SAAE MEMBERSHIP OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF ACADEMIES OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES (CAETS)
After enjoying observer status at CAETS for a number of years, the Executive Committee of SAAE applied for membership of CAETS on 27 November 2008. In terms of the CAETS Constitution and Rules of Procedure, a delegation of two CAETS representatives visited South Africa in June 2009 to assess SAAE’s application prior to it being submitted to the CAETS Board of Directors. Various current and past SAAE Executive Committee Members assisted the CAETS Delegation to meet the stakeholders that they selected. The CAETS Council Meeting on 17 July 2009 unanimously accepted SAAE as the 26th member Academy
COOPERATION WITH ATSE (AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING)
The First Joint Science and Technology Committee Meeting between the South African Department of Science and Technology and the Australian Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research was held in Cape Town in February 2009. ATSE representatives were included in the Australian delegation. It was agreed that Australia and South Africa would hold joint research and policy workshops over the next two years. Energy was identified as a joint priority topic for attention.
18TH CAETS CONVOCATION 2009, CALGARY, CANADA, JULY 2009
The theme of the 18th CAETS Convocation was “Our Heritage of Natural Resources – Management and Sustainability”. The contributions were arranged under the sub-themes Energy, Forests, Water Management and Mining and Minerals. SAAE President Bob Pullen and Vice-President Prof Roelf Sandenbergh represented SAAE and also presented papers. (All the papers and presentations delivered at the Convocation are available on internet under “CAETS Calgary 2009”.) The Convocation was attended by approximately 120 delegates.
SAAE International Workshop on Challenges of the Engineering Skills Shortage
The SAAE, with the support of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Pretoria, organized this Workshop with the aim to develop firm recommendations as a basis for a Master Plan for South Africa to assist in addressing the Challenges of the Engineering Skills Shortage through the activities of JIPSA (Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition) which is a subcommittee of ASGISA (Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa). The Workshop formed part of the Centenary Celebration Programme of the University of Pretoria and was sponsored by Anglo American PLC.
