From rock to metal

Alex de Vos
Engineers usually conform to a type – mathematically-minded, studious, geeky – a combination of hinges and straight lines, not unlike a Meccano model.
But Professor Peter Hodgson goes against the stereotype.
Picture this: before there was a microscope under his eye, Peter was eyeing the rhythms and beats of a rock band.
He laughs off his muso origins that once threatened to affect his studies.
“I probably would have got the worst marks of any professor in terms of my undergraduate,” he confesses.
“At one stage I was playing in three rock bands at the same time I was doing my degree.
“I spent 15 years playing in a rock band. Unfortunately we weren’t that good, but it was a really good outlet from being a serious academic.”
Despite all his love of all things associated with science, the laid-back academic has done everything possible to avoid the geek label.
He alleges that he’s not a “booky sort of person” and not overly analytcial.
“I’m more creative,” Peter admits.
“If it wasn’t for my parental background, I probably would have done more of an arts degree.
“We came from a working-class family and I had to do a degree with a real job attached to it.”
He argues that, surprisingly there’s a lot of creativity in engineering.
“To me, materials are very creative,” he explains.
“There are theories about how atoms interact and the mechanics of the theory, like how bridges are built, but in between we don’t really know an awful lot.
“If you change something at the atom level, what does it do to the bridge?
“So in that sense it’s really creative and you can have lots of ideas.”
He strongly believes creativity is the key to successful engineering.
“I think Australian scientists are really creative and that’s why we do so well compared to the average scientist because we’re actually quite innovative,” he reckons.
Underneath his relaxed exterior, Peter is serious about engineering and has excelled in the field.
Last month, the director of research at Deakin University’s Institute of Technology Research and Innovation was one of only 15 researchers to be awarded a position on the nation’s coveted Australian Laureate Fellowship.
He says the highly prestigious award recognises top professors in the non-medical sciences and aims to build and strengthen world-class research capability in Australia.
“I was pretty excited when I received a phone call telling me I’d won,” he recalls.
“It’s a real coup for Deakin – we’re the only Victorian university to get one.”
Peter was chosen from among hundreds of applicants for his work around “innovative process technologies” that aim to minimise the environmental impacts on both the production and application.
“I’m really interested in this whole idea of sustainable manufacturing,” he explains.
“It’s about creating something that has a sort of longevity.
“Say you want to make steel for a car – high strength steel that’s lightweight, so it’s more fuel efficient.
“But you also want the car to have the same crash performance.
“At the moment the normal way of making steel is quite energy intensive – the carbon footprint is pretty big. With steel you have to re-heat it, roll it, then re-heat it, then cool it and do various other things.
“What we’re trying to do is cut out a lot of those steps.
“It’s the whole cradle-to-grave focus.”
As well as developing sustainable manufacturing processes, Peter and his department are also involved in a number of “applied” and award-winning science projects.
Last year Deakin University engineering students unveiled a car that runs on air.
“The Model T runs on compressed air but can also run on an electric motor,” he says.
“The new thing about the car is that it’s so light weight.
“The novelty is having the engine mounted in the wheel rather than having the engine separate, it’s really energy efficient.”
He says the university was in the process of seeking funding to build a full-scale prototype.
“It’s just the worst possible time to find funding,” Peter sighs.
“But, the Model T was a fantastic thing for Deakin and it got everyone really excited.”
He believes the project has helped raise the university’s profile, coupled with a new state-of-art technology precinct filled with more than $30 million worth of equipment.
“We’re trying to paint Deakin around the world as a place that does everything,” he reveals.
“What’s really exciting here is we have really great people who are passionate about their materials but also passionate about design.
“What I’m trying to get out is that there’s a really high quality university in Geelong now.”