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E L E CT R I C AL CONNE CT I ON
AUTUMN 2 01 5
INDUSTRY NEWS
INVENTORS OF BLUE
LEDS WIN 2014 NOBEL
PRIZE IN PHYSICS
The Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences has awarded the Nobel Prize
in Physics for 2014 to Isamu Akasaki,
Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura
“for the invention of efficient blue
light emitting diodes (LEDs) which
has enabled bright and energy-saving
white light sources”.
In the spirit of Alfred Nobel, the prize
rewards an invention of greatest benefit
to mankind; using blue LEDs, white
light can be created in a new way. With
the advent of LED lamps we now have
more long-lasting and more efficient
alternatives to older light sources.
When Isamu, Hiroshi and Shuji
produced bright blue light beams
from their semi-conductors in the early
1990s, they triggered a fundamental
transformation of lighting technology.
Red and green diodes had been
around for a long time but without
blue light, white lamps could not be
created. Despite considerable efforts,
both in the scientific community and
in industry, the blue LED had remained
a challenge for three decades.
They succeeded where everyone
else had failed. Their inventions were
revolutionary. Incandescent light bulbs
lit the 20th century; the 21st century
will be lit by LED lamps.
White LED lamps emit a bright
white light, are long-lasting and
energy-efficient. They are constantly
improved, getting more efficient with
higher luminous flux (measured in
lumens) per unit electrical input power
(measured in Watts). The most recent
record is just over 300lm/W, which can
be compared to 16lm/W for regular
light bulbs and close to 70lm/W for
fluorescent lamps.
Middy’s Data & Electrical, in
conjunction with NECA, has awarded
$90,000 worth of Scholarships to
12 of the “most progressive and
forward looking electrical industry
professionals”.
The Scholarship Program, now
in its sixth year, was created in
2009 and offers an extensive
range of training and skill
enhancement courses, delivering
the skill sets and competitive
edge needed to succeed in today’s
challenging environment. Over
the past six years, Middy’s has
awarded nearly $500,000 in
industry training.
The Scholarship Program
awards six Gold Packages, each
worth $10,000 and six Silver
Packages, each worth $5,000.
These Scholarship Packages
allow recipients to undertake
tailored training in 2015 from a
range of courses incorporating
subjects such as energy efficiency,
project management, estimating
and OH&S.
Judging of the record number
of applications was conducted by
an independent panel including
representatives from NECA,
Energy Safe Victoria and
Electrical
Connection
magazine.
Congratulations the following
recipients of the Gold Scholarship:
t
Matthew Bruce – WSP Services
t
Tristan Grieve – A‐Phase Electrical
t
Jackson Harris – DN Bishop & Co
t
Jamin Kenner – Kenner Electrics
t
Rob McEwan – Copper
Connections Electrical
t
Andrew Smith – Murfett &
Whiting P/L
And to the winners of a Silver
Scholarship:
t
Mark Baker – Watters Electrical
t
Bradley Bosanko – R & J Bosanko
t
Jonathan Dissanyake – Downer
t
Shane Kean – Gordyn & Palmer
t
Craig Meanes – C & B Electrical
t
Nic Sim – Cobram Electrical & Data
NECA has
named
Jim Brown
– a trades
instructor at
the College
of Electrical
Training in
Western
Australia –
as the
2014 winner of the Trade Teacher of
the Year award.
Jim has worked in the industry for over
50 years. As he approached the end of
his career he thought it would be fitting
to spend a short spell ‘giving something
back’ and a training role seemed the
best way to do just that. That was more
than 13 years ago.
The judging panel – led by Wes
McKnight (former NECA president), were
so impressed by Jim that they asked him
what advice he would give to young
people entering the industry today.
“Just be yourself and focus on your
clients,” was Jim’s answer. In addition,
for anyone involved in promoting a
career in the electrical contracting
industry, Jim’s additional advice is that
people should ”sell the reality of the job
to better meet expectations”.
MIDDY’S ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
JIM BROWN NAMED TRADE TEACHER OF THE YEAR