CNRE Scholarships

Supervisor: Frances Charters (co-supervised with Tom Cochrane)

Stormwater is a key contributor to urban waterway degradation, causing flooding, erosive flows and ecological impacts from pollutants such as sediment and toxic heavy metals. Knowledge of pollutant generation is vital to develop an effective stormwater management strategy to reduce the amount of pollutants in the urban waterways. This project follows a multi-pronged approach to characterising sources of stormwater pollutants as well as the efficacy of some new treatment devices that have been installed on campus to reduce the impact of stormwater pollution. Tasks include:

1. Performance monitoring of Storminator downpipe treatment devices on the UC campus – field sampling and lab analysis of untreated and treated water quality, evaluation of the device treatment performance and its relationships to media condition, surface conditions, climate conditions and operation and maintenance.
2. Performance monitoring of treatment bunds in the ephemeral Waiutuutu/Okeover on the UC campus - field sampling and lab analysis of untreated and treated stream water quality, evaluation of the device treatment performance, field observations for long term maintenance of the treatment system.
3. Review of greenfield stormwater quality data - desktop review of literature to update a 2009 report on the quality of stormwater generated from greenfield/new subdivisions in the Christchurch area.
4. Understanding the global contribution of ecotoxic metals into freshwater, marine and groundwater - desktop review of pollutant loads and pathways, with modelling from source to sink

Necessary skills: Field water quality sampling skills, data analysis, literature review, writing. Training will be provided for water quality lab analysis.

Contact: frances.charters@canterbury.ac.nz

Supervisor: Yi Wang

Transport infrastructure investments are substantial and long-term, with significant implications that are not easily reversed. While these developments aim to enhance economic growth and efficiency, they require careful consideration of their impact on the resilience of transport networks, particularly in terms of redundancy. Redundancy is a critical aspect of network resilience, especially in pre-disaster planning, as it ensures that the network can continue to function during disruptive events. This project seeks to explore the pivotal role of redundancy in fostering resilient transport network planning. By developing and applying assessment metrics and computational methods, the project will produce evidence-based results to inform the planning and upgrading of transport networks.

Contact: y.wang@canterbury.ac.nz

Supervisor: Ke Jiang

Stainless steel is regarded as an excellent alternative to conventional carbon steel in certain structural applications due to its superior mechanical properties and outstanding corrosion resistance. Its remarkable ductility, which facilitates substantial energy dissipation, combined with its strain hardening behaviour, maximizes the resistance of structures during hazards. Built-up section, which offer more flexibility in customized cross-sections and ease of fabrication, are increasingly used in cold-formed steel structures. However, effective usage of cold-formed stainless steel requires a thorough understanding of structural behaviour. This project will conduct an extensive parametric study using Finite Element (FE) modelling to simulate the behaviour of stainless steel built-up section members. 

Contact: ke.jiang@canterbury.ac.nz

Supervisors: Craig McConnochie, Markus Pahlow

Over recent years New Zealand has experienced several catastrophic floods, and this pattern is expected to worsen due to climate change. Rapid and reliable flood forecasts are necessary to minimise the damage of such floods. This experimental (lab and field) project will help to develop a method for river discharge and surface velocity measurement using Raspberry Pi based cameras. Unlike traditional methods of discharge measurement, these are affordable and low maintenance, so can be deployed across a catchment to provide a comprehensive understanding of the catchment hydrology and to improve flood forecasting and in turn increase warning times.

Contact: craig.mcconnochie@canterbury.ac.nz

Supervisor: Giuseppe Loporcaro

Earth-made constructions are one of the oldest building engineering technologies developed for human dwellings. Earth-based houses have been and are still used in many parts of the world including New Zealand. Although earth-based materials such as adobe, cob and rammed earth have many advantages (cost, high thermal mass, availability), they also come with many disadvantages, most notably poor mechanical properties. On the other hand, 3D printing is a novel technology in construction mainly applied to cementitious materials.

This research aims to combine one of the most ancient materials (earth-based) with new technology (3D printing) exploring mātauranga Māori. The objective consists of developing 3D-printed earth-based mixes to be used in building envelopes. The mix will need to possess suitable fresh (printability and buildability), mechanical (compressive strength) and thermal properties. Specimens will be printed elements using the UC-made 3D concrete printer. The first part of the research will consist of

This research will build upon the previous work conducted at the University of Canterbury. Experimental testing will be performed to investigate the fresh and hardened properties of printable mixes as well as manufacture prototype large-scale elements such as urban furniture and façade elements

To apply for this scholarship, please submit the following documents:

• Your current resume
• A cover letter highlighting the reasons why you want to participate in this project.

Contact: giuseppe.loporcaro@canterbury.ac.nz

Supervisor: Dr. Derek Li

Water usage monitoring in New Zealand faces significant challenges, with only 50% of usage currently metered. This limits the ability to manage and conserve water effectively. In contrast, the electrical sector has piloted advanced signal analysis to identify different types of electricity consumption, resulting in up to 10% savings. This research project aims to investigate the unique pressure signals generated by different water appliances within pipelines. By characterizing these signals, we can develop smart water technologies capable of identifying specific water usage activities. This innovation introduces a new dimension to water data, enabling improved management and conservation strategies for a more sustainable future.

Necessary skills: Pipeline hydraulics (ENCN242), experiment, fundamental coding

Contact: derek.li@canterbury.ac.nz