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Yasmin de Raay.

Two engineering students from Stellenbosch University, Yasmin de Raay and Chris Erasmus, have advanced to the international round of the 2025 Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovation competition. Their projects impressed the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) for their originality and relevance to the forestry sector, which play a key role in producing wood and paper.

Managed by the International Council of Forestry and Paper Associations (ICFPA), this competition seeks projects from researchers under 30 years of age who are working in forest-based science, products using wood, pulp or paper as a raw material, process improvements, or other innovations throughout the forest sector value chain.

As first and second place winners in the South African competition, Erasmus and De Raay were awarded R15000 and R10000 respectively. Their projects will now be judged against those from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. An international panel will select the top three global finalists who will then present their projects at the ICFPA CEO Global Roundtable in May 2025 in New York.

Chris Erasmus.

Erasmus, who is completing a Master’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, has developed a wireless dendrometer and environmental sensing system tailored for the forestry industry. This solar-powered device tracks tree growth patterns, water dynamics, and environmental stressors such as temperature, humidity, and soil moisture with precision.

De Raay is pursuing a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering with her project introducing a mini rhizotron system designed to remotely monitor root growth and dynamics in forestry plantations.

For more information contact Jane Molony, Paper Manufacturers Association Of South Africa, +271 180 35063,

[email protected], www.thepaperstory.co.za

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