Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
22 February 2018 Photo Johan Roux
UFS professor recognised as one of Africa exceptional young scientists Prof Abdon Atangana
Prof Abdon Atangana is from the University of the Free State’s Institute for Groundwater Studies.

Prof Abdon Atangana from the University of the Free State’s Institute for Groundwater Studies was recently announced by the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) as one of 25 early career scientists who were elected to form part of the third cohort of the AAS Affiliates Programme, which recognises exceptional young African scientists.

The Affiliates will be part of the AAS membership pool from 2018 to 2022, during which time they will be supported to attend conferences, symposia and workshops and other activities that will improve their skills in proposal development, grant writing and pitching innovations to help them win more grants, improve their publication records and ensure that their research impacts their communities.

Brilliant minds

“We welcome the new cohort that represents some of the brilliant minds from the continent. The AAS is committed to ensuring that they are provided with the opportunities they need to develop their careers and contribute to the development of the continent,” said AAS Executive Director Prof Nelson Torto.

The third cohort saw the most competitive pool yet with an overwhelming number of nominations from across the five regions of the continent of PhD holders below the age of 40. This year’s Affiliates are also drawn from countries not covered in the previous two cohorts including, Ethiopia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Other countries from which the 25 were selected are Benin, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, South Africa and Uganda.

Besides mathematical sciences, Affiliates also represent disciplines that include cultural sciences, humanities and social sciences, medical and health sciences, agricultural sciences, biosciences and geological, environmental, Earth and space sciences.

World class research leaders

The AAS is a pan-African organisation headquartered in Kenya, that aims to drive sustainable development in Africa through science, technology and innovation. The AAS set up the Affiliates programme in 2015 to recognise, mentor and help early career professionals develop into world-class research leaders.

News Archive

UFS first tertiary institution in SA to form association with the Arbinger Institute
2008-02-15

 

 A two-day seminar entitled: "The Choice and The Choice @ Work" was recently presented in Bloemfontein to companies in the Free State region. Here are, from the left: Mr Braam Botha (Well @ Work), Mr Jozef Myburgh (Telkom), and Dr Cobus Pienaar (from the Department of Industrial Psychology at the UFS and facilitator of the Arbinger Programme).
Photo: Lacea Loader

 

UFS first tertiary institution in SA to form association with the Arbinger Institute

The University of the Free State (UFS) has become the first tertiary institution in the country to form an association with the Arbinger Institute in the United States of America (USA).

“The Arbinger Institute is a global management training and consulting firm applying the implications of self-deception and its solutions to all aspects of organisational performance. Our association with this Institute is a major step for the development of leadership in the country,” says Mr Danie Jacobs, Head of the Centre for Business Dynamics at the UFS.

Dr Cobus Pienaar, from the Department of Industrial Psychology at the UFS, is currently the only licensed facilitator to present Arbinger’s work in South Africa. Dr Pienaar presents The Choice and The Choice @ Work programme on behalf of the Centre for Business Dynamics, under the banner of the UFS School of Business.

According to Mr Jacobs, the programme has already had successes in South Africa. “Dr Pienaar presented the first programme last year in Bloemfontein and Pretoria to leaders from various companies. The feedback on the application of the programme to the South African business environment was phenomenal,” says Mr Jacobs.

The Arbinger Institute’s change work grows out of the scholarly work of philosopher Terry Warner. With an international team of scholars, Warner has broken new ground in solving the age-old problem of self-deception, or what was originally called “resistance”.

“This phenomenon is at the heart of much organisational failure. It is the reason why many organisational problems seem so intractable at their core – they are in self-deception; they resist solution,” says Mr Jacobs.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za  
15 February 2008

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept