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Engineering Heritage Australia (Victoria)

Institution of Engineers, Australia         Engineering Heritage Branch
Bi-monthly Speakers' Program

A History of Holden and Passenger Car Safety

Thursday, 16 August 2007

Speaker:	Dr Laurence John Sparke, OAM
Where:	John Connell Auditorium, Engineering House, 21 Bedford Street, North Melbourne
When:	Light refreshments from 5.30pm. Talk will commence at 6.00 pm, and conclude at 7:00pm

The Talk:
Most Australians are aware of Holden's iconic 48-215 model released after the second World War. Not so many know of English immigrant James Alexandra Holden, who arrived in Adelaide in 1852, just 13 years after first settlement. James founded Australia's oldest company, which quickly became the major industry in Adelaide and the centre of manufacturing in Australia. The growth of the company over 150 years has been strongly influenced by wars - the Boer War, and the First and Second World Wars, and its success has influenced the growth of the Australian manufacturing industry and consequently our national wealth.

Newton proposed his Theory of the Universe in 1666, and ever since engineering has been about improving the accuracy of our calculations. However, in the field of biomechanics of injury, little progress was made until the first experiments to measure human tolerance to loading conducted by John Stapp in 1950s. Rapid progress was made for two decades until activists intervened and stopped research using human surrogates. Progress is now dependant on the development of accurate computer models of the human body.

The talk will finish with some insights into the risks of driving on Australian roads, and some strategies will be presented to minimise these risks.

The Guest Speaker:
Laurie Sparke is an engineering graduate from RMIT, and Deakin universities in Melbourne and Kettering University in Michigan, and has studied and worked in America and in Germany. As Director of Holden Innovation, he was responsible for development of new technology, including development of vehicle safety systems, IT, environmentally friendly powertrains, and virtual engineering. Over the past 2 decades, Laurie lead the development of world-leading occupant protection systems, starting with the release of an Australian designed airbag system in 1995, and culminating in protection strategies for side impact crashes. These have been documented in a recently published book, "Vehicle Design for Minimum Societal Harm". His contributions to safety have been recognised by the awarding of the Medal of the Order of Australia, and the SAE Ralph H. Isbrandt Automotive Safety Engineering Award.

	Presented By:	Engineering Heritage Australia (Victoria)
	Cost:	Free of Charge
	Registration:	Not necessary.
	Professional    Development:	Depending upon your personal requirements, attendance at this session may be eligible for inclusion in your professional development assessment.
	Contact Details:	ehv@engineersaustralia.org.au
	Other Activities:	What's Going On

Engineering Heritage Victoria on-line at:           http://www.vicnet.net.au/~engherit/

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