Planning the SAWomEng conference requires a lot of time and dedication. The uniqueness of the conference team lies in their ability to excel in activities other than SAWomEng activities. Throughout the year, the team became increasingly busy with the conference but it is through supporting one another in and outside SAWomEng that the team members managed to succeed in other areas.

Traci Reddy (2011 Conference Director) was listed on the Mail & Guardian “Top 200 young South Africans” in the Science and Technology Category for 2011. This recognises young individuals under 35 with the potential to constructively shape the future of South Africa. A profile of Traci’s achievement can be found here. Traci’s achievements continue to increase by the day and SAWomEng is proud of her exemplary leadership.

Sakhile Masuku, (2011 Website coordinator) will be attending our conference from the 10th to the 15th of July. On the morning of 15th, she will make her way to Croatia for yet another conference!  She has been invited to attend the two  week  “Renewing Our Minds 2011 International Gathering” in Fužinarska kuća, Fužine, Croatia from the 16th - 31st July 2011. The conference focuses on development of ethical leadership and peace building.  This young lady is maximising her university experience by seizing opportunities out of the ordinary :-)

Another SAWomEng family member, Rinesh Jivanji (2010 Venue Coordinator) Graduated with a Masters in Chemical Engineering from UCT. His research was in Eutectic Freeze Crystallization and his year of completion was the same year he was running around with 2010 conference preparations. SAWomEng celebrates your remarkable success Rinesh!

Mariam (2011 Conference Coordinator) and Traci have both received nominations for the WiEBE (Women in the engineering and Built Environment) 2011 National Competition for Excellent Women in engineering and technology. More about this wonderful achievement can be found here.

On the outdoor scene, Traci and Mariam challenged themselves to the Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon and each received a medal for completing the race. We consider this an absolute achievement, especially since the weekend of the marathon was during our peak involvement with the conference applications. This is the second time they have both participated in this event and should not come as a surprise if this turns out to be a SAWomEng for team building in the near future! Well done to you Mariam and Traci for inspiring the team with your versatility!

Many more achievements are expected from the team, but for now the common achievement yet to be documented is the 2011 conference which is only a few days away. Watch this space :-)