SCNZ manager Clark Hyland was capped with a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Auckland in May.
Mr Hyland investigated the development of running fracture in structural steelwork assemblies under severe earthquake loading, leading to the development of a new method to assess their expected ductile endurance.
In 2000 he commenced post-graduate studies in a part-time capacity, after being encouraged by then HERA director Dr John Meikle to give it a go.
A fees, materials and travel grant was made by the Heavy Engineering Education and Research Fund to aid the study.
The work was eventually completed after many hours of after-hours work and unpaid study leave, along with the patient endurance of his wife and family.
His PhD research was jointly supervised by Professor George Ferguson of the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering and Associate Professor John Butterworth of the Department of Civil Engineering.
A copy of the thesis can be downloaded at: http://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/3381.
