Making the Durban University of Technology (DUT) proud was Quality Management postgraduate student Tania Naicker, who recently won the best video presented at the Southern Africa Institute for Industrial Engineering (SAIIE) Conference held at The Capital in Zimbali.
The SAIIE Conference sees students from numerous institutes and universities within Southern Africa develop solutions to help improve Industrial Engineering. The conference is also a platform which exposes students to excellent opportunities and ways to network.
Explaining more about the sterling video, Naicker relayed that when they were told to create a video they were given guidelines to ensure that the video is captivating and unusual.
“The video I had created was quite unusual. I wanted it to be something that would intrigue the audience but at the same time be educational and send through the message I was trying to convey,” she expressed.
Naicker indicated that. colours, pictures and text were incorporated as she spoke to give it a more appealing view.
“I envisioned creating a video that would be fun yet still professional. Also, a video that anyone would be able to understand even if the audience does not know much about the topic being discussed,” said the go-getter.
She conveyed that the video gives a background of the study, the methodology used and a conclusion of the entire study.
Naicker’s supervisor, Associate Professor: Operations and Quality Management, Professor Shalini Singh knew from the onset that her video was brilliant. When she saw the first draft version, she immediately indicated to Naicker that she could be a potential winner.
“We had a discussion on how to fine-tune the video to give it the edge and finesse that it needed to perform at the forefront. The video was a natural and a very sincere account of Tania’s engagement with her work,” said Prof Singh.
She further commented that she was extremely relieved when she received the notification of the result as well as ecstatic with the result.
Naicker, along with her supervisor, Associate Professor: Operations and Quality Management, Prof Shalini Singh also jointly presented her research paper at the SAIIE Conference. Their research paper stemmed from the Postgraduate Research Report and was included as an accredited conference proceedings.
Upon hearing the great news, Naicker felt an overwhelming sense of joy and excitement.
“In all honesty I am grateful for each person that helped me with finishing this paper, especially Prof Singh. I am truly lucky to have someone like her has a mentor, from day one she kept motivating and has assisted me immensely with completing and improving this paper,” she said thankfully.
Giving more context on what the paper focused on, Naicker relayed that it highlights on food safety with using nanotechnology in the food processing industry.
Tania Naicker
“In this paper the pros and cons of using nanotechnology in the food industry were evaluated. I also looked at possible food safety standards or regulations which monitors the safe use of nanotechnology within the food processing industry,” she said.
She further added that the findings of the paper showed that using nanotechnology can aid in the improvement of food safety and food quality through the use of nanoencapsulation, active and smart food packaging, nanocoating, nanoparticles and nanocomposites.
“However, there seems to be great public concern with regards to underlying safety concerns due to the gaps of knowledge that currently exist. My recommendation would be that future work should provide more conclusive findings especially around the safety and toxicity of using nanotechnology within the food industry.
She explained that there is great need for standardisation and uniformity of practice in the use of nanotechnology.
“The development of appropriate standards to ensure this would provide the food industry with the ability to exploit the full potential of using nanotechnology. I truly believe that providing this information would help develop the maturity of nanotechnology in the food industry,” she stressed.
Prof Singh went on to explain the vital role supervisors play to engage with students and their research as early in their undergraduate studies as possible.
“I have worked with Tania in her Advanced Diploma and now with her in the Post-Graduate Diploma. This articulation allows the students to understand the fundamentals of research and its dynamics in the Advanced Diploma. They are then able conceptualise theories and principles, apply and innovate it as a real-world setting, in the Postgraduate Diploma” she added.
Further on, Prof Singh highlighted that moreover, students are able to evaluate scenarios with a deeper understanding and perspectives and write reports that are concise, accurate and most importantly reflective of practice that is meaningful to stakeholders making them adaptive students.
Over the years she has had much success with student research in addressing real-life concerns, uplifting their communities and their environments encompassing the “4S” from DUT’s ENVISION 2030.
“Our topics focus on organisational strategies and systems towards continuous improvement, sustainability both from environmental and organisational perspectives and stewardship through leadership and entrepreneurial thinking,” she said.
Prof Singh conveyed that since 2013 they have had undergraduate students engaging in contemporary research in international conferences with no less than 38 presentations, 14 posters, 2 chapters of books, 7 accredited proceedings, 1 Op-Ed in national newspaper and much more.
Also, Prof Singh expressed that she is extremely grateful that management of her Department of Operations and Quality which has supported undergraduate and postgraduate research initiatives over the years.
Next year, 2023, Naicker plans to do her Master’s in Quality Management.
To view Naicker winning video, go to:
Pictured: Professor Shalini Singh and Tania Naicker.
Waheeda Peters
