Beginning of January 2009, the Educational Activities committee was introduced as a standing committee of the IEEE South Africa Section. The committee is currently led by Mr Excellent Sithole. The new committee coordinated two EAB award nominations in the earlier part of 2009. The awards ceremony took place in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA on 20 November 2009. Volunteers of the IEEE South Africa Section were fortunate to receive both of the two awards for which nominations had been submitted. The first recipient was Professor Nico Beute who received an award in Informal Education with citation: “for exceptional leadership in pioneering, organising and managing the IEEE Teacher In-Service Program in South Africa”. Prof. Beute is the chairperson of IEEE’s Education Society Chapter in South Africa, the immediate past chairperson of the IEEE South Africa Section and the Chair: Nominations and Appointments Committee. Prof. Beute also serves the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa.
The Second recipient was Ms Helena Coetzee who received an award in Pre-University Education with a citation: “for creating opportunities for the engagement of South African pre-university students in science and engineering projects nationally and internationally”. Ms Coetzee currently serves as the Director: Academic projects at Hoërskool Waterkloof, Pretoria, South Africa and is also the co-founder of the “Expo for Young Scientists,” a South African school science fair, initiated in the early 1980s. Congratulations to our 2009 award recipients and we are calling nominations for 2010 EAB awards (see: www.ieee.org/eab-awards).
For more information, please contact Mr Excellent Sithole, email: [email protected], Tel: +27 12 671 1882.