​In March, forestry graduate Gabriel Smith was unable to attend the official function at which he was to receive the Schlich Medal as the top BSc Forestry and Wood Science graduate at Stellenbosch University (SU). Thanks to the support of his current employer, he was able to travel to Stellenbosch in July to receive the award from the Rector of Stellenbosch University, Prof Wim de Villiers.

The Schlich Medal is normally presented during a special function for top achievers held by the Faculty of AgriSciences, which coincides with Graduation Day.  

When they realised that he would not be able to attend the function, Smith's employer, Sappi Forests, decided that the award to the cum laude student should not go uncelebrated. They went the extra mile by paying for his travels to his alma mater, where, behind the scenes, faculty staff organised that the medal be presented to him by the Rector. The small function was also attended by Prof Danie Brink, dean of the SU Faculty of AgriSciences, Mr Damien Naidu, programme leader for nursery technology at Sappi, and Prof Brand Wessels, chair of the SU Department of Forest and Wood Science.

Sappi, one of the country's largest timber growing companies, has been supporting Smith throughout the course of his studies through its bursary scheme.

Smith is now working at Sappi's Shaw Research Centre outside Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands as a forest engineer in training. He works jointly with the Nursery Technologies, Land Management, and Precision Forestry Programmes.  

“I am very happy with my position. It allows me to use my forestry background in combination with remote sensing, programming, artificial intelligence and machine/deep learning in a setting that really interests me," says Smith, who is considering postgraduate studies in future. “I can be doing everything from working on new growth regimes for plants in the nursery, to being out in the field flying a drone, to artificial intelligence, machine learning and programming work. I often get to work on interesting projects and explore new ideas."

He was initially drawn to the field because of his love for the outdoors and mountaineering.

Smith says that the medal and the fact that he received his degree cum laude are the culmination of four years of sacrifice and hard work: “I feel a mixture of pride and relief. I am immensely grateful to all the people, personnel and academics who supported me on the journey."

“Sappi sponsors a number of undergraduate and postgraduate bursaries every year in our department," says Prof Brand Wessels, chair of the SU Department of Forest and Wood Science.

“We are grateful for the support provided by Sappi and other companies in the sector through much-needed bursaries to our students. By developing human capacity in this way, the industry is able to move forward."

According to Prof Wessels, Sappi also makes three researchers available every year to SU to teach a module in genetic tree improvement to final year students in Forest Science. The company further sponsors one third of a technical position in the Forest Operations section, and regularly supports co-operative research projects by providing genetic material, land for trials, or research equipment. Two extraordinary senior lecturers associated with the SU Department of Forest and Wood Science also work at Sappi's Shaw Research Centre. They provide valuable assistance to postgraduate students and staff doing research on silviculture or genetic tree improvement studies.

“Sappi has shown that it is a company that looks beyond narrow competitive advantage for itself but takes its shared responsibility towards improving and growing our sector and country seriously."

Prof Wessels also adds: “The SU Department of Forestry and Wood Science functions in an applied scientific field where active co-operation with related companies is essential to providing our students with a comprehensive educational experience. Such co-operation makes relevant and impactful research outputs so much easier to achieve."

Photograph:

Prof Brand Wessels (Chair of the Stellenbosch University Department of Forest and Wood Science), Prof Wim de Villiers (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University), Mr Gabriel Smith (winner of Schlich Medal as top BSc Forestry and Wood Science student), Mr Damien Naidu (Programme Leader - Nursery Technologies at Sappi), Prof Danie Brink (Dean of the Stellenbosch University Faculty of AgriSciences). Photo: Anton Jordaan​

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