nust brief - 04 november 2016

1
NUST wishes students all the best with the final exams! 4 November 2016 Official weekly newsletter of NUST Namibia University of Science and Technology NUST_Namibia @NUST_Namibia NUST BRIEF website: www.nust.na Technology vital for cultural heritage The Minister opened the International Conference on Culture and Computer Science (ICCCS) co-hosted by NUST and the HTW Berlin University of Applied Science. The conference, held in Africa for the first time, addressed the role ICT can play in the promotion of cultural diversity and safeguarding Namibia’s cultural heritage for future generations. The Minister said both these issues are of paramount importance to the development of the Namibian nation. Tweya said: “Accessibility by all and for all remains an important challenge using ICT for cultural content, creation, access and distribution and dialogues, and partnerships such as those between NUST and HTW Berlin allow for positive innovation models that are context specific.” NUST Vice-Chancellor, Tjama Tjivikua, said the Institution has over the past years steered its activities, including teaching and learning, research, international partnerships and industry partnerships towards a successful transition to lead as a university in research, science, technology and innovation. “I am, therefore, happy that we are hosting the first ICCCS on African soil as it demonstrates that our combined efforts to become a leading and forward-looking university are bearing fruits,” Tjivikua said. He added that in a country like Namibia, with its rich, albeit silent, cultural sites and magnificent flora and fauna, ICT can be a versatile tool to bring the country’s pre-historic past back to life. “Culture is the cement between the bricks of a society and in Namibia we tend to forget our rich cultural background and the diversity of our people and our land. As we increasingly turn our back on our traditionalist past, ICT can bring this historical heritage back to life and form a bridge between our past and present experiences,” Tjivikua said. The Minister of Information and Technology, Tjekero Tweya, has appealed to government, academia, civil society partners and local communities to work together to ensure that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is applied to the cultural and creative sectors to contribute to more effective and sustainable development programmes in Namibia. The MoU focuses on research collaboration, training, student internships and knowledge exchange with the aim to strengthen the capacity of the National Council’s Research and Information Unit and to transfer research knowledge that could inform the national decision-making process. Margaret Mensah-Williams, Chairperson of the Council, emphasised that Parliament’s role has evolved in recent years and now has an increased power to shape laws across a broader range of fields than ever before. “Unlike other Parliaments, members of the Namibian Parliament do not have access to the expertise available to the Executive and solely rely on the Parliamentary staff. It is against this background that the National Council saw fit to seek additional capacity,” Mensah- Williams said. NUST Vice-Chancellor, Tjama Tjivikua, said the Institution’s research niche areas include the pertinent issues of sustainable development, technology, housing and indigenous knowledge. He said NUST recognises that fostering a stronger culture of research and innovation and building research capacity will be critical to the success of its research endeavours. “This MoU is an indication of the sincere acknowledgement towards institutional capacity development, based on our training and research portfolio and reputation,” Tjivikua said. NUST to develop National Council staff NUST has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Council that will contribute to skills development of the Council and its staff members. The inaugural symposium was held under the theme: “Practice and Developments.” This year, the horizon was broadened to look at challenges facing mining globally which have impact locally, under the theme: “Overcoming Challenges Facing the Global Mining Industry.” The theme reflects the current depressed state of the global mining industry with plummeting commodity prices, declining ore grades, increased corporate social responsibilities, increased regulation and legislation, and escalating costs, amongst others. The Mining Commissioner in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Erasmus Shivolo, underscored the need for mitigating efforts in the water and energy crisis in the country. “With a growing mining industry, particularly the uranium sector, urgency is needed to address these challenges. Besides serving as a key revenue stream for government, the mining industry is a major lifeline for various State-Owned Enterprises and continues to be a major source of employment,” Shivolo said. The Vice-Chancellor, Tjama Tjivikua, said NUST is of the conviction that through the helix approach that involves both government and industry in a symbiotic partnership, and seeking holistic and long-term solutions rather than partial solutions, Namibia will be able to address real issues plaguing the industry. “In a fast-paced and dynamic world, we cannot afford to insulate ourselves in the proverbial cocoon and insulate ourselves from on-going developments. The minerals industry stands to benefit from this interaction that allows knowledge transfer and flow of innovation,” Tjivikua remarked. The Department of Mining and Process Engineering was established in 2009 to address Namibia’s skills shortage in this sector through career-oriented education which meets international standards. Mining challenges impact local industry Academics, researchers, government and minerals industry professionals converged on campus recently for the second Namibia Minerals Industry Symposium (NAMIS), a bi-annual event which is the brainchild of the Department of Mining and Process Engineering. Row 1: Prof Godfrey Dzinomwa-MD: Paarsol Resources; Dr Samuel John, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; Veston Malango, CEO: Chamber of Mines; Erasmus Shivolo, Mining Commissioner; Annakleta Mukumbi, Rosh Pinah; Sonelle Rossouw, Langer Heinrich Mine. Row 2: Dr Harmony Musiyarira, NUST; Catherine Lottering, Tschudi; Dr Lidia Auret, Stellenbosch University; Nicole Jansen van Rensburg, Rössing Uranium; Lempie Joel, Rössing Uranium. Row 3: Stefan Engelbrecht, Tschudi; Derrick Louw, Tschudi; Thomas Moongo, Skorpion Zinc; Kyles Hendricks, NUST; Dr Teklay Mengist, HOD: UNAM Geology Dept. Row 4: Dama Fotolela, B2Gold Mine; Stephen Kirkpatrick, Namdeb Diamond Company. Dr Anicia Peters, Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Informatics, MInister Tjekero Tweya, Dr Nobert Jere and Prof Dr Verena Metze-Mangold, President of the German Commission for UNESCO, at the opening of the ICCCS. Tjama Tjivikua exchanges a copy of the agreement with National Council Chairperson, Margaret Mensah- Williams Mayor of San Antonio visits campus Her Worship Ivy R Taylor, Mayor of the City San Antonio, Texas in the USA, recently visited the NUST campus where she delivered a public lecture on “Sustainable Housing Community Design and Development.” During the lecture, well attended by a large number of stakeholders in Namibian housing sector, Taylor shared her experiences in revitalising and managing the fast-growing and dynamic city of San Antonio. She shared her knowledge on how to embark on a sustainable housing development process that would result in the design of environmentally sustainable homes. Mayor Taylor is pictured with NUST Vice-Chancellor, Tjama Tjivikua, left, and His Worship Cllr Muesee Kazapua, Mayor of the City of Windhoek.

