For the love of engineering

My name is Jaleel Joseph Claasen.I am a young, goofy, light-hearted person. I grew up in Windhoek and spent the majority of my life in Dorado Park.I attended Delta Secondary School, where I was a bit of a rebel and a naughty kid, in the sense that I was always a bit of a joker in class.During my undergraduate studies at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), I became very close to one of the civil engineering department's most amazing lecturers, Prof. Dr. Mürüde Çelikag. She taught structural engineering fundamentals.As a result, by the time I began my postgraduate studies, I knew exactly which branch of civil engineering I wanted to pursue – structural engineering!The work was as difficult and complex as it gets, but also a lot of fun.We literally burned things in the name of science! What could be better?As part of the FireSUN unit's projects, we conducted a variety of experiments. The multiple informal settlement fire experiments that we conducted are among the most memorable, with the 20-unit informal settlement fire experiment being the largest of its kind in the world.As part of my research project, I conducted the largest standard fire experiment in Africa, in addition to other experimental studies.In early 2017, I received my Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Civil Engineering (Honours) degree from EMU.Following that, I began my Master of Engineering degree at the University of Stellenbosch in early 2018.I was upgraded from a Master's student to a PhD candidate near the end of 2019 and continued with the same dissertation topic until I graduated in April this year with my PhD.When taking this course, you need grit, tenacity, commitment, and consistency.The most difficult part of the journey was probably staying motivated to keep going even when you have no idea when or if it will ever end.Having said that, successfully carrying out the large-scale standard fire furnace experiment as part of my research project was probably my biggest accomplishment and a key factor in my promotion to a PhD student.For this project, the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) presented me with the Top Young Achievers Award in 2019.I am an engineer-in-training (civil engineering), and while my postgraduate studies specialised in structural fire engineering, I am qualified to work in any civil engineering field.For example, I am currently employed at VKE Namibia Consulting Engineers, where I am a member of the road works team, which has nothing to do with my area of expertise. When more structural work becomes available, I will switch again. One of the most significant benefits of obtaining an engineering degree is its versatility.

For the love of engineering

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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For the love of engineering

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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