Third Annual Green Mining Workshop

Delegates from the University of the Free State, including Dr Peter Williams, were invited to participate in the 3rd Annual Green Mining Workshop hosted by McMaster University, Ontario, Canada, from 20 May to 25 May 2012. This invitation was on request of the South African Consul General (Canada), Tselane Mokuena. The workshop was seen as an ideal opportunity to initiate collaboration between universities in Canada and South Africa to better understand challenges regarding the remediation of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). The workshop was primarily aimed at informing high school students from all over Canada about opportunities in this field of research. All students come from communities highly impacted by mining activities, with AMD being a high-priority focus area. The workshop addressed two aspects, starting with the generation of AMD in the presence and absence of bacterial catalysis in the laboratory, followed by the effectiveness of two different remediation methods.

Dr Williams had an opportunity to discuss future collaboration between McMaster University and the University of the Free State with the President and Vice-Chancellor (Patrick Deane), and the Dean of Science (John Capone) at McMaster University. This collaboration will be in the form of a series of workshops to be hosted in Canada and South Africa through a student exchange programme, as well as research collaboration with Dr Lesley Warren and her research group.

SASBMB/FASBMB Congress

From 29 January to 1 February 2012, SASBMB/FASBMB offered scientists from around the world the opportunity to present their work and interact in order to form new collaborations. This event took place at the Champagne Sports Resort, Drakensberg, South Africa. The TIA/UFS Metagenomics platform contributed four poster presentations by the following senior postgraduate candidates: Errol Cason and Marian Erasmus, who are both PhD students, as well as Maleke Maleke and Nokuthula Tlalajoe, who are MSc students.

The days were filled with oral presentations and the evenings with interactive sessions, with the Roche amazing race creating an evening full of excitement. The 'race' entailed a variety of challenges, such as swimming four different styles (Jackie), knitting (Nokuthula), bowling (Maleke and Liezl), puzzle solving (Errol, Leon, and Derek), putt-putt (Esta and Peter), soccer scoring balls (Maleke and Mariana), and tennis (Mariana and Esta).

The UFS finished fourth and had the best spirit. The conference was a huge success and the group had lots of time for interacting, studying exhibitions, team-building, and planning projects.

TIA executives visit our Metagenomics Platform

A flagship project of the University of the Free State, the Metagenomics Platform headed by Prof Esta van Heerden, was visited on Wednesday 15 February 2012 by management and staff of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) .

The visit formed part of the launch of TIA’s regional office in the Free State. TIA was established in 2010 by the Department of Science and Technology, with the mandate to enhance the country’s capacity of translating a greater proportion of local research and development into commercial technology products and services.

TIA seeks to promote innovation in the Free State and to address the innovation needs specific to the province, since the agency already has a presence in Bloemfontein and in its institutions of higher education. These institutions are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and highly competent individuals in specialised fields.

The Metagenomics Platform at the University of Free State is one such investment proving to be a success. The platform is an exciting innovation that provides services for the characterisation of microbial communities in soil and water. One of its major projects to date is the Monrovia Well-sampling, which is conducted in collaboration with the World Bank. The platform now focuses on using South Africa's unique microbes in industrial bioremedial processes for the mining sector.

Top 10 new species list draws attention to diverse biosphere

The top 10 new species list was announced on 23 May by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University. The 2012 list includes a teeny attack wasp, night-blooming orchid, underworld worm, ancient 'walking cactus' creature, blue tarantula, Nepalese poppy, giant millipede, sneezing monkey, fungus named after a TV cartoon character, and a beautiful but venomous jellyfish.

The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and a committee of scientists from around the world announced their picks for the top 10 new species described in 2011. This is the fifth year in the existence of the top 10 new species list, which was released on 23 May to coincide with the anniversary of the birth of Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist who was responsible for the modern system of plant and animal names and classifications.

“The top 10 is intended to draw attention to the biodiversity crisis and the unsung species explorers and museums who continue a 250-year tradition of discovering and describing the millions of kinds of plants, animals, and microbes with whom we share this planet,” said Quentin Wheeler, an entomologist who directs the International Institute for Species Exploration at ASU.

Members of the international committee who made their selection from more than 200 nominations, look for “species that capture our attention because they are unusual or because they have traits that are bizarre,” said Mary Liz Jameson, an associate professor at Wichita State University, who chaired the international selection committee. “Some of the new species have interesting names; some highlight how little we really know about our planet,” she said.

Images and other information about the top 10 new species, including the explorers who made the discoveries and recorded them in the 2011 calendar year, are available online at http://species.asu.edu. Also on the site is a Google world map that pinpoints the location of each of the top 10 new species. This year’s top 10 come from Brazil, Myanmar, the Dutch Caribbean, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Spain, Borneo, Nepal, China, and Tanzania.

2012 Visitors