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Page 1: NUST Brief - 04 November 2016

NUST wishes students all the best with the final exams!

4 November 2016Official weekly newsletter of NUST

Namibia University of Science and TechnologyNUST_Namibia

@NUST_Namibia

NUST BRIEFwebsite: www.nust.na

Technology vital for cultural heritageThe Minister opened the International Conference on Culture and Computer Science (ICCCS) co-hosted by NUST and the HTW Berlin University of Applied Science. The conference, held in Africa for the first time, addressed the role ICT can play in the promotion of cultural diversity and safeguarding Namibia’s cultural heritage for future generations. The Minister said both these issues are of paramount importance to the development of the Namibian nation.

Tweya said: “Accessibility by all and for all remains an important challenge using ICT for cultural content, creation, access and distribution and dialogues, and partnerships such as those between NUST and HTW Berlin allow for positive innovation models that are context specific.”

NUST Vice-Chancellor, Tjama Tjivikua, said the Institution has over the past years steered its activities, including teaching and learning, research, international partnerships and industry

partnerships towards a successful transition to lead as a university in research, science, technology and innovation. “I am, therefore, happy that we are hosting the first ICCCS on African soil as it demonstrates that our combined efforts to become a leading and forward-looking university are bearing fruits,” Tjivikua said.

He added that in a country like Namibia, with its rich, albeit silent, cultural sites and magnificent flora and fauna, ICT can be a versatile tool to bring the country’s pre-historic past back to life.

“Culture is the cement between the bricks of a society and in Namibia we tend to forget our rich cultural background and the diversity of our people and our land. As we increasingly turn our back on our traditionalist past, ICT can bring this historical heritage back to life and form a bridge between our past and present experiences,” Tjivikua said.

The Minister of Information and Technology, Tjekero Tweya, has appealed to government, academia, civil society partners and local communities to work together to ensure that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is applied to the cultural and creative sectors to contribute to more effective and sustainable development programmes in Namibia.

The MoU focuses on research collaboration, training, student internships and knowledge exchange with the aim to strengthen the capacity of the National Council’s Research and Information Unit and to transfer research knowledge that could inform the national decision-making process.

