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20 March 2018
Photo Johan Roux
As the weather starts to cool and the trees begin to lose their leaves, the University of the Free State (UFS) commences with the Autumn graduation preparations, which will take place in the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus from 9-13 April 2018.
Students and their families can look forward to a fulfilling graduation ceremony that is bound to live up to the soon-to-be graduates’ dreams.
For information regarding the 2018 April graduations, please visit the UFS graduation ceremonies page, where students can also find the Graduation Guide Booklet. For enquiries please email graduations@ufs.ac.za
The graduation ceremonies for the different faculties will be taking place on the following dates:
Monday 9 April 2018
09:00: Faculties of Health Sciences and Theology and Religion
14:30: South Campus: University Access Programme
Tuesday 10 April 2018
09:00: Faculty of Law
14:30: Faculty of Education
Wednesday 11 April 2018
09:00: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
14:30: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Thursday 12 April 2018
09:00: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (including Business School)
14:30: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Friday 13 April 2018
09:00: Faculty of the Humanities
14:30: Faculty of the Humanities
The Graduation Ceremonies will be available on livestream: http://livestream.ufs.ac.za/
New research informs improved treatment of brain inflammation
2017-10-13
Dr Adepemi Ogundeji, researcher in the Department of Microbial,
Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the
University of the Free State,and Dr Olihile Sebolai,
her study leader from the same department.
Photo: Charl Devenish
Microbiologist Dr Adepemi Ogundeji has uncovered a new use for an old medicine that can potentially save lives and money. Under the guidance of her study leader, Dr Olihile Sebolai, Dr Ogundeji set out to fight a fungal disease caused by Cryptococcus neoformans. Drs Ogundeji and Sebolai are from the University of the Free State Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology.
Dr Ogundeji is passionate about education. “My aim will always be to transfer knowledge and skills in the microbiology field,” she said. “Dr Ogundeji’s study is celebrated in that it found a new purpose for existing medicines. An advantage of repositioning old medicines is by-passing clinical trials, which sometimes take 20 years, and the safety of such medicines is already known,” Dr Sebolai, explained.
Cryptococcus infections are difficult to control and often lead to brain inflammation. In layman’s terms: “Your brain is on fire”. People with HIV/Aids are especially vulnerable, surviving only about three months without treatment. Such patients may present with a Cryptococcus-emergent psychosis, and some with an out-of-control inflammatory condition when initiated on ARVs.
Dr Ogundeji found that the clinically recommended dosage of aspirin (anti-inflammatory medicine), and quetiapine (anti-psychotic medicine) is sufficient to control the infection. Her exceptional work was readily published in some of the foremost journals in her field, namely, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and Frontiers in Microbiology