The annual Southern African Transport Conference (SATC) is a highlight on the calendar for transportation researchers in Southern Africa. This conference brings together academia and industry from around Africa, particularly the SADC states, for a four-day conference looking at all aspects and modes of transportation. This was the 41st SATC, making it the longest-running transportation-focused conference in the region.
Stellenbosch University (SU) was well-represented at the conference, with an astounding 14 papers authored or co-authored by current SU students and academics. Several awards presented at the conference also found their way to Stellenbosch University. Master’s student, Jared Arries, from the Department of Civil Engineering, received the SATC Award for the Best Paper Presented at the conference for his research paper titled “Accuracy of video analytics and on-board GPS devices for data collection at roundabouts.” Mienke Knipe, a PhD candidate at the Department of Logistics, was honoured with the SAICE Transportation Division’s Award for the Best Paper by a Young Professional for her paper titled “The economic facilitating role of passenger transport in South Africa.” The high number of candidate papers for the Young Professional award this year prompted the addition of two merit awards for high-quality papers by young professionals, one of which was bestowed upon Chris Abraham, master’s student from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, for his paper titled “Decarbonising South Africa’s paratransit with hydrogen – a simulated case study.”
The SATC is a keen supporter of higher education. Every year, the conference sponsors the attendance of two students from various universities around Southern Africa with a transportation research focus. Students are required to prepare an essay on the conference theme. This year, the two winning essays from Stellenbosch University were written by PhD candidate, Ernest Kakoma, from the Department of Civil Engineering and Darian Grant from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
Congratulations to all the attendees and winners. Your achievements serve as a testament to our ongoing dedication to transportation research in Southern Africa.
Photo 1: Jared Arries and supervisor Dr Megan Bruwer at the SATC.
Photo 2: (f.l.t.r.) Mienke Knipe, Jared Arries, Darian Grant, Ernest Kakoma and Chris Abraham (insert).
[Article written by Dr Megan Bruwer]
