As gateways to knowledge, libraries play an important role in the development of communities.

This fact was recently highlighted when the CPUT Wellington Library, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education and the Wellington Public Library, hosted a community outreach event at the Wellington Skills School. The event formed part of the South African Library Week themed “My library, your library.”

“Our goal is to expose learners to a library and show them what it offers and how it can contribute to their development,” says Manager of the CPUT Wellington Library, Joanne Arendse.

“We want to bring libraries into their hearts and lives.”

As part of the outreach CPUT Education lecturers and students presented a woodwork skills development workshop, which aimed at showing learners the role information can play in the process of constructing an item. CPUT Libraries also presented an information literacy skills development group work session that focused on showing learners how to utilize information resources effectively, while the Wellington Public Library informed learners on the benefits of being a library member.

KNOWLEDGE: CPUT Librarian Naomi Williams coordinated the information literacy skills workshop

Acting principal of the Wellington Skills School, Dorothea Albanie welcomed the CPUT initiative and says such collaborations are important for the development of learners.

The skills school was established at the start of this year and provides learners who experience barriers to learning the opportunity to develop their full potential. The school offers a range of subjects such as woodwork, welding, arts and crafts, agriculture and hospitality.

Albanie says CPUT is the first tertiary institution to reach out to the school and that they look forward to building a strong partnership with the institution.

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.

Break the rules, says Dr Tracey Naledi.

A public health specialist at the Western Cape Department of Health, Naledi urged graduates from the Faculty of Applied Sciences to simply not accept all rules.

It is not easy to determine what rules to break and what not to, but the development of society is about questioning the rules, says Naledi.

Referring to the late Nelson Mandela and the thousands who participated in Sharpville, Naledi says by questioning and breaking the rules of the time, South Africans today reap the benefits of living in a democratic society.

She says around the globe there have been rules that have had to be questioned, such as denying women access to higher education.

“The point is that some rules can be a source of injustice and great pain.”

She urged the class of 2016 to think about rules, look at them from multi-angles, research them and consult others.

“Make informed and concise decisions to follow, ignore or contradict the rules,” she says.

“Realise that your decisions will cost you. There will be consequences…be sure that you are willing to live with the consequences.”

Naledi says breaking rules requires responsibility and in some cases there will be mistakes.

“Making mistakes is a good thing…Every mistake is an opportunity for growth. It’s a teachable moment…because you are asking yourself ‘what happened’…you are reflecting.”

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.

CPUT is going off the grid.

In a bid to become energy efficient, the Center for Distributed Power and Electronics Systems (CDPES) has installed an off-grid solar PV system with battery backup.

The system is a first for CPUT and has the capacity to run five of the center’s laboratories, which are located in the Bellville-based facility housing the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering.

Dr Marco Adonis, deputy head of operations at the CDPES says the new installation will help cut the department’s electricity bill, with potential cost savings expected to be R25000 per annum. It will also contribute towards teaching and learning activities, and complement several of the center’s core research areas, which include energy efficiency, renewable and alternative energy technologies, microgrids and smart grids.

Installed by Solar MD, the system consists of 18 solar PV panels that have been installed on the roof of the new building, as well as a lithium-ion battery bank. The battery bank stores electricity for use on days when there are low solar insolation levels as well as during periods of utility load shedding. The electricity stored will also be put to use during the evening, when lectures on the new Masters in Energy Programme are held and the CDPES postgraduate laboratories are in use.

The installation features a state-of-the-art battery monitoring system and a smart system controller that assists with load management and protection. The system also includes a versatile web-based monitoring system.

“This feature allows the remote monitoring of the system parameters, analysis of the system performance and enables generation of real-time or historical comprehensive reports on site’s energy production, energy savings and technical status,” says Adonis.

Kaloyan Dimnov, Director of Solar MD, says the solar PV panels are easy to maintain and has a lifespan of more than 25 years.

Click here for more information on the CDPES.

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.

Just four months into her Radiography undergraduate programme, Prof Izanne Human made a bold career move and opted to pursue a qualification in Environmental Health.

Her decision paid off and more than two decades later, Human’s contribution to the Environmental Health profession has been nationally commended.

The head of the Environmental Health Programme at CPUT, Human was recently awarded a Presidential Award in recognition for her contribution towards the Environmental Health profession.  The award is an initiative of the South African Institute of Environmental Health and is the highest national accolade for professionals in this field.

Attributing her success to her passion for the sector, Human says the profession is all about helping communities.

“Environmental Health is about preventative health. You are enhancing the quality of life through preventative measures,” she says.

Human has experienced all facets of the profession, having held high level positions in government and, over the past decade, built a reputable academic career.She has published extensively, is involved in peer review processes and is also an external moderator for several institutions.  Her expertise is also relied on by institutions in Africa who call on her when they need to revise their academic programmes.

“Academia is very rewarding. There is nothing that makes you feel better than knowing a student obtains success in industry. It makes it all worth the while.”

Human says her career has had many highlights, however, the one that stands out most is when CPUT awarded Dr Selva Mudaly an honorary doctorate in Environmental Health in 2016. The honorary doctorate was the first of its kind to be awarded in this field in South Africa as well as globally, and Human was responsible for authoring his motivation.

“He is the father of Environmental Health and it was such an honour to play a role in honouring him.”

