Verulam (readers' letters)

Undergraduate course lecturer, Harry Partridge, discusses the importance of developing the more intuitive and creative side of the brain — and describes how a short course in art given to final year civil engineering students at Sydney University has endeavoured to encourage students in this direction.

Student Sally Jones put in the effort to organise to undertake a year of her study in the United States. She tells Jackie Whitelaw it was one of the best decisions she’s made so far.

This work presents a new semi-active friction damper device, based on piezoelectric technology, for the anti-seismic control of civil structures. The proposed device presents an original conceptual layout, characterised by a compact and easy allocation of the piezo actuator which is installed inside the piston of the damper. Theoretical performances were validated by means of experimental tests carried out on a physical prototype, loaded through a hydraulic test machine.