CPUT is taking proactive steps towards combating the shortage of highly skilled individuals in South Africa.

With the establishment of the Postgraduate Studies Centre, students will have access to a range of academic support services geared to ensuring that they complete their postgraduate programmes.

Heading up this specialised centre is Prof Stephanie Burton, an acclaimed researcher, who has a vast amount of experience working with postgraduate students.

Prof Burton, an NRF rated researcher, is the former Director of Postgraduate Studies for the Chemical Engineering Department in the Faculty of Engineering at the University Of Cape Town (UCT).

Prof Burton, who took up her new post as Director of Postgraduate Studies on 5 January 2009 , said she is looking forward to heading up the centre.

“Postgraduate students are important for the country. We need to produce highly skilled people,” she said.

Prof Burton said pursuing a postgraduate degree is hard work and the skills required are different from those needed to complete an undergraduate degree or diploma.

“Postgraduates need to work independently. The also need mentors, people who will guide them. We are hoping to provide this,” she said.

This “one stop shop” will not only provide services to postgraduate students, but will also support research supervisors and CPUT staff members pursuing postgraduate degrees. Services will include mentoring, various workshops and training.

Currently postgraduate students have access to support services provided by the faculties and the CPUT Libraries. Prof Burton said these services will continue to be offered and will run in conjunction with that offered at the centre.

Although the centre is based at the Bellville Campus, its services will be replicated at the other campuses. The centre has been set up at the Library Extension and will host its first series of workshops in February.

Meanwhile, Prof Burton, who has a doctorate in Biochemistry from Rhodes University , will also continue her research activities at CPUT. For the past 10 years, Prof Burton has been heading up the Biocatalysis and Technical Biology research group. The group is researching biological ways to make useful chemical compounds and anti-oxidants.

Currently the research group is located at UCT, but will move to CPUT, where it will continue its research activities. The group consists of 10 researchers, of whom five are post doctorates. Plans are in place to expand the group to 15 researchers.

Prof Burton also serves on national boards and is the Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the National Science and Technology Forum as well as the Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Scientific, Engineering and Allied Profession Group of South Africa (SETAG).

By Candes Keating, Marketing and Communication Department

Photo: Prof Stephanie Burton (image courtesy of the University of Cape Town).

Written by CPUT News
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The award-winning poet and writer Prof Ken Barris has released his fifth novel- Life Underwater.

The fiction novel tells the story of the three Machabeus brothers - Jude, Simon and Eli, tracing their childhood year’s right up to adulthood.

Set in Port Elizabeth in the sixties, the novel focuses on the family dynamics rather than on the broad political framework, says Prof Barris.

The Language Coordinator for the Faculty of Engineering, Prof Barris, started the novel back in 2007 during a three week writer’s residency in Switzerland.

“I wrote a third of the novel during that time. It took three years to the write the rest,” he says.

With several collections of poetry and short stories also published, Prof Barris says his interest in people and curiosity of what makes them tick inspires his writing.

And there is no stopping Prof Barris, who is currently co-authoring a novel with award winning writer Mike Cope, which will be released at the end of this year.

To date this CPUT academic’s writing has earned him top accolades, including the M-Net Book Prize, the Ingrid Jonker Prize, the Thomas Pringle and the Vita Award. He has also been nominated and shortlisted for a number of other top literary prizes.

To purchase a copy of the novel go to your local bookstore.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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Prof Oluwole Daniel Makinde, Senior Professor and Chair of Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Engineering at CPUT, has recently been appointed as the new Secretary General of the African Mathematical Union (AMU).

The unanimous appointment, preceded by a nomination and election by his colleagues and peers, took place during the 7th Pan African Congress of Mathematicians, an annual AMU gathering which ran from 2 to 8 August 2009.

The congress was held in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, at the Félix Houphouët Boigny Foundation for Peace Research, with this year’s theme being ‘New Trends in the Development and the applications of Mathematical Sciences’.

AMU is an African organisation dedicated to the development of mathematics in Africa and is a member of the International Mathematical Union.

It was founded in 1976 in Rabat, Morocco, during the first Pan-African Congress of Mathematicians.

Held every four years, the congress is attended by delegates from all African countries and representatives from other continents like Europe, Asia and North America, making this a truly global achievement for this highly acclaimed ambassador of the sciences.

It is also an acknowledgement of the international recognition accorded to Prof Makinde’s numerous research publications, students’ mentorship and outreach activities in the area of Mathematical sciences by colleagues nationally and internationally.

When asked how he felt about his achievement, Prof Makinde said: “I am deeply humbled, highly delighted and honoured. It is a call to serve my continent in promoting teaching, learning, research and outreach in mathematical sciences.”

Prof Makinde added, “Mathematics is widely regarded as the language of science and technology. Without mathematics there is no science, without science there is no modern technology and without modern technology there is no modern society”.

In other words, mathematics is the “precursor of science and technology and the indispensable single element in modern societal development.”

In his view, mathematics education is therefore indispensable in nation-building.

