UKZN’s Engineering Winter School
September 2025
News
The University of KwaZulu-Natal recently hosted its annual Engineering Winter School, an event where senior high school students spend a week on the engineering campus engaging in activities organised by each engineering discipline. The student representative for the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society South Africa, Erin Zietsman, helped organise the mechatronic engineering event which formed part of a broader initiative to promote robotics to aspiring engineers. The goal was to introduce students to current challenges in the field and spark their creativity in developing innovative solutions. Students were also informed about the benefits of joining societies such as SAIMC and IEEE.
The event was hosted by the SMART Lab research group, together with the Winter School mentors and several undergraduate volunteers. The core focus of the day was building and flying drones, which were generously sponsored by RS South Africa. Leading up to the hands-on session, students attended presentations on advanced mechatronics concepts and viewed project showcases that highlighted the real-world applications of this emerging field. These talks offered valuable context about the role of mechatronic engineering within the broader engineering landscape.
To encourage interaction and a bit of friendly competition, there was a quiz with prizes. Finally, students teamed up to assemble and fly the drone kits, a highlight of the day that was met with great enthusiasm. Overall, it was an inspiring day that reflected the passion and curiosity of these future engineers. It is exciting to see what innovations this next generation will bring.
For more information contact Riaan Stopforth, UKZN, +27 72 255 3330, [email protected], www.ukzn.ac.za
Further reading:
RS South Africa shapes future engineering talent
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa is demonstrating that nurturing future engineers goes beyond traditional classrooms or competitions. On STEM Day, the company shone a light on the full spectrum of its educational initiatives.
Read more...
ABB and Compu-Power bring high-efficiency UPS innovation to IS3 X-Change 2025
News
ABB recently participated in the 31st annual IS
3X-Change 2025 in Cape Town, alongside its long-standing channel partner Compu-Power.
Read more...
UKZN’s SMART lab wins aviation award
News
: The SMART Lab at UKZN was awarded first place in the Aviation Research and Development category at the Civil Aviation Authority of South Africa’s award ceremony for outstanding contributions and achievements in the aviation sector.
Read more...
Meta and partners announce completion of 2Africa subsea cable system
News
Meta, in partnership with leading global and regional telecommunications companies, has announced the completion and activation of the core 2Africa subsea cable system. This marks a historic milestone in digital infrastructure, establishing what the world’s longest open-access subsea cable system.
Read more...
RS South Africa retains Level 2 B-BBEE status
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa has once again achieved Level 2 B-BBEE verification.
Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE unveils world class facility in Gqeberha
News
In a landmark event in the Eastern Cape attended by key customers and industry leaders, SEW-EURODRIVE officially opened its expanded state-of-the-art facility in Gqeberha, marking a major milestone in its strategy to strengthen regional support and deepen its footprint in the region.
Read more...
Africa’s brightest young battery innovators
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric and Enactus, the international NGO dedicated to inspiring students through entrepreneurial action, have announced the winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation. It empowers young innovators to design battery solutions addressing the region’s most pressing energy challenges.
Read more...
Africa’s strategic role in powering the global clean energy future
News
The 2026 Africa Energy Indaba is to spotlight Africa’s mineral wealth, industrialisation potential and the urgent need for sustainable value chain development.
Read more...
The road to the Indaba
News
The Africa Automation Indaba 2026 is set to become a landmark gathering for Africa’s automation, process control and manufacturing community.
SA Instrumentation and Control will be running a dedicated editorial series spotlighting the voices, ideas and debates shaping Africa’s industrial future.
Read more...
Crash reconstruction tests advance vehicle safety research
News
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technologies (SMART) Lab recently participated in a series of collaborative crash reconstruction tests held at the Toyota Test Track.
Read more...
printer friendly version