SA prof cracks secrets of shells

A Cape Town professor has become the first person from South Africa to be made a fellow of one of the world's top engineering associations.

Alphose Zingoni, professor of structural engineering at the University of Cape Town, joined the exclusive Swiss-based International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE).

Zingoni , 49, was recognised for his cutting-edge research in the behaviour of "shell structures" - thin, curved surfaces like the domes and vaults used in the Sydney Opera House.

He is also a pioneer in the use of a complicated kind of mathematics called "group theory" - the approach used to solve Rubik's Cube games - to analyse engineering designs. One example is the roof of Gatwick Airport in London.

This week he said: "It's a fantastic honour. I was very surprised."

Raised in rural Zimbabwe, Zingoni said his passion began while playing with egg shells as a child. He wondered why humans built straight things, using heavy materials like bricks, when nature made things curved, from snail shells to sea shells.

Now, with computer power and lighter materials, he says many more man-made things will follow nature's example.

"Nature is very smart - shells are very complex . Egg shells are very thin, but they are so strong; you see this over and over in nature. The human skull is a dome, not a box, because it protects something very important."

Dr Jan Wium, an executive board member of IABSE, said Zingoni's recognition was well deserved.

"This fellowship is a big deal, but particularly here, given our lack of engineers," he said. "Role models are probably the most important factor in inspiring young people."