Institute for Sustainable Systems and Technologies

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Institute for Sustainable Systems and Technologies
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ISST overview
The Institute for Sustainable Systems and
Technologies (ISST) is the flagship of the
University of South Australia's research
capabilities in the built environment and
sustainable development area.   Its
establishment is a result of the identification
of sustainability as a priority area for
immediate expansion of teaching and research in
UniSA's academic profile.  This coincides with
the commitment made to environmental
sustainability by the South Australian State
Government, which was spelt out in the State
Strategic Plan. ISST's mission also aligns with
"environmentally sustainable Australia" national
research priority. ISST staff and specialised
facilities serve industry needs in research,
development, consulting, testing, monitoring and
delivering short courses. ISST includes
Agricultural Machinery Research and Design
Centre, Building and Planning Studies, Industrial
and Applied Mathematics, Sustainable Design and
Manufacturing Research, Sustainable Energy,
Transport Systems and other University
researchers. 
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Research themes
ISST has developed an integrated research
program, building on our established research
expertise and capacities and seeking to bridge
between these. The following research themes
are identified as the initial foci for our
research Energy self-sufficient
housing Integrated design and assessment of
sustainable developments Intelligent optimisation
of supply chain design and operations Modelling
and simulationNatural resources
modelling Sustainable manufacturing and
biomimicrySustainable transport and land
useSustainable household appliancesSustainable
agriculture and food productionWaste
managementWater cycle management
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ISST mission
To develop systems and technologies that will
sustain ecosystems, facilitate social and
economic development while optimising the use of
natural resources, minimising waste, emissions
and other environmental consequences and reducing
cost.
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Organisational chart
Director Institute for Sustainable Systems and
TechnologiesProfessor Michael A P Taylor
Director of Research Professor W Saman
Business Development Manager Bruce Perkin
Institute Administrator Rita Mielnik
Sustainable Engineering Design Chief
Researcher A/Prof J Fielke
Sustainable Energy Chief Researcher Professor W
Saman
Mathematical Modelling Chief Researcher A/Prof J
Boland
Sustainable Planning Construction Chief
Researcher A/Prof G Zillante
Sustainable Transport Land Use Chief
Researcher Dr R Zito
Sustainable Energy Industry Support
Centre Manager Ms V Babovic
Whyalla Regional Sustainability Centre Director
A/Prof F Christo
ISST CE Node Administrator Kylie Fairbank
Administrative Officer Pamela Phillips
Finance Admin Officer Elizabeth Csavas
Note Solid line refers to direct reporting
relationships Dotted lines refer to functional
relationships
ISST CE node
ISST ML node
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Research themes

• Agricultural Machinery Research and Design
• ISST agricultural machinery research and design
  was established in 1979 in the School of
  Engineering at the University of South Australia.
  This unit is the largest group of Australian
  university researchers working on agricultural
  machinery design and development. The highly
  experienced staff have practical farming and
  manufacturing backgrounds and advanced academic
  qualifications. They are therefore able to offer
  practical research and consultancy services based
  on their understanding of the engineering needs
  of farmers and the agricultural industry.
• On-Farm Machinery - Applied or fundamental
  research and machinery
• performance testing are offered in addition to
  the development and manufacture of prototype
  equipment.
•  
• Post-Harvest Processing Technology - This area
  was developed in response to industry and
  government demands for practical technology
  solutions within the Australian food, feed and
  fibre industries.
•  
• Engineering Services - Utilising computerised
  design and modelling softwares combined with
  purpose developed testing facilities, a key
  component of this area lies in custom designed
  and built solutions to individual problems.  

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Research themes contd
Building and Planning Studies Established in
1992 to provide resources and opportunities for
research into the planning, design and
development functions of government, industry and
community, staff have developed an expert
advisory consultant service to the building and
planning industry. It is also responding to
increasing demands for Continuing Professional
Development programs for the planning and
building professions, and providing short courses
in Urban and Regional Planning and Management,
and Building Surveying for the overseas
market. An important focus of their work is on
the planning and construction of sustainable
human settlements.  There are several projects
under this theme which seek a more holistic
understanding of energy consumption in towns and
cities.  One particular project focuses on
embodied energy and urban form, and has the
overall aim of determining optimum configurations
for urban development and renewal to minimise
resource consumption.
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Research themes contd

