Technology has and still is evolving in education. Unlike in the past, learners today are moving faster with the new trends, while connecting to their peers all over the world.  Teaching methods have transformed drastically and the new age generation believes in paperless teaching and learning. To keep up with the trends, CUT like other universities, has adapted a curriculum that resonates with this new generation in order to nurture technical knowledge among students, while cultivating communication, problem solving, and collaboration through network connections.

The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology hosted a two-day Cisco Network Academy Conference on 24 and 25 May 2016 with partners from institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa and international. The conference was designed to offer IT skills and career building programmes for participants. Its theme: Developing a new generation of global problem solvers through the adoption of the Internet of things offered delegates from government, industry and tertiary institutions an opportunity to meet experts in the industry to discuss and share new technologies and current trends used by the NetAcad community to inspire new projects which are at par with the job market.

CUT is a proud host of this conference, as it represents an important part of its curriculum and technological innovations. The University is already contributing toward conceiving, developing and delivering social and technological innovations and solutions in the field of Information Technology (IT). Through this conference the University seized an opportunity to showcase its cutting edge projects that are already being carried out in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.

In his welcome address Prof. Alfred Ngowi, Dean of Faculty Engineering and Information Technology highlighted that within their nine year relationship with the academy, the Faculty has neatly integrated the students into the Cisco concepts. “This makes it easy for the students to learn the concepts and prepare them for the industry.” He further said that Cisco has assisted them with resources used for training students. “Although we are taking baby steps, we are almost there,” he concluded.

The Cisco Networking Academy is an IT skills and career-building program for learning institutions and individuals worldwide. The Academy identifies and develops the skills people and business need to thrive in digital economy. The aim of the program is to teach students both theoretical and practical skills to prepare them for a career in Communication Networking. The Cisco Networking Academy Program collaborates with schools, colleges, universities, NGOs and Governments to afford students the opportunity to become networking professionals and to help a country to increase its advanced ICT skills base.

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1: From left: Ms Cathy Smith, General Manager: Cisco South Africa; Mr Sipho Ngcobo Director: IT DHET; Prof. Alfred Ngowi, Dean of the Faculty Engineering and Information Technology; Dr Muthoni Masinde, Head of the IT Department in the faculty, Ms Aruna Singh, Director: TVET Curriculum Development and Support, and Mr. Alfie Hamid, Regional manager: Cisco South Africa.

2:  Attendees from Government, Industry and Tertiary Institutions from different countries who attended the Cisco conference at CUT.

Uploaded: 27 May 2016

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A team from CUT participated in the Namibia Khomas Regional Student Recruitment Career Fair from 29 May to 02 June 2016 as part of CUT’s internationalization strategy of increasing admission of students from SADC region.

On the day, the recruitment team from the University shared information such as registration and admission processes for international students, application fees and closing dates, academic programmes, South African point systems and SAQA applications prerequisites.

CUT has reserved at least five percent of admissions for students from other SADC nations in line with SADC Protocol under Education and Training and its internationalisation strategy.  This fair, which attracted thousands of the top achieving Namibian learners, helped the University to increase its footprint in SADC region, as there are still more of these recruitment drives within the region planned in the near future.

The team – which consisted of Mr. Danny Bokaba, International Office,, Mr Mdlali Kambule, Academic Administration and Dr Moreku, Communications and Marketing from Welkom Campus- later paid a courtesy call to the South African High Commission in Namibia and met with Deputy Head of Mission, Mr Eli Bitzer and his team to discuss compliance and study requirements in South African universities under the SADC Protocol and ways of working closely with the High Commission in Namibia.

Currently, there are over 5000 Namibian students studying in SADC region and abroad. The Ministry of Education and the South African High Commission in Namibia are planning to develop stronger ties with the existing partners and expand their relations with other countries. The education sector in Namibia is currently undergoing reforms to prepare students for the current world market to meet the demands of the global economy.   Scholarships are available for top students to study abroad mostly in Health Science and all engineering courses.

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1: CUT career exhibition team: Mr Danny Bokaba, International Support Service Officer at CUT; and Mr Mdlali Kambule, Senior Admin Officer: Enrolment Services, CUT sharing information with some of the top achieving learners of St George Private School.

2: Happy to be at the fair, some of the top achievers from Windhoek High School with Ms Clara from the Namibian Ministry of Education and Mr Danny Bokaba.

3: At the South African High commission of Namibia where engagements took place are from left: Mr Danny Bokaba, Dr Clement Moreku, Assistant Director: Student Recruitment; Ms Mlambo, Head of the Consular Section; Mr Eli Bitzer, Deputy Head of Mission and  Mr Mdlali Kambule.

