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12 March 2018 Photo Leonie Bolleurs
Second triumph for young pollution and pharmaceutical researcher
Emmie Chiyindiko, winner of Famelab.
“I am grateful to be reaping the benefits of stepping out of my comfort zone. By facing the unfamiliar, that challenge will allow me to see what great things I am capable of,” said Emmie Chiyindiko, winner of Famelab 2018.

With FameLab, the world’s leading science communication competition, participants have just three minutes to win over the judges and crowd with a scientific talk that excels in content, clarity and charisma. Contestants from around the world participate, armed only with their wits and a few props.

Emmie won the Postgraduate School’s Three-Minute-Thesis competition for master’s level in 2017.

She said: “My research is based on the synthesis and characterisation of a series of unique metal complexes.” These complexes are used both as active pharmaceutical ingredients and cosmetic additives to reduce the detrimental effects of UV radiation on the skin. They are incorporated into anti-ulcer, gastro protective drugs, anti-asthmatic, lung disease drugs, with anti-cancer and anti-diabetic agents,” she said.

With her research she can also monitor air pollution. Formaldehyde is a known toxin to human health. “Using metal complexes, I am able to monitor the production of formaldehyde and consequently come up with exposure prevention methods,” said Emmie.

She believes that it is okay to not ”fit in“. “Mannerisms such as your quirks make you different and distinctive. Live your life intentionally, imprint your personal mark on this universe and always choose faith over fear.”

News Archive

Bring back dignity to our schoolgirls
2015-03-10

A Kovsie student initiative is currently crying out to the community at large to help in realising a dream of helping school learners who come from poor families to gain confidence in their school work and social lives generally. 

 

This initiative by Nkanyezi Talk @UFS aims to do this through the provision of sanitary towels to such learners at the onset of puberty.

 

“Through research, we have established that some learners face numerous challenges during this stage, with some using socks as a substitute for sanitary towels while others opt for newspapers. This raises a lot of health and psychological concerns,” says project coordinator Bongani Zwane.

 

According to research conducted by UNICEF in 2013, one in ten girls who cannot afford sanitary towels will miss a week of schooling during the cycle of their period. This is because they fear being ridiculed by other learners, and because their dignity as girls is not being respected. This absence from school also happens because they do not understand what is happening to their bodies.

 

“What should be a celebration of womanhood becomes a time of shame and embarrassment with dire consequences for the girls’ education as well as their future,” Zwane adds.

 

“We therefore appeal to everyone to help us realise this dream of making sure that we reduce the number of schoolgirls who do not attend school during their menstruation periods, and restore their dignity by donating sanitary towels.

 

“Overall, we have already collected more than 1000 packs of sanitary towels. The office of Cornelia Faasen, our acting dean of Student Affairs, has also endorsed the campaign and already donated 600 packs of sanitary towels,” says Zwane.

 

“We have set ourselves the goal of collecting and donating 10 000 (ten thousand) sanitary towels in total.”

 

 

Methods of Donating

 

Nkanyezi Talk @UFS welcomes any physical donations of sanitary towels and financial donations through their UFS entity number 1/466/08119 only.

 

For more information on how and where to donate, please contact project coordinator Bongani Zwane at 079 237 5089 or email him to bzwane@workmail.co.za.

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