The Faculty of Engineering proudly congratulates Mr Gerhard Hattingh, a final-year student in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, as the winner of the 31st Jac van der Merwe Competition for Innovation. His project, Design and Implementation of an Off-Grid Communication System for Messaging and Location Sharing, provides a practical solution for communication in areas with no network coverage. Under the guidance of his supervisor, Prof Rensu Theart, Gerhard demonstrated both technical skill and creative problem-solving, earning him top honours in this year’s competition.

The runner-up, Mr Karl Prins (Mechanical Engineering), impressed the panel with his Finite Element Method Solver for Electromechanical Analysis, supervised by Prof Matthys Botha. A third-place recognition was awarded to Mr Jarrod van der Poll (Mechatronic Engineering), whose project on a Wine Labelling Machine for Small-Scale Wine Producers, guided by Mr Johann Bredell, combined innovation with practical application.

Other finalists also showcased exceptional work, including:

• Ms Kerryn-Lee Heunis (Chemical Engineering) – Production of Mycelial-Textile Biocomposites Reinforced with Geopolymers for Non-Load Bearing Applications, supervised by Prof Eugene Van Rensburg.
• Mr Johan Le Roux (Civil Engineering) – BraAI: Visual Image Processing and Machine Learning to Quantify Steak Doneness, supervised by Prof Richard Walls.
• Ms Emma McNab (Industrial Engineering) – Exploring the Potential of a Counterfactual Sinus Surgery Recommender System, supervised by Mr Eldon Burger.

The judging panel was chaired once again by Prof Gert-Jan van Rooyen, an alumnus of the Faculty, Extraordinary Professor in Industrial Engineering, and founding director of Octoco. He was joined by representatives from the Faculty’s different departments: Dr Mieke Nieder-Heitmann (Chemical Engineering), Mr Chris Jurgens (Civil Engineering), Dr Chantelle van Staden (Electrical & Electronic Engineering), Prof Sara Grobbelaar (Industrial Engineering), Dr Rashid Haffejee (Mechanical Engineering), and Dr Nicole Taylor (Mechatronic Engineering). Prof van Rooyen praised the participants for their creativity and technical expertise, noting that the competition inspires students not only to solve current challenges but also to envision new possibilities in engineering.

The Jac van der Merwe Competition for Innovation, established in 1995 to honour the late Stellenbosch alumnus and M-Net founding member Jac van der Merwe, continues to celebrate his inventive spirit by encouraging engineering students to think beyond the ordinary.

This year’s prize money was generously sponsored by the Faculty of Engineering, highlighting the Faculty’s commitment to fostering innovation and recognising outstanding student projects.