Uploaded: 15 July 2016

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Second semester student registration processes commenced on 11 July 2016 with the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences and will continue until 21 July 2016 with the last group being the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology. The process ran smoothly without any glitches as both first-years and senior students queued quietly and patiently waiting for their turn to be assisted at the Boet Troskie Hall.

Although some students took advantage of the online registration process in the comfort of their homes, some were comfortable with the old face-to-face system as they say it is quicker and provides them with an opportunity to interact with officials and seek clarity where necessary.

Dikano Moahlodi, final year BTech: Project Management student, said that he is excited that the queues moved faster and is looking forward to how this last semester will unfold and hopefully walk across the stage for his graduation in March 2017.

2nd Semester registration

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1: Ms Seliena Shoroma, Student Accounts Clerk attend to Thabo Sekwati, a second-year: National Higher Certificate in Accountancy student. Thabo was also assisted with adding his required subjects to his qualification. Ready for the second semester!

2: Students waiting patiently for their turn to register.

Uploaded: 15 July 2016

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Five of CUT’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology students recently took part in the South African Breweries (SAB) KickStart Ignite programme, a youth entrepreneurship development programme aimed at investing and supporting young entrepreneurs in building sustainable and economically viable enterprises, which will enable them to make a high impact contribution towards reducing poverty through job creation.

The programme started in October 2015 and ended in March 2016 where 20 young participants were selected across the country of which five of them are from CUT. As a university of technology, CUT’s drive is to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among students and staff to discover and develop their full potential and create wealth not just by knowledge and skills, but also, how they can exploit the knowledge and skills for their own livelihood, as well as of their families, communities, the city and ultimately the region.

The SAB is making a meaningful contribution towards increased economic inclusion by promoting industrialisation and driving access to the market for youth owned businesses. Out of the 20 selected young entrepreneurs, only five winners walked away with a R1.2 million share seed grant capital to launch their start-ups for their individual businesses.

To participate, candidates had to come up with a commercially viable product concept that is in line with Manufacturing or ICT Industry, be prepared to commit to the six months process of incubation and be willing to invest their efforts in developing the prototype into a commercially viable product.

The students who participated in the programme are: Tshepo Kukuni, MTech -Computer Systems, Siyavuya Ngudle, NDip- Information Technology,Mbangiso Mabaso, N Dip- Electrical Engineering and 3^rd Prize winner, Africa Dintwe, BTech – Electronics Engineering and Pontsho Moletsane, B Tech- Civil Engineering, specialising in Water Engineering and the 1^st prize winner. Winners walked away with 3^rd Prize winner: R200 000 and 1^st prize winner: R400 000.

Other innovative ideas are:

• Mbangiso Mabaso, third prize winner, created EED- an energy saving game and a fun way of how to save electricity,
• Tshepo Kukuni created a Biometric Humidity Sensor, a device that can be used as a high-security measures. When programmed, the device can detect the users’ fingerprints and match it with their face,
• Siyavuya Ngudle created a Website for students to easily access textbooks. The project is called Varsity Text books,
• Africa Dintwe’s creation-Arduino Cool is an electronic and programming fun game for kids that aims to bring fun to the computer whizz kids. It makes learning easy for computer crazy  kids as well as bringing the fun in technology.
• Pontsho Moletsane, the 1^st prizewinner who created a device that monitors and saves water usage of water irrigation. The project is called Nosetsa.

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1: Five CUT’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology participants showing off some of their prizes, from left: Tshepo Kukuni, MTech: Computer Systems, Siyavuya Ngudle, NDip: Information Technology, Mbangiso Mabaso, N Dip: Electrical Engineering and 3rd Prize winner, Africa Dintwe, BTech: Electrical Engineering and Pontsho Moletsane, B Tech: Civil Engineering, specialising in Water Engineering and the 1st prize winner.

2: The winning project: Nosetsa. Pontsho Moletsane’s creation that saw him walking away with R400 000 for his business idea development. The product is a device that is aimed at saving water. The device senses humidity in the soil and monitors usage of water irrigation.

Uploaded: 27 July 2016

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Uploaded: 4 August 2016

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View upcoming Conferences | Seminars | Workshops at CUT.

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CUT Enactus young leaders just arrived from the 2016 competitions that were held on 27 and 28 July at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The team’s efforts, hard work and dedication paid off when they brought victory home, bagging four trophies; two of which were for 1^st prize, the other for 2^nd prize and the last one for a special award beating 27 teams from 26 universities of the country.

