at Sonardyne International, on the subject of underwater positioning technology.’

Insights from a Scholarship Winner

We recently caught up with 2018 Scholarship Winner​ Liam Salter, to see how winning the scholarship has impacted his career. Here is what Liam had to say:

I was awarded the SUT scholarship as I began my Masters degree in mechanical engineering at UWA.  The financial component of the scholarship was of immediate benefit to me, allowing me to rebalance my time between working and studying, focusing more on my studies in my final years of university.  Being able to attend some of the SUT’s short courses was also very helpful, allowing me to learn more about subsea engineering and related fields (geotechnics) before choosing to study some areas in more detail as electives in my degree.  Ultimately these courses have also been very helpful in broadening my understanding of subsea engineering as I began work last year. 

After being awarded the scholarship, I was also invited to join the YES! committee as a student liaison officer.  This was a great opportunity, enabling me to assist with the planning and running of YES!, and to help to ensure the committee engaged well with students.  Through this involvement I was able to meet a variety of people working in the subsea industry.  Hearing their experiences was invaluable for me when considering subsea as a career, and I still remain in touch with many people from this committee.  I remain involved in the YES! Committee, and will be chair of the committee for 2020/21. 

I am now working at Woodside Energy, having just completed my first year of the graduate program (working in the Subsea team delivering the Sangomar project).  I have thoroughly enjoyed this first year, the opportunities that I have had and the team that I have worked with, and am very excited for the future.”

Scholarships applications will open in May 2020. Further information about scholarships and how to apply can be found here.

SUT Perth Branch – COVID-19 Statement

Due to the evolving situation of the COVID-19 virus, we have made the decision to postpone/reschedule our upcoming events & courses planned for March, April and May.
 
We will continue to re-assess and make any necessary decisions regarding our events & courses and keep you updated via our digital newsletter and the news page on our website. (Further information below)
 
The status of our upcoming events are as follows :
 
25 March – Subsea Engineering Competency Framework Launch – POSTPONED
2 April – Mentoring Launch Event – POSTPONED
8 April – Evening Technical Meeting – CANCELLED
30 April – Mentoring Event – POSTPONED
11 – 15 May – Subsea Awareness Course – RESCHEDULED
14 May – Community Catchup – CANCELLED
10 June – Evening Technical Meeting – CANCELLED
24 JuneThe Lifecycle of Flexible Risers & Flowlines Course – CANCELLED
 
The Subsea Awareness Course will now be 31 August – 4 September
 
All other courses and events that are scheduled to take place later in the year are unchanged at this point in time, however they will be re-assessed as the situation continues to evolve.

Further updates will be posted via our website at the link below: 

WA Defence Review Feature Interview

The WA Defence Review recently did a feature interview with Perth Branch Chairman, Rex Hubbard. The conversation explored the role of SUT in advocating for the interests of the undersea engineering profession, the unfolding economic opportunities on the west coast, the undersea sector’s complementarity with interrelated essential industries and the sector’s future in Western Australia. You can view the video here

Insights from a Scholarship Winner

2016 Chris Lawlor Scholarship winner Giada Bufarale

We recently caught up with 2016 Chris Lawlor Scholarship winner Giada Bufarale to see how winning the scholarship has impacted her career. Here is what Giada had to say:

Not only did winning the SUT Chris Lawlor 2016 scholarship provide needed funding for my academic research, but having a such competitive award on my resume also had a great  impact on my career path. Since winning the scholarship, I have completed my PhD and begun a new role as a graduate geologist for the Australian largest operator of oil and gas.

It was an honour to be selected for the SUT scholarship and it motivated me to focus on my studies, expand my professional network and furthered my career.

Scholarships applications will open in May 2020. Further information about scholarships and how to apply can be found here.

SUT Presidents Award

Congratulations to Ian Wilson, who has recently received the prestigious SUT Presidents Award. This award is in recognition of the extensive contribution Ian has made to the underwater engineering industry over the past five years, culminating in the establishment of subsea engineering as a chartered area of practice within Engineers Australia’s Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) accreditation.

Ian has been a long-serving committee member and office bearer of SUT Perth Branch and was made an SUT Fellow in 2013 in recognition for his contributions to the formation and early growth of the Perth Branch.

Ian initiated Perth Branch’s development of a Subsea Engineering Competency Framework and has provided proactive leadership of the working group and contributed many hours each week to achieve the goal this year.

He led negotiations between SUT Perth Branch and Engineers Australia, resulting in a collaborative agreement between the organisations.

This agreement establishes a new EA Subsea Engineering area of practice, allowing subsea engineers to seek EA’s Chartered Professional Engineer accreditation (i.e. CPEng Subsea).

This area of practice has also been added to Australia’s National Engineering Register (NER). 

These milestone achievements could not have been realised without Ian’s passion, dedication and long hours of service to this cause over these last 5 years, in addition to him serving as Perth’s Honorary Secretary for much of this time.

In addition to this Presidents award Ian has also received the very first CPEng (Subsea) Registration Certificate.

Thank you, Ian for all that you have done for both the Perth Branch of the SUT and for Subsea Engineering as a profession.