Dr Colin Kestell

Biography/ Background

Unigate Dairies, Harpenden, U.K.

Dairy Hand: After finishing school at 16 I worked as a dairy hand while awaiting the commencement of my apprenticeship. This involved cleaning, making tea, loading floats, stock handling and general assistance.

British Aerospace Dynamics, Hatfield, U.K. :

1) Trainee Draftsman (September 1979 to July 1981): I began my career here as a trainee draftsman and became familiar with the many operational areas of a renowned missile R&D company. I developed skills in fabrication, turning, milling, fitting, electrical wiring and drafting practices. My successful part-time college results enabled me to transfer to the student apprentice scheme where I continued to pursue higher academic studies and further my practical experience.

2) Student Apprentice (September 1981 to July 1985): Between university studies I further developed my experience in drafting (including CAD/CAM), prototype design, manufacture and practical workshop skills.

3) Graduate Environmental Engineer (July 1985 to October 1987): Once I graduated I chose to work in Development Support Engineering and gained experience in missile finite element analysis, modal analysis, the analysis of taped flight telemetry data, instrumentation, signal processing and the analysis of real time laboratory test data. I also designed jigs and fixtures and wrote engineering reports.

Marconi Space Systems, Portsmouth, U.K.

Senior Engineer (Oct 1987 to August 1991): A career move to Marconi resulted in the responsibility of testing and evaluating satellites. I led a test laboratory team to conduct modal analysis and various harsh environment simulations including: vibration, shock, climatic and space simulation tests. I was responsible for ensuring that projects were completed within the time scales, test item instrumentation, signal processing, data analysis, interpretation of results and formal report writing.

Australian Defence Industries, St. Mary’s, N.S.W.

Laboratory Manager (September 1991 to December. 1996): I was encouraged by ADI to immigrate to Australia and manage their test and evaluation laboratory which simulated harsh environments (vibration, shock, temperature and acoustics) for a variety of products. These were mostly military systems but also included automotive components, communication systems, gaming equipment and medical implants. All were tested in strict accordance with military, domestic and international standards. Finite element analysis was used to assist with design optimisation and to minimise the recurrence of product failure. I was responsible for the department’s profitability and hence controlled sales and operational costs. I managed the job schedules, the monthly invoicing and provided forecasting on a weekly and monthly basis. I was the NATA signatory and maintained a standard of quality consistent with the requirements of ISO9002. I delegated duties to a staff of seven and utilised temporary staff as workload dictated.

Army Technology and Engineering Agency (ATEA), Port Wakefield, S.A.

Contract Engineer (January 1997 to February 1997): ATEA were relocating from Elizabeth to Port Wakefield, resulting in many voluntary redundancies. Fortuitously coinciding with my move to Adelaide, I was contracted to learn (with a view to replacing) the role of the laboratory manager. My duties were identical to those at ADI but involved the testing of live high explosive products in harsh environments. The remoteness of the new facility and the necessity to commute long distances (a daily 2-hour drive), combined with the hazardous nature of my responsibilities resulted in me resigning from this position to pursue a long-term desire for further education.

The University of Adelaide

1) Research Student (March 1997 to August 2000): Here I studied full time towards a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and submitted my thesis within my 3½ year candidature. My project involved the study of active noise control (anti-noise) in light aircraft cabins. Through this, I gained experience in the design and practical implementation of active noise control systems, the design and manufacture of loud speaker enclosures, finite element analysis, technical writing and seminar presentation. I also gained two years of casual teaching experience in Dynamics, Design Graphics and in laboratory practicals. The self-managed research proved to be an excellent opportunity to practice disciplined personal time management and project planning. I presented at a number of conferences and also wrote a number of technical papers. I won the 1999 project poster prize, a best conference paper prize in 2000 and had extremely positive written feedback for all of my ‘in-house’ seminars. I also provided consultancy services on behalf of MechTest for a number of third-party noise and vibration projects.

2) Casual Lecturer and Research Officer (Aug 2000 to Dec 2000): After my thesis submission I was retained by the university as a casual lecturer and research officer on a full time basis. I lectured and tutored Level-1 Design Graphics with class sizes in excess of 200 students. My research included the design of an ‘active noise control’ system to minimise noise from the exhaust of a dairy spray drier. I also maintained the department’s web site.

