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UCT RESEARCH REPORT 2012
MeerKAT Large (legacy) Survey Projects, focussing on
the study of explosive radio transients in our Galaxy
and the nearby Universe (ThunderKAT), to the study of
the gas dynamics in nearby galaxies (Mhongoose) and
the evolution of galaxies and their gas content over
cosmic time scales (MIGHTEE and Laduma).
The Astronomy department is part of the Research
Centre for Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation
(ACGC) at UCT (http://www.acgc.uct.ac.za), established
in 2009, and is an active participant of the National
Astrophysics and Space Science Programme – hosted
at UCT – which offers Honours and Master’s degrees.
Strong links have been established with the South
African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and the SKA
South Africa project through joint staffing positions and
postgraduate student supervision. The Department
also enjoys active research collaborations with a range
of national and international groups.
In 2012 the Astronomy department has welcomed
Professor Thomas Jarrett, a new DST/NRF SARChI Chair
in Astrophysics and Space Science, whilst Professor
Erwin de Blok, DST/NRF SARChI Chair from 2007-2012
left the department in January 2012 to join ASTRON in
the Netherlands. He was appointed Honorary Professor
to the Department from July 2012, and is still active
in research and student supervision. Our postdoctoral
cohort has continued to grow from eight in 2011 to
twelve in 2012.
Departmental Statistics
Permanent and long-term contract staff
Professors
3.5
Associate Professor
1
Senior Scholar/Emeritus Professor
1
Senior Lecturer
1
Lecturer
1.5
Visiting SKA Professor
0.1
Administrative Staff
3
Total
11.1
Honorary & Emeritus Staff
Honorary Professor
1
Total
1
Sumner, T.A. 2012. The comparative study of scraper
retouch patterns from the Levantine Mousterian: a pilot
project. Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society, 42: 1-28.
Wilkins, J., Schoville, B.J., Brown, K. and Chazan, M. 2012.
Evidence for early hafted hunting technology. Science, 338:
942-946.
Williams, F., Schroeder, L. and Ackermann, R.R. 2012. The
mid-face of lower Pleistocene hominins and its bearing
on the attribution of SK 847 and StW 53. Homo-Journal of
Comparative Human Biology, 63(4): 245-257.
Master’s degrees (by research)
Kramer, P. 2012. The history, form and context of the 19th
century corbelled buildings of the Great Karoo. MPhil.
265pp. Supervised by Hall, S.
Mathoho, N.E. 2012. Indigenous iron production south of
the Luvuvhu River, Limpopo Province, South Africa. MPhil.
125pp. Supervised by Chirikure, S. and Hall, S.
Smuts, K. 2012. An archaeology of the eighteenth
and nineteenth century Cape wine economy from the
perspective of Solms Delta and Babylonstoren. MSc.
265pp. Supervised by Hall, S.
Smuts, T. 2012. An archaeological perspective on the
19th century development of land, landscape and
sheep farming in the Karoo. MSc. 160pp. Supervised
by Hall, S.
Department of Astronomy
Head of Department: Professor Renée C. Kraan-
Korteweg
Departmental Profile
The Astronomy department has a strong focus on multi-
wavelength (X-ray, optical, infrared, radio) observational
astronomy with strengths in extragalactic astronomy
(large-scale structures of galaxies, cosmic flows,
galaxy evolution and star formation, galaxy clusters,
galaxy dynamics and dark matter), stellar astrophysics
(Cataclysmic variables, X-ray binaries, accretion disks
in compact binaries, supernova remnants, stellar
pulsations and stellar evolution) and astronomical
instrumentation (high-speed CCD detectors).
The Department hosts two SARChI chairs, one in
Astrophysics and Space Science (DST/NRF) and one
in Extragalactic Multi-wavelength Astronomy (SKA).
Staff in the Astronomy department lead four of the ten