EBE toasts centres

Celebration: Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Cheryl de la Rey, Professor Cyril O'Connor and Professor Jack Fletcher at the Cape Town function.

The Centres for Minerals Research and Catalysis recently held joint functions in Johannesburg and Cape Town to celebrate their status as UCT Centres and to thank their loyal supporters.

The celebratory function in Johannesburg was attended by all the main players from industries who have contributed funding to UCT over the past 25 years. In Cape Town, alumni, staff and representatives from industry celebrated in the Chemical Engineering Building.

The Centre for Catalysis Research concentrates its efforts on heterogeneous catalysis, while the Centre for Minerals Research focuses on the processes of froth flotation and comminution. Both research groups received centre-status at UCT in 2006.

"We are very fortunate in South Africa to have an engineering school at UCT which, in a very innovative way, has aligned with industry to develop and promote the teaching of science and engineering,' said Mike Halhead, executive director at Anglo Platinum. 'We are very proud to have sponsored UCT and are committed to furthering our support. Both these centres are unique assets to the country and the industry."