The equipment in the new microscope laboratory
puts the faculty in a position to make microscopy
sexy for undergraduate students.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs
In the past two years, the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the university has spent more than R50 million on new equipment for learning, teaching, and research. This includes, among others, the undergraduate microscope laboratory – the most advanced and largest digital classroom of its kind in Africa and the third largest in the world – which opened in January this year.
Other equipment acquired by the faculty includes various spectrometers, a zebrafish breeding facility (Department of Genetics), equipment for the facilities on the experimental farm, and a new single-crystal X-ray diffractometer (Department of Chemistry).
Prof Jannie Swarts, professor in the Department of Chemistry and project leader of the faculty’s drive to purchase new equipment, believes instrumentation in the faculty must be able to compete with current equipment in America, Canada, and Europe.
Compete with peers across the globe
Supporting the view of Prof Swarts and emphasising the importance of new equipment in the classroom and laboratories, is the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Prof Danie Vermeulen. “Our students need access to world-class equipment to produce world-class research. Without their ability to work and learn with state-of-the-art equipment, we will not be able to generate students who can compete with their peers across the globe. These investments are therefore crucial for our development as a faculty and the university,” he says.
Prof Swarts continues: “Older equipment cannot do the same measurements that new generation instruments can do with ease. The lifespan of research equipment, even though it was expensive, is seldom longer than ten to twelve years. Old instruments cannot deliver publishable results in high-impact journals. If we are to train our students with equipment from 1990, the student's knowledge is so outdated that in many cases they would not even qualify for work in 2020.”
He adds: “Our training and education need to be relevant for students to find work after studying. This means that they must be adequately trained to apply their knowledge in new modern factories and research institutions to contribute to production and output in their respective workplaces.”
“Science has become a very,
very expensive discipline.”
– Prof Jannie Swarts
Eliminate backlogs of the school system
“We need to have systems in place to not only provide good education, but also to help eliminate backlogs created by the school system. One of the major problems, in my opinion, is a school system that does not teach learners to think, but to reproduce exactly like a parrot what they have been taught. The new microscope laboratory is very helpful in this instance. The microscopes are linked to the internet, and the equipment allows students to interact with each other and with the lecturer – thus teaching our students to use available resources and to engage in the classroom,” says Prof Swarts.
Lab assistant in the
Department of Zoology and Entomology,
Luthando Bopheka, who presents practical sessions for the Biology students, is extremely excited about the revamp of the Biology laboratory. He believes the upgrade will go far in improving the way science is presented to students, and that students now have the opportunity to fully utilise cutting-edge technology to complete tasks within the classroom.
“The interactive Labscope programme makes it much easier for the lecturer to quickly identify problems and actively be part of what the student sees behind the microscope. Students now have the opportunity to see what they are studying under the microscope through the iPads connected to the microscope. For a student who has never used a microscope or an iPad, this laboratory provides the perfect opportunity to learn how to operate these devices without fear, knowing that the lecturer can guide them step by step even while standing in front of the class. Most of all, this laboratory is allowing us to be pioneers in the new era that science is stepping into,” he explains.
Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, said at the opening of the new laboratory: “Teaching and engagement are growing on an undergraduate level, creating the class of the future. The UFS wants to be more cutting-edge in teaching at an undergraduate level. We need to think differently – technology needs to be infused in our practices.”
He added: “The new equipment allows for engagement in the classroom. Studies need to be interactive and engaging. Diverse input is crucial, and interaction is essential.”
Boasting one of SA’s best-equipped sensory labs Another hi-tech facility allowing students to gain valuable knowledge and skills, is the sensory laboratory. Students appreciate working in this recently upgraded facility where data capturing, for example, is no longer done manually. As soon as the sensory panellist enters the data, it is automatically transferred to a database in Canada and processed immediately. Results become available in real time, explained
Prof Arno Hugo of the
Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, mainly responsible for planning trials and statistical analyses of data.
According to him, the laboratory is one of the best-planned and best-equipped sensory laboratories in South Africa and differentiates the university in terms of providing a service to the industry.
“A major advantage is that a food chemistry and a food microbiology laboratory is associated with the sensory laboratory. Often, food companies want the sensory analyses of food products combined with an analysis of the safety of the products, its chemical composition, and microbiological quality. Commercial laboratories usually cannot deliver such a comprehensive service,” said Prof Hugo.
“Since the students are doing their sensory science research in such excellent facilities, they are extremely well prepared for the industry.”
“Postgraduate students often work on a part-time basis on projects that the laboratory does for private companies. The exposure to well-equipped facilities, combined with experience in industry-related projects, makes these students sought after in the industry. Some of our students are currently employed overseas,” added Prof Hugo.