Promoting engineering knowledge and practice

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May 2013 News

North-West University in Potchefstroom recently hosted the annual South African Universities Power Engineering Conference. The conference plays an important role in promoting engineering knowledge and expertise among the relatively small South African power and high voltage engineering academic community. Wits University’s School of Electrical and Information Engineering (EIE) made one of the strongest showings, delivering 10 of the 27 presentations and providing almost a third of the participants.

The Wits Power and HV research groups that attended SAUPEC 2013.

Wits EIE’s contribution to the conference is part of its drive to grow postgraduate research to promote the search for knowledge within the broad field of engineering to solve the tough engineering problems of the day. It has long realised that solutions are not isolated within a single specialist field, leading to the creation of its three major research thrusts: energy, information and systems. All of which were represented in its presentations.

A wide range of topics was aired in the 27 presentations, ranging from renewable energy and energy efficiency fields to high voltage and power-grid disciplines, while also included ‘fringe’ aspects such as sociological studies of developing countries and the effect of coal quality. Many graduates and post-graduates were attending their first conference, meeting in person the academics with whose work they were already familiar and being exposed to the vastness of the power and high-voltage engineering field. The EIE considers this aspect of the conference an important introduction for both graduates and post-graduates to the almost bewildering choice of career options in the sector.

SAUPEC also provides an interface between young graduates and post-graduates and creates a platform for well-known academics and industry specialists to share their knowledge and expertise. It is an event which is eagerly anticipated and always well attended by all with an interest in the field.

Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive attesting to the ongoing success of the event with new contacts being made to extend the important network of professionals in the field.

For more information contact Heather Regenass, University of Witwatersrand, +27 (0)11 717 7012, [email protected], www.eie.wits.ac.za

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