Summa cum laude Mechanical Engineering graduate Brent Yelland has been awarded the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) Medal for being the top BSc Engineering student at UKZN.
The top achiever is currently registered for an MSc in Mechanical Engineering at UKZN, working with the Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI).
“My focus is on analysing external air flow of the sounding rocket being developed by ASRI, using CFD (aerodynamic analysis),” he explained.
Mr Yelland expressed gratitude to his parents for their support as well as academic leader for Mechanical Engineering, Professor Glen Sneddon, who is also his supervisor.
“I met many great professors and lecturers who were a positive influence on my studies. Working with them alongside a talented team of engineers at ASRI has been a great experience so far.”
“Mechanical Engineering and ASRI are delighted to have Brent join the postgraduate team at UKZN,” said Professor Sneddon.
“He is easily the top student in his year, graduating summa cum laude and producing eye watering stats for achievement in his undergraduate degree: eight Dean’s commendation awards, 26 certificates of merit (first in class), 36 distinctions (>80%), second in the high budget category for final year project, and ECSA UKZN medal recipient for top overall engineering student in 2023.
“But that’s not all – Brent is a star cyclist winning multiple races with a forte for hill climbing. He truly embodies the ideal of mensa et corpore sane, namely, a healthy mind and a healthy body. We look forward to learning a great deal together as Brent develops his research.”
Mr Yelland was first exposed to UKZN engineering as a matric pupil when he toured the Mechanical Engineering building and learned about UKZN’s aerospace programme from Professor Michael Brooks.
“I was impressed with what I saw and thought that if all the lecturers were on par with Prof Brooks, then I would be getting a great education and would be happy to study here,” he recalled.
