The Scientific and Technical Officers' Association celebrated its 60th anniversary at its annual general meeting on 25 October.

The association was formed in 1947 in order to protect and promote the interests of scientific and technical officers at UCT, then mostly white, male mechanical engineers, reports Shireen Govender, outgoing chairperson. The group later changed its name to the Technical Officers' Association, and more recently to the STOA to incorporate scientific officers across the university.

“This diverse group of professional and support services staff are skilled in engineering, IT, medical and scientific fields, forming the backbone of teaching and research at UCT and contribute hugely to UCT's mission,” says Govender.

One of the highlights for the association has been the creation of a university-wide promotion process that replaced the more arbitrary, faculty-based system in place before.

“We were on the task team that formulated the process and even though it still has teething problems, it is up and running.”