‘It’s all about the youth’
- Wits University
Dr Solomon Assefa, the former Vice President at IBM Research, delivered the inaugural Professor Barry Dwolatzky Memorial Lecture.
“For Barry, it was ‘all about the youth, we need to focus on the youth’. He had a vision of creating innovation hubs where we can unleash the power of the youth,” Assefa said, kicking off his lecture titled: Looking Back & Looking Forward: Building a sustainable future through science and technology. [Watch the live stream here.]
Prof. Barry, as he was affectionately known, referred to these hubs as ‘living labs’, Assefa said, where people in the lab develop new technologies to solve problems they see on the outside. It was this vision that led to the establishment of the Wits Tshimologong Digital Innovation Hub in Braamfontein in 2016.
He also convinced Assefa to make the Tshimologong Precinct the home of one of IBM’s Research Labs in Africa, and this strategic partnership between Wits and IBM brought together researchers from other universities, NGOs and companies around the world to work on problems relevant to Africa.
Prof. Barry was also instrumental in making IBM’s first AI called ‘Watson’ available to researchers in the lab to enhance opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship. “Around 2012, Watson was the hottest AI in the world, and 10 years later, we have ChatGPT,” Assefa said.
Prof. Barry laid the groundwork with this strategic partnership between Wits and IBM to enable the University to access another fast-developing technology the tech company was at the forefront of, Quantum Computing. Through the African Research University Alliance, researchers across the continent can now access IBM Q.
“These technologies have the potential to accelerate scientific discovery and economic growth and also to enable a sustainable future,” Assefa said.
Remembering South Africa’s ‘Grand Geek’
Prof. Barry, who died last year shortly after the launch of the Wits Innovation Centre (WIC), was also known as the ‘Grand Geek’ of digital innovation in South Africa and a passionate believer that young people have the creativity, energy, drive and reason to build a new South Africa, Africa and the world.
He dedicated 50 years of his life to Wits in various capacities, including as Emeritus Professor in the School of Electrical and Information Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment; Founder and Director of the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE); and Founder of the Wits Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, the University’s digital innovation hub located in Braamfontein.
His final contribution to the University was his role as the Director of the Wits Innovation Strategy, which he spearheaded and crafted, and that paved the way for the birth of the WIC.
In her opening remarks, Professor Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation and host of the Memorial Lecture, said “Barry was passionate about being actively involved in innovation and entrepreneurship because he wanted people to have opportunities and fulfilling jobs.”
Guided by his vision for an innovation ecosystem, the WIC has been actively working to support Wits researchers and students to turn their brilliant ideas into impactful solutions. Activities include hosting the 2024 World Intellectual Property (IP) Day in April, launching the WIC’s new PGDip in Science in the field of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a five-day Prospector Course in Entrepreneurship, aimed at early-career academic staff and researchers, postdocs, postgraduates, undergraduate students, and industry participants.
Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, said Prof. Barry left an indelible mark of academic excellence and compassion on many people. “He was a visionary, a leader, a mentor and an innovator,” Vilakazi said, adding that Prof. Barry is well remembered for his kindness, compassion and genuine interest in others.
The Memorial Lecture will be an annual event to celebrate Prof. Barry’s legacy and to build on his vision for the University to be an innovation leader where academics and students can use their knowledge to advance our community, city, country, continent and the globe.
Biography of Dr Solomon Assefa
He is the Founder and Partner, C1 Ventures; former Vice President at IBM Research. Dr Assefa holds a BS, MSc, and PhD from MIT and has two decades of scientific and executive leadership. As a Vice President at IBM Research, he led global R&D efforts, commercialisation of technologies, partnerships, and management of hundreds of research scientists worldwide. Furthermore, he served as the director of the IBM Research Labs, with further responsibilities for establishing research initiatives and partnerships in the Middle East.