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27 January 2018 Photo Supplied
Physics excels in Afrikaans Academy for Science and Art symposium
UFS postgraduate students in the Department of Physics attended the Student Symposium of the Afrikaans Academy for Science and Art. From the left are Izak van der Westhuizen (PhD) and Hélène Szegedi (MSc), who both came in second place in their respective sessions. On the right of the banner are Dina Oosthuizen (PhD) and Lucas Erasmus (MSc),who claimed first place in their respective sessions.

Every year postgraduate students from all universities and universities of technology in the country are invited to participate in the student symposium of the Afrikaans Academy for Science and Art.

Honours, master's, and doctoral students from different universities in different scientific fields, including chemistry, physics, computer science, engineering, geography, medicine, etc. participated in the symposium. From the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS), Dina Oosthuizen (PhD) won a first prize in session 1, Hélène Szegedi (MSc) won second prize in session 2, where Lucas Erasmus (MSc) claimed first place and Izak van der Westhuizen (PhD) took second place in session 3.

'We love what we do'

Students from the UFS do incredibly well each year at this symposium. “These achievements speak of the excellent education and training we receive, especially in the department. Physics students not only have lecturers and supervisors who are well-respected in their own research fields but have access to world-class instruments in our physics laboratories. We also love what we do and see it as a privilege to share our work.

“The symposium is also an opportunity to gain valuable experience in presenting our own research as well as getting exposure to various research topics, methods and scientific disciplines,” said Hélène Szegedi, who is a junior lecturer in the Department of Physics

 

"We love what we do
and see it as a privilege
to share our work."
Hélène Szegedi
Lecturer in the
Department of Physics


Symposium unique on many levels



Although every participant has to present in Afrikaans, it is not only Afrikaans-speaking students who participate in the symposium. Szegedi said: “The language requirement for the symposium does, however, create the opportunity to develop Afrikaans further as a science language, and we sometimes have to coin new words or terms to describe our research, making this symposium unique and beneficial on many levels.”

Read a preview of the research presentation here.

News Archive

Cochlear implant changes Magteld's world
2009-11-06

The microphone is ready for Magteld Smith’s (second from the left) first radio interview after the cochlear implant was switched on by Mr Henk Wolmarans (right) of MedEl. With them are, from the left: Ms Vicki Fourie, Deaf Miss SA, Ms Eunika Smith from the SABC and Prof. Jonathan Jansen.
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar


Magteld Smith gave her first steps towards the world of the hearing when her cochlear implant was switched on in the Universitas Hospital this week.

A whole team was there to share her joy and disbelief and amazement the moment she could hear noises, voices and conversations. Among them were the Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof. Jonathan Jansen, and the acting dean of the Faculty of Heath Sciences at the UFS, Prof. Gert van Zyl.

“I can hear my own voice! I haven’t heard it for a long time. My wish is that every deaf child can get something like this,” she said while prodding Prof. Jansen to speak so that she can hear his voice.

Magteld is working at the university's Centre for Health Systems Research and Development and was deaf since birth. She lost her last bit of hearing due to meningitis last year. Her hearing aids could then not assist her to communicate and a cochlear implant was the only option.

A donation by the Austrian company MedEl made the implant possible. Prof. André Claassen, Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the UFS, says MedEl was also instrumental in the establishment of the implant programme at the Universitas Hospital and sponsored the first five implants at a total cost of R1 million.

Prof. Claassen says 27 implants have already been done here, but it came to an abrupt halt due to a lack of funds. Strong hearing aids are expensive and cochlear implants are even more expensive at R200 000 each. People with hearing disabilities must be identified at an early age as the brain’s ability to learn sound and voice diminishes after the age of three.
 

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