TRANSCRIPT
Taking a look into the Future through Research
VISUAL: RMIT Logo. A series of compression tests are performed on carbon fibre components.
AUDIO: Piano tinkles and machine bangs.
KARIZA SPEAKS: Sometimes, to make things better you have to first take everything apart and look inside.
VISUAL: Kariza picks up the carbon fibre coupon and inspects the damage done by the Drop tower test. Sruthi picks up a small chip and places it under a microscope.
AUDIO: Upbeat music.
SRUTHI SPEAKS: Doing research, you have to look at the smallest details and the bigger picture all at the same time.
VISUAL: Bassel picks up an electronic component and plugs it into a PCB board. He also tweaks the settings on electronic metering equipment.
BASSEL SPEAKS: But most importantly, you have to ask the right questions.
VISUAL: Montage of the three students, Kariza with an airplane in the foreground, Sruthi with a space shuttle and Bassel with a radio telescope.
KARIZA SPEAKS: How can I make air travel safer?
SRUTHI SPEAKS: How can I fine tune materials of the future?
VISUAL: As the montage ends, Bassel checks the map of Melbourne and colours in a stochastic geometry chart. This visual then transitions into a view of Melbourne city as Bassel walks towards RMIT.
BASSEL SPEAKS: How can I connect everyone around the world?
AUDIO: Sounds of the city. Upbeat music.
BASSEL SPEAKS: A PHD is about taking a peek into the future and trying to find a way to get there.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Taking a look into the Future through Research: Engineering at RMIT.
VISUAL: A montage of all three students walking towards RMIT from different parts of the city.
SRUTHI SPEAKS: Current transistors rely on bulky 3D materials. However, RMIT's new facilities allow us to operate at nano-scale creating revolutionary 2D conductors.
VISUAL: Sruthi picks up a lab coat, gloves, special shoes and protective goggles. She is fully covered in protective equipment as she enters the Micro Nano Lab.
SRUTHI SPEAKS: I work with atomically thin layers of black phosphorous. In a quantum confined environment I can tweak them to form building blocks of future electronics.
VISUAL: Sruthi sets down a box with multiple chips. She opens it and starts cleaning one of the chips with fluid. Once the chip is clean, she sets it down on a spinning plate.
AUDIO: Calm piano music.
VISUAL: Opening a cabinet, Sruthi pulls out a little box with Black Phosphorus. She applies it on the chip using tape. Once the application is complete, she checks the results under UV light with her colleague.
AUDIO: Upbeat music. Sounds of nature.
KARIZA SPEAKS: Nature has been building complex structures for a very long time. In comparison, carbon fibre is a relatively new material.
VISUAL: Montage of plants growing, drone shots of forests and close-ups of roots spreading. Kariza picks up a sheet of carbon fibre, sets it down on a desk and cuts a small piece.
KARIZA SPEAKS: My research is sponsored by Boeing. Their aim is to reduce carbon fibre delamination.
AUDIO: Sound of aircraft flying overhead.
VISUAL: Kariza sets down a box of carbon fibre coupons. In a montage she walks towards a Boeing building. She hands in the carbon coupon to a technician, who performs a compression test on the strength of the composite.
KARIZA SPEAKS: Aircraft are exposed to inevitable forces of nature. I created a patented way to strengthen the composite, resulting in tougher and safer aircraft panels.
VISUAL: Kariza places her final carbon fibre coupon into an X-Ray machine to inspect the impact of her research on the strength of the composite.
AUDIO: Sound of a dial-up modem. Tuning a radio.
BASSEL SPEAKS: Our world is filled with wireless interference. In my PhD, I'm designing a practical Internet of Things network. So I need to make sure that sensors have enough power and range to cut through the spectrum.
VISUAL: Bassel enters the Anechoic chamber, where he sets down his laptop and an antenna to test the wireless interference.
BASSEL SPEAKS: Our team partnered up with five local councils to deliver the largest IoT network in Australia. But my dream is to bring this technology to everyone and connect the whole world.
VISUAL: Entering a suburban park, Bassel and his team set-up a remote monitoring station. Bassel and one of his teammates stand on top of the bridge and press a button on a device to send a signal. Gesturing ‘thumbs up’, the researcher at the remote monitoring station confirms that the signal was well received.
AUDIO: Calm, contemplative piano music.
VISUAL: Bassel and Kariza carrying coffees and muffins enter a co-working space.
SRUTHI SPEAKS: A big part of the research journey is sharing your ideas. RMIT supports us to present at overseas conferences where innovation comes from all aspects of life.
VISUAL: All three researchers are now sitting together. They present their findings and share their ideas – Kariza shows off her carbon fibre coupon, Bassel his IoT Devices and Sruthi a poster with findings about Black Phosphorus 2D conductors. Finally, they pack up the poster and head out.
AUDIO: Dramatic orchestral music. Machine noises.
KARIZA SPEAKS: Doing a PHD is about contributing something new to your field. Because even answering one simple question can, in the end, have a great impact on the world around you.
VISUAL: All three researchers walk side by side, leaving RMIT and heading to present their work overseas.
AUDIO: Dramatic orchestral music.
VISUAL: Final montage: Repeating the visuals from the beginning of the film – Kariza performs carbon fibre compression tests, Bassel plugs in electric metering equipment and Sruthi picks up a small chip in the Micro Nano Lab.
In the last shots, Kariza walks through the Boeing assembly line and Bassel gives a final thumbs up on the bridge in the suburban park.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Take a look into the Future through Research at RMIT.
VISUAL: RMIT Logo. rmit.edu.au
END TRANSCRIPT