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19 July 2018 Photo Supplied
AEVGI advances Next-Generation Sequencing in Africa
Prof George Armah, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Ghana; Prof Carl Kirkwood, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA; Cornelius Hagenmeier, Director: Internationalisation, UFS; Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean: Health Sciences; Dr Martin Nyaga, Senior Lecturer in the NGS Unit; Prof Joyce Tsoka-Gwegweni, Vice-Dean: Health Sciences; Dr Glen Taylor, Senior Director: Research and Development; Prof Jeffrey Mphahlele, Vice-President, South African Medical Research Council.

The inaugural edition of the University of the Free State (UFS) Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Data and Bioinformatics Workshop, hosted by the UFS-NGS Unit in the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences, marked a new beginning for the advancement of NGS in Africa under the auspices of the African Enteric Viruses Genome Initiative (AEVGI), which was recently funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The AEVGI will generate rotavirus genomes at the UFS-NGS Unit to investigate the long-term effects of the introduction of the monovalent RV1 vaccine in three African countries – Ghana, Malawi, and South Africa.

The workshop attracted over 90 participants from 15 national and international institutions, with organisations from seven different countries as well as company representatives attending the event. The workshop kicked off with a courtesy call to the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, followed by a stakeholder meeting with the executive management of the UFS.

The funding was secured through an award to the principal investigator, Dr Martin Nyaga, and sub-awards to co-investigators, Dr Khuzwayo Jere, Dr Francis Dennis, and Dr Valentine Ndze. According to attendee evaluations of the workshop, the remarkable performance of the workshop instructors was outstanding. Through practical sessions, participants were equipped with knowledge on how to apply several tools of genetic data analysis, using the rotavirus genome as a model to construct and interpret different genomic datasets.

A total of 65 students attended the hands-on workshop, the majority of which were from South African higher-education institutions. The organisers are grateful to the sponsors, particularly to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the University of the Free State, for making the workshop a success. Whitehead Scientific and the South African Medical Research Council also played a major role in the success of the workshop. The local organising committee consisted of Dr Martin Nyaga (host, convener and chair), Dr Saheed Sabiu (secretary), and Mr Stephanus Riekert (principal ICT support).

News Archive

Opera in Odeion
2005-03-11

Nols Nieman - Volksblad
DIE eerste opera op die Volksbladkunstefees, 'n konsert van klavierduette deur die vermaarde pianiste Albie van Schalkwyk en Anneke Lamont, drie konserte deur die Nasionale Jeugsimfonie-orkes en 'n uitvoering deur die bekende Rosamundestrykkwartet.

Dit is van die hoogtepunte wat vir liefhebbers van klassieke musiek op die Volksblad-kunstefees van 12 tot 17 Julie in Bloemfontein beplan word. Op 'n kunstefeesvergadering gister op die kampus van die Universiteit van die Vrystaat (UV), het mev. Doks Briers, hooforganiseerder, bekend gemaak dat die Nasionale Jeugsimfonie-orkes drie konserte gaan hou, waarvan twee volle simfoniekonserte gaan wees. Dié orkes hou tydens die fees 'n kamp op die Kovie-kampus.

Me. Hanna van Niekerk, sangdosent en konsertkoördineerder van die departement musiek aan die UV, het gesê die plan is om die sprokie-opera Hansie en Grietjie van Humperdinck in die Odeion op die kampus aan te bied. Die Skool vir Musiek in Potchefstroom van die Noordwes-universiteit onder leiding van Werner Nel voer dit uit.

Ook word 'n konsert deur die Rosamunde-strykkwartet beplan. Van Niekerk beskou Rosamunde as die beste strykkwartet in die land. Die vier vroue in die kwartet is Denise Sutton (viool), Suzanne Swanepoel-Martens (viool), Jeanne-Louise Moolman (altviool) en Marian Lewin (tjello)

Die beplande konsert van klavierduette deur Van Schalkwyk en Lamont behoort ook 'n vol saal te trek.

Volksblad - Woensdag 23 Februarie 2005

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