• Industrial and Applied Mathematics
• The services offered include research,
  consultancy and education in many areas of
  business and industry where efficiency of
  operation is essential for maintaining a
  competitive edge. Researchers use sophisticated
  numerical methods to solve the large-scale
  mathematical systems that describe the highly
  complex problems of modern industry and of
  society as a whole. The majority of projects
  related to sustainability are led by its
  Environmental Modelling research group.
• Project list
• Construction of house thermal nomogram software
• Herbivory on vegetation cover
• Integration of renewable energy sources
• Modelling fish population
• Modelling the predictability of the El
  Nino/southern oscillation
• Modelling the thermal performance of buildings
• Sustainable manufacturing systems
• Time series analysis of climatic variables
• Water cycle management

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Research themes contd

• Sustainable Design and Manufacturing
• This is an engineering research group with
  expertise in the areas of advanced manufacturing,
  supply chain management, manufacturing
  management, green manufacturing, robotics,
  intelligent control and engineering design that
  has a strategic focus on applying novel and
  innovative engineering solutions to productivity
  improvements and engineering sustainability. The
  research objectives are, therefore, focussed on
  these strategic areas.
• The key areas of current research activities are
• CIM, robotics, automation and machine vision
  systems
• Decision support systems
• Design for assembly, disassembly, recyclability
  and product upgrade
• Distributed and collaborative manufacturing
• Intelligent optimisation of supply chain design
  and operations
• Micro joining
• Modelling and simulation
• Whole of life risk analysis and costing

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Research themes contd
Sustainable Energy This is a multidisciplinary
group established at the University of South
Australia in 1996 with a focus on energy and its
associated environmental issues. Main RD
programs are in the areas of solar energy
application and energy management including
heating, dehumidification and cooling. Outcomes
of its activities include developing
methodologies for evaluating, regulating and
monitoring energy use in housing developments.
Products developed, which are finding their way
to commercialisation, include its roof-integrated
solar heating system, a new generation of solar
lights and phase change storage systems for
heating and cooling applications. This unit also
has a high educational profile through
establishing the South Australian Solar Car
Consortium. Researchers were the main
organisers of a successful ISES Solar World
Congress which was held in Adelaide in 2001.
Since 1998, research staff and students have been
active participants at national and international
conferences including the International Solar
Energy Society Congresses, World Renewable Energy
Congresses and ANZSES conferences. They have also
published extensively in international journals.
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Research themes contd

• Transport Systems
• ISST-Transport Systems was one of the first two
  "University Funded Centres" to be established
  within the University of South Australia, and is
  the pre-eminent centre within the University for
  research, postgraduate education and professional
  training in transport systems and logistics and
  as an international centre of excellence in
  transport and logistics offering
• A unique, multi-disciplinary approach to
  improving the performance, operation and
  understanding of transport and logistics
• Consulting and expert advisory services in a wide
  range of transport and logistics areas
• Education at the undergraduate and postgraduate
  level
• Energy and emissions
• Innovative, practical and cost-effective
  solutions to transport and logistics challenges
• Logistics
• Relevant and authoritative education, training
  and consultancy
• Research and development in all aspects of
  transport and logistics systems
• Spatial Information Technology
• Sustainable transport
• Training through specialist courses tailored to
  users needs
• Transport management and control
• Transport planning and policy

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OHSW responsibilities

• Staff are responsible for
• carrying out their work in a manner which does
  not present a risk to themselves, others or to
  the environment
• obeying any reasonable directive given in
  relation to health and safety at work, including
  the use of equipment provided to protect health
  and safety
• complying with any procedure relating to health
  and safety at work
• contributing to the improvement of the OHSWIM
  system through participation in consultative
  forums
• reporting all incidents, defects, hazards and
  inadequacies of procedures so that appropriate
  review and corrective action can be taken
• assisting in identifying OHSWIM training and
  development needs and attending training.

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OHSWIM responsibilities contd
OHSWIM online learning programs have been
developed as a learning tool for all University
staff, including staff that have supervisory
responsibilities. Consequently, supervisors and
staff will be identified by each school, unit or
research centre to complete particular
modules. First step to access Read the User
Guide User Guide OHSWIM learning
programs. Second step Click on OHSWIM learning
programs Third step Log in by entering your
UniSA username and use the password unisa the
first time you enter the program and then click
on the Login button. Once you have logged onto
the program, this password should be changed to a
password of your choice. Your password can be
changed by clicking onto the YOUR ACCOUNT link
and making the necessary changes. Youre
underway! If you cant log in, contact OHSW
Services on 21583 or 21635. You may need to have
a new account added. New full-time and part-time
staff are automatically issued an account soon
after starting their job. Casual staff and
students need to contact OHSW Services.
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Travelling overseas

