tsedza mukosi

1^st year civil engineering at university of pretoria

Tsedza joins 51 students in the agency's Northern Region to be awarded a SANRAL bursary in 2017.

WHAT DREW YOU TO CIVIL ENGINEERING?

The fact that it's all about design and the built environment drew me to it. I love designing and I've always been interested in knowing how flats and bridges remain stable regardless of the weight they carry. I've also noticed that the built environment field is male- dominated. I want to change that by encouraging more women to join in.

WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU'VE LEARNT IN YOUR CURRICULUM THIS SEMESTER?

That metals are better than ceramics when it comes to building infrastructure. Ceramics fracture easily and metals are ductile (pliable without losing strength). If we want to build a bridge, we don't use purely ceramics or purely metal, which may corrode easily. We use composite materials – mixtures of two or more types such as metal, plastic and ceramics – to get a material with all the characteristics required to build a good bridge.

CONTROLLED BLASTING SEEMS PRETTY FASCINATING IN THE ENGINEERING SECTOR. HAVE YOU COVERED BLASTING YET?

I haven't learnt about controlled blasting yet in my curriculum. But I know it has to do with breaking rocks using explosives and gas pressure. Engineers use it to make tunnels through mountains. The most exciting thing about civil engineering is that it's not an office job!

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS?

Having a PhD in civil engineering and my own construction company, as well as having written an inspirational book for young adults.