Author Archives: Candes Keating

About Candes Keating

Candes is a Communication Officer in the Marketing and Communication Department. She writes stories about general news, research and innovation, and the faculties of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Tel: +27 21 959 6311 Email: keatingc@cput.ac.za

Administrator leads the way

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Staff member Mercia Bosman never shy’s away from a challenge.

An administrator in the Office of International Affairs, Bosman’s willingness to always go that extra mile and tackle complex projects has earned her the role of a coordinator for a training focus area of the multimillion rand IMPALA project.

The IMPALA project, short for the Internationalisation and Modernisation Programme for Academics, Leaders and Administrators, forms part of the Erasmus+ Key Action 2: Capacity Building in Higher Education programme, a European Union funded initiative.

The project aims to strengthen internationalisation strategies and boost resources at the international offices of CPUT, the University of Forth Hare, University of Venda and the University of Limpopo.

As an administrator, Bosman was originally tasked to just focus on administration duties related to the project, but the European partners involved in the project suggested she play a much bigger role.

Since last year, she, along with representatives from several European universities have been coordinating the conceptualisation, training and roll-out of a ‘mobility toolkit’, a comprehensive guide that will assist international offices with the management of international administration process.

“It’s a huge task, but I am glad to be involved because it will benefit CPUT,” she says.

In March,  Bosman, along with the representatives from the the University of Antwerp, University of Bologna, University of Graz, Utrecht Network, the Academic Cooperation Association, as well as several other CPUT staff members will host a week-long training session.

The training will focus on the four areas identified by the IMPALA project, which include internationalisation of the curriculum, short-term programmes and summer schools, project writing and the mobility toolkit.

Bosman says the mobility toolkit is important for universities as it will help to streamline all international processes, from the transfer and recognition of credits to cooperation with internal and external stakeholders.

“Topics which will be addressed in the context of the training include the role of international offices and the services they should provide, the involvement of different units of a higher education institution in the implementation of mobility and the division of tasks and responsibilities between them,” she says.

“By the end of 2018 we will have a professional mobility toolkit that can be used by all universities,” she says.

Buddy programme kicks off

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From language barriers to adapting to a new culture, traveling abroad to study comes with a range of challenges.

However, International Officer Matome Mokoena has developed a buddy programme, an initiative that will assist international students’ transition.

With the programme in its early stages, Mokoena recently got the opportunity to benchmark one of the world’s top Buddy Programmes currently run at Riga Technology University in Latvia.

Mokoena says the buddy programme is operated by the Student Representative Council and is a streamlined operation that begins the moment an international student receives their acceptance letter.

International students along with local senior students who have signed up for the programme are requested to complete a form listing their hobbies and other personal traits. Using this information, students who have similar interest are paired.

“For example, if a local student indicates that they want to improve their skills in Spanish, then they will be paired with an international student from Spain. With this module, both students benefit,” he says.

Mokoena says the local senior students are required to assist their international partners with a range of tasks, from meeting them at the airport to showing them where to purchase groceries. Unlike other buddy programmes that run during an institution’s orientation period, Mokoena says students are paired for an entire year and lasting bonds are made.

Mokoena says the benchmarking exercise was a valuable experience and many aspects of the programme can be incorporated at CPUT.

Currently, Mokoena is working with the Student Learning Division of Fundani to strengthen and extend the programme.

Top innovator takes lead at CPUT

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An acclaimed innovator, Iyer will be driving innovation at CPUT as the newly appointed Director of the Technology Transfer Office. The former Business Development Manager at the Research Contracts and Innovation unit at the University of Cape Town, Iyer comes highly qualified. He holds a PhD in Botany, an MBA, a LLM, several patents as well as international accolades for his research work.

Passionate about helping academics to innovate, he recently spoke to the CPUT online Bulletin about his innovation and its importance in the higher education sector.

How did you become involved in innovation?

My experience as a scientist over a 10 year period culminated in me leading the transgenic maize research program in the Plant Stress Unit at UCT. The program that I was involved in focused on plant biotechnology, specifically the modification of maize to tolerate drought and to be resistant to pathogens. Due to the nature of the research most of the outputs were in the form of patents. The natural progression was for me to assist other researchers to translate their research to social or commercialisable outcomes.

