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01 January 2018

 

 

Prof Marian Tredoux, Associate Professor in the
Department of Geology at the University of the Free State,
recently had a mineral named after her.
Photo: Sonia Small

Prof Marian Tredoux is a geochemist and lecturer in the Department of Geology at the University of the Free State (UFS). Her research interests are rocks, particularly the chemistry of rocks and the minerals they are composed of – chemicals similar to those found in laboratories, although they occur in nature.

Prof Tredoux started her research career at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), after which she spent a number of years at the University of Cape Town (UCT). For the past 11 years, she has been at the UFS, which has brought her in close proximity of her primary field-research area in Barberton. This fascinating part of the country has been the focus of her research for 30 years. She has always been intrigued by the earth's crust in this area, which she describes as "very old, very strange, and very interesting".

Prof Tredoux has been collaborating with colleagues and peers overseas in an attempt to unravel the intricacies of this unusual geological area. Some of these colleagues recently discovered a new mineral in one of the rock formations of the Barberton mountain range. They decided to name the mineral after Prof Tredoux, dubbing it tredouxite. "I am very honoured by this, and very grateful that all these years of collaboration are being acknowledged," Prof Tredoux said.

News Archive

Internet Broadcast Project wins at International Enterprise Video Awards
2014-08-11

Video: Internet Broadcast Project

In April this year, the ICTISE (ICT Innovation in School Education) division won the first place at the Enterprise Video Awards held in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Their Internet Broadcast Project (IBP) was the overall winner in the Innovation category – competing against universities and other training institutions from across the world.

The IBP is a collaborative project between the ICTISE and the Free State Department of Education (FSDoE). Broadcasting from the South Campus studio in Bloemfontein, teachers use specialised web-casting technology to present lessons that reach 68 education centres. Lessons cover a range of subjects and broadcast in real time to teachers and learners from Grades 8 to 12, covering 40 Free State towns, including the most rural areas.

Head of the ICTISE Project, Sarietjie Musgrave said, “Each participating school is equipped with 24/7 uncapped internet access, an all-in-one computer (computer, data projector and sound system), a document camera and a printer – the same equipment used in the studio by the expert teachers.

“The technology provided allows learners to communicate with the expert teacher in the studio during a broadcast to the school or learner at no cost. Lessons can be downloaded on to various devices and re-used during teaching time, shared with neighbouring schools, or taken home by learners to help with homework or for revision.

“To date, the IBP catalogue contains over 2 000 video lessons and during 2013 alone, the 68 schools accessed and used these videos 69 305 times. The project has the potential to reach more than 40 000 learners and 1 765 teachers every week.”

Innovation and sustainability form the backbone of this project. Support is provided to teachers and learners in Mathematics, Maths Literacy, Physical Science, Life Science, Geography, English, Accounting, Economics and Business Studies.


The ICTISE has a dedicated technical team to support schools. During broadcasts there is a dedicated helpline and on-site technical support, even in the remotest areas.

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