Sunday Science – Reflections – Sound and Vibration of the S.A. Agulhas II
The Mid-Month series final for March is reflecting on Science projects on Sunday. The Sound and Vibration Research Group (SVRG) in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
is a SANAP research project. The SVRG has established expertise, equipment and laboratory facilities to conduct research and investigations into noise and vibration problems for industry as well as the public sector. Our primary field of research is associated with human response to sound and vibration where, in particular, seating dynamics and sound quality are investigated. Prof Annie Bekker is the Principal Investigator of the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) – Decision aiding for the SA Agulhas II through modelling, monitoring and data capture.
Vibration and acoustic comfort on the polar supply and research vessel – S.A. AGULHAS II
As part of an international research consortium between the Universities of Aalto and Oulo, Aker Arctic, Det Norske Veritas, Rolls Royce, Wartsila and STX Europe the SVRG performed vibration comfort measurements on board the SA Agulhas II, the new polar supply research vessel. The SA Agulhas II was put to the test during two days of ice-breaking operations in the Bay of Bothnia in Finland during ice-trails as well as a 76-day voyage between Cape Town and Antarctica. Sound levels and vibration comfort will be determined in conjunction with exterior ice conditions and ice-loads on the ship hull in an on-going research project which enables a unique comparison between Arctic and Antarctic conditions.
One of SVRG objectives is to establish a centre of expertise in sound and vibration measurement, analysis and
assessment with the associated measurement equipment and software tools to contribute to the international research arena. Annie Bekker host an annual Symposium on the S.A. Agulhas II where international and national stakeholders give new insight and feedback on research. During the symposium students of the SVRG also get the time to present their research. To open the minds of these students and to taught them the necessary skills Annie Bekker make use of expertise from all over the world.
SVRG recently hosted Professor Anders Brandt from the University of Southern Denmark.
“ABRAVIBE(s)”… data-driven skills, taught by a master
Prof A Brandt
He is the author of the book “Noise and Vibration Analysis” and the MATLAB Toolbox, “ABRAVIBE” – renowned for its open code which demystifies many
aspects of signal processing. Professor Brandt up-skilled students from the SVRG in select topics related to data quality control and signal processing. Three days were spent on a deep dive into theory, balanced by practical application. An essential skill of any vibration engineer is “to know how to hit a structure with a hammer”.
Under the leadership of Prof Annie Bekker, the SVRG will apply their brushed-up techniques to implement several data-driven digital services for the SA Agulhas II, South Africa’s polar supply and research vessel. The collective effort, entitled “DIGSAA” embraces Industry 4.0 technologies to enhance ship management and operation in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. Accordingly, the visit of Prof Brandt has instilled a rigorous signal processing background to equip the group for this momentous task.
Prof Brandt and SVRG ready to work. Front (l-r): Karl Pferdkamper, Jandre Mouton, Ben Steyn. Middle: Jaco Laas, Armand van Zuydam, Martinique Engelbrecht, Prof Bekker, Prof Brandt, Nic Bunn, Nicole Taylor, Jesslyn Bossau. Back: Christof van Zijl and Brendon Nickerson.
Professor Brandt, shares how a modal hammer is used to measure calibrated acceleration responses on this beam structure. Jaco Laas, M.Eng (left) and Brendon Nickerson, PhD (right).
Ben Steyn (M.Eng) is perfecting hammer skills on an experimental set up.
