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02 January 2018
Photo Destudio Architects and Urban planners
Architectural illustration of the planned Science Park on the university’s Bloemfontein Campus.
Situated next to the Winkie Direko Building on the University of the Free State’s Bloemfontein Campus, an exciting development in the form of a Science Park is on the horizon for the Faculty of Education.
This future development will comprise an outdoor Science Garden and an indoor Science Discovery Centre. It will be characterised by interactive educational displays and exhibitions and will feature an ICT Laboratory, amphitheatre, Family Math and Family Science training facilities, as well as a “planetarium dome simulator”.
The Science Park is in line with the university’s commitment to advance teaching and learning with regard to mathematics and science.
“Since the Science-for-the-Future (S4F) unit from the Faculty of Education focuses on the development of innovative teaching and learning programmes, the envisaged Science Park will support and complement current and future engaged learning initiatives. The Science Park will be a customised teaching and learning environment that embraces and promotes the most effective ways of teaching science, mathematics and technology, through hands-on, interactive, experiential and student-driven educational methods. This will provide opportunities for student teachers from the Faculty of Education, as well as teachers who receive in-service training at the UFS, to enhance the scope of their maths and science pedagogical content knowledge,” said Dr Cobus van Breda, Programme Director of the Science-for-the-Future (S4F) unit in the Faculty of Education.
The Science Park will also serve as a social space on campus where all students can interact within a fun and exciting popular science environment. “We see this as a creative approach to the use of spaces on campus to create an aesthetic and educational added value,” said Prof Loyiso Jita, Dean of the Faculty of Education.
In future, the Science Park, along with the existing synergy between the science and mathematics training programmes based at the Faculty of Education, the Naval Hill Planetarium and the Boyden Observatory, will provide a rich and unique opportunity to experience real-life science as well as content in context; all contributing factors to effective teaching and learning.
The Science Park project is estimated to be completed by the end 2019.
Qwaqwa Campus honours academic excellence
2014-05-21
Photo: Sonia Small (Kaleidoscope Studios)
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Our Qwaqwa Campus was this past weekend a hive of activity when graduates, their parents and well-wishers descended on the campus to honour outstanding academic excellence during the Winter Graduation ceremonies.
On Friday graduates from the Faculty of Humanities, as well as the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, were addressed by Tommy Makhatho, Managing Director of the Qwaqwa-based Bibi Cash and Carry.
Makhatho urged graduates to continue working hard way beyond their graduation day and to dream big.
“Dream big and don’t let your poor background hold you back,” Makhatho said.
“Don’t let people say you can’t or that you will fail. Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life, think of it, dream of it, live on that idea, let your brain, muscle, nerves and every part of your body be full of that idea and leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success. If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs,” said Makhatho, the winner of the 2013 Sanlam/Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year and Job Creator of the Year awards.
On Saturday, graduates were treated to yet another moving message by eNCA’s news anchor, Mabale Moloi, herself a graduate in Biological sciences.
“If there is one ability that we should all practice on a daily basis, it is work ethics. This is a value based on hard work and diligence,” Moloi said.
Moloi further shared her views on what makes excellent work ethics.
“There are five very important factors of work ethics that we all need to be aware of. One of them is reliability. This means how committed you are to completing a task that is given to you within a particular period of time,” said Moloi.
“The second one is dedication. This means how prepared you are to go the extra mile in completing a job or your studies. Thirdly, one’s level of productivity is very important in having an excellent work ethic. This refers to giving the best of yourself, even to the extent of surpassing what is expected of you.”
“Fourthly, there is co-operation. We all must understand the value of team work and how it leads to success. And this, when paired with character, self-discipline and strong personality, will distinguish you from anyone else,” Moloi added.
Among the more than 800 degrees, diplomas and certificates conferred, were three PhDs in Physics, Polymer Science and Zoology, respectively. Four Masters of Science degrees were conferred cum laude.