The College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science (CAES) is hosting its 12th annual Postgraduate Research and Innovation Symposium (PRIS) under the theme #ClimateChange. Some 200 postgraduate students will share their research through oral and flash presentations at the online event.
The School of Chemistry and Physics is a major international player in research and teaching, being ranked by Thomson-Reuters as the top South African research producer in both disciplines for the past five years. The School offers students access to cutting-edge laboratories and research equipment, which compares favourably with the best in the world. The combination of a tradition of excellence, state-of-the-art infrastructure and instrumentation enables students to produce ground-breaking research.
About 45 students from the School of Chemistry and Physics will be presenting at PRIS 2022 with research projects that have environmental, societal and industrial impact. The following are some of the projects from our PhD candidates: Mr Lebogang Thobakgale will present his research on Comparison of gold and silver nano thin films for chemical sensing of Tenofovir using surface enhanced raman spectroscopy; Mr Cheslin Moodley’s presentation will cover Non-precious transition metal oxide catalysts for the selective oxidation of propylene glycol; Mr Vishalan Pillay will look at the Adsorption of selected pharmaceuticals onto microplastics and optimisation of adsorption parameters; while Ms Silungile Mhlongo’s projects delves into the Development of new quinoxaline-triazole-thiazole derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents.
We will also be hosting online exhibitions from 30 of our industry partners. The College has strong linkages with industry because they believe in our research excellence. ‘Over 25 years, BSG’s partnering with universities has been key to achieving our focus of unlocking potential,’ said Mr Sid Bwerinofa, Associate Partner at BSG. ‘That’s why we are delighted to be partnering with UZKN for the PRIS event that honours students and celebrates their work.’
Some other highlights from PRIS 2022 include the keynote address from Dr Debra Roberts, Head of eThekwini Municipality’s Sustainable and Resilient City Initiatives Unit, and Co-Chair of the IPCC Working Group II. The event will close with a prize-giving ceremony in which all the best oral and flash presentations will be awarded prizes ranging from R3 000 to R15 000. There will also be a number of lucky draw prizes up for grabs for those in attendance.
Register on our website to join us online on 8 – 9 December 2022.
Words: Londeka Makhoba
