Associate ProfessorAnthony Abu

I was on the organising committee for the 11th International Symposium on Fire Safety Science (IAFSS) conference, held at the University of Canterbury in February 2014. The six-day conference included workshops, research presentations, general meetings and social events. I organised the workshops and hosted a welcome and networking event for postgraduate students and new academics. As part of the opening ceremony I also organised a traditional (Maori) welcome for the international participants and the entertainment (Maori dance performance) for the gala dinner.

Appointed a member of the Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ) committee writing the new Part 5 (Structural Fire Engineering) of NZS 3404 New Zealand Steel Structures code. The invitation was as a result of my doctoral research on the design of steel and composite structures exposed to fires, and the practical structural fire engineering design experience obtained while working for Buro Happold Engineers in the United Kingdom. The appointment commenced in 2010, and is still on-going.

The Fire Engineering Programme meets industry leaders every year to assess its curriculum and research. I have participated in the annual meetings since my appointment as the New Zealand Fire Service Commission Lecturer in November 2009. The Committee represents major local and international employers, the New Zealand Fire Service and research providers. The feedback from the industry leaders is incorporated into the curriculum and research. This (in part) helps the programme assist the New Zealand Fire Service to educate the public and reduce the risk of injury and death in fires, through the adoption of good construction practices. In recent years (2013-2014) I have organized the meetings. The organization of the meetings include liaising with the committee members to find suitable schedules for the meetings as well as deciding on the topics to discuss, and the hospitality associated with getting participants to the meetings.

The Fire Engineering Programme meets industry leaders every year to assess its curriculum and research. I have participated in the annual meetings since my appointment as the New Zealand Fire Service Commission Lecturer in November 2009. The Committee represents major local and international employers, the New Zealand Fire Service and research providers. The feedback from the industry leaders is incorporated into the curriculum and research. This (in part) helps the programme assist the New Zealand Fire Service to educate the public and reduce the risk of injury and death in fires, through the adoption of good construction practices.

Invited to speak at the first Steel Structures Workshop at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, on 13th and 14th April 2010. The workshop particularly attracted earthquake engineering experts in steel structures from the Asia-Pacific region. My presentation highlighted the state-of-the-art of structural fire engineering and identified current and future directions for research in steel structures exposed to fire.

Invited to present a keynote paper on structural fire design of steel structures at the Stability and Ductility of Steel Structures Conference in Rio de Janeiro (8th - 10th September 2010). The presentation critiqued a current design method for composite slabs and provided recommendations to avoid loss of stability of these floors in fire conditions. The keynote address was delivered by my PhD supervisor, Prof Ian Burgess of the University of Sheffield, UK.