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30 December 2019 | Story Thabo Kessah | Photo Thabo Kessah
Gavin Dollman
Gavin Dollman is involved in virtual prospecting for fossils using a drone.

Gavin Dollman is one of the young researchers selected for the international research programme funded through the US-SA Higher Education Network. This prestigious programme is aimed at giving PhD candidates and their supervisors the opportunity to regularly travel to the USA and spend time at participating US universities where their co-promoters will be based.

“The University Staff Doctoral Programme (USDP) has allowed me to bring my idea of collaborative science to fruition. It’s an exciting opportunity,” Dollman said.

Dollman added that his PhD studies would focus on the machine and deep learning for prospecting for palaeontology. He is studying with the Appalachian State University. Other participating universities are Montana and Colorado State.

He has also had the privilege to work alongside a team of Geologists and Paleontologists from the universities of Birmingham, Zurich and Oxford in a project under the auspices of the University of the Witwatersrand’s Evolution Studies Institute (ESI) on a site in rural Eastern Cape.

“My role within this massive project is to perform a detailed survey of the sites and the surrounding area for later analysis. I used a drone known as the DJI Phantom 3 Pro with which I took hundreds of pictures that were later put together to create a detailed map,” he said.

“The maps allowed for virtual prospecting by the team and will in the long term serve as the basis for a predictive fossil model for the area.”

Dollman is a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics on the Qwaqwa Campus.

News Archive

Samuel Masingi dreams of a shared vision
2014-10-31

Newly-appointed Student Representative Counsel (SRC) member, Samuel Masingi, holds high aspirations for his 2014/2015 term. He has been elected to the portfolio of Ex officio: Student Media Council. Masingi aims to bring the media and students closer together.

“If the media platforms are solid,” Masingi says, “then everything else will just fall into place, causing a snowball effect. I think this is very critical, because even if you do great things, there is no point if no one knows about it.”

A believer in an open door policy, Masingi encourages students to visit him to share their ideas and opinions.

Masingi credits ambition and hard work for his achievements and the success in his academic career. He believes that confidence and willpower can convert ambition into accomplishment – transforming dreams into reality. Studying for his honours in Sport Sciences, Masingi believes in stepping up to the task at hand and making an impact. Be an agent of change in order to see the difference you desire.

Having formerly served on the Tswelopele Residence Committee for Sport, Masingi is not new to the media scene. He previously gained experience as the Sports Editor of the IRAWA Post. He currently contributes to various publications which include Student Leverage – an online magazine – and News24 Voices. This makes him highly -suitable to head the student media portfolio.

When asked about his hopes for the 2014/2015 Student Representative Council he replied, “A shared vision.”

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