• Definitions
• Employee working offshore means a person employed
  or engaged under a contract of service or a
  contract for service who is sent by the
  University to work offshore or who is a resident
  of the country and who is recruited to work
  offshore.
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Line Managers are responsible for
• implementing this procedure in their area of
  responsibility and accountability
• the induction of employees engaged to work
  offshore in accordance with the OHSW Procedure
  OHSW Induction
• the management of employees working offshore in
  relation to site specific hazards.
• Employees or those engaged to work offshore are
  responsible for
• not placing themselves or others at risk of
  injury
• working in accordance with the University OHSW
  IM Policy, OHSW Procedures and Guidelines.
• their behaviour in relation to differences in
  laws and culturally accepted behaviour and must
  take reasonable steps to ensure conformance to
  local laws and customs.

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International travellers check list

• Travel protocol
• Are you planning international travel on
  University business?
• Are there any warnings current for the region you
  will travel to?Go through the Australian
  Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
  travel advisory.
• Is the travel essential for University
  business?Discuss with your Cost Centre Manager
  and consider alternatives if available.
• If you proceed with your travel plans, please
  follow these steps
• Read the UniSA Travel Guidelines
• Contact a travel agent
• Complete and submit the Overseas Business Form
• Complete a Business Travel Request Form (FS87)
• Forward your FS87 and a detailed itinerary
  including contact names and phone numbers to your
  Cost Centre Manager for authorisation. Include an
  emergency contact (partner / parent) in
  Australia. Your Cost Centre Manager will keep
  this information on file in case the University
  needs to contact you or your family at any time.
•  
• The University restricts travel by staff and
  students to countries which are the subject of a
  DFAT travel advisory indicating that non
  essential travel should be deferred. Staff and
  students should make immediate plans to return to
  Australia should this be advised by DFAT.  

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Management of travel risks

• Risks to personal safety can be heightened when
  travelling abroad. Some of the risks are internal
  travel conditions, health systems, crime rates,
  political environment, terrorism, war and civil
  unrest. Issues of this nature are generally
  covered in advisories issued by the Australian
  Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Travel
  should not proceed where advisories are in place
  suggesting that travel be deferred or cancelled.
  If the country is subject to a non essential
  travel warning travel plans should be referred to
  the relevant Cost Centre Manager for written
  endorsement and then approval be sought from the
  Executive Director International and Development
  via UniSA International. It should be noted that
  the University travel insurance contains
  exclusions that may be relevant in these
  circumstances.
• It is the Universitys expectation that managers
  and staff proposing offshore travel would
  routinely research destination information in the
  above manner.
• All travellers must carry the 24 hour ACE Rescue
  line number- this is provided through the
  University Insurance Officer on 8302 1678. In
  addition, it would be advisable for travellers to
  carry other emergency contact numbers at which
  relevant University staff can be reached. All
  travellers should carry contact numbers and
  locations for local consulates or embassies in
  case some assistance or advice is necessary.
• Management planning for longer overseas
  placements should include a communications plan.
  The communications plan should establish the
  frequency and scope of reporting required to a
  nominated home-based supervisor. While this can
  assist in assuring that University objectives are
  being achieved, it may also assist in the
  management of other risks, including those
  relating to staff health and safety.

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Management of health risks

• Fitness to travel
• Each member of staff required to travel outside
  Australia on behalf of the university must ensure
  that their personal state of health would not be
  endangered by such travel and/or by the duties to
  be undertaken upon reaching the off-shore
  destination. Travel medical consultations are
  made available by the University and should be
  utilised by staff travelling on University
  business. (refer to Provision of Medical Advice)
• Staff who at the time of the planned travel are
  on workers compensation associated rehabilitation
  or return to work plans must discuss the matters
  with the University Rehabilitation Consultant and
  the Claims Manager (Unisure) prior to leaving
  Australia. Failure to do so and follow any advice
  received from Unisure and/or the Rehabilitation
  Consultant may place your compensation claim in
  jeopardy.
• It should be noted that the Universitys travel
  insurance policy excludes claims from persons who
  travel contrary to the advice of medical
  practitioners.
• Where long term travel or offshore placement is
  proposed, a medical examination is required
  (refer to Provision of Medical Advice)

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Collaboration
International partners
Canada Copenhagen France Germany India Israel Japa
n New Zealand Thailand Turkey United
Kingdom United States