26 October 2018Official weekly newsletter of NUST

Namibia University of Science and TechnologyNUST_Namibia

@NUST_Namibia

NUST BRIEF website: www.nust.na

An award-winning university• Rated Best Higher Education Institution in Namibia (PMR 2014, 201 5, 2016, 2017)

• Rated Most Innovative Institution in Namibia (PMR 2014, 2016)

Building a World-Class University.

• Bachelor of Technology in Marine Engineering• Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering• Master of Journalism and Media Technology• Master of Urban Design

Deadline for Applications for above qualifications: 26 October 2018

Enquiries: Office of the RegistrarAdmissions and Recruitment OfficeT: +264 61 207 2056E: admissions@nust.na

New programmes coming in 2019

During the opening session of the two-day event, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education Training and Innovation, Honourable Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo, addressed the gathering and emphasised the importance of collaboration in the higher education sector. She encouraged the students to take advantage of platforms such as the Symposium, for the greater good of the country.

The event gives students an opportunity to engage in mentally stimulating discussions and collaborations across various disciplines.

Some of the studies presented by NUST students at the Symposium were: Evaluation of E-Government Services Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in Developing Countries - The Case of Namibia; A

Nurturing potential, sharing knowledgeThe first-ever National Students’ Research Symposium was held last week in Windhoek, under the theme ‘Nurturing Potential, Sharing Knowledge.’ The symposium was hosted by the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, in collaboration with NUST, the University of Namibia, the International University of Management, and the National Commission for Research, Science and Technology (NCRST).

Symptomatic Based Insider Threats Assessment Framework for Namibia Critical Infrastructure Organisations; and Design and Development of Voice Activity Detection-Based Smart Home

Automation Systems. Dr Tjama Tjivikua, the NUST Vice-Chancellor, delivered an address in which he singled out research as ‘The Missing Link in National Development.’ He said: “In most economies,

universities play a critical role in the nation’s system of innovation. Their cutting-edge performance in basic and applied research lays the basis for a healthy innovation-based economy.”

The NUST Team 1 secured the overall championship title, whilst the NUST Team 2 came second. UNAM Team 1 secured the 3rd place. Additionally, there were category prizes, namely, Best Injects, which was won by Lingua Training College, and Best Uptime, as well as Attacker’s Award, that where both scooped by the NUST Team 1. On top of this, Best Collaboration, went to NUST Team 2.

The rules of the competition made provisions for institutions to enter more than one team. The awards were sponsored by Paratus Telecom, MTC, Green Enterprise Solutions, and the First National Bank, respectively. Furthermore, the achievements were crowned with individual trophies and medals, courtesy of CSS Tactical Security.

The competition also provides a platform for industry to groom future Information Communication Technology (ICT) professionals with a specialisation in cyber security.

All in all, there were six teams from four institutions namely, Delta Secondary School, Lingua International College, the University of Namibia and NUST. Mercy Chitauro, a lecturer

in the Faculty of Computing and Informatics (FCI) at NUST, and the coach of the NUST teams, noted that the competition is set to provide students with real-world challenges simulated in a theoretical environment that models a practical corporate network to curb these crimes.

She added that students are challenged to protect modelled corporate networks, while at the same time attending to normal day-to-day activities, such as setting up e-mails, attending to employee queries and serving clients under strict deadlines.

The competition was also made possible by other companies and institutions that included Business Connexion (BCX), Bank of Namibia, Namibian Police, Ministry of Defence, Office of the Prime Minister, Telecom Namibia and NamWater.

With the date for the next NNCSC event for next year already pegged for Saturday, 05 October 2019, FCI encourages industry to come on board and make a difference in the cyber security sector. More details can be found on the competition website: www.nncsc.com

NUST wins National

NUST has once again won the annual Namibia National Cyber Security Competition (NNCSC). The competition, being held for the fourth time, is aimed at creating awareness for cyber security threats. The theme of the NNCSC was “Trust, But Verify,” which aimed at promoting responsible online behaviour within organisations.

Cyber Security Competition

Recently, staff of the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences took part in the 2018 Science Week. The outreach initiative was organised by Goethe-Institut, and the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), with support from various partners such as NUST. The Week aims to increase awareness of the role science plays in society through entertaining educational activities and films. This year, the films addressed contemporary science issues in line with the theme ‘The Food Revolution.’ The films focussed on nutrition and meeting the demands of a fast-growing global population, one of the current key challenges the world is facing. Moreover, participating schools and members of the public had the opportunity to witness scientific experiments while interacting with local scientists.

Science is everywhere...NUST Staff from the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences engaging high school learners.

Mercy Chitauro, Faculty of Computing and Informatics Lecturer, and Coach of 2018 NUST NNCSC Teams (front row, fourth from left), pictured with Attlee Gamundani, Faculty of Computing and Informatics Lecturer (front row, far right), as well as the NUST participants.

Honourable Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation (front row, seventh from left), pictured with staff and students from the institutions that were represented at the Symposium.