Chemical Technology March 2015

SAIChE contact details PO Box 2125, NORTH RIDING, 2162

tel: +27 11 704 5915; fax: (0) 86 672 9430;

email: saiche@mweb.co.za; website: www saiche.co.za

IChemE SAIChE NEWS

Re-launch of Western Cape Branch Just over two years ago, The Western Cape Branch had ceased to exist, but has been re- cently re-constituted under the chairmanship of HamiedMazema, a once branch chairman and past longstanding committeemember. A committee was formed out of volunteers and local members who were invited to participate in re-establishing a presence in the Western Cape. This area is an important industrial hub where many chemical engineers reside and where there are three tertiary institutions that teach chemical engineering. This was further confirmed by the wide- spread and unanimous support for the initiative across the spectrum of academia and industry. The present committee con- sists of: Hamied Mazema (Chairperson), Prof Eugene Cairncross (ex-CPUT), Ashleen Mar- shall (CPUT), Dr Adeniyi Isafiade (UCT), Adri Uys (UCT), Ronald Gunda (City of Cape Town) and Adrian Rudolph (CSIR). On the 22 nd January 2015 the Western Cape Branch had the honour of a very special and magnanimous re-launch, at which the President of IChemE and his team were in Cape Town and ran a very successful work- shop on “Chemical Engineering Matters”. The programme, by all standards, was well patron- ised with over 50 persons attending. Proceedings commenced with the chair- man’s address welcoming the distinguished guests and all attendees. This was followed with an address by Dawie Van Vuuren, President of SAIChE-IChemE, who elaborated on the SAIChE- IChemE collaboration. Thereafter, Neil Atkinson (IChemE) expounded on the ubiquitous nature IChemE visits UKZN On the 21 st January 2015 the Discipline of Chemical Engineering at the UKZN hosted a visit by Dr Alana Collis, Senior Technical Policy Officer of IChemE.The discussion focused on the challenges facing chemical engineers in South Africa and the role that IChemE could play in supporting and facilitating engagement of stakeholders in the region on some of the most pertinent issues involving the profession. After meeting with the major research groups in the department, Alana proceeded with an interactive presentation based around five questions:

Left to right: (C= W Cape Committee and M= Member). Eugene Cairncross (C), Hamied Mazema (C-Chair),Geoff Maitland (Presi- dent, IChemE), Philip Lloyd (M), Ronald Gunda (C), Neil Atkinson (IChemE), Adrian Rudolph (C), Alana Collis (IChemE).

(Left to Right) Hamied Mazema (Chair; 80s and present), Geoff Maitland (President, IChemE), Philip Lloyd ( Ex-Chair 70s).

(Left to Right) Manoj Chhiba (attendee), Attendee, Geoff Maitland (President IChemE), Hamied Mazema (Chair).

thanking everyone for attending and for making the event such a memorable and resounding success. Thereafter everyone gathered for an- other round of refreshments and snacks whilst networking. In summary, the event was enjoy- able, interesting, stimulating and a resounding success: a given, attested to by the fact that the event surpassed the set closure time by almost one-and-a-half hours. z Written by Hamied Mazema

of chemical process engineering and, in doing so, set the tone for the workshop. The unique format of the workshop was very productive and stimulating with the audience participating in contributing to the various vistas of “Chemical Engineering Matters” that were presented by IChemE President, Geoff Maitland, and facilitated by Neil Atkinson and Alana Collis, both of IChemE. At 21:20 the chairman closed the event by • What does chemical engineering look like in your country /region / sector / industry / company right now? • What challenges do you face? • What opportunities can you see? • What actions would you prioritise? • What can IChemE do to support you, your colleagues and your employer? She highlighted the existence of special interest groups within the IChemEmembership and en- couraged all to take advantage of this platform to promote research and create networks. Com- ments from the audience were invited. The visit

was rounded off by a tour of the research and training facilities at the Discipline. z Written by: David Lokhat

Professor Randhir Rawatlal, Head of Chemical Engineering at UKZN and Dr Alana Collis, Technical Policy Manager at IChemE.

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Chemical Technology • March 2015