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15 March 2018 Photo Thabo Kessah
Qwaqwa Campus welcomes international students
SRC President, Masopha Hlalele, with ISC Executive Committee members Tapiwanashe Mashamba (Deputy Chairperson), Jennifer Ashafa (Chairperson), Mamokete Mokhatla (Secretary), and Kanego Mokgosi (Qwaqwa Campus: Office for International Affairs).
Integration. Diversity. Inclusivity. Academic excellence.

These words featured prominently during the welcoming event for international students on the Qwaqwa Campus of the University of the Free State. The event was organised by the International Student Council (ISC), in collaboration with the Office for International Affairs (OIA).

“The presence of international students is bound to enrich diversity on campus, as it converges vast experiences of the world within one space. It further promotes social integration between South African students and those from the region and beyond,” said Teboho Manchu, Acting Campus Principal.

Opportunity to connect
Teboho further stated that international students provide a critical opportunity for all students to connect, irrespective of their origin.

“Immerse yourselves in the local culture and most importantly, go out there in the communities and connect with the ordinary people,” he added.

In encouraging international students to fully participate in the student programmes on campus, the Acting Campus Vice-Principal: Support Services and Director: Student Affairs, Temba Hlasho, said that Student Affairs supports all students, irrespective of their choice of study or origin.
“To show that we as Student Affairs care, we are going to institute a process in which the SRC Constitution will be reviewed to include international students. This will enable all students to use the positive environment to further thrive in their chosen careers. Participate in all the student activities and leave a mark. Exploit the nature of this campus. Take advantage of its relatively small size and warmth,” he said.

SRC Constitution review
In his response on behalf of the students, the SRC President, Masopha Hlalele, concurred with the campus management that the time was right to review the SRC Constitution to include international students as well as postgraduate students.

“We commit to fast-tracking this process so that the amended constitution can be adopted by the UFS Council in June 2018. In the meantime, continue making your mark on every inch of this campus,” he said.

International students in the audience came from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and India.

News Archive

NASA Deep Space Navigation engineer presents at Naval Hill Planetarium
2017-03-30

Description: NASA Deep Space Navigation engineer Tags: NASA Deep Space Navigation engineer

From the left: Chris du Plessis; US Consulate, Johannesburg,
Prof Petrus Meintjes; Dept of Physics UFS, Christopher Jacobs;
NASA, and Anthony Deaton; US Consulate Johannesburg.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

The University of the Free State (UFS) hosted NASA Deep Space engineer Christopher Jacobs on 27 March 2017 at the Bloemfontein Campus. The engagement was hosted by Prof Matie Hoffman of the Department of Physics and the Department of Institutional Advancement, in collaboration with the US Consulate General in Johannesburg.

Jacobs is stationed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology and has served as the Reference Frame Calibration task manager for 25 years. In this role he has been responsible for delivering the reference frames used to navigate NASA missions such as the Mars Science Laboratory to planetary targets.

His visit to the UFS included a presentation to the Department of Astrophysics at the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and at the Naval Hill Planetarium in Bloemfontein where he spoke on Stellar GPS: Navigating the Solar System. He also spoke about the latest research and developments at NASA in Astrometry. The visit will establish and develop shared interests and possible collaboration with UFS and other institutions of interest in the country. “South Africa, because of its well-placed geographic location in the southern hemisphere, holds a lot of answers to astronomy,” Jacobs said.

He has an active interest in professional and public education, and outreach, having given public lectures around the world. “Astronomy brings people together and is a point of common interest that is key in solving environmental and geographical challenges such as climate change, therefore global cooperation is important,” he said.

Prof Hoffman welcomed the initiative by the US Consulate and the possible outcomes of joint efforts to position the UFS as a key partner in South Africa on NASA’s astronomy projects. In the coming weeks Jacobs will speak at high schools in Gauteng including the Mae Jemison US Science Reading Room in Mamelodi, Pretoria, a centre that is focused on promoting science education.

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