Secretaries Convention - 25 August 2016.

12 August 2016Official weekly newsletter of NUST

Namibia University of Science and TechnologyNUST_Namibia

@NUST_Namibia

NUST BRIEFwebsite: www.nust.na

Festival honours traditional values

This year, nine teams, consisting of four NUST (year 1, 2 and 3, four students each) and five high school teams, participated in the challenge that was held for the second consecutive year.

Dr Shawulu Nggada, a Senior Lecturer in the faculty, officially opened the competition and said it offers opportunities for participants to display their individual skills, while it is also an avenue to strengthen knowledge in this field. He highlighted the importance of coding and said: “Information Communication Technology (ICT) is seen as an enabler for digital transformation, and a number of professionals globally believe that ICT is a driver of such development.”

The teams coded over two days, which gave

them ample time to finish their projects. Joel Eelu of the Organising Committee, said this year’s competition differed slightly from the previous one because the questions presented to the teams were much more complex. “This year, the teams were mixed, consisting of at least one student from each level of study, and the questions were much more hands-on and fascinating for the participants,’’ he said.

A team of Computer Science students who called themselves “Code Geeks,” and the team from Karibib Private School won the University and High School categories respectively. Profile Investment Holdings and the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund sponsored the event.

Programming competition attracts more teamsThe Faculty of Computing and Informatics (FCI) hosted a two-day programming and coding competition which aimed to raise interest in programming among young people around the country. Coding is a technique that makes it possible for computer programmers to create software, applications and websites.

The event was held as a platform to showcase research projects conducted by staff and students of the Faculty.

Dr Alfred van Kent, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, opened the event and said that if Namibia were to become an industrialised nation, field research is of the essence. He added that knowledge and skills development are the cornerstones of poverty eradication.

“However, the ongoing acute shortage of engineering-related skills in the country has proven to be a challenge, and government is faced with a tall order of remedying the situation. Nonetheless, policies are in place to unearth challenges that affect the performance of high school learners in science and mathematics subjects, one of the root causes of the skills gap. NUST plays its part by offering an Introduction to Science, Technology, Engineering and

Mathematics (InSTEM) bridging course to students who wish to pursue engineering studies but do not meet the minimum requirements,” he said.

Irvine Simataa, the General Manager of Skorpion Zinc Mine, one of the faculty’s major partners, singled out areas where the expertise of academics is needed to improve the efficiency and productivity of mines. These, according to him, include exploration, mineral processing, safety and waste management.

Five research projects were presented during the course of the day: Sustainable Water and Energy Supply: An integrated Challenge and Opportunity; Essential Skills and Attributes of Graduate Engineers: The Case of Namibia; Development of Anthropometric Data for Ergonomic Engineering Design: Selected Cases in Namibia; and Geomagnetic Disturbance Monitoring and Modelling in Namibia.

NUST plays important role in developing skillsThe importance of collaboration between industry and academia in solving challenges faced by the nation was high on the agenda when the Faculty of Engineering held its annual Research Day that was attended by government officials, industry partners and academics recently.

Front row from left: Wolfgang Gradewald, Software CC; Dr Samuel John, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; Irvine Simataa, General Manager, Skorpion Zinc; Dr Andrew Niikondo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic Affairs; Prof Thomas Hollenberg, Director: Mining; and Dr Harmony Musiyarira, Head of the Mining and Process Engineering Department, pictured with other staff, industry partners and presenters at the event.

The NUST winning teamPeneyambeko Nakalemo, a member of the Organising Committee, left, is pictured with Efraim Ashivudhi, Toivo Toivo and Tangeni Kamati.

Top Photo: Revonia Kahivere of FNB presents a cheque to Tjama Tjivikua. Bottom: Students in jovial mood during the Annual Parade through the streets of Windhoek.

The annual festival, which creates a platform for the university community and the public to celebrate cultural diversities and embrace one another’s uniqueness, was addressed by the Deputy Head of the South African High Commission in Namibia, Eli Bitzer, who emphasised that there is a need to allow our cultures to accommodate all genders and minority groups in total equality. Bitzer particularly singled out young women who fail to complete their studies because of cultural practices such as early marriage, a practice he strongly condemned.

“We should also reflect on the need to allow our cultures to accommodate all genders and minority groups, whether scientists or sangomas, artists or academics, in total equality,” Bitzer said.

The First National Bank Namibia (FNB) has been the main sponsor of the Cultural Festival for the past 17 years and this year the bank pledged N$75  000 towards the festival. Revonia Kahivere, Corporate Social Investment Manager, emphasised that the bank sponsored the festival because it is in line with its policy which aims to promote arts and culture in Namibia.

In his welcoming remarks, Vice-Chancellor, Tjama Tjivikua, said the festival should be used for reflection, introspection and learning. “As educated

The theme of this year’s NUST Annual Cultural Festival, “New technologies, same traditional values,” was created to raise awareness about the importance of keeping abreast with global technological developments while not steering away from honouring traditional values.

individuals, I expect all participants to be culturally sophisticated and to effectively contribute to cultural harmony,” he said.

NUST hosts about 13 000 students from all corners of the country, and from more than 20 countries across the globe who represent

a wide assortment of ethnic groups and diversity.

Tonight the festival will conclude with the crowning of Mr and Miss NUST at the Roman Catholic Parish Hall in Windhoek.

A member of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Cultural Society in action during the Cultural Festival.

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