NSTF-South32 Awards: UWC Earns Four Nominations, Demonstrating Excellence in Science
Three exceptional scholars and one institute from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) have made the shortlist for this year’s National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)-South32 Awards, often referred to as the “Science Oscars” of South Africa.
The NSTF-South32 Awards are the largest, most comprehensive, and most coveted national recognition in the field. It honours outstanding contributions to science, engineering, technology (SET), and innovation by individuals, teams, and organisations across South Africa.
The categories span a diverse range, including experienced scientists, engineers, innovators, science communicators, engineering capacity developers, research managers, and data curators. Now the awards have been expanded to include science diplomacy.
The 2024 Theme: Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in SA
This year’s NSTF theme centres around the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in South Africa. As such, the NSTF will present a special award: the Special Annual Theme Award for 4IR in SA. UWC’s Institute for Data-Intensive Astronomy (IDIA) is among the finalists for this prestigious category. The IDIA has also secured nominations for the Data For Research Award and the Innovation Award in the Corporate Organisation category.
Meet the UWC Finalists
Professor Emmanuel Iwuoha is shortlisted for the Chemistry for Engineering Research Capacity Development Award.
Notable Achievements: Prof Iwuoha holds the South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI) Chair (Tier 1) for NanoElectrochemistry and Sensor Technology.
His ground-breaking work involves designing and producing smart materials, including polymeric, dendritic, and graphenated composite systems, as well as multi-metal nanoalloys and chalcogenide quantum dots. These materials find applications in sensors, electroanalysis, and energy-generating systems.
Prof Iwuoha is also the founder of the SensorLab™ (UWC Sensor Research Laboratories), a hub of capacity building and innovation since 2002, and he recently co-launched the nano-micro manufacturing facility (NMMF) at UWC.
Professor Timothy Dube is a finalist for the IWS – Water Research Commission Award and the TW Kambule-NSTF Award.
Research Expertise: Prof Dube leads Water Studies at UWC and is a trailblazer in GIScience and Earth Observation applications within Environmental and Water Sciences.
His pioneering research leverages cutting-edge satellite and in-situ Earth Observation technologies to meticulously track climate change impacts and monitor global water resources.
Dr Michelle Lochner is in for the TW Kambule-NSTF Award: Researcher and the Special Annual Theme Award: 4IR in SA.
Research Focus: Dr Lochner’s work revolves around applying artificial intelligence techniques to explore vast datasets from telescopes like MeerKAT.
She’s at the forefront of scientific discovery, analyzing millions of astrophysical objects from instruments like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (LSST), both under construction — one in South Africa and the other in Chile.
The Inter-university Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA) is a partnership of three South African universities: UWC, the University of Cape Town, and the University of Pretoria.
The IDIA also has an industry partner in SAP. The overarching goal of IDIA is to build capacity and expertise in data-intensive research within the South African university research community. This will enable global leadership on MeerKAT large survey science projects and large projects on other SKA pathfinder telescopes, leading to leadership on SKA phase 1 Key Science programs.
The Acting Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Professor Admire Dube, highlighted that these nominations speak to the excellence and impact of the research being conducted and the research environment at UWC. He congratulated the finalists and wished them all the best for the awards.
The 26th annual Awards Gala Event takes place on the 11th of July, 2024.