CPUT recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SAEON.
The South African Environmental Observation Network is a science network of people, organisations and observation platforms that perform long-term ecological research in South Africa and its surrounding oceans.
Head of Department: Conservation and Marine Sciences Dr Rashieda Toefy says CPUT had a longstanding relationship with the network but it had never been formalised.
Several BTech and Masters students are currently doing research projects for SAEON, which co-supervises students with CPUT on a regular basis. Students also regularly do internships as part of their Work Integrated Learning (WIL) with SAEON and get sea time on research cruises such as on the Agulhas II.
“Our students have managed to go on these cruises in their third year, during their in-service training.
“Our students have obviously impressed with their knowledge, they hold their own against post- graduate students from other South African universities,” said Toefy.
The signing of the MOU formalises the partnership and puts into place channels for dealing with human resource, environmental safety and labour law requirements.
It safeguards CPUT in terms of intellectual property, for example, spelling out how any research has to be published under both institutions’ names.
Establishing this partnership also means CPUT and SAEON need to form a task team that will meet twice a year to discuss projects on an ongoing basis, talking about funding and tackling new projects.
“It makes it easier when you have an MOU to apply for joint funding for research projects,” said Toefy.
Over the last two years the Conservation and Marine Sciences Department has formalised MOU’s with the Department of Environmental Affairs, Cape Nature, the Botanical Society of South Africa and the Nansen-Tutu Foundation.
They are also negotiating one with SANParks which would expand opportunities for Nature Conservation students to do their WIL around the country.
Toefy pointed out that she was recently asked for contact details for a different CPUT department as the Department of Environmental Affairs was investigating offering an internship to a videographer.
“These MOU’s may have started in our department but it can benefit CPUT in general, depending on what the needs of the organisation are, for example, marketing, public administration and even graphic design. It all started with science but can obviously lead to other things within the university, so it’s not just for us.”
The Department also recently signed an MOU with the Two Oceans Aquarium on the V&A Waterfront.
Doing practical lessons at Two Oceans Aquarium is for many of the marine sciences students the first time they see live specimens of marine organisms, which makes the aquarium a useful teaching tool.
Some of CPUT’s BTech marine sciences students have also embarked on research projects with the aquarium and have been employed as interns.
Written by Theresa Smith
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