Celebrating a successful week of signal processing and modal analysis.
probably the time to break from studies, our first “Saturday Student” in the Mid-Month series is Kolisa Yola Sinyanya or for those who are familiar with Twitter, 
She is a PhD candidate in Oceanography at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Her PhD research is part of a growing body of work that critically examines bio-geochemical cycling in the ocean, particularly regions that are currently under-sampled. The research aims involve exploring phytoplankton community dynamics and microbe-nutrient interactions in the Indian Ocean, including subtropical and Southern Ocean waters. To date, Kolisa has been awarded the Advancing Womxn Fellowship in the Department of Oceanography awarded under the “For womxn by womxn: conducting research in a field in which womxn are in short supply” category of a new initiative at UCT championed by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. She is one of the researchers who were on 5-week cruise to Marion Island in the Sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean in 2017.
in effective science communication through public speaking, scientific writing and television features. In February of 2020, she presented one of her PhD chapters at Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Diego, USA. Towards the end of 2019, the new 
She has taken part in several science communication activities, including 
freelance and volunteer work for SANAP. Alexander Oelofse is becoming a well-known name within the SANAP community. His 
realized that as freelancer he can be of great service to the community and to 
that I would want to be in, or surrounded, by the ocean as much as possible. I wanted to study marine biology for a long time. Until job shadowing a marine biologist and realising much of the work would be lab-based. I couldn’t imagine that for myself. I then decided to pursue my other passion; photography. Being a member of the photographic society in high school sparked my interest. This led to me studying 
While at University I already started trying to find a way onboard the S.A. Agulhas II. I had to see this stark, extreme and yet breathtakingly beautiful landscape for myself. It took a few years of applying, without succeeding, until I could get onboard the SEAmester III as a lecturer after my studies. Onboard students from various universities around South Africa get the opportunity to experience oceanographic research at its best, out in the field, onboard the 
He departed on the first leg of 
“Seeing the ice shelf for the first time left me speechless. I became quite emotional, realising my dream had come true”. 
“One of my highlights was getting to sit on the back of a snowmobile and traverse the snowy landscapes. Being the passenger allowed me to, despite the icy breeze, absorb the sublime landscapes that we passed through. This image was captured at 02:00 am. You could see the sun dip ever so slightly but never setting. I could get used to that. It made life seem endless, like there was no rush”
and became a 
Islands since 2004 and have been fortunate to work with some of the legends as well as bright upcoming researchers (then students, now fully established and leading their own research groups). For my sins, I was appointed as Chief shore-based Scientist in 2006 (the first time that a woman held this position), and managed to get all people to relevant huts on time, even though we almost had to put together a rescue party to retrieve Valdon Smith and Sarette Slabber from Mixed Pickle (typical Marion Island bad weather meant that they could not walk over Azorella Kop). Thankfully the weather cleared, and all shore-based people made it back to the SA Agulhas I.
flowers and pollen, and how do they get back to their hives? Are they really all female? Why are some species so successful while others are continuously threatened and faced with extinction; especially considering that our world is changing much faster than ever before? 
or others impose on us; and it is crucial that we break through these (non-real) boundaries. STEM fields are a case in hand. This is especially true for woman, who traditionally were considered homemakers or child-carers. In STEM specifically, fields such as mathematics, physics and engineering, and traditionally more field-based disciplines such as zoology, botany, or oceanography, are seen as more suited to men (either because women were not traditionally considered as analytically strong, capable to work in the field, or for that matter, be away from home for any period of time). It is critical that any person (both men and women) should carefully consider what they enjoy, what their specific strengths are (be that a STEM career for a woman, or as a child carer / homemaker for a man), and then pursue that with all their strength and passion. Personally, I was initially directed into a field that I had no interest in (because I could not answer questions asked regarding where I would work if my husband lived in a small town), and from a personal perspective I strongly urge and support woman that want to step out of the “beaten track”, i.e., what is typically expected from you by society, and follow what they are passionate about.
I am currently involved in a number of larger projects which aim to understand how species (individuals / populations) respond to change. One such project is on sub-Antarctic Marion Island (funded through the South African National Antarctic Programme), where we are assembling the full genomes of a number of macroinvertebrate species, with the ultimate aim to understand genes under selection, and how biotic and abiotic factors shape the genetic diversity on oceanic islands. In South Africa, and in collaboration with national (SANBI) and international partners (an NSF/NRF funded project), we are investigating how reptile species adapt to changing and transformed landscapes, and what the downstream impacts are on their genes, morphology and behaviour. Across the African continent, and in collaboration with the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (Portugal), we are documenting the spatial genetic patterns in a number of economically important larger antelope species (such as roan- and sable antelope); our work here directly informs South African policies on translocations.
website 
as our first Monday Man.