Prior to joining CPUT, Prof Makinde headed the Applied Mathematics Department for more than ten years and became a Full Professor at the University of Limpopo in South Africa.

He has taught, supervised and served as an external examiner and promoted several students at undergraduate and postgraduate at many universities both locally and internationally.

His key focus area for research is in Computational and Mathematical Modelling of Engineering and Biological Systems.

He has co-authored several textbooks and monographs on a variety of subjects in Applied Mathematics and has had his research articles appear in numerous reputable Scientific and Engineering journals and conference proceedings.

Prof Makinde was an associate member of National Institute for Theoretical Physics, an editorial board member and a regular reviewer of numerous international academic journals.

He has received several academic and research excellence awards honours and grants, including a nomination for the annual National Science and Technology Forum awards.

By: Thando J. Moiloa

Written by CPUT News

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Next year CPUT will host the 5^th Annual Africa Engineering Week – an initiative jointly organised by UNESCO, the Department of Science and Technology and Engineering Council of South Africa.

Prof Marshall Sheldon, Acting DVC: Research and Innovation, led the CPUT delegation that attended this year’s Africa Engineering Week, which took place earlier in the month at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein. She participated in a panel focussing on the role of Engineering in addressing the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

CPUT’s Faculty of Engineering also took part in the Engineering Exhibition held in conjunction with this event. Its stall was a joint effort between the faculty’s Student Engagement Coordinator, Luvuyo Kakaza, Rizah Rowe and Sinamandla Maqina from FSATI (French South Africa Institute of Technology), as well as Muziwandile Mazibuko from the Mechatronics Department. During this two-day exhibition, a number of Science and Mathematics learners from schools in Bloemfontein and surrounds attended.

The UNESCO Africa Engineering Week is annual event, hosted by the Department of Science and Technology and supported by the Engineering Council of South Africa, that is focused on addressing the challenges represented by a shortage of engineers in South Africa and attracting learners to subjects like Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This is a multifaceted event that rotates among the nine provinces of South Africa.

“It is with the expectation of great things happening on campus that we anticipate hosting next year’s Africa Engineering Week. This year’s installment of the initiative was very enlightening and stimulating for all who attended.

“I invite each member of the CPUT community to join the Faculty of Engineering in surpassing the success achieved at this year’s event,” says Sheldon.

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT recently hosted the first South African Symposium on Metal Casting Technology.

The event, which took place at the Bellville Campus was organised by the Faculty of Engineering in cooperation with the University of Johannesburg and the South African Institute of Foundrymen.

The symposium provided a platform for researchers in the field of metal casting technology to share their research and technology and develop networks towards potential research and development partnerships.

This event was addressed by keynote speakers from partner universities based in Germany and Poland.

Members of the National Foundry Technology Network and the Technology Localisation Implementation Unit of the Department of Science and Technology based at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research also attended the event.

 Dr Nawaz Mahomed, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, who was one of the speakers, stressed the importance of university-industry research partnerships in driving innovation and competing globally in the field of metal casting and other foundry-related applications.

Mahomed, who also leads the Foundry Technology Programme at CPUT, indicated that the development of a new generation of foundry engineers is crucial in realising the localisation of manufacture, especially on large capital expansion projects such as the rail transport and nuclear build programmes.

Five postgraduate students from CPUT also presented papers at the symposium.

Written by CPUT News
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As part of its Mandela Day initiative, the Faculty of Engineering has launched a donation drive to raise funds to renovate an overcrowded local orphanage.

Started with three orphans in Nyanga in 1994, Emasithandane Children’s Organization is a home for 29 vulnerable children. The home consists of three very small bedrooms in addition to few common rooms.

Emasithandane not only meets the children’s basic needs such as clothing, shelter, education and food but also offers them a nurturing environment, which facilitates their personal growth and holistic development in the face of extreme odds.

The Engineering Faculty’s Luvuyo Kakaza says that they decided on an institution which caters for children’s needs as a response to the need to instil a sense of hope and convey a message that there are people who care.

“Today’s the launch of the project to raise donations for renovations and upgrades at the home, including creating study areas,” said Kakaza.

“We want to create a safe environment which is also conducive for learning.”

He added that the drive will continue in the next three to four months and donations can be made through a CPUT bank account or by purchasing a CPUT Mandela Month button for R20.

There’s also a Fun Run/Walk which will take place on July 29 and registration is open to all members of the public and all proceeds will be donated to Emasithandane. To register for the event one may click on the link.

Hazel Maposela, Finance Officer at Emasithandane, thanked CPUT for the gesture and says it addresses some of their challenges such as lack of safety and overcrowding.

She added that the home needs funds to pay salaries to its staff complement of nine employees as it only receives donations for food.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Co-authoring a novel is not an easy task, but one that award-winning writers, Prof Ken Barris and Mike Cope managed to pull off.

The duo recently released the novel Sunderland, which has been described as “marvelously engineered.”

The novel tells the story of an unhappily married Cape Town academic, Art Berger, who is offered the opportunity to reconstitute the final papers of the great South African writer Charles de Villiers into the novel he was writing at the time of his death.