Each year, university students participate in the enactus South Africa National competitions to showcase their business innovative community empowerment projects that are not only making a difference in the world today but have the momentum to create new careers, spark business innovation and deliver fresh energy in social responsibility.  The competition is aimed at improving and enhancing the quality of life within their communities. Enactus is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to inspiring students to improve the world through entrepreneurial innovations, turning ideas into actions that will ultimately transform the lives of communities and create a better future.

The two projects that saw the team’s victory are: Katlego and Ecoquittes.  Katlego project is a partnership with Harmony Gold Mine, Faculty of Management Sciences and Absa Small Business Development and focuses on capacitating Harmony Gold mine suppliers and businesses from local communities surrounding the mine with the knowledge and skills on how to run a successful business.

Ecoquittes is a greening project where recycled paper, sawdust and water is combined and compressed to produce briquettes used for fuel. This project enabled three women from a location called Mothibi, Mangaung to have a registered business of producing briquettes. The community of Motshabi Township have shown support towards the project by assisting in collecting waste paper and boxes thus reducing the carbon footprint in the area. The three ladies are now incubated under SAMTI programme.

Ms Maraka Lefera, Co-Faculty Advisor, Research Assistant and the team Alumnus and Prof. Crispen Chipunza, Associate Professor and Faculty Advisor couldn’t contain their excitement on the victory. “We are very excited about this outcome and we hope to do more for our communities and live by our vision 2020 which states thus CUT shall be an engaged university that focuses on producing quality social and technological innovation for socio-economic development, primarily in the Central Region of South Africa”

Meanwhile, Ms Maraka Lefera, a master’s student, Research Assistant and currently Enactus-CUT Co-Faculty Advisor scooped the Enactus South Africa 2016 Junior Alumnus of the year (under 30) award. To be considered for this special award, one has to be successful in their chosen profession, exemplification of the Enactus values of integrity, passion, innovation, and collaboration in their life and chosen profession and show continued dedication in achieving social impact through entrepreneurial action. Ms Maraka will also be considered for the inaugural 2016 Global Alumni Award.

More details of the victory are as follows:

Element 1: Consider the relevant economic, social and environmental Factors

Triple bottom line: Sustainability: 1^st Place

Sponsored by Nedbank

Element 3: Apply business and economic concepts and business solutions for community development

Entrepreneurial Approach 1^st Place

Sponsored by Harmony Gold Mining Company limited

Harmony Special Competition Awards

The purpose of 2016 Harmony Local Economic Enactus Competition is to challenge enactus teams to intervene and assist their communities to take advantage of opportunities and to overcome challenges.

2016 Harmony Local Economic Development (LED) Enactus Challenge: 2^nd Place

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1: Prof. Crispen Chipunza, Associate Professor and Faculty Advisor, Kenneth Mbangula second-year year Marketing, Ms Maraka Lefera, Research Assistant and the team Alumnus, Sonwabiso Naki,  second-year marketing, Luvuyo Mandla, third-year Quantity Surveying and Enactus President Joseph Morapedi second-year  Marketing, Namhla Nomnganga, first-year  BEd Languages and Welile Yalezo IT Web development.

2: Enactus LED Special Competition presenters, Lovuyo Mandla and Namhla Nomgaga, first-year BEd Languages students presenting their accolades.

3: Team congratulatory hugs from Prof. Henk de Jager, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement with Kenneth Mbangula second-year student in Marketing.

Uploaded: 05 August 2016

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Programmes Offered | Admission Requirements | Admission Points (AP) | NBT | TVET(FET) Students | Recognition of Prior Learning | Forms | Fees | Financial Assistance | Banking Details visit Study at CUT in 2017

Apply on or before: 31 August 2016

International Students for assistance contact the International Office.

Grade 12 Learners: Only June 2016 results will be considered for 2017 applications.

Updated: 22 July 2016

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Fellowships, scholarships, and grant opportunities offered are now shared via a central page at CUT. Visit Fellowship | Scholarship Opportunities

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CUT has been making strategic investment in the transformation of the education programmes offered (more information on the STEPS project). In 2013, the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) accredited the institution’s engineering programmes, and the Civil Engineering programmes obtained accreditation with only a single visit from the assessors, which according to the report was the first time to occur since 2008.

As a new-generation institution, contributing to the development of the region and beyond, a career-focused and interdisciplinary curriculum is needed. Two brand-new programmes in the Department of Civil Engineering are: the Advanced Diploma in Logistics and Transportation Management and the Bachelor of Science in Hydrology and Water Resources Management.

