Tashinga Mautsa, a second-year Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering student at IIE MSA, was announced the winner of the Water Quality Monitoring competition earlier in November.

The competition ran over three months, and challenged student groups to monitor the Wilgespruit River, collecting data to assess water quality and identify ways to improve environmental sustainability. The initiative aimed to engage students with practical scientific solutions to real-world environmental problems.

“Seeing the changes in the river raised concerns and provided valuable insight into the local ecosystem and human impact on the water quality. The community needs to be mindful of littering because microplastic litter can cause more harm than we realise,” said Tashinga, emphasising the importance of community awareness when it comes to the environment and the type of issues it faces.

Lecturers Vanessa Stippel from the Engineering, Science and Health Department and Linda Downsborough, the head of Environmental Science, joined in. Vanessa discussed the educational significance of this project and shared that through this competition, the students gained practical scientific experiences and learnt how to assess the impact of human activities on the environment. Linda commended them for their commitment throughout and recommended further programs that support sustainability in the community.

By combining research, education, and community involvement, the institution is producing a generation of environmentally conscious engineers who are ready to take on urgent ecological challenges.