Summit Panel - A Vision for Indigenous Values in Engineering Practice and Implications for Education in an Australian context
Panel Chair - Associate Professor Kaya Prpic
Indigenous Engineering Specialist, University of Melbourne
Associate Professor Juliana Kaya Prpic brings many years of experience in higher education and a deep interest in inter-cultural learning, collaboration, and community-led projects.
Since 2014 her work has focused exclusively on engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to design and develop collaborative programs for achieving parity, integrating Indigenous perspectives into the engineering curriculum, and identifying community-led research projects. She instigated the development of the Victorian Indigenous Engineering Winter School aimed at inspiring year 11 and 12 Indigenous students from around Australia to study engineering, which was awarded a University of Melbourne Award for Excellence in a Priority Area.
Her collaborative work with the Gunditjmara community embraces both on-Country learning and research received both the University of Melbourne Award for Excellence in Place-based Initiatives and the 2023 Engagement Australian Excellence Award in Indigenous Engagement. Her engagement with Mparntwe people is supporting the community to regenerate the sacred site of Ankerre Ankerre. She supervises research projects for postgraduate research students in either aspects of Indigenous engineering or Indigenous engineering education.
Dr Susan Beetson
Research Academic, UQ
Susan Beetson is a Ngemba Computer Science practitioner, researcher, and educator, who grew up in the very remote Aboriginal communities of Brewarrina and Gongolgon.
With three decades of experience in corporate computer science and information technology management, Susan has also dedicated ten years to higher education, specializing in Information Systems and Interactive Technologies across multiple universities. Currently positioned at UQ's School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Susan's research focuses on the digital transformation of Indigenous Knowledges to empower Indigenous economies and foster economic independence.
Susan serves as a chief investigator at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures, contributing to the education and economies theme. Her notable projects include leading initiatives like Culture Hubs, innovative decentralised data and Knowledge centres that utilise Aboriginal archival methods and machine learning. She also spearheads efforts in digital rights management to secure perpetual royalties and safeguard Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property.
At the core of Susan's academic pursuits is the integration of Aboriginal value systems and Knowledges into engineering and computer science curricula. She actively collaborates with national networks and university initiatives, including the National Indigenous STEM Professional Network and the Group of Eight Universities, to embed Indigenous perspectives in ECS curricula. She is deeply involved in efforts to attract, support, and retain Indigenous students in STEM fields, exciting and educating students from Primary to year 12.
Dr Craig Cowled
Senior Lecturer, QUT
Craig is a structural engineer with a deep interest in understanding how structures behave and a passion for sharing that knowledge with the next generation of emerging engineers. As a Worimi man, Craig has a desire to inspire other Indigenous people to consider a career in engineering.
Craig has worked in a diverse range of roles in the construction industry including 7yrs in manufacturing as a truss and frame designer, 2yrs on a construction project as a site engineer, 3yrs as a consulting structural engineer working predominantly on high-rise buildings, and more than a decade in academia.
Since completing his PhD in 2018 on structural health monitoring of bridges, Craig has aligned his research with industry demand for sustainable construction materials such as timber and engineered wood products. Craig’s teaching practice includes working with traditional owners to develop an engineering curriculum at QUT that embraces Indigenous voice and values. Craig is actively working to improve the design and delivery of Indigenous content in QUT’s engineering curriculum in a current project focused on student perceptions.
Josh Loyd
First Nations Director – Buildings and Places, AECOM
Josh is a Wajarri Yamaji Traditional Owner and civil and environmental engineer who has aligned 14 years of his career with the maturing field of Country-centred design, a growing area of inquiry and design thinking for Australian built environment professions. This has seen him take on leadership and design roles on major projects around Australia, in both public and private industries, across a broad variety of disciplines.
His current role with AECOM seeks to strategically integrate First Nation’s knowledge and practices through co-management/ co-design which focuses on sustainable, long-term outcomes in the Buildings and Places’ Environment, Society, and Governance (ESG) practice. This is achieved through culturally appropriate engagement and includes outcomes for First Nations people, Country, and cultures in all aspects of planning, design, delivery, and operations.
Associate Professor Joseph West
Associate Professor Joseph West is a proud Murawarri Engineer from the Culgoa river region in regional NSW. He holds undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering (1st Class Hons) and Computer Science from UNSW, a Master of Engineering Science (Project Management) from UNSW, and a PhD from QUT. He is a lecturer and researcher focusing on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence decision-making and applications for neurological conditions. Joe is the Inaugural Associate Dean Indigenous for the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Melbourne.
Joe has had a diverse career, including numerous key leadership positions. He served in the Australian Army in engineering and technical specialist roles, including active service in East Timor and Afghanistan. He has also owned a real estate business and continues to serve in the Army Reserve. In 2015, Joe led a team of Indigenous soldiers to conduct a traditional soil collection ceremony around the Gallipoli battlefields to commemorate the forgotten Indigenous servicemen who died at Gallipoli. Recently, he delivered the Inaugural Return to Country STEM Oration, where he called for a paradigm shift to build a pipeline of Indigenous engineering talent and interest from as early as primary school.