Advanced Diploma: Logistics and Transportation Management

This brand new offering will enable graduate to identify, prepare, analyse and manage logistics and transport projects, conduct freight planning and its management. The programme will also give career opportunities in companies dealing with transport economics, engineering and infrastructural developments.

Minimum duration: 1 year | SAQA Credits: 132 | NQF Level: 7

Bachelor of Science: Hydrology and Water Resources Management

The career in hydrology and Water Resource Management (water management, water supply and distribution, wastewater treatments, environmental management, etc) has been declared as a scare skill in South Africa and is listed in the Department of Labour 2007 National Scarce Skills List. Graduates can find career opportunities in both private and public sectors

Minimum duration: 3 years | SAQA Credits: 366 | NQF Level: 7

Both programmes are open for application and will commence in 2015.

Updated: 27 August 2014

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“The best thing a man can do to correct the cultural injustice is to acknowledge that women are not subservient but equal to the task.” These were the words of Prof. Odireleng Martin Ntwaeaborwa, during his address at a public seminar on Women in Science, which was held on 12 August 2016. Prof. Odireleng Martin Ntwaeaborwa, is a researcher at the University of the Free State and President of South African Nanotechnology Initiative and a self-proclaimed feminist. The purpose of this event is to celebrate National Science Week and Woman in Science, an initiative by the department of science that aims to promote and honour woman in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) within CUT.

Further, in his address to phenomenal women, Prof. Odireleng said that he is a proud feminist who relates to, and understands women and wishes that all men in science can become feminist and assist the government to successfully implement its initiatives to empower women. “For the past decades, women have made vast advancement in climbing the ladder and successfully building their careers in government and private sectors. We must be feminist and train them to become great scientists and engineers, not just secretaries and office managers,” he said. Prof. Ntwaeaborwa also presented on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, which he said are studies and applications of tiny things that can be used across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering. He also highlighted that South Africa is the only country in Africa that is doing research in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology with the main focus on Health, Energy, and Water. He also mentioned that Nanoparticles could be used to harvest energy from the sun to improve the efficiency of solar panels and treat water in a cost effective manner by putting magnetic nanoparticles that cleanse water effectively while Nanomaterial can be used to detect and treat cancer at an early stage without any pain incurred.

Other women scientists in the faculties who presented include Dr Ntsoaki Malebo, Scientist and researcher in the Department of Life Sciences and her team, who shared their research experience on various issues such as health, indigenous knowledge and life sciences. Their work is a combination of medicinal plants and indigenous knowledge in searching for new drugs. They also use these plants to affirm the traditional healers’ information. Once the necessary information is acquired, the medicinal plants are tested at the lab for validation, evaluation, and development of plant products that are safe for human consumption.

Dr Lize Theron and her fellow researchers from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology spoke about women empowerment in the male-dominated environment of engineering, encouraging South African women to follow careers in engineering, as it is one of the identified scarce skills in the country. She also mentioned a vast scope of careers within the engineering field that woman could follow including research on water resources etc. “The burden of planet change and access to safe drinking water falls on women more than on men. The involvement of women in higher levels will thus make a lot of sense for them to be part of decision makers.”

Dr Wendy Setlalentoa, Head of the Department Maths, Science and Technology Education (MSTE) in the Faculty of Humanities, focused on sustainable development in science and the importance of education thereof. She encouraged women to be passionate science educators. “The world cannot grow at good pace unless women come forward and take initiative for the development of this country. Education is a mother of all professions, without it we wouldn’t be having all the engineers and scientists that we see here today.”

Thandokazi Sigcu and Ayanda Feliti, grade 10 learners from Commtech high school said attending the seminar was an eye-opening experience for them and they were highly motivated and inspired by the work that women scientist are doing. “We are already in the science career field and we will take all this knowledge and challenges with us to turn things around for the women in our generation. The pressure will always be there but change is possible if you put your mind to it. We are just waiting for our time and space.”

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1: Prof. Odireleng Martin Ntwaeaborwa, a researcher at the University of the Free State and President of South African Nanotechnology Initiative was a guest speaker.

2: What has been common in Africa about the education of a girl child emanates from the famous proverb that says: when you educate a boy, you educate an individual, but when you educate a girl you are educating the whole nation or village. The grade 10-12 girl learners from Commtech and Tsoseletso high schools also attended the seminar to learn more about their future role in science and how they can turn things around to make South Africa a better place.

