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29 August 2018 Photo Barend Nagel
Think three minutes is a long time
One slide and three minutes was all they had to present their research. Winners of the UFS Three-Minute Thesis competition in the Master’s category are from left: Nigel Masalla, Phuthi Samuel Masingi and Vuyisa Sigwela. Home page photo: Winners in the PhD Category were Trudie Strauss and Nokuthula Tlalajoe.
It may take three minutes to make noodles, but imagine presenting the 80 000-word research you spent months writing in just three minutes.

For master’s and PhD students participating in the annual institutional Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at the University of the Free State (UFS), three minutes seem to go as fast as three seconds. Each participant is given three minutes to present the essence of their research, explaining the problem, methodology used, as well as the importance of their research using one slide.

A jubilant audience of staff members and students gathered at the Equitas Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus for the annual institutional 3MT competition. Interesting research topics across different fields of study, which the participants had spent months and even years researching, were presented in the master’s and PhD categories. After each presentation, a panel of judges and the audience had the chance to ask the participants questions on their research.

The competition is part of the initiative by the UFS Postgraduate School to showcase postgraduate research across disciplines, faculties, and universities. Participation in this competition helps to develop academic, presentation, and research communication skills to ensure that research students can effectively communicate their research in a language that even non-specialists can understand. 

It is the mandate of the school to “create an enabling environment for postgraduate students to excel in their pursuit of their academic quests”, according to Prof Witness Mudzi: Director of the UFS Postgraduate School. 

Winners at the event:

PhDs
• Third prize: Trudie Strauss - Babelish Confusion: Finding Statistical Structure in the Diversity of Languages (R3 000 cash prize)
• People’s choice: Nokuthula Tlalajoe - The transition of undergraduate first-year students into the MBChB programme: Social learning and integration

Master’s
• First prize: Phuthi Samuel Masingi   Physical demands of South African Football (R6 000 cash prize)
• Second prize and people’s choice: Nigel Masalla   “ Stealthing” – lifting the veil on non-consensual condom removal (R4 000 cash prize)
• Third prize: Vuyisa Sigwela - Extraction, characterisation and application of betalains from beetroot, cactus pear and amaranth (R2 000 cash prize)

The UFS will be represented by Trudie Strauss at the national 3MT competition on 26 October 2018. The national competition will take place on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus

News Archive

Community builders honoured at Community Engagement Awards
2016-10-13

Description: "06 -10-2016 Comm Engagement Awards Read More Tags: Comm Engagement Awards

Photo: Charl Devenish

The office of Community Engagement held its annual Community Engagement Awards at the University of the Free State (UFS) on 5 October 2016. This year, the ceremony celebrated people who gave themselves selflessly to improve the lives of those around them who are less privileged. Key players in various sectors of society were recognised and honoured for their contribution and commitment towards a common good.

Dr Richard Teare, president of the Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL), was the keynote speaker at the ceremony. GULL, a non-profit foundation, operates across the world, providing access to lifelong learning for communities, giving each individual an opportunity to make a difference in their world. Dr Teare talked of places that lack the provision and infrastructure to access higher education and said that through community service programmes, social and economic development was enhanced, and the necessary expertise and resources were provided to drive a community towards a greater good. “Community engagement espouses academic excellence—it enables people to discover their full potential.”

Through its partnership with GULL, the University of Free State has worked with women from Bloem Shelter, an organisation that provides assistance to underprivileged women and children from diverse walks of life. The women were equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge they needed to become self-sufficient - an experience that has yielded positive, constructive change in the women’s lives. 

The awards also acknowledged the boldness and innovative support of members of the Free State community in their various sectors. Among those awarded was Dr Choice Makhetha for her contribution in building capacity for those involved in community service programmes. She also designed and created approaches to improve situations in schools, churches, community organisations and small businesses. Also presented with an award was Dr Dipane Hlalele of the Qwaqwa Campus for his role as principal investigator in two National Research Foundation (NRF) -funded projects; Rural Relational Leadership and Sustainable Rural and Urban Connection. The ICT Innovation in School Education division of the South Campus was also recognised for its Internet Broadcast Project (IBP), which provides lessons on different subjects to 72 000 learners and 3 000 teachers each week.

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