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SA students win green talent award
German Federal Minister of Education and Research, Professor
Annette Schavan, honoured two young South African researchers
with this year’s “Green Talents” international sustainability
award for their research. She received the altogether 20 award
winning research entries from 12 countries at the 7th Forum for
Sustainability of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
(FONA) in Berlin. “We are extremely pleased about the great response
the ‘Green Talents’ competition once again received this year
and about the participants’ interest in Germany as a research location,”
said Minister Professor Annette Schavan. “The purpose of
this competition is to advance international cooperation so we can
jointly contribute towards developing sustainable solutions to fighting
the climate change and to protect the environment.” Minister
Schavan pointed out: "We create conditions that let us learn with
and from one another. Most importantly, we do not want to make decisions
over the heads of the young people themselves whose future
is the issue here, but together with them."
The award of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
(BMBF) under the patronage of Minister Professor Annette Schavan
is handed out for the second time in 2010. It is a distinction for
outstanding scientific talents in the field of sustainability research.
The decisive selection criterion is that a research paper may crucially
contribute towards mastering global challenges such as the climate
change, declining energy resources and massive environmental pollution.
Paul William Jorgensen from the university in KwaZulu-Natal
impressed the jury with being so focused on studying the topical issue
of ecosystem goods and services at his young age. Jeanne Yvonne
de Waal is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Stellenbosch
and swayed the jury with her research in the field of biologybased
pest control.
A total of 234 young scientists from 57 countries had applied
to become one of the “Green Talents”, among them 18 researchers
from South Africa. A high-calibre jury of German experts selected a
total of 20 award winners who will travel through Germany from 1
to 11 November 2010 as part of a ten-day science forum. Germany
is one of the leading locations for sustainability research in the world
and a strong partner for international cooperation arrangements in
this field. During their stay in Germany, the “Green Talents” are going
to visit important universities, research institutions and companies
and will learn about trend-setting projects in various fields
of technology. They will meet renowned German experts and
establish contacts with young
German scientists. Moreover,
after the week of the Forum,
the award winners are
going to have the opportunity
for an additional
stay of up to three
months within one
year to do research
in Germany
in order to
further intensify
the international exchange in the field of sustainability research.
The winners of “Green Talents – The International Forum for High
Potentials in Sustainable Development 2010”:
“Green Talents 2010” from South Africa:
(Mr) Paul William JORGENSEN (South Africa), BSc (Hons),
BSocSc, MSc-Student, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa,
research focus: quantification of ecosystem goods and services
(Ms) Jeanne Yvonne DE WAAL (South Africa), MSc, PhD-Student,
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, research focus: sustainable
agriculture “Green Talents 2010”:
(Ms) Janaína ACCORDI JUNKES (Brazil), MSc, PhD-Student, Federal
University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, research focus: waste management –
reuse of mineral waste
(Mr) Tirthankar BANERJEE (India), PhD, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture
and Technology, India, research focus: environmental modelling
(Mr) Sukalyan BHADRA (India), MSc, PhD-Student, Indian Association
for the Cultivation of Science, India, research focus: development of sustainable
catalytic systems
(Mr) Alexander GUSEV (Russia), PhD, Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic
University, Higher School of Economics, Russia, research focus: energy
policy
(Mr) HE Zhen (Jason) (China), PhD, University of Wisconsin, USA, research
focus: bioenergy recovery from wastewater
SEITE 3 (Ms) Indumathi JEYACHANDRAN (India), PhD, University of
Utah, USA, research focus: urban systems sustainability
(Mr) Tonni KURNIAWAN (Indonesia), PhD, University of Eastern Finland,
Finland, research focus: water treatment / water purification
(Ms) Adriana Patricia LÓPEZ VALENCIA (Colombia), MRes, PhD-
Student, Universidad del Valle, Colombia, research focus: sustainability of
human settlements
(Ms) Bee Ting LOW (Singapore), PhD, Membrane Technology and Research,
Inc., USA, research focus: membranes for CO2 capture
(Mr) Andrew MARCH (USA), BSc, MSc-Student, Université d’Orléans,
France, research focus: environmental hazards to urban centres
(Ms) Daniela MORAIS LEME (Brazil), MSc, PhD-Student, Universidade
Estadual Paulista, Brazil, research focus: environmental impact of biodiesels
(Ms) Julia NIKITCHENKO (Ukraine), MSc, PhD-Student, National Aviation
University, Ukraine, research focus: recycling of scrap tyres application
of secondary raw materials
(Mr) Mike OTIENO (Kenya), MSc, PhD-Candidate, University of Cape
Town, South Africa, research focus: sustainable cement and concrete materials
(Mr) PHAN Vu Xuan Hung (Vietnam), MSc, Gwangju Institute of Science
and Technology, Korea, research focus: water and wastewater treatment
– desalination and photovoltaics
(Ms) Binita SHAH (India), MSc, Freespanz Design Build Pvt. Ltd., India,
research focus: holistic sustainable development framework
(Ms) Mercedes VALDERRAMA-VERNAZA (Colombia), Dipl, Universidad
Industrial de Santander, Colombia, research focus: ecosystem research
and sustainable land use
(Mr) WANG Chao (China), MSc, Beijing Union University, China, research
focus: solid waste treatment methods
(Mr) ZHAO Dewei (China), MEng, PhD-Student, Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore, research focus: organic solar cells