Civil Engineering August 2022 | Vol 30 No 7

48 August 2022 Civil Engineering S EED has a membership base of over 1 000 members and has seen an increase in membership of approximately 30% since 2021. The executive committee comprises nine members from across the country. SEED has several portfolios including Education and Training, Student and Industry Outreach, Events and Awards, Marketing and Communication and Water and Waste Focus Groups. The annual division calendar comprises events and activi- ties including technical talks focused on tailings, young movers and shakers events, a Women’s Month event celebrating female engineers in environment and climate, the flagship annual SEED Conference (taking place in October 2022), judging of the special awards and sponsorship of prizes for the Eskom Young Scientists Expo and the Annual General Meeting and Lecture in November. In addition, SEED hosts workshops and delivers conference pre- sentations such as talks at the Green Building Council of Southern Africa’s Convention 2021 and the Big 5 Construct Southern Africa Expo in June 2022, focusing on sustainable infrastructure. Here we feature the SEED committee, led by Jeshika Ramchund. Jeshika Ramchund Pr Eng Chairperson Jeshika Ramchund is a professional civil engineer with 14 years of experience in water, wastewater and integrated devel- opments infrastructure projects. She has extensive experience with infrastructure development in informal settlements and the planning and design of large-scale land developments. She serves several local and international engineering and business organisations, chairing and supporting board committees and promoting sustain- able development, diversity and inclusion. Jeshika is an advocate for the role of infrastructure develop- ment in achieving the SDGs and for enhancing the circular economy through the built environment. She is a champion of behavioural change for sustainable development and living, and loves sharing knowledge on the role of infrastructure in miti- gating climate change. Hans King Pr Eng Vice-Chairperson Hans holds a BSc in civil engineering as well as a post graduate diploma in engineering from the University of Cape Town. His experience has included eight years of working for a civil contractor before spending 30 years with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture as a soil conservation engineer. He now runs his own consulting business, HansKingSRS. Hans’ main interests include the planning of river and gulley erosion stabilisation projects, especially where projects can be used for employment creation schemes, and where indigenous wetland vegetation can be used to reduce the number and size of engineered structures. Michael Palmer Pr Eng Treasurer Michael is the Head of Department: Engineering Hydrology and Technical Director at Jones & Wagener Engineering and Environmental Consultants. He holds both a BSc and MSc in civil engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand. Michael has over twenty years’ experience in the fields of water management and hydrology, with a strong focus on the environmental aspects of water management. His fields of expertise include specialist The faces behind SAICE’s Environmental Engineering Division A key component of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering’s (SAICE) mission is active consideration of the impact of the civil engineering industry and the systems and infrastructure developed on the environment and the ecosystems it supports. The SAICE Environmental Engineering Division (SEED) advocates the sustainable infrastructure agenda and drives the critical systems thinking and the fundamental shift required to realise sustainable development. This includes integrating sustainability and resilience into the cities we plan, design and build and the infrastructure systems that support them.