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24 August 2018 Photo Igno van Niekerk
Chemistry changing the world to create a better future
These practical applications of Chemistry are part of the relevant and practically applicable research Prof André Roodt (far left) and his research group are involved in. With him are Dr Ebrahiem Botha, Post-doctoral fellow; Pheelo Nkoe, PhD student; Shaun Redgard, MSc student; and Dr Orbett Alexander, Post-doctoral fellow

Some people have a gift for explaining the most complex concepts in a way anyone could understand. Combine this gift with passion, energy, and enthusiasm, and you are close to describing a meeting with Prof André Roodt

Prof Roodt not only teaches Chemistry, he lives it. He has published more than 320 papers, lectured internationally more than 100 times, and has guided 35 PhD and 48 MSc students to complete their degrees. These figures are likely to conjure up visions of a dusty academic working on pie-in-the-sky theories. 

Adding value

Within minutes you are made aware of the fact that Chemistry is not only a subject confined to classrooms and labs. It is a means of changing the world through research to create a better future. In academic terms, Prof Roodt and his team are involved in ‘Homegeneous Catalysis’, ‘Radiopharmacy: Theranostics’, ‘Metal Benefication’, and ‘Conversion of carbon dioxide and water’. And just when you start to remember how terrifying high-school Chemistry was, Prof Roodt explains the practical nature of what they are doing.

Few of us are aware of the exact processes that produce fuel for our cars, although we probably know that these processes have side effects which are usually detrimental to the environment; but what if the by-products of these processes can be turned into speciality chemicals which could add value in different ways?

Ever wondered how medication know where to go in your body? Well – just imagine highly specialised (clever) pharmaceutical agents giving off their own ‘light’, knowing exactly where to go, showing you where they are going, and knowing what to do in order to provide information and interact with specific cells in your body to assist in healing cells and fighting disease. Exciting.

Passionate people

But, as they say in the ads, that is not all; imagine better ways to generate power, using the natural processes in plants to increase natural oxygen where needed, and to be able to change oxygen levels in the environment.

These practical applications of Chemistry are part of the relevant and practically applicable research Prof Roodt and his research group are involved in.

When you leave Prof Roodt’s office, you realise that this is what the UFS is all about: Global impact. World-class research. Passionate people. And seizing the opportunity to create the future.

News Archive

University tips its hat to final-year students
2013-09-13

 
From the left: Lauren Marais, Werner Landman, Herloise Jordaan and Louis Rossouw (PwC).
13 September 2013

The Alumni Office at the University of the Free State (UFS), in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), held its first Alumni Evening for final-year students.

The students received valuable advice from various speakers during the event. Werner Landman – also a UFS graduate – highlighted the differences in approach between the current and previous generations. Landman explained that Generation Y students have greater influence and are extensively connected socially as they enter the work environment. “You are people who will work to live, unlike us, Generation X, who live to work,” he said. With their degrees – some already busy with their post-graduate studies – they are more likely to be appointed in professions which will allow them to live better, he added.

Heloise Jordaan, former 2008/9 SRC president, who holds three degrees from Kovsies to her name, also addressed the final-years. She currently holds the position of brand manager at Urban Hotels, although she only started working recently. Through sharing her personal work experiences, she gave the audience a glimpse into the workplace."You guys need to realise that when you step into the working sphere, you need to be open minded and also work to the best of your abilities,” Jordaan encouraged.

The evening was concluded on a high note with a prize-giving. Pieter du Toit, UFS Alumni Chair, was in charge of handing over the awards. Residences were compared to find which ones generated the most residing final-year and postgraduate students. House Tswelopele and Soetdoring clinched the honours and walked away with R2 000 each for their house.

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