By Vaneshree Govender
The Research and Postgraduate Directorate at DUT recently hosted the third Annual Institutional Research Day.
Held at the Library Complex, Steve Biko Campus, the event took place later last month (November). Presenters for the day consisted of a group of researchers who were staff and postgraduate students from the University’s six faculties. The event was attended by approximately 175 staff and postgraduate students, with a significant presence of staff and postgraduate students from the Midlands campus.
Professor Jamila Adam, Chair of the Institutional Research Day 2013, said that the Institutional Research Day is an in-house initiative that promotes the development of young researchers and assists with the pursuit of excellence in research at the University. She said that this initiative is also a platform for researchers to showcase their research in-house before presenting nationally and internationally.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, Prof Fred Otieno, said, “It is my considered opinion that the Institutional Research Day goes some way in meeting the third imperative, viz. improving the research publications output, by giving young and emerging researchers a local platform at which to present their work and to hear presentations from more seasoned researchers. This is an excellent developmental opportunity.”
During the opening ceremony, Professor Sibusiso Moyo, Research and Postgraduate Support Director at DUT talked about how the Institutional Research Day forms part of the many initiatives that create a platform for all staff and students engaged in research at the University to share their findings. She said that one of the critical areas that the University has focused on has been the identification of a number of active research focus areas, including new ones, as part of the Research strategy from 2013 onwards.
These focus areas are seen as spaces which will bring together interdisciplinary teams, industry and local government to work together in developing the human capacity development and communities within which the University is located in. To this end, she encouraged both staff and students to network and find possible areas where they could collaborate. She expressed her gratitude to all the staff present and students for their enthusiasm and support towards building research culture at DUT and the support from the Executive Management of the University.
Professor Deresh Ramjugernath, Pro Vice-Chancellor: Research at UKZN was the guest of honour for the day. Professor Ramjugernath spoke about future directions in research and stressed the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship at universities.
Prizes were awarded for best oral presentation per faculty and best poster presentation per faculty.
Winners of the best oral presentations were:
– Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment: Wade Evans – Department of Mechanical Engineering
– Faculty of Arts and Design: Vuyolwethu Lima – Department of Video Technology
– Faculty of Accounting and Informatics: Prinavin Govender – Department of Information Technology
– Faculty of Health Sciences: Kashka Singh – Department of Biomedical and Clinical Technology
– Faculty of Management Sciences: Ramika Bansi – Department of Governance and Economics
The winners of the best poster presentations were:
– Faculty of Applied Sciences: Mbongeni Hezekia Mabaso – Department of Chemistry.
– Faculty of Health Sciences: Trinisha Gengan – Department of Biomedical and Clinical Technology.
IMAGE: Vuyolwethu Lima (middle), Department of Video Technology, accepting her award for Best Oral Presentation. Also seen in the below picture are staff and postgraduate students from the Midlands campus.
Article and Image source: Durban University of Technology