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24 April 2019 | Story Moeketsi Mogotsi | Photo Barend Nagel
KovsieCyberSta
2018/2019 #KovsieCyberStas Georgina Mhlahlo and Karabo Lekomanyane are about to make way for two new cool kids on the block.

The search for the next #KovsieCyberSta is on. The UFS is looking for two cool new kids on the block to take over the reins from Georgina and Karabo as the official UFS Social Media ambassadors.
 
The two individuals will hold the title of #KovsieCyberSta for a period of 12 months. As #KovsieCyberStas, they will cover events on and around campus, while filming and presenting short video clips to give fellow Kovsies some insight into these events across the UFS’s digital platforms.

The #KovsieCyberSta search will follow the following simple steps: 

1. Upload a 45-60-second audition video on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and tag the UFS while using #KovsieCyberSta. In your video, tell us why you should be the next #KovsieCyberSta.
2. You can also send your audition videos to socialmedia@ufs.ac.za
3. The 10 most impressive auditions will be shortlisted and posted on the UFS pages for public voting on 3 May 2019.
4. The Kovsie community will then decide who gets to win, and the winners will be announced on 8 May 2019.

The deadline for submitting video auditions is 1 May 2019 at midnight.

At the end of their term, #KovsieCyberStas will receive a letter of recommendation and a portfolio of their work to add to their showreel.

Please note that students must return to the UFS for the first semester in 2020. 
No team submissions are allowed. (only one person per audition video)

News Archive

Short course in Applied Conservation Genetics developed at UFS
2014-08-22

 

Photo: en.wikipedia.org

During discussions with stakeholders in Kenya in 2013, a need was identified for training in conservation genetics with an African emphasis. In answer, Prof Paul Grobler from the Department of Genetics developed a short course in Applied Conservation Genetics.

Some of the phenomena studied in this field include:
• hybridisation between species such as blue wildebeest and black wildebeest,
• wildlife poaching and
• potential inbreeding in small game-farm populations.

From the onset, the course has been developed as an international venture. To this end, Dr Frank Zachos from the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria, committed himself to the project. Dr Jamie Roberts from the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech University in the USA also came on board. Both pledged their time and expertise to the course – without any financial gain.

Subsequently, our Department of Genetics presented this short course at the National Zoological Gardens (NZG) in Pretoria earlier this year. The team of presenters included Prof Grobler, Dr Zachos and Dr Roberts. They were joined by Dr Desire Dalton from the Research Division of the NZG, who added valuable practical experience to the presentations.

The course assumes a degree of prior knowledge of population and molecular genetics. A strong emphasis is placed on practical applications. The programme includes a strong component of statistics and hands-on training in the many approaches and software used in population genetics.

The group that attended the course included a contingent from the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Dutch postgraduate students currently working at the University of Johannesburg and delegates from across South Africa.

This successful meeting followed an experimental first round of the course presented in Nairobi during 2013, attended by representatives from Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Mexico and Belgium.


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