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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

Colleges build community through Academic School Projects
2016-06-13


The South College leadership visited CommTech Secondary School as part of their academic
community engagement project. From left is Alexanne Ridge, Wilmie van der Wal, Edith Le Roux,
Tuli Molebalwa, Jean-Claude Naude, Mbali Skosana and Lerato Bale.
Photo: Eddie de Wet.
















Residence Life at the University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with the Community Engagement office, decided to pilot a School Project within colleges for 2016.

The aim of the project is to invest in, and have impact on, not only schools and the learning environment, but also the volunteering spirit of college members. The project triggers critical and reflective thinking as well as the creativity aspect of development to contribute ultimately to our social responsibilities.

Each college will visit a school throughout the year, to serve its academic needs, and to foster relationships in the broader community. Recently, North College visited Bainsvlei High School in Bloemfontein to share information and success stories about academic life as a Kovsie student. At CommTech Secondary School in the city, South College delivered sponsored tables and chairs to improve the overall learning environment.

North College consists of Madelief, Tswelopele, Vergeet-My-Nie, Veritas, and Welwitschia residences while South College includes Armentum, Emily Hobhouse, Marjolein, Kestell, NJ van der Merwe, and Villa Bravado.

“It is a great opportunity for college members to interact with the community, and it serves as motivation for the learners. The learners were very enthusiastic about our visit, and I trust that the South College students will motivate them to complete their high-school career and join us at UFS”, said Wilmie van der Wal, College Coordinator.

The projects will continue during the second semester with the different colleges. Everyone can look forward to significant life-changing stories. A quote by Archbishop Desmond Tutu serves as motivation in this regard: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world”.

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