Research unit status for concrete group

Status update: Leaders of the new Concrete Materials and Structural Integrity Research Unit (from left) Assoc Prof Pilate Moyo, Prof Mark Alexander, and Dr Hans Beushausen.

The Concrete Materials and Structural Integrity Research Unit (CoMSIRU) has been given full accreditation as a University Research Unit.

While the research group is almost 20 years old, its growth and increased activities in recent years prompted the group's leaders - Professor Mark Alexander, Associate Professor Pilate Moyo, and Dr Hans Beushausen - to apply for research unit accreditation.

This is a reflection of the high standards underpinning the unit's research goals and productivity, its leadership, financial soundness and management.

The full establishment of CoMSIRU was celebrated at a dinner in Cape Town on 23 November 2010. Guests included Bryan Perrie, managing director of the Cement and Concrete Institute, and representatives from the industry and other academic institutions.

The unit has grown to include a cohort of about 20 full-time postgraduate students (master's and doctoral) in addition to its research, admin and laboratory staff. Strong interest is being expressed in the unit's postgraduate courses.

At the dinner, Alexander thanked representatives of the cement industry who have funded the concrete research operation at UCT over the years. He praised the quality of the graduates being produced, many of whom go on to key positions in industry, the profession and academia.