Uploaded: 16 August 2016

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CUT Hotel School held its first ever high school career competition on 11 August 2016. The grade 10-12 learners from Mangaung high schools entered the competition where they had to choose any career option within the hospitality industry and design a visual A-2 size poster. Approximately 32 posters were received from five different high schools viz. Hendrik Potgieter, Jim Fouché, Louis Botha, Dr Viljoen, and Fichardtpark. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes were sponsored by Protea Hotel Willowlake, Tsogo Sun, CUT Hotel School and Bon Hotel. The price tag for the best poster was 10 000.00 for their school. Posters were loaded onto CUT Hotel School’s Facebook page where fellow learners could vote for their favourite poster.

The 1^st prize went to Bianca Wessels, a grade 12 learner from Fichartpark high school who won herself R2 000.00 and an additional R10 000.00 for her school which was proudly sponsored by CUT Hotel School. 2^nd prize winner went to Marli du Preez, a grade 10 learner also from Fichartpark high school. She won herself R1 500.00 and 3^rd prize, winner, Amoré Smith, a grade 10 learner Jim Fouche high school who won herself R1 000.00. 

Images

1: Ecstatic! From left, Ms Dalene Crowther, Acting Head of the Department Hospitality Management;   Ms Bianca Wessels, 2016 High school career competition winner and a Grade 12 learner from  Fichardtpark High School and her teacher, Ms Urma Myburgh, Consumer Study teacher at Fichardtpark high school.

3: Some of the posters that entered the competition. The best-designed poster (bottom left) came from Bianca Wessels of Fichardtpark high school.

Featured image: Hotel school also took the opportunity to honour and award the 2015 top performing first-year students. From left: Angela Mabaso 3^rd place, Denise Ackerman 1^st place, and Juanita Kriel 2^nd place.

Uploaded: 17 August 2016

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One of CUT’s top researchers, Dr Muthoni Masinde walked away with honours at the annual Women in Science Awards (WISA) for her innovative tool that can accurately predict drought-stricken environments for the farming sector.

“For me, getting this award is a lifetime achievement as a scientist; I feel very honoured and sincerely thank DST for the great initiative to honour women scientists.  I am more motivated to implement this tool and to ensure that it is accessible to more small-scale farmers in South Africa as well as those in other African countries.  My current initiative towards setting up a Drought Mitigation Centre in Free State has greatly been boosted by this Award,” she said.

The tool taps into African indigenous knowledge of natural disasters and augments it with ICT such as artificial intelligence, wireless sensor networks, and mobile phones. This contribution was recognised by the International Telecommunications Union and emerged in the top five in the Union’s Green ICT Application Challenge.

“I developed a novel tool that accurately predicts droughts.  The innovation was motivated by the realisation that in most African countries, rain-fed agriculture accounts for over 70% of food production. Further, this production is in the hands of small-scale farmers who continue to rely on their local/indigenous knowledge to reach critical cropping decisions,” she explained.

Dr Masinde’s contribution to drought forecasting solutions for the Free State was recently featured on the BBC World Service and led to the establishment of a unit at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) for research on informatics for drought in Africa.    With research and teaching experience spanning 16 years, Dr Masinde was named the winner in the category of Distinguished Young Women Researchers: Research and Innovation, earning R75 000 for advancing science and building knowledge.  She obtained her PhD from the University of Cape Town in 2012 and is the Head of the IT Department at CUT.

Listen to Radio 702 interview

Images

1: Dr Masinde present the innovative tool that can accurately predict drought-stricken environments for the farming sector.

2: The external weather forecaster of the drought prediction tool at the BHP Billiton Engineering Building on CUT Bloemfontein campus.

Uploaded: 17 August 2016

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Ms Mpho Mbele is a Master’s student and part-time lecturer in the Department of Information Technology at Welkom Campus. Mpho made CUT proud at the Women in Science Awards (WISA) when she walked away with Tata Fellowship Programme and Special Award from the Department of Science and Technology for her outstanding academic research abilities on Indigenous Knowledge.

Her research was based on integrating local with scientific knowledge regarding environmental pollution caused by mine waste in Lejweleputswa district. She won herself a sponsorship from TATA to advance her studies further in research, acquire more knowledge and publish papers on her work. “I am very delighted to see my work being acknowledged. When my name was called, it felt like a dream. I was over the moon and felt really blessed and honored to be recognized by such amazing leadership.  For this year, I intend buying all the relevant equipment that will allow me to advance my research and the remaining money will go towards my tuition fees next year.”

Ms Mbele’s secret recipe to success is simple- dedication, passion, and hard work. Her message to the young women who wants to follow her example is to keep their eyes on the ball and trust in God to bless their hard work and wishes. “It does not matter where you come from; I am just an ordinary girl from Welkom but I knew that the extra hours and efforts that I put in my work with bear me fruits.” Ms Mbele was also featured in Mail & Guardian, the New Age, City Press, SABC 2, and Soweto TV.