While Human has already achieved so much, she insists that there is still much more to do. She has her sights set on more research projects, networking and establishing international links that will benefit students and CPUT.

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.

CPUT has been selected to participate in an international project that will help universities conceptualize an entrepreneurial vision and implement it in order to benefit all spheres of South Africa.

EMISha, short for Entrepreneurship, Modernization and Innovation in South Africa, is funded by the European Union and forms part of the Erasmus+ Key Action 2: Capacity Building in Higher Education programme. The project is one of six Erasmus + Capacity Building projects in which CPUT is currently actively involved in. Partners in the various projects include higher education institutions and organizations from Europe and South Africa.

Business Manager at the Technology Transfer Office, Chris Lombard, who is a key participant in EMISha, says the vision of the project is to “co-create holistically relevant universities through innovation and entrepreneurship,” with the objective to “embed entrepreneurial thinking in South African universities for the benefit of society.”

Universities must not be viewed as institutions that only produce graduates but must be relevant to society by playing a role in enterprise creation, poverty alleviation and the development of the South African economy, says Lombard.

“Entrepreneurship must become a systematic part of how we do business. This will help us fulfill our role in South Africa.”

Lombard says while there are various entrepreneurial related initiatives running across CPUT departments and units, the project will look at pulling all role-players together with the objective to create an institutional entrepreneurial vision.

“The focus is on a culture change in CPUT towards entrepreneurial thinking.”

For example, Lombard says graduates should not merely be job seekers, but should have the mindset of a “job creator,” while research must be relevant to society, addressing pertinent issues.

The project also compliments CPUT’s Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) Blueprint, a strategic policy document that guides CPUT’s research and innovation activities. The RTI blueprint advocates the production of research and innovation that is relevant and aligned to the needs of the province, the country, the continent and the world through knowledge discovery, excellence in teaching, and service.

The EMISha project is set to run over a two year period and will entail workshops, as well as staff site visits to the various participating European institutions.

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.

With millions of new cases of cancer reported each year, researchers across the globe are working tirelessly to develop new and smarter ways to fight cancer.

One such is CPUT’s Dr Stefan Abel, whose groundbreaking research in the field of chemoprevention has recently earned him a coveted National Research Foundation (NRF) rating. Abel is the latest researcher at CPUT to be awarded this accolade and joins a growing list of NRF rated researchers at the university.

Based in the Institute of Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology, Abel currently heads the institute’s Chemoprevention Research Group, which is located at the Tygerberg Hospital. The group’s emphasizes of chemoprevention research focuses on South African herbal teas, such as rooibos, and dietary unsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3, which can influence the physical and biological cellular responses that are significant during carcinogenesis (cancer development).

While cancer remains a daunting public health challenge, Abel says he has never regretted his decision to pursue this area of research.

His springboard into this field was in 1992 when he joined the Medical Research Council and was tasked with investigating the role of fatty acids in cancer development and chemopreventive properties of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).

More than two decades later, Abel has established himself as a leading researcher in his field, having published 34 scientific publications and four book chapters, along with 55 national conference presentations, close to 40 international conference presentations and numerous articles in local and internal magazines and specialized publications.

Abel says his research work is focused on characterizing the pattern of lipid alterations in cancer tissue, which creates an environment for the promotion and survival of cancer cells.

“The research I have conducted has provided further insight into the complex lipid alterations occurring in cancer development, with the aim of defining and optimising specific fatty acids to be used as chemopreventive agents,” he says.

Through dietary manipulation, which is largely based on specific fatty acids, such as omega-3, Abel and his team of researchers hope to stunt the growth of these cells.

“The link between nutrition and chemoprevention is of particular relevance, which is reflected by the inclusion of a nutritional aspect to my research focus, besides chemoprevention which it compliments. Therefore, my research activities have grown to reflect this by incorporating relevant studies with the aim to implement them in a chemoprevention strategy.”

Abel says the core research over the last eight years has remained the same, with the main objective to investigate the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in cancer development in humans, utilising animal cancer models and cell culture. Past research involved liver and colon cancer, while future studies will also include prostate cancer.

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.

CPUT is committed to providing students with a safe learning and living environment. To ensure this, various security initiatives are enforced at all campuses by the Protection Services Department, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition to the safety initiatives employed at CPUT campuses, students are also encouraged to be aware of their personal safety. Some tips include:

• Do not walk alone at night on campus
• Do not park your vehicle in isolated areas on campus
• Do not walk in isolated areas
• Do not leave backpacks, bags, laptops and other personal items in open public places unsupervised
• Do not leave access doors open e.g. in laboratories, departments
• Be vigilant when making use of public transport
• Additional safety tips can be found at: http://www.cput.ac.za/services/cps/tips

Students who have an emergency can contact the Protection Services Department at the following numbers:

Bellville Campus
+27 21 959 6301
+27 21 959 6550

Cape Town Campus
+27 21 460 3122
+27 21 460 3631

Granger Bay Campus
+27 21 440 5726

Mowbray Campus
+27 21 680 1582

Wellington Campus
+27 21 864 5551

Students are also encouraged to save the following general emergency numbers to their cellphone contact list:

• Police Flying Squad 10111
• Ambulance 10177
• Cellphone 112 (MTN, Vodacom, Cell C and Telkom)

Written by Candes Keating
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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