Margaret Mensah-Williams, Chairperson of the Council, emphasised that Parliament’s role has evolved in recent years and now has an increased power to shape laws across a broader range of fields than ever before. “Unlike other Parliaments, members of the Namibian Parliament do not have access to the expertise available to the Executive and solely rely on the Parliamentary staff. It is against this background that the National Council saw fit to seek additional capacity,” Mensah-Williams said.

NUST Vice-Chancellor, Tjama Tjivikua, said the Institution’s research niche areas include the pertinent issues of sustainable development, technology, housing and indigenous knowledge. He said NUST recognises that

fostering a stronger culture of research and innovation and building research capacity will be critical to the success of its research endeavours. “This MoU is an indication of the sincere acknowledgement towards institutional capacity development, based on our training and research portfolio and reputation,” Tjivikua said.

NUST to develop National Council staffNUST has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Council that will contribute to skills development of the Council and its staff members.

The inaugural symposium was held under the theme: “Practice and Developments.” This year, the horizon was broadened to look at challenges facing mining globally which have impact locally, under the theme: “Overcoming Challenges Facing the Global Mining Industry.” The theme reflects the current depressed state of the global mining industry with plummeting commodity prices, declining ore grades, increased corporate social responsibilities, increased regulation and legislation, and escalating costs, amongst others.

The Mining Commissioner in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Erasmus Shivolo, underscored the need for mitigating efforts in the water and energy crisis in the country. “With a growing mining industry, particularly the uranium sector, urgency is needed to address these challenges. Besides serving as a key revenue stream for government, the mining industry is a major lifeline for various

State-Owned Enterprises and continues to be a major source of employment,” Shivolo said.

The Vice-Chancellor, Tjama Tjivikua, said NUST is of the conviction that through the helix approach that involves both government and industry in a symbiotic partnership, and seeking holistic and long-term solutions rather than partial solutions, Namibia will be able to address real issues plaguing the industry. “In a fast-paced and dynamic world, we cannot afford to insulate ourselves in the proverbial cocoon and insulate ourselves from on-going developments. The minerals industry stands to benefit from this interaction that allows knowledge transfer and flow of innovation,” Tjivikua remarked.

The Department of Mining and Process Engineering was established in 2009 to address Namibia’s skills shortage in this sector through career-oriented education which meets international standards.

Mining challenges impact local industry Academics, researchers, government and minerals industry professionals converged on campus recently for the second Namibia Minerals Industry Symposium (NAMIS), a bi-annual event which is the brainchild of the Department of Mining and Process Engineering.

Row 1: Prof Godfrey Dzinomwa-MD: Paarsol Resources; Dr Samuel John, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; Veston Malango, CEO: Chamber of Mines; Erasmus Shivolo, Mining Commissioner; Annakleta Mukumbi, Rosh Pinah; Sonelle Rossouw, Langer Heinrich Mine. Row 2: Dr Harmony Musiyarira, NUST; Catherine Lottering, Tschudi; Dr Lidia Auret, Stellenbosch University; Nicole Jansen van Rensburg, Rössing Uranium; Lempie Joel, Rössing Uranium. Row 3: Stefan Engelbrecht, Tschudi; Derrick Louw, Tschudi; Thomas Moongo, Skorpion Zinc; Kyles Hendricks, NUST; Dr Teklay Mengist, HOD: UNAM Geology Dept. Row 4: Dama Fotolela, B2Gold Mine; Stephen Kirkpatrick, Namdeb Diamond Company.

Dr Anicia Peters, Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Informatics, MInister Tjekero Tweya, Dr Nobert Jere and Prof Dr Verena Metze-Mangold, President of the German Commission for UNESCO, at the opening of the ICCCS.

Tjama Tjivikua exchanges a copy of the agreement with National Council Chairperson, Margaret Mensah-Williams

Mayor of San Antonio visits campusHer Worship Ivy R Taylor, Mayor of the City San Antonio, Texas in the USA, recently visited the NUST campus where she delivered a public lecture on “Sustainable Housing Community Design and Development.” During the lecture, well attended by a large number of stakeholders in Namibian housing sector, Taylor shared her experiences in revitalising and managing the fast-growing and dynamic city of San Antonio. She shared her knowledge on how to embark on a sustainable housing development process that would result in the design of environmentally sustainable homes. Mayor Taylor is pictured with NUST Vice-Chancellor, Tjama Tjivikua, left, and His Worship Cllr Muesee Kazapua, Mayor of the City of Windhoek.