Civil engineering graduate wins Fulbright

Thursday, 31 March 2005

Joshua Cantone, a first class honours graduate in civil engineering from the University of Adelaide, has won the 2005 Fulbright Postgraduate Award in Science and Engineering sponsored by BHP Billiton.

And the delighted Fulbright Scholar said today he is planning to work with Professor Arthur Schmidt from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a research assistant, in addition to completing a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering.

Cantone, who is currently working as a civil engineer with Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR), has won a wide variety of awards including the Frank Bull Scholarship for excellence and leadership.

"You never know who you are up against when you apply for an award as prestigious as the Fulbright," Cantone said. "I felt I had a good chance, but I am glad the wait is over and I am now looking forward to future challenges."

Cantone's research will focus on Chicago's ambitious Tunnel and Reservoir Project (TARP), a project designed to manage the area's combined sewer overflow, minimise pollution of surrounding waterways and reduce street and basement flooding after heavy rains.

"I will be investigating ways to control this enormous system and best utilise its capabilities. The outcomes of this project could pave the way for the development of similar systems worldwide. This would be a significant step in the global push to better capture, convey, treat and reuse water," he said.

At KBR he has played a critical role in the development of the Urban Stormwater Master Plan for Victor Harbour in South Australia. The plan assesses the effectiveness and adequacy of the existing storm water infrastructure before identifying remedial measures and better methods of management. His goal is to explore the tried and tested practices in the U.S. as well as emerging technologies that could have a positive long-term result for Australia.

The prestigious Fulbright programme is the largest educational scholarship of its kind and was created by U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright and the U.S. Government in 1946. Aimed at providing mutual understanding through educational exchange it currently operates between the U.S. and 150 other nations. In Australia, the scholarships are administered by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission headquartered in Canberra and are funded by the Australian and U.S. Governments and a select group of corporate partners.

Cantone joins 19 other Australians in becoming a Fulbright Scholar in 2005.

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