Image

1: An elated Mpho Mbele with Minister of Science and Technology, Ms Naledi Pandor at the WISA Ceremony.

2: The 2016 WISA winners enjoy a moment together.

Featured image: Mpho at the WISA event with Leanne Manas, South African TV presenter.

Uploaded: 23 August 2016

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CUT wishes to congratulate one of its alumni, Dr Herman Mashaba for his recent appointment as the new Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg. On 12 March 2013, CUT became the first university in South Africa to award an Honorary Degree (honoris causa) Doctor Technologiae: Business Administration to the South African business tycoon and founder of Black Like Me Ltd. We wish him well in his future endeavours.

From the archive: http://www.cut.ac.za/leadership/cut-honours-south-african-business-tycoon-and-founder-of-black-like-me-limited/

Uploaded: 24 August 2016

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Engineering, Science and Information Technology has always been identified as subjects that are difficult. Universities and schools are making efforts to demystify these subjects as difficult, at the same time, encouraging and motivating learners to have fun while learning.

The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology successfully hosted its 18^th annual High school Quiz Whizz competition. The purpose is to promote the importance of science technology and environment fields among high school learners. This year only three schools entered the competition and they all qualified for the finals. Participating schools were Jim Fouché High School, Grey College Secondary School, and Sand du Plessis High School.

This year Jim Fouché High School took the cup and won the 18th annual Quiz Whizz High Schools competition. Tessa Kellerman, Piet Kotzé and Christoff Bezuidenhout earned two faculty bursaries worth R 10 000 each for their school after winning an exciting final round against Grey College (runners up) and Sand du Plessis High School (third place).This victory is the fifth for Jim Fouché since the inception of the Quiz in 1999. All three finalist schools shares study bursaries in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology to the total value of R45 000 for 2017.

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From left: Christoff Bezuidenhout, Piet Kotzé, Tessa Kellerman and Mr Carel Korff, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology: Quiz Whizz Organiser.

Uploaded: 2 September 2016

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As we warmly welcomed the spring season and enjoy the warm and sunny weather, CUT celebrated the newly graduates on 02 September 2016. This season’s graduates were much honoured by the presence of Chancellor Madam Justice Mahube Molemela who officiated for the first time at the Spring Graduations. Approximately 3 397 certificates, diplomas and degrees were awarded; most notable of these achievements was 12 doctoral degrees in one season summing up to 19 Doctoral candidates for both autumn and spring graduations. 30 Master’s degrees from all faculties also proudly walked the stage to be honoured.

Below is a short overview and highlights from the autumn and spring graduations 2016.

2016 graduation statistics:

• Approximately 3 397 candidates graduated in 2016 spring and autumn graduation ceremony as compared to 2 879 in 2015.
• 19 Doctoral degrees in 2016 compared to eight in 2015.
• 61 Masters compared to 16 in 2015.
• Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology: 886 compared with 666 in 2015.
• Faculty of Health and Environmental Science: 467 compared to 416 in 2015.
• Faculty of Humanities: 758 compared 780 in 2015.
• Faculty of Management Sciences: 1286 compared 1056 in 2015.

In his last address to graduates, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Thandwa Mthembu expressed his gratitude towards the graduates for investing their time and efforts  in pursuit of intellectual, personal, and social development at CUT and praised the parents and guardians for their everlasting support towards their children’s education.  “I have witnessed a lot of contagious excitement in this hall today and wish that this feeling of exhilaration you have may remain with you for many years to come. I also wish to congratulate our Chancellor, Madam Justice Mahube Molemela for her very first and splendid officiating of this ceremony and wish her many more successful ceremonies in the future,” he concluded.

Later at Doctorandi Dinner, Madam Justice Mahube Molemela congratulated all the doctoral candidates and said that they had a huge responsibility of ploughing back to both their families and communities, assisting other undergraduates financially and using their acquired knowledge and research skills to come up with solutions that will uplift the economy of the country. “To those who are going to strike gold, please do not offer only internships, mentoring and coaching but also make a small contribution financially as we are faced with very rough times.”

Images

1: From left: Dr Benedict Khoboli, Welkom Campus; Dr Freda Van der Walt, Lecturer Human Resources Management Welkom Campus; Gumani Ramavhea, Magister Technologiae: Cost and Management Accounting; Dr Nkoja Claudia Khechane, Philosophiae Doctor (Education); Dr Oupa Makola, Welkom Campus Director and Dr Mamocheta Cecilia Makara, Philosophiae Doctor (Education).

