Research
Engineering 4.0: How to make a city street-smart
South Africa and the world will need to go a big step further to create smart cities where cars are safer and traffic congestion becomes a thing of the past: road infrastructure needs to “talk” to the vehicles driving on it, says UP's Professor Schalk Els.
Engineering 4.0: Our future depends on smart African cities
Smart cities can be used as vehicles for South Africa and the world to move towards a sustainable, smarter future, free from the threats of food security, climate change and inequality.
Engineering 4.0: Big data for smart cities – challenges and opportunities
Researchers at UP's Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment, and Information Technology are using computer models and diplomacy to bridge gaps between those who hold the data and those who need it, by making it easy for everyone to talk to each other.
Researcher profile: Professor Anita Michel
Professor Anita Michel of the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria (UP) is trialling an important vaccination in the fight against bovine tuberculosis.
Heritage: Finding your way back home after being ‘uitgesmyt’
Uitgesmyt – ‘cast out’ – is a documentary by Dr Siona O’Connell which tells the story of the first land restitution case in South Africa.
Heritage: How forced removals shaped ‘An Impossible Return’
Data – in multiple forms – informs stories, and stories shape the things we study. In this case, the acclaimed late South African sculptor David Brown helped UP academic and filmmaker Dr Siona O’Connell reshape one of her studies of forced removals.
Fast facts about respiratory disease
Prof Janine Wichmann and Dr Bukola Olutola share some quick facts about the effects of air pollution on respiratory health.
How do the trees die? International Year of Plant Health (Part 2)
Dr Trudy Paap explains that "The polyphagous shothole borer (PSHB) is a 2 mm long ambrosia beetle that is native to Southeast Asia."
How much is it costing commercial farmers? International Year of Plant Health (Part 3)
According to Dr Trudy Paap, "Avocado trees are among the most susceptible agricultural crop trees to PHSB infestation and Fusarium disease. This is based on experiences in California and Israel."
International Year of Plant Health (Part 4): What are we doing about it?
“The PSHB as an invasive species is relatively new to science, and has only been studied since the outbreaks in California and Israel in the early 2000s, so there are many unanswered questions about this pest. A better understanding of the beetle, it’s fungal associates, and how they interact in their invaded environment is essential to enhance our ability to manage the problem and reduce its impact,” said Dr Trudy Paap.
SMART CITIES PART 2: Big data for smart cities – challenges and opportunities
Researchers at UP's Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment, and Information Technology are using computer models and diplomacy to bridge gaps between those who hold the data and those who need it, by making it easy for everyone to talk to each other.
SMART CITIES PART 3: Our future depends on smart African cities
Smart cities can be used as vehicles for South Africa and the world to move towards a sustainable, smarter future, free from the threats of food security, climate change and inequality.
SMART CITIES PART 4: How to make a city street-smart
South Africa and the world will need to go a big step further to create smart cities where cars are safer and traffic congestion becomes a thing of the past: road infrastructure needs to “talk” to the vehicles driving on it, says UP's Professor Schalk Els.
Preventing abuse among children with communication disabilities
In order to allow for persons with cognitive and communication disabilities, and particularly those with complex communication needs (CCN) to access the justice system in the event of being victims of crime or abuse, researchers at...
Sensitizing the South African Police Service (SAPS) to the challenges faced by persons with CCN
“It is more likely that persons with disabilities will come into contact with the criminal justice system than members of the general public. This could be as a victim, a witness, a defendant or being suspected of a crime,"...
How universal design principles can help persons with disabilities in court
Research by the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the University of Pretoria have made access to justice for persons with complex communication needs (CCN) possible through using principles of universal design.
Giving a voice to persons with disabilities
Researchers at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) are working to stop the abuse of the human rights of persons with disabilities. The researchers want to help victims with Complex Communication Needs
A way out of the dark world of drugs
When you are unsure if you will survive the week, finding relief in heroin is worth the risks of overdose and arrest. Described by one user as “lying in the arms of your mother and lover at the same time,” heroin is often used as a result of exclusion...
Drug intervention that works and makes you feel human again
COSUP’s intervention and assessment process is based on extensive research conducted both locally and internationally, combined with clinical expertise from the team of UP experts. Its approach is based on a foundation of non-judgemental engagement and...
The successes of COSUP
There is a strong sense of achievement and positivity as you walk through the corridors of Sediba Hope Community Clinic in Bosman street, Tshwane. Interacting with people involved in COSUP makes one realise that most of these young people have not had...