The Annual Hendrik van der Bijl Memorial Lecture was delivered by Dr Rob Adam on 1 June 2011 in the SRC Board Room in the UP Conference Centre on the Campus of the University of Pretoria. Dr Adam’s topic was

The future of Nuclear Technology in South Africa

. The venue was filled to capacity with more than 85 people attending the lecture. The catering was kindly sponsored by SAAE Executive Committee Member Dempsey Naidoo, CEO of PD Naidoo and Associates. This lecture is unfortunately not available in electronic or printed format.

The 2012 Annual CAETS Meeting will be held in Zurich, Switzerland from August 29 to 31. On August 30 2012 a joint CAETS/SATW (Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences) Symposium on Urban Development and Public Transportation – Improved Understanding of the Interdependencies will take place.

President Bob Pullen attended the 19^th CAETS Convocation in Mexico City from 27 June  to 1 July 2011. The topic for the Convocation was Engineering Analysis and Management to Reduce Risks. Bob Pullen represented SAAE and presented a paper entitled South African Engineering Practice in Relation to Hydrological Risks, Floods and Droughts.  Representation at CAETS Convocations is important as value flows back to SAAE through information gathered, the promotion of the image of the SAAE and the acquaintance made with delegates of other Academies from all over the world.

President Bob Pullen and his wife were invited to visit China during June 2011 as the guests of the Chang’an University, Xian City, which was celebrating its 60^th Anniversary. President Pullen was invited to make a presentation on water resource management to the School of Senior Studies at the University. Their visit was extended to include eight Chinese cities in fourteen days! Inland transport was provided by the Chinese Railway Engineering (Second) Company (CREEC) and the IT company Hauwei. President Pullen also paid a visit to the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) in Beijing where he was received by the President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and taken on a tour of their new headquarters.

A report on the workshop which was organized jointly by SAAE and ATSE on behalf of  the SA Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Australian Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR), was published in June 2011. It was presented to both the South African and the Australian governments and electronic copies were sent to all SAAE members and workshop participants.

The report may be downloaded here.