There are very few careers which allow you to generate new knowledge and acquire new insights on a daily basis. Working as a scientist allows me to be at the very cutting edge of knowledge generation 
within my field. I love being able to work in a team of scientist working on exciting projects. I get to mentor a range of students, from undergraduates to PhD, all with unique perspectives and insights. As a SANAP researcher, my work allows me access to unique study sites and locations and allows me to work on topics very few people have access to.
Dr Thulani Makhalanyane was the 2014/15 winner of a TW Kambule-
of Marion Island in the sub-Antarctic. Her research is on the impact of various physical factors on landscape change, for example: animals (seals in particular) on soil properties and vegetation community composition; ice, above or below the ground surface. Geomorphology or better known as Physical Geography is her area(s) of Interest and more specifically, the processes behind 
Periglacial Landforms and to a lesser extent Biogeomorphology. She is fascinated by cold and mountainous places, and thus prefer to work in environments like the High Drakensberg, Subantarctic Marion Island or Antarctica. Liezel is a 
research is part of a growing body of work that critically examines biogeochemical cycling in the ocean, particularly regions that are currently under-sampled. The research aims involve exploring phytoplankton community dynamics and microbe-nutrient interactions in the Indian Ocean, including subtropical and Southern 
Ocean waters. To-date, Kolisa has been awarded the Advancing Womxn Fellowship in the Department of Oceanography. She is a Black Women in South Africa Fellows of 2019. In 2019 she was nominated as one of the Inspiring Fifty Women in STEM South Africa. Kolisa has a passion for learning science and for sharing her science and this PhD programme has allowed her to engage in effective science communication through both public speaking and scientific writing. Kolisa’s work has also been documented in the academic communication magazine, The Conversation Africa. Earlier this year she was invited to be on the “New Voices” panel at the annual Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers Congress. Sinyanya is committed to increasing the visibility of women in STEM and to that end, she runs a blog called 
She has just been awarded the HJ Scoonbee medal for the best MSc Dissertation 
pressures on the organism and the genes that experience selection in response to environmental change. Her results highlighted complex spatial genetic patterns that could be driven by micro-habitat preferences and/or a fitness funnel driven by local adaptations. This complexity illustrates that individuals respond to environmental changes. Her results may bring about far-reaching implications for conservation management on Marion Island, highlighting the importance of considering fine-scale evolutionary processes in management plans. In essence, her results emphasize that conservation efforts are best addressed in a ‘bottom-up’ approach as opposed to a ‘top-down’ approach, which is the case for (Southern Ocean) biodiversity. She is passionate about her work and is extremely fond of the world down south. Daniela loves everything about nature, the outdoors, and sports, particularly soccer, of which she is part of a ladies team in a provincial league. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family, and in her free time, she enjoys the hobby of fishkeeping.
She is currently a Capetonian and studies towards a Masters in Physical/Chemical Oceanography, through the Nelson Mandela University. She was one of 41 students that qualified for this year’s SEAmester cruise and won the prize for best student on-board. During the 
ambition that will not be held back and we are convinced that she will become an Antarctic ambassador at heart and further the connection between Cape Town and the Antarctic, as part of the network of gateway cities toward the Antarctic. Her expectation for the expedition before she left : “I look forward especially to interacting with the other young leaders and researchers chosen for this expedition to possibly establish connections. As an aspiring Oceanographer, Antarctica is an important milestone in my career, it represents the pinnacle of science, cooperation and diplomacy. To be the South African ambassador for this project is a privilege and is extremely humbling.” Rudzi arrived back in Cape Town on 28 February 2020 from the first ACYE
