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You are in:  Home » Staff and students » Postgraduate students » Adrian McCallum

Adrian McCallum B.E. (Hons), B.Sc. (Hons)

PhD Student

I now hold a lecturing position at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. In this role I teach geotechnical engineering in addition to climate change adaptation and I continue to progress my polar research. I can be contacted via amccallu@usc.edu.au.

I am assessing the strength of polar snow via cone penetration testing (CPT), to assist in the design and development of polar infrastructure, particularly roads and runways.

Biography

I have come to the polar sciences late, after spending almost 20 years in numerous diverse roles across the Australian military. Throughout that time I've always maintained a keen interest in the alpine and high-latitude regions of the world, and I've been fortunate to have led or participated in numerous expeditions to these areas. I have extensive expertise across numerous areas including:

• Scientific training in Glaciology, Oceanography, Meteorology and in Civil Engineering
• Operational field experience including Antarctica, Arctic, Himalaya, Patagonia
• Twenty years leadership and management experience across the Australian Defence Forces

Career

Full CV

• 2009/10 - Research Engineer, British Antarctic Survey, Halley Research Station, Antarctica
• 2007 - , PhD student, Scott Polar Research Institute
• 2006 - 2007, Engineering Project Manager, Department of Defence, Australia
• 2005, Project Engineer, Australian Regular Army
• Dec 2003 - Feb 2004, Field Scientist and Technician, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratories (CRREL), Alaska
• May 2000 - Jun 2001, Public Relations Officer and Ship Safety Officer, HMAS Darwin - Guided missile frigate, Royal Australian Navy (RAN)
• Jun 1998 - Jun 2001, Airborne Systems Manager - Seahawk helicopter, HMAS Darwin, RAN
• Jan 1997 - Dec 1997, Assistant Manager, Fleet Weather and Oceanographic Centre, RAN
• Nov 1997, Meteorologist, Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE)
• 1993 - 1995, Navigator, Royal Australian Air Force

Qualifications

• Post-graduate short course in Arctic Engineering, University of Alaska, USA, 2007.
• Bachelor of Engineering (1st Class Hons), Civil, University of Western Australia, 2004.
• Grad. Dip. in Science (Meteorology), Bureau of Meteorology, Australia, 1996.
• Bachelor of Science (Hons), Oceanography, University of New South Wales, Australia, 1992.

Awards

• Menzies Engineering Scholarship - 2007
• Best Paper - 2006 Cold Regions Engineering Conference
• Australian Centenary Medal - contribution to 2001 Army Alpine Association Everest Expedition

Research

My research pertains to the use of snow as a construction material, and the insitu assessment of snow mechanical properties. Specifically I'm looking at the use of commercial cone penetrometer equipment to assess the strength of polar snow; ultimately to assist in the construction of roads, runways, and infrastructure in Polar regions (see CPT in the Antarctic). I'm also interested in Polar logistics, particularly heavy vehicle traverses, and alternative lightweight support options. Additional interests include glacial hazards, glacial dynamics, and snow physics.

Invaluable support for my research has come from a number of sources:

• The Menzies Foundation
• Transglobe Expedition Trust
• Cambridge Commonwealth Trust
• Lankelma
• Gardline Geosciences
• Fugro Engineers B. V.
• GeoPoint Systems BV

Publications

Selected publications

• McCallum A. B., Barwise A. & Santos R., (2010). Cone penetration testing (CPT) in polar snow - preliminary observations, Conference Paper, 2nd International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics.
• McCallum A. B., Barwise A. & Santos R., (2010). Cone penetration testing (CPT) in polar snow - equipment and procedures, Conference Paper, 2nd International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing.
• McCallum, A. B., (2006). The Movement and Expected Lifetime of the Casey ice runway, Conference Paper, 13th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering.
• McCallum, A. B., (2004). The Movement and Expected Lifetime of the Casey ice runway, B.E. (Hons) Thesis, University of Western Australia.
• McCallum, A. B., (1992). A temperature and salinity analysis of the Gulf of Carpentaria, B.Sc. (Hons) Thesis, University of New South Wales.

Teaching

• Lecturer, British Festival of Science, 2008.
• Lecturer, Reach Cambridge Summer Schools, 2008.
• Instructor, Army Adventurous Training Centre, 1998.
• Lecturer, Fleet Weather and Oceanographic Centre, HMAS Albatross, 1997.

External activities

• United Kingdom Polar Network (UKPN), Member
• Royal Geographical Society, Fellow
• Institution of Engineers, Australia, Member
• International Glaciological Society, Member
• Army Alpine Association, Member