IIR Awards
AIRAH is the representative organisation of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) in Australia. In this capacity, it presents three IIR Awards to outstanding contributions to the field of refrigeration.
Dr J.R. Vickery Award - Outstanding contribution to food refrigeration
This award, sponsored by the Australian National Committee of the IIR, is offered to commemorate the work of the food scientist, Dr. J. R. Vickery, in the field of preservation of food through the application of refrigeration. Dr Vickery led the CSIRO's division of Food Science and Transport from its inception in 1931 until 1967 and helped found AIFST. He is well known for his research achievements in the freezing, storage and transport of frozen and chilled meat, the introduction of carbon dioxide atmosphere for chilled meat storage, and fundamental studies to help understand a range of
food storage problems.
Rules of the award
A panel formed from members of the Australian National Committee of IIR will recommend a person or group of persons to receive the award for outstanding contributions in the previous ten years to the physical, chemical or biological aspects of food and food products, by the application of cold.
The panel may seek advice from representatives of organisations such as the Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Council of Australian Food Technology Associations.
The award may be made annually if a sufficiently high standard of excellence is evident in the nominations.
The award comprises a prize of $500.00 and an engraved medal.
Awards may be made to members of the Australian National Committee of IIR, but only in the case of exceptional merit and upon the adjudication of an eminent independent expert in the field.
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Thomas Sutcliffe Mort Award - Outstanding engineering design or application
This award is offered in memory of the pioneering refrigeration work carried out by Thomas Sutcliffe Mort in the preservation of food by the application of cold. T.S. Mort was responsible for the first refrigerated meat works in the world, at Darling Harbour in Sydney, and was involved heavily in the early refrigerated shipping of meat to the UK.
Rules of the award
A panel formed from members of the Australian National Committee of IIR will recommend a person or group of persons to receive the award for outstanding engineering design or application contribution in the fields of refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pumps.
The panel may seek advice from representatives of organisations such as AIRAH, AREMA, RACCA, AMCA, ADEA and the Industrial Refrigeration Council of Australia.
The award may be made annually if a sufficiently high standard of excellence is evident in the nomination/s.
The award comprises a prize of $500.00 and an engraved medal.
Awards may be made to members of the Australian National Committee of IIR, but only in the case of exceptional merit and upon the adjudication of an eminent independent expert in the field.
Nomination Procedure
Nominations for either the Mort or Vickery awards should take the form of a one- to two-page resumé of the background and achievements of the nominee, together with a list of referees and any supporting documentation. Nominations may be for one or both prizes; in the latter case the selection committee will decide which is the most suitable for consideration.
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The IIR/ AIRAH Award for Best Student Project Thesis
The IIR / AIRAH Award for Best Student Project Thesis recognises and encourages the pursuit of excellence in student research through the award of a certificate and cash prize to the student judged to have made the most valuable contribution to the science and/or practice of refrigeration in a written thesis.
The award is open to students who have submitted a research project thesis, during the year of the award, which contributes to an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at an Australian University. The topic of the research project must fall within one of the fields of knowledge defined by the International Institute of Refrigeration Science and Technical Committees being:
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Cryophysics and cryoengineering
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Liquifaction and separation of gases
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Thermodynamics and transfer processes
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Refrigerating equipment
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Cryobiology and cryomedicine
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Food science and engineering
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Refrigerated storage
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Refrigerated transport
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Air conditioning
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Heat pumps and energy recovery
Nominations for the award can be made by the student or the student’s supervisor. Students and supervisors do not need to be members of the Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) or the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR)
Award Criteria
The thesis will be assessed against the following criteria
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Relevance of the work to the practice of refrigeration in Australia
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Demonstrates an understanding of refrigeration science and practice
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Investigates with logical and convincing methods
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Communicates results clearly and precisely
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Draws useful and insightful conclusions that assist with the understanding of refrigeration
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Novelty, although not specifically required, will be regarded highly.
A maximum of one award will be given each year, although no award will be made if the judges consider that there are no submissions of sufficient quality that meet the criteria. The judges will be non-academic members of IIR Australia, with no association to the submitted project. Judges may seek advice from other informed people and in all cases, the judges’ decision will be final.
Interested students should complete an application form and return it to: Phil Wilkinson, AIRAH, 3/1 Elizabeth Street Melbourne, VIC 3000.
Key dates
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March 31, 2009 – entries open
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March 5, 2010 – entries close
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April 12, 2010 – winner announced
Past winners
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2007 (inaugural) - Yunpeng Xue - University of Adelaide - Investigation of the thermal efficiency of the vortex tube
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2008 - Leon Hooft - RMIT - Design and Testing of a passive radiating cooling panel system to produce chilled water, for air conditioning, during night time
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