This youth month, Tukkievaria celebrates UP students and staff under 35 making bold moves within their respective fields. Today we focus on Arno de Coning, a systems engineer in the Maintenance and Operations Department. Arno has successfully fulfilled all the requirements for a PhD in Computer and Electronic Engineering. His thesis investigates the optimisation methods for traffic control centres for the freight corridors in South Africa. He explores the design combining AI techniques and data sharing between Traffic Control Centres (TCCs) to improve efficiency for stakeholders involved in the process.

Throughout his career, Arno has approached academia with the intention to create practical solutions to improve systems and enhance people’s lives and experiences. At UP he is currently responsible for the elements which cannot be seen but are crucial for the university to keep running, such as electricity and water supply. His PhD journey started with a Sanral pilot project aimed at optimising freight corridors. His focus shifted to using AI techniques to enhance the efficiency of the weigh stations. His technique will allow legally-loaded vehicles to be weighed less on a journey and increase the probability of illegal vehicles being prosecuted, by making use of information sharing between stations. The resulting fewer stops for trucks and fewer illegal loads being transported makes routes safer for road users. The ultimate aim is to reduce the loss of human life and lower the financial risk for stakeholders within the freight supply chain.

Arno pushed through obstacles and hurdles to achieve his goal. Not all systems were in place to access the information he needed to conduct his research, requiring him to be innovative and resourceful. Additionally, he had to battle imposter syndrome when presenting his research. He had an encounter which shifted his perspective. He explains: “There was a conference I did in 2016 at the CSIR. I said to the lady running the session ‘I'm quite nervous because you're putting me in the biggest hall to present on the first day.’ And she said, ‘Well, the people are here because you're the expert and they're willing to listen.’ So if you do enough research, you can have the confidence to talk to a crowd and serve as the expert,” he says.  The stress endured on the road to completing a PhD was trying for Arno and he only realised the impact on his wellness once he had completed the programme.

However, despite every obstacle and sacrifice, Arno’s courage and perseverance has yielded fruit. He is proud to have completed his studies, “The most rewarding part was finally receiving that letter of completion. It actually feels that now my voice will finally be heard,” he says.

For youth month, Arno is hopeful that the solutions which South Africa needs can be found in the hearts and minds of the youth. “There is a younger generation that is eager to help. They have creative ideas and we must figure out how to harness that fully,”  he says. Additionally, he encourages young people to empower one another instead of breaking each other down and to stay positive even in trying times.

After graduation, Arno is looking forward to resting, pursuing hobbies and other interests, continuing to enable UP to run optimally and finally adorning the title of “Dr”.