The 2025 SAICE National Intellectual Property (IP) Showdown recently took place. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Rachel van Zyl receives top prize at the 2025 SAICE National IP Showdown. SAICE
The 2025 SAICE National Intellectual Property (IP) Showdown, a much-coveted event where final-year Civil Engineering students from leading universities across the country go head-to-head presenting their groundbreaking research projects – all for the chance to win a substantial cash prize – took place on March 6 at Wits University, Johannesburg this year.
This year’s SAICE IP Showdown winner, final year student Rachel van Zyl, from the University of Pretoria, caught the eye of the judges when she asked them to picture a world where every drop of rain on a roof is captured and conserved, maximising one of South Africa’s most precious resources, and introduced the possibility of the percentage volume of harvested rainwater dependent not only on the characteristics of a roof but also on the unique properties of each rainfall.
As she explained her project, presenting the findings of her study that demonstrated the effectiveness of a pressurized rainfall simulation system in determining roof runoff coefficients used in rainwater harvesting practices, Rachel convinced the esteemed judging panel that she deserved the top prize, sponsored by BVi Consulting Engineers, which included a R20 000 cash award.
Second and third prizes went to Reeyaz Martin, from the University of Cape Town and Abraham Louw from Stellenbosch University respectively for their IP projects on Nutrient Trading from Source-Separated Human Urine and Enhancing Extreme Rainfall Event Estimation in South Africa.
SAICE 2025 President, Friedrich Slabbert, encouraged the finalists to continue to “think beyond technical feasibility, consider society and the impact of what they desire. And secondly, to prioritise equity alongside efficiency, with the aim to design not just for today but for the future.”
The SAICE National IP Showdown features projects categorised primarily into three main areas: sustainability, infrastructure development and technological innovation, allowing students to showcase their research and create solutions to pressing industry challenges while displaying creativity and the practical application of civil engineering principles.
