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Kyle’s Love for Water Engineering Earns him a cum laude and Deans Merit Award

Kyle’s Love for Water Engineering Earns him a cum laude and Deans Merit Award

Graduating cum laude came as no surprise to Kyle Holmes as he had a vision of passing with 75 percent or higher for all his modules.

Getting a Dean’s Merit Award for academic excellence however came as a pleasant shock to him. Holmes, who has finished his Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree in Civil Engineering, graduated today (Wednesday 03 September 2014) during the University’s September graduation ceremonies to held at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre, DUT Steve Biko Campus.

Admitting that his BTech studies were no easy journey for him, Holmes used his love for water, which he had majored in, as part of his motivation to excel. The course requires students to complete eight subjects consisting of a theory module and project module. There are compulsory subjects which students are required to take as well as optional ones, which students choose based on their interests. If choosing to graduate with Water Engineering, all the compulsory subjects have to be water related, such as water Hydrology, Hydraulics and Water Reticulation Design and Management.

Based on his love for the environment and water related issues, Holmes did not only focus on the abovementioned subjects, but he also added Solid Waste Management, Geometric Design and Pavement Technology. “I chose these subjects because I wanted to broaden my knowledge in transport engineering and urban planning,” said Holmes.

During his years as a pupil and until the second year of his diploma studies, the former Maritzburg College boy mainly focused on playing sport and achieving goals on the sports field. That was until he sustained a sports injury during the second year of his diploma studies. It was then that he started paying more attention to his studies. “After my injuries and my experiential learning, I became more focused on my studies and matured. It is then that I started winning academic prizes for the highest academic mark achieved for Documentation, Water Engineering and Reinforced Concrete Design in my final year (diploma studies),” said Holmes.

He plans to broaden his knowledge in Water Engineering, Urban Planning Design and Railway or Harbour/Port Design. He currently works for a consulting engineering company as a technologist. His work consists of designing water reticulation schemes, pumping schemes, site supervision of construction, drafting and detailing of drawings for tender and construction phases and project management of small construction teams.

– Noxolo Memela

Pictured: Kyle Holmes

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