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Prof Annie Bekker undaunted by shuddering ships and icebergs
Author: Corporate Communication & Marketing / Korporatiewe Kommunikasie & Bemarking
Published: 02/06/2022

Prof Annie Bekker from the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University recently delivered her professorial inaugural lecture titled “What we can learn from the way a ship shudders on an icy wreck hunt". Bekker spoke to the Corporate Communication and Marketing Division about how her work on the SA Agulhas II offers new insights into polar shipping.

Tell us more about your research and why you became interested in this specific field.

My research centres around the vibration of structures (cars, trucks, ships, etc) and I specifically enjoy test engineering where you can be at the coalface of the operational environment to stick your sensors. Knowledge of what is physically happening helps to interpret the data “squiggles" you see on graphs later. Right now, I want to reap novelty by feeding sensor data straight into engineering models, thereby providing decision-aiding information about operational asset through digital twin technologies. On the SA Agulhas II, we feed measurements about the torque (amount of twist) in the shaft into a model which calculates the torque that is applied at the propeller during an ice impact. By comparing this load from the impact to the design limit the crew can gain feedback if the ship is operating dangerously close to her design limit.

My father, a mechanical engineer, drove us to school in the mornings. This drive was more like a vehicle performance test which intoxicated me and my brothers with a passion for cars and vehicle dynamics. Both my brothers and I are mechanical engineers today! My mother and I practiced music in the evenings – she on piano and me on violin. We would have so much fun. My mother is a doctor – she was always studying and developing – she started her own medical practice at the age of 50. I think this is how I ended up in the field of sound and vibration with the courage to pursue a serious career.

How would you describe the relevance of your work?

Our full-scale operational data on the SA Agulhas II is the most comprehensive open data set on a ship engaged in ice-going operations in the world. These long-term operations enable new insights into polar shipping which has placed our work in the leading frontiers of ice-induced propeller load estimation and wave-induced fatigue quantification. Moreover, our aim to develop the SA Agulhas II as a “flagship for vessel 4.0" exposes our students and ideas to real-world challenges associated with data- and model-driven techniques to provide information and decision support. Capabilities in these techniques transcend the silo of maritime application – as such our students are excellently trained to contribute to a wide range of industry applications.

What aspects of your work do you enjoy the most?

I am a test engineer at heart. I am the happiest doing measurements in the field – especially in the dynamic and beautiful environment of the ocean.

The pandemic has changed the way we work and live. What keeps you motivated during these times?

The pandemic has made me so much more aware of the value of people and human contact. Also, that truly determined people will still aspire to reach their goals despite challenging circumstances. During Covid, my research group started making each other birthday videos. This has piqued my awareness of the talented and caring students in my research group. It provides you with intense motivation to shield them from negative impacts and to help them prosper and spur them on in their studies.

You've made your mark in the field of Engineering. What would your message be for the next generation of aspiring female engineering scholars?

This is your life. Invest in your education. Believe in yourself, try, try again, never give up. Be hungry to learn, sharpen your skills. Absorb all that is positive around you. Find mentors. Accept responsibility. Rebound from failure. Celebrate success. Be brave. Dream.

Tell us something exciting about yourself that people would not expect.

I am a mother of three kids. I am passionate about playing the violin and enjoy trail running. If I could pursue any dream outside engineering right now, I would aspire to write and perform a really excellent rap song –watch out Jack Parow!

How do you spend your free time away from lectures and research?

My family and I enjoy the great outdoors. For myself – I run in the mountains as far and as often as I can.