Nust knows mining

The Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) boasts a growing reputation for excellence, led by flag-bearing academic communities like its Department of Mining and Process Engineering (DMPE). The department was established in 2009 within the Faculty of Engineering to develop a critical human resource base for the country's mineral industry. “The DMPE is just eight years old, a fledgling department with enormous potential, which is of central importance to the future of the nation and its Vision 2030 skills imperatives. Since 2013 to date, the department has produced 'mineral ready' graduates that are showing exceptional competence in the industry,” according to Dr Harmony Musiyarira, the head of department. Academic members of staff have relevant qualifications and world-class expertise and professional experience to conduct applied and strategic research, offer short courses for professional development and also conduct consultancy in the fields like material characterisation, mineral processing, hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, physical metallurgy, materials engineering, operational excellence, abandoned mine rehabilitation, mine optimisation, project and innovation management, environmental management, energy management and water stewardship. Currently, there are 18 full-time academic staff, each with at least Master's degrees, seven of whom have PhD degrees; five who are internationally rated researchers with extensive teaching and industry engagement experience. The DMPE is now housed in a N$200-million, purpose-built building and, equipped with multi-million dollar laboratory facilities, equipment and instrumentation. “The department has standard laboratory equipment as well as specialised equipment like a scanning electron microscope, Magotteaux Mill, flotation unit and XRF, thin section machine, rock sample preparation equipment and a uniaxial triaxil testing machine. The department also has a variety of software packages including JKSimet, Surpac and Datamine, which are critical for training the students,” he said. The department's degree programmes are accredited by the Engineering Council of Namibia (ECN) and National Council of Higher Education (NCHE). It is already working on accreditation of its programmes by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) in 2019. Over the next five years, the DMPE aims to enhance its research capacity and capabilities through the development of postgraduate degree programmes. Possibilities for four more new programmes, namely Chemical Engineering, Gemmology, post-graduate diploma in metallurgy, and Master's programmes remain high on the agenda, with a needs analysis currently underway. The department has established symbiotic partnerships with various leading mining and process engineering universities and the local mining industry. This partnership has allowed the DMPE to identify key research areas, which dovetail well with the strategic intent of establishing a National Centre of Excellence in Minerals Research in 2019. The department will soon be offering short courses to the local mining industry.

Nust knows mining

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Republikein 2025-05-01

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Nust knows mining

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