UCT student's thesis tops the pile

UCT engineering student Sam Wegener won the 2014 South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Barry van Wyk Award for the best undergraduate thesis on a geotechnical engineering topic.

Wegener, who graduated with a BSc in engineering from UCT last year, submitted a dissertation titled The Effect of Vibratory Pile Driving on the Original Gravity Structure Quay Wall at Ben Schoeman Dock Berth 603, Port of Cape Town.

Wegener was supervised by Dr Denis Kalumba, a geotechnical engineering expert in the Department of Civil Engineering. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in civil engineering at UCT, specialising in geotechnical engineering.

The award is presented annually to the best thesis on a geotechnical engineering topic. This is the fourth time in six years that a UCT student has won this coveted award.