3) Tenurable Lecturer level B (Jan 2001 to 2004): I was soon employed as a tenurable lecturer and continued to teach Design Graphics, but evolved the subject to include feature based solid parametric modelling. I taught the Level-2 and the Level-3 Design Projects, in which student teams were guided to develop practical solutions for complex engineering challenges. I coordinated the TAFE facilitated “Workshop Practices” in which students gained machining experience. I was the OH&S chairman, a course advisor, the first year councillor and a curriculum sub-group chairman. I also introduced the University to the Formula SAE competition and supervised a team of approximately 16 students in their quest to finance, design, build and race a new open wheeled race car. Media coverage of the event has attracted many high school leavers into engineering and also helped to establish long-term relationships with local industry. This marked a significant turning point in my educational and research interests.

4) Senior Lecturer level C (Jan 2004 to present): I was promoted to a Senior Lecturer, granted tenure and worked closely with industry to design a new Automotive Engineering degree that was introduced in 2005. I continued to supervise students in the Formula SAE project. I still teach Level-1 Design Graphics, Level-3 Design and Communication but now also teach Level-4 Advanced Computer Aided Design (using CATIA, UG NX and ProE Wildfire). My student evaluations of teaching and learning continue to be amongst the highest in the department. I am passionate about teaching with interests in sustainable engineering. My students' Biodiesel motorbike won the Greenfleet Class of the 2007 World Solar Car Challenge. In 2008 I was fortunate enough to stay at Trinity College, Cambridge while I studied the teaching practices of the Engineering Department. I continue to publish annually and consult.

Qualifications

2000: Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering. “Active Control of Sound in a Small Single Engine Aircraft Cabin With Virtual Sensors” (The University of Adelaide, Australia).

1985: B.Sc. with Honours in Mech. Eng. (Coventry University, UK.).

1985: Completion of four year indentured apprenticeship (British Aerospace, UK.).

1984: Higher National Diploma, Mech. Eng. with distinction in Dynamics (Coventry University, UK).

1981: Technician Education Council Certificate in Mechanical and Production Engineering with merit in all subjects. (Dehavilland College, Welwyn Garden City, UK.).

1979: 6 G.C.E. “O” Levels in Physics, English, Mathematics, Technical Drawing, Art and Geography (Townsend C of E School, St.Albans, UK).

Awards and Prizes

1999: The School of Mechanical Engineering Post Graduate Poster Prize.

2000: Australian Acoustical Society Best Conference Paper.

2003: Engineers Australia AAEE New Educator Award for Excellence.

2006: Engineers Australia AAEE Excellence in Engineering Educator Award for Curriculum.

2006: Engineers Australia AAEE Best Conference Presentation.

2007: Faculty of Engineering, Computing, Mathematics and Science Award for Excellence in Teaching.

2007: Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (Australian Federal Government Award).

Publications

Thesis

Active Control of Sound in a Small Single Engine Aircraft Cabin with Virtual Sensors. The University of Adelaide.  2000.

Prize Papers and Presentations

Best Conference Paper

Virtual Sensors in Active Noise Control.  Kestell, C.D., Hansen, C.H. and Cazzolato, B.S. Proceedings from the Australian acoustical society annual conference 2000, Perth, Australia. November 2000. Best paper at the annual conference (subsequently forwarded for publication in the AAS see below).

Best Conference Presentation

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Lectern. Dr. Colin Kestell. 17th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education Auckland, New Zealand.  December 2006

Refereed International Journal Papers

1. Reverse Engineering the Need for an Engineering Education Paradigm. Folauhola, C., Kestell, C.D.,Westphalen, L. and Missingham, D. The European Journal of Engineering Education. (awaiting imminent submission).
2. The Green Petrol-Heads: Developing practical professional engineering skills that generate interest in sustainable engineering. Kestell, C.D. Australasian Journal of Engineering Education. Vol 14, No. 2 (2008).
3. Effects of the medical device legislation on innovation within Australian manufacturing companies.  Svistounov, A,.  Kestell, C.D., Adams, K. and Munday, K.  Innovation: Management, Policy & Practice, Vol 9, Issue 3-4, (2007).
4. The Biodiesel Motorbike: Demonstrating the Social Responsibility of Teaching Sustainable Engineering. Kestell, C. D. The Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (2006).
5. Virtual error sensing for active noise control in a one-dimensional waveguide: Performance prediction vs measurement.  Munn, J., Cazzolato, B.S., Kestell, C.D and Hansen C.H. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol 113, No.1 (2003).
6. Virtual Sensors in Active Noise Control. Kestell, C.D., Cazzolato, B.S. and Hansen, C.H.  Journal of the Australian Acoustical Society, Vol. 29, No. 1 (2001).
7. Active noise control in a free field with virtual sensors. Kestell, C.D., Cazzolato, B.S. and Hansen, C.H. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol 109, No.1 (2001).
8. Active noise control with virtual sensors in a long narrow duct. Kestell, C.D., Cazzolato, B.S. and Hansen, C.H. International Journal of Acoustics and Vibration, Vol 5, No. 2 (2000).

Refereed Conference Papers

1. Good Practice Guidelines for Managing, Supervising and Assessing Final Year Engineering Project. Rasul, M.G., Nouwens, F., Martin F., Greensill, C., Singh, D., Kestell C.D. and Hadgraft, R. (2009) Proceedings of the 2009 AaeE Conference, Adelaide.
2. Transforming the Monologue – Engineering Management into Practice. Valerie Linton, V. and Kestell C.D. (2009) Proceedings of the 2009 AaeE Conference, Adelaide.
3. A Student’s Perspective of Engagement through Innovative Teaching Techniques. Greig, A and Kestell. C.D. (2009) Proceedings of the 2009 AaeE Conference, Adelaide.
4. An EFQM Excellence Model for higher education quality assessment. Arjomandi, M., Kestell, C.D. and Grimshaw, P. (2009) Proceedings of the 2009 AaeE Conference, Adelaide.
5. The anatomy of engineering education: parallels in teaching the practical aspects of Anatomy and Engineering. Grimshaw, P., Kestell, C.D., Arjomandi, M., Marqués-Bruna, P., Shylie Mackintosh, S. and de Jonge, M. (2009) Proceedings of the 2009 AaeE Conference, Adelaide.
6. Peer tutoring in the design and build Warman competition. Blazewicz, A., Kestell, C.D. and Grainger, S. (2009) Proceedings of the 2009 AaeE Conference, Adelaide.
   Engaging International Students through the Setting of Challenging Mini-Projects. Grainger, S., Judge, J., Kestell, C.D. and Blazewicz, A.  Proceedings of the 2009 AaeE Conference, Adelaide.
7. Engineering Education. Reverse Engineering the Need for an Improved Disciplinary Design. Folauhola, C., Kestell, C.D., Westphalen, L. and Missingham, DProceedings of the 2009 AaeE Conference, Adelaide.
8. 4+1>3+2? Kestell, C.D., Arjomandi, M., Dally, B., Grainger, S. and Blazewicz, A. Proceedings of the 2009 AaeE Conference, Adelaide.
9. Auto-ignition Properties and NOx Emissions of Pure Biodiesel in a High Speed, Direct Injection Engine. M. Boyd, C. Doolan and C. D. Kestell. Proceedings from the International Advanced Mobility Forum, Geneva (2008).
10. Is the Evolution of Engineering Degree Programs in Australia Sustainable?  C.D. Kestell. .  Proceedings from the 19th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Yeppoon, Australia (2008).
11. Students’ Perceptions of Lecture Quality.  Kestell, C.D. and Missingham, D.  Proceedings from the 18th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Melbourne, Australia (2007).
12. Motivating student interest in sustainable engineering and alternative energy research through problem based learning.  Kestell, C.D. Proceedings from Energy 2007, Wessex Institute of Technology, UK (2007).
13. A Student Based Learning Approach to Sustainable Engineering and Alternative Fuel Technology.  Kestell, C.D. and McBain, H. Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education Auckland, New Zealand (2006).
14. Ensuring the Continued Quality of Vertically Integrated Student Engineering Projects.  Brooks, L and  Kestell, C.D. (presenter). Proceedings from the 17th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education Auckland, New Zealand (2006).
15. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Lectern.  Kestell, C.D. and Missingham, D. Proceedings from the 17th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education Auckland, New Zealand. (2006).
16. The Biodiesel Motorbike: Demonstrating the Social Responsibility of Teaching Sustainable Engineering. Kestell, C. D. Proceedings from the first International Conference for Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. Rhodes, Greece (2006).
17. The introduction of new engineering programs:  A curse or a necessity?  Kestell, C.D. and Hansen, C.H. Proceedings from the 16th Annual Conference for Australasian Association for Engineering Education. Sydney, Australia, September (2005).
18. Combining problem based learning with extra curricula interests.  Kestell, C.D. and Clifton, P. Proceedings from the 15th Annual Conference for Australasian Association for Engineering Education. Toowoomba, Australia (2004).
