Resilience of Engineering Projects

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Webinar details

With society’s increasing reliance on engineered systems for functions like finance, transport, and communication, any system failure, whether from internal issues or deliberate sabotage, it can significantly disrupt our social structure. Many systems have been designed with dependencies such as GPS timing, data backhaul, or mobile coverage. How resilient are these systems, and how can the inclusion of failure modes in the design phase reduce the negative impact of system failures?

In 1978, NASA scientist Donald Kessler proposed that the collision of two satellites could cause a chain reaction from the resulting debris, potentially rendering Low Earth Orbit (LEO) unusable, a scenario known as the Kessler syndrome. How would Western society cope with such a situation?

• The webinar will be recorded and will be sent out to registered attendees afterwards.
• A certificate of attendance will be provided to attendees who request one near the end of the live webinar session.
• Please note: the time stated on this event is in UTC. You will need to convert this to your own time zone.

Key takeaways from this webinar

• Consider system failure in the risk analysis when designing a system.
• Understand that the desire for worldwide 100% data coverage may come at a cost to society as it contributes to space debris.
• Recognize that deliberate (malicious) damage to communications infrastructure may be used as a geopolitical tool by hostile agents, negatively impacting everyday life.

Related courses

This webinar/topic relates to our school of Electronic Engineering, particularly found in the following courses:

• 52867WA Advanced Diploma of Industrial Data Communication, Networking and IT
• Professional Certificate of Competency in Project Management for Engineers & Technicians
• 52883WA Advanced Diploma of Applied Electrical Engineering (Electrical Systems)
• BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management
• BSB60420 Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management

About the presenter

Rob Howes, Engineering Project Manager at Curtin University

Rob holds a formal qualification in Electronic Engineering. He has worked in Civil Aviation, Satellite Communications, Radar Systems, and Large Scale Project Management. Holding a Masters of Project Management (Technology Management), he is currently engaged in the design, construction, and commissioning of a Passive Radar System to track space debris in the LEO orbit for the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy.