Mr Thomas Worthington

Adjunct Lecturer
ANU College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics

Biography

is a certified computer professional, who acts as a consultant, expert witness in court cases and advises governments and companies. He is a course designer and teacher for vocational and postgraduate university courses on green ICT, the design of web sites, e-commerce and professional ethics. 

Tom's award winning e-learning course and e-book "ICT Sustainability: Assessment and Strategies for a Low Carbon Future" is used by universities in Australia and North America. Tom blogs on education issues as "The Higher Education Whisperer".

Tom is a Past President of the Australian Computer Society, a Fellow, Honorary Life Member, Certified Computer Professional (Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation). Also he is a voting member of the Association for Computing Machinery and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. In 1999 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society for his contribution to the development of public Internet policy.

Available student projects

Cut City Air Pollution Using ICT

Research areas

Description

Air pollution has been exceeding recommended levels, not just in Beijing and New Delhi, but also in Sydney. This project will investigate using the ICT Sustainability techniques usually used for carbon dioxide pollution from a single company and apply them to other pollutants on a city-wide scale. There are many ways to use ICT to reduce pollution in theory, but the problem is in how to get people to use them in practice. This project therefore emphasizes the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) aspects: applying knowledge of human behavior so people can use, and want to use, technology which cuts pollution.   Some techniques, discussed in Worthington (2011) to reduce pollution are:
  1. Dematerialisation: use computers instead of physical goods. For example, replace traveling to meetings with teleworking.
  2. Smart Motor Systems: More efficient computer controlled motors to reduce energy use.
  3. Smart Logistics: More efficient good delivery to reduce truck use. These techniques might be used for example, for a parcel service using hybrid or electric trucks. Also an Uber-type service with electric vehicles could reduce pollution from private cars.
  4. Smart Buildings: Computer control of buildings to reduce energy use. This is normally thought of being applied to large corporate buildings and new apartment blocks, but increasingly can be applied to smaller, older, buildings.
  5. Smart Grids: Computer controlled electricity system to more efficiently use power, especially renewable energy. An example is Dr Lachlan Blackhall's Reposit Power in Fishwick. 

Reference

Worthington, T. (2011). ICT Sustainability: Assessment and strategies for a low carbon future. Retrieved from http://www.tomw.net.au/ict_sustainability/introduc...  

 

Goals

Investigate using the ICT Sustainability techniques usualy used for carbon dioxide pollution from a single company and apply them to other pollutants on a city-wide scale.

Requirements

Completion of ICT Sustainability (COMP7310) or equivalent.

BackgroundLit

Worthington, T. (2011). ICT Sustainability: Assessment and strategies for a low carbon future. Retrieved from http://www.tomw.net.au/ict_sustainability/introduction.shtml

Keywords

Green technology.; Telecommunication - Environmental aspects.; Energy consumption; atmospheric pollutants;

Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship in Technology

People

Supervisor

Research areas

Description

Learn how to take an idea and turn it into a business proposal and teach this to others. Students undertake practical work as part of an innovation competition, such as Innovation ACT to experience the process first hand. At the same time they explore the theory of commercialization and entrepreneurship to see how this could be incorporated in the training of Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students.

Goals

Learn the theory and practice of taking a technology idea and pitching it as a business proposal. Help develop course materials for teaching this to other STEM students.

Requirements

Completed at least one year of a computing degree. Some experience in training or teaching and as an online student would be useful.

BackgroundLit

Innovation ACT, Participant Handbook, 2014. URL: http://www.innovationact.org/iact2013/wp-content/u... Kruchten, P., Lawrence, P., Dahl, D., & Cubbon, P. (2011). New Venture Design–Interdisciplinary Capstone Projects at UBC. Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association. URL: http://library.queensu.ca/ojs/index.php/PCEEA/arti... Worthington, T. (2014) Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship in Technology Course Proposal. URL: http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2014/10/c... Worthington, T. (2015) Designing an Innovation Course: Part 3 - Introduction to Innovation. Blog Post: http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2015/04/d...

Gain

Employers are increasing recognizing the need for STEM graduates to promote business ideas and have the ability to pass on knowledge to others.

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Updated:  09 June 2023 / Responsible Officer:  Director (Research Services Division) / Page Contact:  Researchers