19. Meeting the educational demands of the South Australian automotive industry. Kestell, C.D. Proceedings from the 14th Annual Conference for Australasian Association for Engineering Education. Melbourne, Australia (2003).
20. Experimental study of active control of higher order acoustic modes in ducts.  Li, X.,  Kestell, C.D., Qiu, X., Zander, A.C. and Hansen, C.H.. Proceedings from the Annual Australian Acoustical Society Conference. Adelaide, Australia, (2002).
21. Robust design of active noise control system on a spray dryer exhaust.  Qiu, X., Li, X., Leclercq, D., Zander, A.C., Kestell, C.D. and Hansen, C.H. Proceedings from Active 2002, ISVR. Southampton, England (2002).
22. Higher-order virtual sensing for remote active noise control.  Munn, J., Cazzolato, B.S., Hansen, C.H. and Kestell, C.D. Proceedings from Active 2002, ISVR. Southampton, England (2002).
23. Real-time feedforward active control using virtual sensors in a long narrow duct.  Munn, J., Kestell, C.D., Cazzolato, B.S. and Hansen, C.H.  Proceedings from the Australian Acoustical Society Annual Conference. Canberra, Australia (2001).
24. Real time feedforward active noise control using virtual sensors.  Munn, J.,  Kestell, C.D., Cazzolato, B.S. and Hansen, C.H. Proceedings from  the 2001 International Congress and Exhibition on Noise Control Engineering. The Hague, The Netherlands (2001).
25. Active Noise Control With Virtual Sensors.  Kestell, C.D., Hansen, C.H.  Proceedings from the eighth international congress on sound and vibration. Hong Kong (2001).
26. Virtual Sensors in Active Noise Control.  Kestell, C.D., Hansen, C.H. and Cazzolato, B.S. Proceedings from the Australian Acoustical Society annual conference. Perth, Australia ( 2000).
27. Virtual energy density sensing in active noise control systems.  Kestell, C.D., Cazzolato, B.S., and Hansen, C.H.  Proceedings from the 7th International congress on sound and vibration. Garmisch Germany (2000).
28. Active noise control in a four-seater single engine aircraft.  Kestell, C. D., Cazzolato, B. S. and Hansen, C.H. The 8th International Aerospace conference. Adelaide, Australia (1999).
29. The Active Noise Control of a Light Aircraft Cabin Interior; A work in progress.  Kestell, C.D., Cazzolato, B.S. and Hansen, C.H. Proceedings from the International Mechanical Engineering conference. Anaheim, USA (1998).
30. An overview of active noise control.  Kestell, C.D., and Hansen, C.H. Proceedings from Safety in Action. Melbourne, Australia (1998).

 

Professional Associations

2007 to present:    Executive Committee for the Australian Association of Engineering Education
2004 to 2009:        Chair of the South Australian chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
1996 to present:    Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Engineers Australia,
2000 to 2001:        Secretary of the Australian Acoustical Society,
1999 to 2002:        Member of the Australian Acoustical Society,
1997 to 1999:        Member of the Acoustical Society of America (1997).

Professional Interests

Engineering Design, Engineering Education Research, Acoustics and Vibration and Sustainable Engineering

Community Engagement

2009:    Conference Chairman of the 2009 Australasian Association for Engineering Education conference
2004:    Chair of the University of Adelaide Automotive Engineering Industry advisory committee
2003:    Member DEFEST task force for South Australian Automotive Skills Initiative.
2002:    Organising committee member for the 2002 Australian Acoustical Society Conference, Adelaide.
2000:    Chairman of a curriculum sub-group committee,
2000:    Chairman of Mechanical Engineering’s occupational health and safety committee,
1997:    Organising committee member for the 1997 International Congress on Sound and Vibration, Adelaide.

Entry last updated: Monday, 23 Nov 2009