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06 July 2018 Photo Charl Devenish and Johan Roux
Prestigious academic medals awarded to outstanding UFS students
UFS Dean medal recipients top left; Sophia Pitcher, top right; HJ Prinsloo, centre; Lesley Jean Wright, bottom right; Mashudu Mathobo and Senate’s medal recipient bottom left; Enrico Scheltema at the 2018 June Graduation ceremonies.
During the recent June graduation ceremonies at the University of the Free State (UFS), the winter chill subsided with some heart-warming academic achievements in postgraduate studies. Four students were awarded a Dean’s medal for the best master’s degree in their respective faculties, and the overall best achiever received a Senate’s medal. The faculties in the limelight were Education, the Humanities, Theology and Religion, and Natural and Agricultural Sciences boasting both a Dean’s and Senate’s medal. 

Biblical analysis and interpretation
Interestingly, the Bible served as subject matter for two master’s degrees from two different faculties – each receiving a Dean’s medal. HJ Prinsloo, under the guidance of his study leader, Prof Francois Tolmie from the Faculty of Theology and Religion, took a closer look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians. “I hope that my studies made me become a critical-thinking theologian who can make a contribution to the interpretation of Paul’s letters,” Prinsloo said. He would like to continue his research by doing a PhD. “My academic interest is the rhetoric of the undisputed Pauline letters in the New Testament.” He gave all the glory and honour to God for his achievement. 

A few blocks down in the Faculty of the Humanities, Sophia Lynn Pitcher sunk her teeth into the Masoretic cantillation accents of the Hebrew Bible a complex medieval notation for recording the chanting and recitation of the Old Testament text. “Her prosodic model is ground-breaking in that it provides the key to unlocking the intonational patterns of the Old Testament, which will have significant implications for biblical interpretation and exegesis for Bible translators and students,” said her study leader, Prof Jacobus Naude, and co-study leader, Prof Cynthia Miller-Naude. “The study of the Masoretic accents has been largely ignored by Hebrew and biblical scholars,” they elaborated. “Her research demonstrates that it is possible to understand the Old Testament in light of the sounds of its sentences, as well as the words on the written page.”

Class time
In her striking polka-dot, ankle-high laced-up sneakers, Lesley Jean Wright not only earned her master’s degree with specialisation in Psychology of Education, but also the Dean’s Medal in the Faculty of Education. Although she has always been an achiever, it was the first time that she received an award of this calibre at university level. “My research is part of the way in which I have chosen to change the world in which I live,” she explains her passion and drive. “The best part of my studies was learning in so much more depth about an area of which I knew very little in academic terms.” She completed her research titled, A Collaborative Inquiry Towards Understanding the Experiences of ‘Out’ Lesbian and Gay Teachers in Gauteng Schools, under the guidance of her supervisor and mentor, Prof Dennis Francis from Stellenbosch University. 

Maths minds
The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences had a proud moment when two of their students received sought-after awards. “Modelling real-world problems with mathematical tools is perhaps one of the most difficult exercises in research,” said Prof Abdon Atangana about the research of his student, Mashudu Mathobo, who received a Dean’s medal. Prof Atangana commended Mathobo’s passion, devotion, and dedication to his studies. “He was at my door every morning to discuss the previous night’s work.” Mathobo revised Theis’s mathematical model portraying the movement of groundwater to find a more accurate solution. He came up with an exact groundwater flow equation for a confined aquifer, taking all Theis’s assumptions into account, as well as high-order terms that Theis removed from his equation. 

Also using mathematics to solve problems of a different kind, was Actuarial Science student and Senate’s medal recipient, Enrico Scheltema. Currently in his honours year, he received this noteworthy award for his undergraduate studies. He is driven by his love for problem-solving and is looking forward to entering the workplace next year. “It is an interesting feeling to be awarded for something you did some time ago,” Scheltema said. While he is yet to fully appreciate the magnificence of his achievement, the faculty and university salutes the young man for his brilliance and dedication.

News Archive

Multi-disciplinary research approach at UFS
2005-10-25

UFS follows multi-disciplinary research approach with opening of new centre 

“A new way of doing business in necessary in the research and teaching of agriculture and natural sciences in South Africa.  We must move away from  departmentalised research infrastructures and a multi-disciplinary approach to research involving several disciplines must be adapted,” said Prof Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean:  Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS).   

Prof van Schalkwyk delivered the keynote address during the launch of the Centre for Plant Health Management (CePHMa) at the Main Campus in Bloemfontein today (21 October 2005).  CePHMa is an initiative of the UFS Department of Plant Sciences.

According to Prof van Schalkwyk a tertiary institution must practice multi-disciplinary research to be a world-class research institution.  “It is difficult for researchers to admit that they do not know a lot about each other’s area of speciality.  It is therefore necessary for researchers to make a paradigm shift and to focus on inter-disciplinary co-operation.  To do this, we must encourage them to work together and to find a common language to communicate ideas en establish symbiotic relationships,” said Prof Van Schalkwyk.

“We tend to think that research is better and faster if it is specialised.  This is not true.  The new generation of scientists are young and they are trained to form a concept of the total system and not to focus on a specific area of speciality.  At the UFS we encourage this approach to research.  This was one of the main reasons for the establishment of CePHMa,” said Prof Van Schalkwyk.
CePHMa is the only centre of its kind in Africa and is established to extend the expertise in plant health management in South Africa and in Africa, to train experts in plant health and to conduct multi-disciplinary research about the health of agricultural crops.  

“CePHMa is a virtual centre comprising of ten disciplines applicable to crop production and crop protection,” said Prof Wijnand Swart, Chairperson of CePHMa during the opening ceremony.

“The UFS is the leading institution in Africa in terms of news crop development and manages three research programmes that concentrate on new crops, i.e. the New Crop Pathology Programme, the New Crop Development Programme and the Insects on New Crops Programme.  Other applied research programmes that are unique to the UFS are genetic resistance to rust diseases of small grain crops and sustainable integrated disease management of field crops,” said Prof Swart.

“Because the expected growth in population will be 80% in 2020 in sub-Saharan Africa, the future demands of food produce in Africa will be influenced.  Therefore research will in future be focused on ways to improve food security by employing  agricultural systems that are economically viable and environmentally sound,” said Prof Swart.

“Thorough knowledge of the concept of holistic plant health management is crucial to meet the challenge and it is therefore imperative that innovative crop protection and crop production strategies, with particular emphasis on plant health, be adopted.  This is why the Department of Plant Sciences initiated the establishment of CePHMA,” he said.

According to Prof Swart there is a shortage of expertise in plant health management.  “The UFS has shown the potential to address the demand of the sub-continent of Africa regarding expertise training and CePHMa is the leader in southern Africa to provide in this need,” he said.

The appropriateness and quality of training in plant health management is reflected in the fact that students from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania, Cameroon, Angola, Mozambique and Lesotho have already been trained or are in the process of being trained in at the UFS.

Scientists from CePHMa have forged partnerships with numerous national and international institutions including the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), various community trusts, seed, pesticide and agricultural chemical companies, in addition to overseas universities. 

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:  (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
21 October 2005

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