At a banquet held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 30 October 2003, the University of Natal was announced the winner of the first annual Siemens Cyber Junk Yard competition, an initiative aimed at encouraging practical innovation in engineering and electronics at universities and Technikons countrywide. Second place was awarded to the University of Potchefstroom, closely followed in third place by the Peninsula Technikon.
The award is sponsored by Siemens Southern Africa and actively supported by the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, whose minister, Dr Ben Ngubane attended the awards dinner. The first prize includes a trip to the Hanover Faire in Germany for two representatives of the winning team and Siemens Automation and Drives products valued at R100 000.
Dan Moodley, managing director of Siemens Automation and Drives Southern Africa, says the response from institutions was very enthusiastic from the start of the programme in February 2003. "Born out of the need to forge closer ties between Siemens and tertiary technology-related institutions, the Cyber Junk Yard allocated the teams from a number of tertiary institutions 100 000 Cyber rands to shop with on our website," says Moodley. "Using the products purchased, each institution completed a project made up of mechanical, electrical and software components according to certain specifications prescribed by Siemens."
The Da Vinci Technical Institute, whose representatives looked for the most innovative and practical solutions applicable to industry today, chose the winner of the Cyber Junk Yard.
Dr Roy Marcus, Ministerial Advisor for the Department of Science and Technology, says that from the government's point of view, the Cyber Junk Yard offers a unique opportunity for students to have real experience within a commercial environment, representing a move away from a purely theoretical to a more practical approach. "In terms of the advancement of science and technology in particular, we are keen to encourage this sort of initiative as we are moving closer to the concept of having a 'teaching company'," says Marcus. "What we are seeing now are students relating theory to practice, and building valuable bridges between the public and the private sectors."
There were eight competing institutions this year, including PE Technikon, Peninsula Technikon, Pretoria Technikon, University of Natal, University of Pretoria, University of Potchefstroom, Zululand University and the Durban Institute of Technology.
"With part of our objective to familiarise students and lecturers with Siemens equipment, we have found that these institutions are hungry for outside influence and training from large companies," says Moodley, adding that the interest shown exceeded all expectations, promising that next year's competition will have twice as many entrants. "We have also been pleasantly surprised by the number of offers we have had to assist us in developing applications or even to write software for our products," he concludes.
For more information contact Keshin Govender, Siemens Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 652 2412, keshin.govender@siemens.com, www.siemens.co.za
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