What do you enjoy most about being able to innovate?

Innovation is about making research relevant to the ordinary person. It is something I passionately believe in.

I have been involved in a number of projects that have the potential to change the quality of life of all people. These include, inter alia, prosthetics for individuals whose bones have been destroyed by cancer, new ways to manage our power so we decrease transmission losses, and AfriTox, which provides value information in instances where individuals have consumed poisons often in household detergents.

Seeing the end result and value created is certainly more enjoyable than publishing a paper.

You have been described as a champion of engineering and innovation in South Africa. What is your advice for researchers and students at CPUT who would like to innovate?

A key issue in the university innovation space in South Africa is that the research is not directed at market problems. The net result is that we create solutions that we need to find problems to attach to.

My advice is therefore to speak to consumers, industry and government regarding the identified problem and craft a solution for that need and at the same time continuing to engage with the relevant market player.

Further to this, I would advise researchers to not be afraid of failing. Innovation involves a lot of failures, but the successes more than make up for this

What is your vision for the Technology Transfer Office at CPUT?

My vision is directed at ensuring that the transfer of technology brings value to the people of South Africa. As such my key question when deciding on supporting the development of technology and making any deal is what benefit is there to the ordinary South African.

In the short term I have set goals for the number of spin-off companies to be created out of CPUT, with emphasis that these companies retain manufacturing capacity in South Africa.

Work to build a legacy

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For Cheryl Belford success is about building a legacy – one that is marked by making a difference in the lives of all students who come her way.

A lecturer in the Civil Engineering Department, Belford’s passion and innovative teaching methods has earned her the coveted Departmental Excellence Award. The annual award is an initiative of the Faculty of Engineering and recognizes excellence in teaching.

Belford, who teaches exit level students in the field of transport, has embraced open education resources as a teaching and learning tool, and her students are reaping the benefits of her efforts.

“As a lecturer you have to facilitate learning in any dimension,” she says.

Last year, with #Feesmustfall bringing classes to a halt, Belford carried on with her lecturers, managing to wrap up her curriculum by making use of open education resources. She made videos, created online assessments and a blog (inclusive of email) which was used to refine or clarify any of the course content.

Her efforts were such a success that she has been selected to deliver a paper on “the use of open educational resources within a disrupted higher education context” at the Open Education Global Conference taking place this March.

“I am very excited about this because I understand how important open education resources are. This is a good, positive and beneficial medium. It’s a good legacy project to invest in,” she says.

This year Belford will also start teaching first years and says she is already exploring how to integrate open education resources into her curriculum.

By utilizing technology, Belford has completely overhauled her approach to lecturing and encourages other lecturers to explore alternative teaching resources.

“This career is about what you make of it. You can choose to do more than what is asked of you. Any job is a pathway to a career. It’s up to you to see it for what it is,” she says.

“You have to be passionate about something. You have to be a testament to it; otherwise you cannot inspire your students.”

 

 

Unlocking funds made easy

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Knowing where to look for funding and how to put together a winning proposal is the key to unlocking funds earmarked to support international education and research projects.

Thanks to the European Union, a cohort of CPUT staff members will be trained to identify relevant funding opportunities, submit successful applications, as well as develop and implement projects utilizing international and local funding.

One of the participants as well as a coordinator of the training is International Officer Matome Mokoena.

Mokoena says the training is part of the broader IMPALA project, short for the Internationalisation and Modernisation Programme for Academics, Leaders and Administrators. The project forms part of the Erasmus+ Key Action 2: Capacity Building in Higher Education programme and aims to build capacity and improve resources at the international offices of CPUT, University of Forth Hare, University of Venda and the University of Limpopo.

Project writing is just one of several focus areas of the IMPALA project and will play a big role in advancing internationalization at participating universities.

While CPUT’s Office of International Affairs has clinched millions in funding over the past few years, Mokoena says the goal of the training is to equip staff members in the faculties and various departments with proposal writing skills.