2 and featured image: Excitement of new graduates! Molebohang Tlahadi, Post Graduate Certificate in Education; Legohang Mokhele, NDip Emergency Medical Care;  Kamogelo Segalo, BTech: Business Administration; Tame Sibusiso and Itumeleng Setlaelo, NDip: Civil Engineering – group represents all four faculties of CUT.

3: 12 Doctoral candidates of CUT pictured with Prof. Thandwa Mthembu, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of CUT; Judge Mahube Molemela, CUT Chancellor and Prof. Alfred Ngowi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement elect, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.

Uploaded: 06 September 2016

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Prof. Henk de Jager, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal  and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagements, Dr Nomathemba Mrwetyana, CUT Registrar, the newly inaugurated Professor, Prof. Herman Vermaak, Prof. David Ngidi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning and Prof. Alfred Ngowi, Dean: Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology

Prof. Herman Vermaak was inducted into ‘the academic hall of fame’ when he was recently inaugurated as a full Professor on 07 September 2016. His address was a summation of his prowess as a scholar of note in the field of engineering. In his address, he presented Design-for-Testability: the solution to improved test engineering and product quality as a tribute of his work of many years as artisan, technologist and engineer. His presentation was based on issues such as the importance of testing, digital circuits, design-for-testability, virtual commissioning, condition monitoring and the future of testing, and how they all fit to one another.

“Testing is not a once off exercise; it is an all-time operational task. The main purpose for testing is to ensure that all equipment is working according to the standards of what it’s designed for and that it is reliable and operating according to its specifications. In today’s world, we sometimes take it for granted that electronics are part of our lives until technology fails us and things do not work properly,” these were the opening remarks of Prof. Herman Vermaak at his Professorial Inauguration.

When unpacking his work to the audience, Prof. Herman explained that Testing becomes a major activity in any developing life cycle. He also explained the importance of testing every piece of equipment that goes into the designing and manufacturing of a complete product. “It is very important that each piece of equipment is tested, however not all application are easy to test; sometimes some parts of the circuit will be tested once and never again because it is not easy and it is very costly. To determine when testing can take place depends on the type of media or circuit being tested. If it is in a design then testing will happen in the beginning and will carry on throughout,” he said.

He also spoke about virtual commissioning with design for testability as a technique used when developing a system without having hardware and conditioning monitoring that provide data of process indicators when applied in an automated environment. “For future of testing, we are looking at utilizing smart technology like internet of things, testing Silicon smart cut, smart manufacturing test bed and robotic systems.”

Professor Herman Vermaak is currently a Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology: Department of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering. He was Head of the Department for eleven years and Acting-Dean of the Faculty for fourteen months. He has presented numerous papers at international conferences, published widely in international journals, and supervised twenty-eight completed post-graduate studies. He has also produced two technical reports for Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on Reconfigurable Assembly Systems.

Both Profs. Henk de Jager, acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal and Alfred Ngowi commended Prof Vermaak for reaching a pinnacle of his illustrious career in academia.   Prof De Jager said that at CUT, all its academic staff members are expected to address their peers and CUT community on their research and lessons to share

Prof. Alfred Ngowi, Dean: Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology commended Prof. Vermaak on his work and achievements in his career stating that in the five years that he has known and worked with him, he has always known him as a rare germ and a cutting edge researcher. “In my years as an academic, I have never found a person with a rare combination of skills and knowledge like Prof. Herman. In this career, you can find an artisan or engineer or technologist, but not all three in one but Prof Herman is a combination of all three. There are only a few people with that combination,” he concluded.

Uploaded: 09 September 2016

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Attendees from 11 South African Universities who attended the 2016 Annual Foundation Provisioning Colloquium with Ms. Hannelie van Rensburg from the Department of Higher Education seated in front.

On 30-31 August 2016, Central University of Technology Free State hosted 11 South African universities for the 2016 Annual Foundation Provision Colloquium.  The purpose of the annual colloquium is to create a platform where academics could share and disseminate their best practices and research findings with regard to innovative teaching, learning strategies, research, monitoring and evaluation of foundation programmes.

In his welcoming note, Prof. David Ngidi, Deputy Vice- Chancellor: Teaching and Learning said that the need for introducing foundation programmes is aimed at reducing student drop-out rate and thereby increase throughput rate specifically for students who might not have had the opportunity to obtain the qualification within record time. “At CUT, we always seek ways and initiatives that play a role in improving our students’ performance to ensure access with success. Therefore this colloquium is viewed as one of those information sessions that not only promote the need for introduction of foundation programme but also as a strategy of sharing innovative ways of improving on our foundation programmes,” he said.

