Summary heading

Abolition

Creation

CSIRO Manufacturing & Infrastructure Technology [CMIT] was created in July 2002 through the amalgamation of the former CSIRO Divisions of Manufacturing Science and Technology [unregistered], and Building, Construction and Engineering [CA 4535]. Larry Little, the former Chief of Building, Construction and Engineering, was appointed to head the new division.

Functions and activities

The division supports Australian manufacturing industries through the development and exploitation of innovative materials, processes, products and services. The following are described as its core science capabilities:

·       Thermal & Fire Science — Scientific aspects of combustion processes and their control, and modelling the physical and social effects of bush- and urban fires.

·       Fluid Dynamics — Understanding the flow and mixing of fluids, and its application to health and security needs.

·       Metallurgy — Development of new alloys and processing methods, concentrating on light metals

·       Urban Systems Integration — Sustainability science for built environment applications.

·       Decision Systems — Infomatic systems for complex multifactor decision-making.

·       Optics & Diffraction — Visible light and X-ray advanced optical theories, applications and instrumentation.

·       Ionic & Electronic Materials — Theory and applications of ionic solids and liquids, and of electronic materials.

·       Soft Matter — Design of materials that are easily deformable by external stresses, typically possessing structures which are much larger than atomic or molecular scales; mesoscopic.

·       Interfacial Science — Design and control of the interfaces between materials, and applications to mechanical, chemical and biological processes at surfaces.

·       Sensing and Interpretation — Design and fabrication of sensors, and processing and interpretation of signals.

Historical agency address

 Normanby Road, Clayton, Victoria

State/regional structure

Aside from the Head Office in Clayton, Victoria, CMIT controls five subsidiary facilities around the country: Highett (Vic); Preston (Vic); North Ryde (NSW); Woodville (SA); Pullenvale (Qld).

Sources

www.cmit.csiro.au (accessed 3/4/2006)

www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/asaw/asawhome.htm (accessed 3/4/2006)