“It’s very difficult to write proposals for international funding. You can write hundreds of proposals a year and never get any funding. They key is to get it right,” he says.

Initially 20 CPUT staff members from across faculties and departments will be trained. Thereafter they will be required to pass on their knowledge to other staff members.

The training will unpack donors’ policies, funding instruments, project management theories and design techniques as well as how to set up an international partnership.

Mokoena says the goal is to also equip staff based in international offices to provide consultancy services to academics willing to submit a project proposal to local and international funder or to academics managing projects already funded.

*The European partners who will be assisting with capacity building include the University of Antwerp, University of Bologna, University of Graz, Utrecht Network and the Academic Cooperation Association.

Say Hello!

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The best way to learn a new language is through interaction.

This is the mantra of Dr Ignatius Khan Ticha, the Language Coordinator for the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Ticha, with the support of the faculty, has rolled out a language programme aimed at helping lecturers sharpen their communication skills by becoming proficient in isiXhosa and Afrikaans, two of the regional languages.

With CPUT boasting a multicultural student as well as staff population, Ticha, says it is important for lecturers to be able to converse with everyone in the CPUT community.

Since the introduction of the programmes, a large number of lecturers have completed basic courses in

isiXhosa and Afrikaans.  The faculty has also rolled out a French language proficiency programme and later this year, additional isiXhosa classes will be presented for those who want to improve on their basic skills, says Ticha.

The latest group that successfully completed the intermediate isiXhosa class included Dr Richard Munembe, who is the Acting Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

“I enrolled for the classes because I want to interact and relate better with my students,” he says.

Munembe has also enrolled for the Afrikaans course.

David Walker, a lecturer in the Department of Marine and Environmental Science, says while learning a new language is challenging, he enjoyed attending the classes.

The isiXhosa classes, which were presented by Xhosa Fundis, focuses on interactive learning. Lessons incorporate activities such as word searchers, Pictionary, bingo and various other word based games.

“It’s a really interactive course that focuses on everyday usage of the language,” says Walker.

He encouraged other lecturers to enroll for upcoming classes.

Going global

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Imbedding internationalization into teaching, learning, research and all other activities of university life is important.

Guido van Leerzem, an International Policy Advisor at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, who recently spent several weeks at CPUT, says universities cannot ignore internationalization.

“Internationalization is important because of the process of globalization. Your local context is now part of the world. You can clearly see how globalization impacts on everything,” he says.

For example, Leerzem says research challenges across the globe are the same.

“The context is different, but we are all facing the same types of problems, such as housing and governance issues.”

Leerzem, whose stay at CPUT formed part of the Erasmus Mundus staff exchange programme, says he hopes to continue working with CPUT as both universities are looking at a range of internalization issues and says both institutions can learn from each other.

“What I find impressive about CPUT in the field of internationalization is the ability to build collaborations and establish partners,” says Leerzem.

“CPUT is very good in linking the world to its local context.”

He says he was particular impressed with the university’s Service Learning programme, which links students and academic to local communities.

“This shows that universities are not just involved in academic exchanges. We are focusing our attention to connecting with communities.”

 

 

 

Building a new generation of academics

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Building a new generation of academics

Yanda Peter represents the future of academia in South Africa.

Peter is part of a large group of individuals who have been selected to participate in the nGAP programme, a bold initiative of the Department of Higher Education and Training, which aims to develop a new generation of academics who will replace retiring staff members.

At CPUT there are several nGAP participants, who upon successful completion of the six-year programme will fill key positions in the areas of mathematics, industrial design, retail management, sports science and electrical engineering.

A CPUT alumnus, Peter has spent the past 11 years working as a diagnostic radiographer at the Groote Schuur Hospital, however, over the next few years, she will reinvent her career.

This ambitious career move will not only benefit her, but is set to benefit thousands of student radiographers who over the next few decades will be skilled under her watchful eye.

Her decision to trade the hospital for the lecture room was one that was in the making for years. Peter says she always enjoyed interacting with students who were interning at the hospital and when she saw the nGAP advertisement, her colleagues encouraged to apply.

