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13 August 2018 Photo Silverrocket Design
UFS celebrates excellence through its research hubs
The university considers its research chairs and the possibility of future chairs as an integral and strategic initiative to increase its national and international standing through excellent academic and research leadership.
The University of the Free State (UFS) is proud of its research leaders. As of 2018 the UFS has 156 NRF-rated researchers and five Sarchi Research Chairs. These chairs are designed to attract and retain excellence in research and innovation at South African public universities.

Getting the better of vector borne and zoonotic viruses

Prof Felicity Burt leads the Vector Borne and Zoonotic Virus Research Group in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology at the UFS. She was awarded a Research Chair to, among others, investigate medically significant vector-borne and zoonotic viruses currently circulating - mainly viruses transmitted by mosquitos and ticks, and viruses transmitted from animals to humans. 

“Years ago, no one knew what Ebola was. One outbreak later, backed by many media reports, and it is almost a household name. The same goes for the recent Zika virus outbreak in South America,” she explains the public’s interest and fears. To prevent the spread of vector-borne viruses to new areas, surveillance and awareness is important. Here in Bloemfontein, Prof Burt and her team are establishing surveillance programmes.

Why research on fungal infections?

“Many diseases no longer pose a threat to humans and life expectancy is prolonged. However, this has also caused an increase in various opportunistic infections, and most of all, fungal infections,” says Prof Carlien Pohl-Albertyn, who is heading the Research Chair for Pathogenic Yeasts in the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology. And the rise in resistance to antifungal treatments requires research into pathobiology, including new drug and treatment options. 

Activities of the Research Chair in Pathogenic Yeasts builds on existing research strengths and will contribute towards understanding pathobiology of medically significant pathogenic yeasts belonging to the genera Candida and Cryptococcus. 

Understanding higher education for more equality and justice

Prof Melanie Walker, from the Centre for Research on Higher Education and Development (CRHED) does research on higher education, inequalities and social justice, and how, or if, universities foster the human capabilities and aspirations of students. Does higher education make a difference to the lives of students, their families and communities? 

Prof Walker says the Research Chair on Higher Education and Human Development looks at issues of access, participation and transitions into work, as well as gender, race and social class. They use both quantitative and qualitative methods and includes a strand of participatory research projects with students. Ultimately, the research must contribute to debates, policy and practices in higher education, and a scholarly knowledge base.

Reduced emissions make for a better world

Prof Hendrik Swart chairs the research project that looks into low-energy lighting, using phosphor materials for light emitting diodes (LEDs). The Research Chair on Solid State Luminescent and Advanced Materials is situated at the Department of Physics. 

The research mainly focuses on better light emission of phosphor powers in LEDs.  According to Prof Swart, the long-term benefit of the research will result in more environmentally friendly devices which use less energy, are brighter and give a wider viewing field. Over the next five years they will develop and produce devices that emit better light using the substances already developed. “We need to make small devices to see if they are better than those we already have,” he says. 

Solutions to food insecurity
 
The Department of Plant Sciences’s research project dives into disease resistance and quality in field crops. Heading this Research Chair is Prof Maryke Labuschagne who focuses on crop quality breeding and disease resistance in field crops. 

Her, and her students’ research focuses on the genetic improvement of food security crops in Africa, including such staples as maize and cassava. “These crops are genetically improved for yield, drought tolerance, disease, and insect resistance, as well nutritional value,” she says. Her disease resistance research will focus on crop protein quantity and quality as well as iron, zinc, and beta-carotene biofortification of staple crops such as wheat, maize and cassava. The disease resistance-breeding project will be a continuation of the internationally acclaimed wheat rust research. 

The university considers the research chairs and the possibility of future chairs as an integral and strategic initiative to increase its national and international standing through excellent academic and research leadership. 

Microbiology from University of the Free State on Vimeo.

News Archive

Students receive hands-on crime scene investigation training
2016-09-02

Description: Crime scene investigation training Tags: Crime scene investigation training

Ntau Mafisa, a forensic science honours student
at the UFS, and Captain Samuel Sethunya from
the SAPS Crime Scene Management in
Bloemfontein.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

With murder and robbery rates on the rise, the Forensic Science Programme of the Department of Genetics at the University of the Free State is playing a key role in training South Africa’s future crime scene investigators and forensic laboratory analysts.

According to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), murder and aggravated robbery rates for 2014/2015, as recorded by the South African Police Services (SAPS) have increased. Incidents of murder increased by 4.6% in the period from 2013/2014 to 2014/2015 and aggravated robbery increased by 8.5 % in the same period. The ISS is an African organisation thant enhances human security by providing independent and authoritative research, expert policy advice and capacity building.

Dr Ellen Mwenesongole, a forensic science lecturer at the Department of Genetics, said the university was one of a few universities in South Africa that actually had a forensic science programme, especially starting from undergraduate level.

Crime scene evaluation component incorporated in curriculum
As part of its Forensic Science Honours Programme, the department has, for the first time, incorporated a mock crime scene evaluation component in its curriculum. Students process a mock crime scene and are assessed based on how closely they follow standard operating procedures related to crime scenes and subsequent laboratory analysis of items of possible evidential value.

The mock crime scene forms part of a research project data collection of the honours students. In these projects students utilise different analytical methods to analyse and distinguish between different types of evidence such as hair fibres, cigarette butts, illicit drugs and dyes extracted from questioned documents and lipsticks.

Students utilise different analytical methods to analyse
and distinguish between different types of evidence.

This year, the department trained the first group of nine students in the Forensic Science Honours Programme. Dr Mwenesongole, who received her training in the UK at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England, said incorporating a crime scene evaluation component into the curriculum was a global trend at universities that were offering forensic science programmes.

Department of Genetics and SAPS collaborate
It is important to add this component to the student’s curriculum. In this way the university is equipping students not only with theoretical knowledge but practical knowledge on the importance of following proper protocol when collecting evidence at crime scenes and analysing it in the laboratory to reduce the risk of it becoming inadmissible in a court of law.

The Genetics Department has a good working relationship with the Forensic Science Laboratory and Free State Crime Scene Management of the Division Forensic Services of the SAPS. The mock crime scene was set up and assessed in collaboration with the Crime Scene Management Division of the SAPS. Although the SAPS provides specialist advanced training to its staff members, the university hopes to improve employability for students through such programmes.

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