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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

A Rag procession to remember
2013-02-06

Photo: Albert van Biljon
05 February 2013


   YouTube Video

A Rag procession to remember and one of the best in years. This was the opinion of many spectators at the Kovsies’ annual Rag procession on Saturday 2 February 2013. Large numbers of people came to watch the procession moving through the streets of Bloemfontein as students showed off their floats.

A festive atmosphere prevailed along the route and some people came prepared with camping chairs and picnic baskets.

The proceedings began with a morning procession to the Twin City shopping centre in Heidedal and the Kenilworth shopping centre in Mangaung. About 10 000 food parcels were handed out in the two suburbs, while the UFS Cultural Office and KovsieFM entertained the residents.

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, as well as members of the senior leadership, went along on the journey to the two suburbs. Dozens of children and adults were at the Twin City shopping centre where hundreds of balloons were released. Kovsie staff, students and members of the SRC at the Bloemfontein Campus met with members of the community and helped to hand out food parcels.

The main procession left from the Bloemfontein Campus at 18:00 and proceeded to the Old Grey’s sports grounds for the Rag concert. Rag-goers were entertained by the music group Mi Casa, the singing duo and twin brothers Locnville, as well as Bobby van Jaarsveld. People were also treated to a fireworks display.

The float of the residences Karee, Soetdoring and Imperium was announced as the winning float.

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