And Peter has no regrets about her career move.

“The nGap programme offers me developmental opportunities and will help me to develop as an academic. There are also not many researchers in the field of radiography, and I hope to add and grow this body of research.”

As part of the six-year programme, nGAP participants have to immerse themselves in their fields of research, obtain their doctorates, as well as develop their lecturing skills.

Several months into her post at the Department of Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences, Peter is at home in her new environment on the Bellville Campus.

“I was anxious the first time I had to lecture, but now I am used to it. It is getting easier and I am really enjoying it,” she says.

Peter says her passion for radiography, coupled with her industry experience will ensure that she succeeds in the nGAP programme.

“When you do theory in class, you need to link it to the practical. If you have been in industry, then you know how to link the theory to the practical aspects of the job. You can explain things because you know exactly what you are talking about,” she says.

Peter says radiography, like any field in medicine is something that you cannot just like or be good at, but you have to have a passion for the profession.

“As a radiographer, you bring technology and medicine together. You are ulitising technology to help diagnose as well as treat a patient,” he says.

Although she misses interacting and treating patients on a daily basis, Peters says her current work is still very much linked to helping patients.

“I am teaching 70 students and each of them will go out and impact on the lives of many people. In this way, I am still helping people.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agrifood lends helping hand

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Retrenched and battling to find a new job, Tony Montez decided to take matters into his own hands.

In 2015 he set up Montez Quality Foods and started manufacturing pork crackling banting chips from his home.

Despite being a novice in the food industry, the product proved a huge hit and with orders streaming in, Montez reached out to the Agrifood Technology Station (ATS) for assistance.

Based at the CPUT Bellville Campus, the ATS assists small and medium food-related enterprises to improve their use of technology in a bid to grow their businesses.

Unable to produce large quantities of the product at his home, Montez approached the ATS, who as part of their wide range of services offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to make use of their state-of-the-art facilities and machinery to produce and package their products.

Montez says working with the ATS has been a lifesaver.

“At home I could only produce 1 kg at a time. Here at the ATS, I can produce up to 17 kg of pork crackling a day,” says Montez.

As a result, he has been able to rope in his wife Celeste, as well as employ two more staff members who assist with the production and packaging of the product.

Manager of ATS, Larry Dolley, says Montez is just one of the many examples of how the ATS is assisting start-up businesses.

Services range from assisting food and related companies in developing, enhancing and maintaining safe, efficient and cost-effective food production to assisting with labelling and shelf-life evaluation.

Dolley says they would like to extend their current facility to incorporate an incubator, which will allow entrepreneurs to meet with potential clients or business partners.

Small and medium enterprises who would like to make use of the services offered by the ATS, can contact them at: dolleyl@cput.ac.za

 

 

Unpacking maritime training

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Cutting-edge maritime simulators, which provide students with an opportunity to learn and practice in a realistic environment, have proved an effective tool in the training of maritime students across the globe.

The importance of this training tool along with developments in this area was recently shared at the 19th International Simulator Lecturer Conference (INSLC), which took place at the Granger Bay Campus.

The conference, which attracts academics from the world’s top maritime training institutions, was hosted by CPUT’s Department of Maritime Studies and the South African Maritime Training Academy.

Chair of the INSLC, Prof Knud Benedict, says the conference is key for those involved in the training of maritime students as it provides an opportunity to share best practices as well as the advancement of maritime training and research through the use of simulation.

Simulators provide students with access to a full-mission ship’s bridge, allowing them to learn key navigation elements, from ship-handling to the use of the radar and passage planning.

Knud, who is a leading academic at Wismar University of Applied Science in Germany, says the equipment on ships is diverse and the type of simulators being used by training institutions vary.

“Some simulators are advanced, while others are simpler. There is thus enough room for us to exchange views,” he says.

Presentations covered topical issues such as handling vessels that are outgrowing ports to the role of simulations in developing graduates for a safe, efficient and sustainable shipping development.

Several speakers also shared latest developments in simulator training.