Add to collection
  • + Create new collection
  • Rights: © Copyright 2014. University of Waikato. All Rights Reserved.
    Published 29 April 2014 Referencing Hub media
    Download

    Professor Margaret Hyland, from the Engineering Department at the University of Auckland, originally trained as a research chemist1. Working alongside an inspiring head of department precipitated a move into the chemical and materials engineering field. After a successful research programme in aluminium smelting, Margaret has now applied her considerable talent to research in the thermal plasma2 spray field.

    Transcript

    MARGARET HYLAND
    I think of engineering as the interface between society and technology. Engineers are doing that translation3 across from the technology or the piece of science that is really interesting – how do we really use that?

    It is about the technical issues of maybe taking something and scaling it up to a size that’s practical, but more and more now, it’s about what other implications does that have, not only how are we using it for this industry but if this industry is using it well, how does it affect that industry? How does it affect our overall energy use? How does it affect society more broadly? So I think of engineers as thinking about the application of technology in a really broad way.

    How did I get to be a chemical materials engineer? I took the long way round. I started off in biology4, realised that I just hated all the memory work, really enjoyed chemistry. I chose chemistry. And I didn’t really get into the engineering until I came to New Zealand.

    So as part of my PhD5 was on a special surface analytical techniques, and about the time that I was finishing, the University of Auckland was buying its first equipment related to surface analysis. So I came to work on that equipment, and it turned out that that equipment or that lab facility was based here in engineering. And I had a boss who was just really encouraging, and he really drew me from the surface side of things much more into engineering. And as I started doing research more in the engineering side of the chemistry stuff that I’d done, I realised, oh, I actually really enjoy this, I really like the applied work.

    And the first bit of applied work that I did was actually not in thermal spray-coatings but in aluminium smelting, and you know, the contrast between a smelter and a lab, between engineering, practical engineering and kind of fundamental chemistry couldn’t have been bigger, but I really enjoyed it. I really liked the – seeing my work actually being applied in industry.

    Acknowledgements:
    Professor Margaret Hyland, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Auckland
    Dr Anh Tran
    Holster Engineering Ltd, Tokoroa
    Revolution Fibres Ltd
    Professor Charles Fleischmann and Associate Professor Mike Spearpoint, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury
    Claire Burnett

    1. chemist: A scientist trained in the science of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties.
    2. plasma: 1. The fourth state of matter – a gas that is ionised and consists of positive and negative ions (or particles), with no overall charge. It is affected by magnetic fields and has high electrical conductivity. 2. The colourless or pale yellow liquid in blood and lymph.
    3. translation: The process in which a messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence is used as a template to form a sequence of amino acids (a protein). Occurs after transcription.
    4. biology: The science of living things.
    5. PhD: Abbreviation of Doctor of Philosophy – a degree normally obtained after a concentrated period of research. This is the highest level of degree that involves supervision by academic staff at a university.
      Go to full glossary
      Download all

      chemist

    1. + Create new collection
    2. A scientist trained in the science of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties.

      biology

    3. + Create new collection
    4. The science of living things.

      plasma

    5. + Create new collection
    6. 1. The fourth state of matter – a gas that is ionised and consists of positive and negative ions (or particles), with no overall charge. It is affected by magnetic fields and has high electrical conductivity.

      2. The colourless or pale yellow liquid in blood and lymph.

      PhD

    7. + Create new collection
    8. Abbreviation of Doctor of Philosophy – a degree normally obtained after a concentrated period of research. This is the highest level of degree that involves supervision by academic staff at a university.

      translation

    9. + Create new collection
    10. The process in which a messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence is used as a template to form a sequence of amino acids (a protein). Occurs after transcription.