The novel alternates between sections, mostly in journal form, chronicling Art’s struggle to make sense of De Villiers’s fragmented notes.

Barris, who is the Language Coordinator in the Faculty of Engineering, was the voice of the writer Berger, while Cope wrote the fragments of the writer de Villiers.

“It was a very complex project and was technically very challenging,” says Barris.

“We had to negotiate a vision of where we wanted it to go.”

The duo agreed on a broad plot and then each chose a voice to represent. After two years of lots of juggling, Sunderland was launched early in May and has already enjoyed rave reviews.

Steven Boykey Sidley, the author of Imperfect Solo, Stepping Out and Entanglement, described the novel as “a startlingly original work: a novel within a journal within a novel, adorned with eloquent excursions into marriage, love, betrayal, academia, art, literature and a deep meditation about plot, character, narrative and the nature of story.”

The novel was published by Jacana Media Publishers and is available online and at leading bookstores.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

To succeed you must know yourself, have the right skills, develop knowledge and make the right decisions.

This was the mantra of Dr Valanthan Munsami, CEO of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), who was the keynote speaker at the final Faculty of Engineering graduation ceremony.

Munsami says although graduates have acquired a set of specific skills, they will now have to create a knowledge base by obtaining the necessary experience. He urged graduates to do this by looking for new avenues of learning and by exposing themselves to different opportunities.

“One of the most valuable things that I have learnt in my career is by listening. By listening you accumulate knowledge,” he says.

He also urged the graduating class to build a brand and one that represents excellence.

One such graduate, who is already building a brand, is Sosibo Nhlanhla, who was honoured for his academic achievements during the ceremony.

Nhlanhla, who obtained a National Diploma in Maritime Studies, was awarded the coveted Dean’s Medal. He achieved distinctions in all 31 of his subjects, boasting an impressive average of 86.6 %.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

It’s up to South Africa’s future engineers to find solutions to the problems facing the continent and the rest of the world.

Humbulani Mudua, Chief Director of Space Science at the Department of Science and Technology, urged graduates from the Faculty of Engineering to become innovators, dreamers, industrialist and developers.

He says the graduating class must address the problems facing the 21^st century and also explore how to evolve in thinking about and designing new technology for the future. Mudua also encouraged graduates to work collectively alongside others in various disciplines as well as to make use of the opportunities put in place by government to advance South Africa.

“Let’s unleash South Africa’s potential,” says Mudua.

During the ceremony, graduate Jean-Pierre Mostert was also recognized for his outstanding academic performance.

A BTech Electrical Engineering graduate, Mostert was awarded the coveted Vice-Chancellor’s Medal, which is an annual award given to the overall top achieving student.

Mostert obtained distinctions in 21 of 24 subjects, with an average of 87.4 % over all four years of study.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Operate with integrity.

This is according to businessman Matiki Chikala, who urged CPUT graduates to be credible and honest citizens.

Chikala, who is the founder of the organisation Mago Resources, addressed the class of 2016 at the Faculty of Engineering graduation. The ceremony is the second graduation in a series of 16 ceremonies, which will run throughout this week.

Mago says South Africa has “contaminated moral environments” and that it is up to new graduates to operate with integrity, be solution seekers and solution providers.

“Go out there and instil your moral compasses in society,” he says.

“Do everything with integrity. Please do not lose it… we need agents of change in our communities.”

Mago says graduates are equipped with the tools to change the world and must use it to make it a better place. He also urged the graduating class to approach all their activities with a positive attitude and to develop goals and purpose.

“Develop a ‘whatever it takes mindset’,” says Mago.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Manager: International Relations at the Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships (SIP) Directorate, Dr Tasmeera Singh, is “extremely delighted” with the success of the visit by Tokyo Metropolitan University (TMU) and the possible outcomes it may yield for the Space Engineering programme at CPUT.

CPUT hosted the visitors, Prof Dr Masayoshi Noguchi – Vice President for International Affairs/Executive Director, International Centre; Hidetaka Masuda – Director, International Affairs Office and Satomi Suzuki, International Partnerships Coordinator at Bellville Campus recently. Amongst the CPUT delegation were Prof Suresh Ramsuroop: Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE); Prof Veruscha Fester, Assistant Dean: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships – FEBE; Dr Oluwaseyi Babalola - French-South African Institute of Technology / Africa Space Innovation; Nyameko Roy – Acting Director ASIC; Dr Marco Adonis - Head: Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (DEECE); Singh and many others.

The objective of the visit was to explore avenues for collaboration in shared areas of interest, such as space engineering. Reflecting on the meeting, Singh said: “It was an extremely productive visit with tangible outcomes for the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment for the Space Engineering programme.”

During the meeting, Singh also provided an overview of CPUT. Fester presented an overview of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. Royi narrated the overview and success stories of the of French-South African Institute of Technology / Africa Space Innovation Centre. As a result of the meeting, two follow-up meetings have been set up and a F’SATI delegate will visit TMU.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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