Featured Research: Engineering

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How social media can encourage energy efficiency

Ms Uduakobong Ekpenyong had never thought of having deep-fried ice-cream. Until a friend recommended it to her, that is. This simple endorsement of a snack by a close peer was the inspiration behind Ekpenyong's PhD research on the use of social networks in energy-efficiency projects.

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SKA is helping to bring Africa into the knowledge economy

Dr Bernie Fanaroff, Project Director of the South African Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Telescope project, was the speaker at the annual Hendrik van der Bijl Lecture held at the University of Pretoria on 17 June 2015.

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New scrum machine set to revolutionise rugby

The University of Pretoria’s Institute for Sports Research (ISR), in collaboration with the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, and the High Performance Centre (hpc), have developed a ground-breaking tool to assist rugby teams in fine-tuning their scrumming technique.

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Innovative prostheses to restore hearing

Many of us take for granted things such as the ability to hear and enjoy music, the sound of children laughing or the simple joy of being part of a conversation with good friends. We usually don’t even think about how privileged we are in being able to hear.

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Thinking out of the dam: pipeline power

‘People think that because South Africa is a dry country, there is not a lot of opportunity for hydropower,’ says water engineer Marco van Dijk, ‘but it is actually low-hanging fruit.’

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Clear track to the future

The South African government have announced that more than R300 billion will be invested in transport infrastructure over the next three years in an effort to reduce road deaths and traffic congestion, while also expanding the country’s cargo transport capabilities.