CEME students win Australian Water Association's Hodgson Medal: Student Water Prize

Amber Smith and Anthony Cox of the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering (CEME) have won the South Australian Division of the Australian Water Association's Hodgson Medal: Student Water Prize at the recently held South Australian Awards Night.

The 4th year research project outcomes that they submitted for the award was entitled “Is the installation of mini hydropower turbines into water transmission system pipelines cost effective?”

Together they undertook research into the feasibility of installation of mini hydropower turbines in water transmission pipelines for their final year Honours project conducted in 2018. This research project explored a whole of life benefits analysis for installing a hydropower turbine at a local site near the town of Hahndorf, South Australia. This is the largest water pipeline in SA and delivers River Murray water to Adelaide via Mt Bold and Happy Valley reservoirs. The site is at the end of the Murray Bridge to Onkaparinga pipeline owned and operated by South Australian (SA) Water Corporation. The project looked into harnessing excess head from flowing water in the pipeline to create green hydropower energy under changing climate conditions.

Amber and Anthony were supervised in their research project by Professor Angus Simpson from CEME. Postdoctoral student – Dr Jinzhe Gong and Dr. Lisa Blinco an Optimisation Operations Engineer at SA Water and Mr. Steve McMichel were also involved in supervising the project.

This Hodgson Medal award aims to encourage and reward students for excellence in water-related studies and research, and provides a forum for students to display their academic excellence, innovation, and/or research findings to future employees, clients and the water industry. They are now finalists for the National Award next year in early May 2020 at the OzWater conference to be held in Adelaide.
  
Amber recently completed her Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Environmental) degree from CEME while Anthony is in his fifth year of double degree in Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Environmental) and Bachelor of Science (Ecology Major). 

Congratulations, Amber and Anthony!