Ms. Hannelie van Rensburg, Director for Academic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of Higher Education at the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) said that the academics need to ask themselves why there is a need for extended curriculum programmes and what their role is. She also said the programme aims to achieve concepts related to smooth integration of students into the university systems to bridge the gap between high school and universities. “Schools don’t do comprehension tests anymore and that leaves learners clueless with regard to analyzing, comprehension and application.”  She further said that South Africa still faces issues of redress because it is always assumed that the education standard in model C schools is better than that of rural and township schools, which she said, “the assumption is probably correct.” Ms. Van Rensburg also mentioned that there is limited but reliable evidence that students in the foundation provision programmes are able to catch up and often supersede the performance of the mainstream students after the fourth semester.

Prof. Moloko Sepota from UNISA said that he sees the concept of foundation programmes as an abstract element that still needs to be unpacked. “When extended degrees were introduced, there was a general feeling amongst members of the public that this was a waste of money and state resources and unfair particularly for the poorest of the poor members of the community. Looking back at the Higher Education system now, we realized that a lot still needs to be done to produce a substantial number of graduates. The greatest challenges we face include many students who stay for too long in the system without graduating. Those that do not stay long, drop out of these institutions without completing their studies as a result, they end up without any qualification that will help them become employable.  As such, it is imperative that we do some introspection and get to the bottom and foundation of challenges we are faced with.  The challenges may warrant intervention strategies in the form of student support,” he concluded.

Updated: 13 September 2016

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CUT leadership accepting the R5, 000, 000, 00 cheque from MICT SETA that will fund needy but academically excelling IT students. From Left: Prof. Thandwa Mthembu, CUT Vice- Chancellor and Principal, Mr. Oupa Mopaki CEO of MICT SETA and Prof. Henk De Jager, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement

On 13 September 2016, CUT’s Innovation Services (CUTis) formally acknowledged a successful triple helix partnership endeavor. The engagement brought together essential elements from private, public and higher education sectors to look at driving the agenda of continuous education and employability of graduates.

In 2015, the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA), through the engagements with a private company, provided funding to the tune of R6 000 000,00 for the training of 150 Free State youths in Microsoft Office, which was offered through CUT’s Microsoft Academy. MICT SETA also awarded R5 000 000,00 in bursaries to 50 needy, yet excelling CUT students studying Information Technology (IT) in Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Certified Oracle Associate (OCA).

The success of the project also saw MICT SETA awarding CUT a certificate of recognition as an Institute of Sectoral or Occupational Excellence. Another immense benefit for the participants was the fact that MICT SETA required a lot of industry related contacts.

Prof Thandwa Mthembu, Vice- Chancellor and Principal said it has been a long journey but he is content that the quadro helix partnership- university, government and its agencies, business and industry and other organs of broader society have come together to share the vision and objectives that will steer the region and the country to success. “This is a culmination of many years and I am delighted that the partnership is being launched today with MICT SETA. What is happening today would not have happened had we not changed our strategies. At CUT we believe in collaborations and partnerships, we do not work in silos. It is only when we come together that we can see tangible results,” he concluded.

Mr. Oupa Mopaki CEO of MICT SETA said the university has become a Centre of excellence and that they are proud to be associated with CUT. Despite the fact that learning and education takes place every day at universities, young people graduate from junior degrees to PhD across the country, industry experts still feel that there is a dire shortage of skills in the country. He argued that there is no skills deficit in the country. “It is upon employers to work with us to actually provide the necessary skills to young people because it is not totally possible for a university to give young people the kind of skill that employers require to be able to join the world of work and be productive from day one.” The role of CUT in this instance is to educate and train young people and through the Centre of excellence we will work together to make sure that beyond the theory gained the center will train the youth and provide them with the necessary skills that will prepare them to be work ready.  “Graduates need internships, mentorship or some form of training in the workplace and employers in this country should be in the lead to make sure that on completion of studies learners have the necessary skills to be efficient in the workplace.” Mr Mopaki said he would continue to engage with all partners until he gets the puzzle right.

One of the programme beneficiaries, Ms. Boniswa Mafunda, said that the course opened doors for her as she got permanent employment as an instructor at CUT. “I take this opportunity as ammunition and a weapon which is aimed at the corporate world.”

MICT SETA is an organisation which intends to engage in learning programmes that leads to employment and new ventures, whilst at the same time engaging in programmes that assists in bridging the digital divide especially in rural areas.

Update: 14 September 2016

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