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16 May 2018 Photo Charl Devenish
Open Day an exciting event for prospective Kovsies
Faculties gave students a taste of what studying at UFS is like.
Grade 12 learners and their parents and teachers from all over the Free State and outside the province were at the Bloemfontein Campus on 12 May 2018, to explore what the University of the Free State (UFS) has to offer. Faculties and departments all came together to give the visitors a great experience and a glimpse of what they can expect as first years in 2019. 

Exhibitions showcase excellence in education
“I plan to study for an accounting degree and I am excited because I’ve already got my sights on UFS,” said Oratile Segapo from Taung in North West. Oratile had visited the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, which like other faculties, held exhibitions on course information with teaching aids, models, and much more, demonstrating the high calibre of teaching and learning facilities at UFS, as well as innovation and technology-based education. At the Faculty of Law learners had the opportunity to interact with academics and the dean, and to listen to motivational talks by senior students, and former SRC members.

One of the highlights of Open Day is that learners can apply online to study at UFS. More than 150 learners were assisted in applying at the Van der Merwe Scholtz Hall. Other departments such as Student Recruitment Services, the UFS Library and the office of International Affairs were present to engage with learners and their parents.
 
Campus community coming together
The Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Francis Petersen had a session with learners and parents, giving them an opportunity to learn more about his vision for the university and to discuss their interest in the university.

The offices of Student Affairs, Community Engagement, Health and Wellness and Protection Services also gave learners a feel of what student life would be like as well as the support they could receive once becoming Kovsies.

“The Open Day was very well organised, and my daughter, who is doing Grade 11, is definitely planning on studying here once she matriculates. We were impressed with the activities and the ability to engage so easily with programme coordinators,” said Wilmarie du Toit.

The UFS Open Day is an annual event that is hosted at the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses, and attracts hundreds of learners to experience Kovsies for themselves. The Qwaqwa Campus Open Day will be held on 26 May 2018.

2018 Bloemfontein Campus Open Day highlights from University of the Free State on Vimeo.

News Archive

Unconventional oil and gas extraction – study for Water Research Commission reveals possible impacts
2014-11-05

 

Photo: Legalplanet.org
The Centre for Environmental Management (CEM) at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently completed a three-year project for the Water Research Commission. The purpose was to develop an interactive vulnerability map and monitoring framework for unconventional oil and gas extraction (final report still to be published).

Due to the complexity of this field, a number of participants across different disciplines and universities were involved in this trans-disciplinary study. Contributors included the Departments of Sociology, Physics and Mathematical Statistics from the UFS, the University of Pretoria Natural Hazard Centre, Africa, as well as the Institute of Marine and Environmental Law from the University of Cape Town.

Unconventional oil and gas extraction, its related impacts and the management of this activity to ensure environmental protection, is a controversial issue in many countries worldwide. Since the extraction of oil and gas using unconventional techniques is an unprecedented activity in South Africa, the project focused on understanding this extraction process as well as hydraulic fracturing and identifying possible environmental and socio-economic impacts associated with this activity in the South African context. An understanding of the possible impacts could aid government during the development of policy aimed at protecting the environment.

The researchers subsequently identified indicators to develop an interactive vulnerability map for unconventional oil and gas in South Africa. The vulnerability map focuses on specific mapping themes, which include surface water, groundwater, vegetation, seismicity and socio-economics. In addition, the map provides information on the vulnerability of the specified mapping themes to unconventional gas extraction on a regional scale. This map is intended as a reconnaissance tool to inform decision-makers on areas where additional detail field work and assessments may be required. It can also be used during Environmental Impact Assessments and determining licensing conditions.

Lastly, a monitoring framework was developed, which describes monitoring requirements for specific entities – surface water, groundwater, vegetation, seismicity and socio-economics – for the different phases of unconventional oil and gas extraction. Such monitoring is an important part of environmental protection. It is especially important for South Africa to perform baseline monitoring before exploration starts to ensure that we will have reference conditions to identify what impact oil and gas extraction activities has on the biophysical and socio-economic environments.


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