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21 August 2019
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Story Thabo Kessah
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Photo Thabo Kessah
Keafon Jumbam is gearing herself for the institutional Three Minute Thesis competition.
Keafon Jumbam is a PhD candidate whose research on food and foxes has won her the first prize of R8 000 in the recent Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences’ Postgraduate Flash Fact Competition. Her brief in the competition was to
summarise her research in three minutes, using only one static slide.“The competition started at departmental level on both campuses. The idea was that the best student in each department is then selected to go for the faculty-level competition on the Bloemfontein Campus. Summarising the entire research into three minutes is no easy feat, but a great way to gauge how well one has mastered your work,” she said.
Far-reaching research
“Thought-provoking presentations on research, ranging from technology to track academic progress, traditional medicine as alternatives to expensive prescriptions, and suggesting insects as food alternatives to curb hunger in this era of severe droughts and food shortages. The competition was tough, but it highlighted the level of research competitiveness on the Qwaqwa Campus. I hope that more students will join in such opportunities to build themselves up and to showcase our research output as Qwaqwa students,” added Jumbam from the
Department of Zoology and Entomology.
Institutional finals
Her next challenge is the institutional competition to be held on 23 August 2019, which could qualify her for the national competition.
Universities and communities should forge links, Prof. Khotseng
2010-03-04
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At the seminar, from the left: Dr Sethulego Matebesi (Head: Department of Sociology), Prof. Khotseng and Prof. Naas Bredenkamp (Department of Sociology).
Photo: Lize du Plessis |
The Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently held a departmental seminar where the former Vice-Rector of the UFS, Prof. Benito Khotseng, was the guest speaker.
He focused on the importance of the engagement between universities and the community. According to him South Africa has one of the most troubled societies in the world.
He said factors that led to people living in stress are, amongst others, unemployment, broken families, slum housing, child abuse, school dropouts, HIV/Aids, illiteracy and crime.
“People in the communities complain about what they don’t have when they should look at what they can do with what they do have,” Prof. Khotseng said.
He said the UFS was filled with people with the necessary expertise who should go to the communities to help where they could. “Universities and communities should start new, collaborating relationships,” he said.
“When we assist communities we should not see them as a bag of needs,” he said. “Each time someone uses his capabilities, the community grows stronger.”
He further said the UFS could certainly play a meaningful role in regional engagement and development.
- Lize du Plessis