The school was well represented at Concrete 2023 with staff, students and alumni all making exceptional contributions to this prestigious event, demonstrating the strong connection between research being undertaken at UTS and industry.
Sustainability Forum sponsored by SmartCrete CRC
Kevin Kavanagh Award
Dr. Reza Hassani, a UTS alumni and Senior Associate at BG&E achieved significant recognition as a design team leader, with his team receiving the prestigious Kevin Kavanagh Award for their exceptional contributions to the Quay Quarter project in Sydney.
This remarkable achievement follows a series of accolades, including the 'World Building of the Year' award at the 2022 World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Lisbon, the 2022/23 International High-Rise Award, 'Development of the Year' by Urban Taskforce and 'Project of the Year' by Engineers Australia. His accomplishments stand as a shining example of excellence in design and innovation.
Award for Excellence in Concrete
Dr Shamila Salek, a UTS alumni and Senior Durability Engineer at GHD was part of the Durability Design team for the Sydney Metro Central Station, that received an Award for Excellence in Concrete in the Infrastructure Category for the Central Station Metro Upgrade project.
Concrete Institute of Australia - NexGen
Dr. Marie J. Tapas, a GHD Materials Engineer and former staff member from the school has been elected as the CIA NextGen Chair and CIA Young Professional Representative Council Member. Dr Tapas’s leadership will serve as an inspiration to our aspiring engineers and professionals, as well as promote women in engineering.
Presentations from Staff, Students and Alumni
A formidable group of UTS alumni, staff and current students proudly presented UTS state-of-the-art research findings at Concrete 2023. These included:
Dr Paul Thomas presented “Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3): A Review of Properties and Performance in comparison to Conventional Binder Systems.”
Dr Shami Nejadi, on behalf of Mehdi HABIBAGAHI, presented “A numerical model to predict the elastic modulus of ASR-affected concrete using Artificial Neural Network.”
Dr. Marie J. Tapas presented “Carbonation and its Role in Improving the Sustainability of Concrete Production.”
Dr. Yogesh Ramu presented “Guidelines to prevent expansive delayed ettringite formation in Australian concrete structures”.
Dr. Reza Hassani presented “Investigations on water penetration and autogenous healing of cracked concrete.”
Dr. Dieu Nguyen presented “Chloride diffusion resistance of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) concrete based on calcined clay reactivity”.
Ms. Emily Canda presented “Australian Clays as a Supplementary Cementitious Material.”
Ms. Indira Vasikova presented “Review of the embodied carbon of Australian concreting materials.”
Mr. Tony Song presented “Application of particle packing theory on mortar and the effect on mortar properties.”
Mr. Liam Martin presented “Durability Loss in Concrete Due to ASR DEF, The Role of Aggregate Reactivity in Deleterious DEF.”
Mr. Brendan Boyd-Weetman “Comparison of accelerated test methods for ASR reactivity testing.”
Prof. Vute Sirivivatnanon, on behalf of Dr. Jinsong Cao and Mr. Ben Smith, presented “Resistance to chloride and CO2 ingress of concrete made with carbonated/uncarbonated recycled concrete aggregates.”
The involvement of former and current UTS students and staff at Concrete 2023 has been nothing short of extraordinary. Their accolades, leadership roles, and contributions to groundbreaking research have not only enhanced our university's reputation but have also propelled the concrete industry to new heights.
We applaud their dedication, innovation, and unwavering commitment to excellence. As we celebrate these achievements, we invite you to explore the rich academic and research opportunities that UTS offers.
