Youth-focused event promotes research in sector

Industry body Cement & Concrete South Africa (CCSA) will host its second biennial Young Concrete Researchers, Engineering and Technologists Symposium (YCRETS) from July 12 to 14.

The event is aimed at promoting definitive research and technologies in the cement and concrete sector, and will be held at the Neelsie Student Centre, at Stellenbosch University, in the Western Cape.

“We have decided to host the event at a tertiary education institution to promote the development of the youth in the sector,” says CCSA business development manager and event organiser Hanlie Turner.

Consequently, the event will host presenters 35 years and younger to engender a “freshness and collegiate atmosphere”.

“This is the first time we will hold the event in person, and we believe that the networking opportunities, various talks and topics will open doors for the students and researchers.”

The CCSA also hopes that the event will foster research collaborations among the different academic institutions and industries across Southern Africa.

She enthuses that, to date, almost 40 paper submissions have been received, and it is expected that the figure will be substantially more than the 24 papers presented at the 2021 event.

“The event’s popularity and draw are growing and we cannot wait to see what it will grow into in the coming years,” she says.

Rewarding Excellence

The event will also play host to the second Young Concrete Researcher Award, which will be awarded to a young researcher who is making a significant contribution to the advancement of cement and concrete through research excellence in the South African environment.

Applicants must not be older than 35 years in the year that the award is presented.

Applicants would have to submit a portfolio of evidence of their papers that have been published in accredited journals and all the details of their presentations at peer review conferences, in addition to having had postgraduate supervision for the research, as well as dissertation and paper reviewer experience.

“The applicant would also need to disclose any research awards and grants,” says Turner.

The winner will not only have his/her research published in the CCSA’s industry publication – Concrete Beton – but will also win a copy of the tenth edition of Fulton's Concrete Technology, which the CCSA published last year, as well as a specially designed plaque acknowledging their achievements.

“That is besides, of course, the visibility they will receive in front of a global academic audience,” enthuses Turner.

The awards will be adjudicated by Turner, CCSA CEO Bryan Perrie and Emeritus Professor Mark Alexander.