Award recognises engineer's outstanding achievements

Dr Cris Birzer was awarded South Australian Young Professional Engineer of the Year 2012 at this year's Engineering Excellence South Australian Awards. Cris is a Mechanical Engineer, Institute for Mineral and Energy Resources, and lectures in Sustainable Energy Engineering at the University of Adelaide.

Cris' current research projects within the Institute for Mineral and Energy Resource are centred on fluid mechanics, combustion and laser diagnostics. He particularly focusses on optimisation of energy systems, renewable energy sources and emission control and mitigation.

The award recognises Cris' outstanding efforts to increase enrolment in mechanical engineering at the University of Adelaide as well as his passion for humanitarian engineering projects.

As outreach co-ordinator for the School of Mechanical Engineering, Cris developed and managed two programs aimed at increasing student's engagement with engineering concepts and skills - one for students and one for teachers. The Sustainable Engineering Challenge is a competition for year 9 and 10 students to design and build wind turbines which helps students to understand the practical applications of engineering skills. The program has been a huge success, with nine schools and more than 1200 students taking up the challenge.

 Cris also developed and managed the Engineering Equipped Workshop, a program that equips secondary school teachers with the skills and knowledge to show students that engineering is an enjoyable and rewarding career with wide-reaching benefits for society.