Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
19 August 2019 | Story Charlene Stanley | Photo Ayanda Makhanya
Entrepreneurship Intervarsity
Entrepreneurship Intervarsity finalists, far left, Christopher Rothman, and second from right, Grace Mthembu, with fellow Kovsie competitors Driaan-Lou Kemp, second from left, and Martin Clarke, far right, at the regional finals held at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein in early August 2019.
A natural heating and cooking system and liquid yeast in its purest form – used in the brewing of beer – form the basis of two innovative business ventures that have earned their inventors a place in the finals of this year’s Entrepreneurship Intervarsity.

LiquidCulture

Christopher Rothman is currently busy with his PhD in Biotechnology at the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS). He and a fellow student started the company LiquidCulture last year to make high-quality yeast for their own commercial brewery called Kraft Brewing Co. 

“We realised that because of our backgrounds as microbiologists, we could grow our own yeast, have a better quality product, and save some money while also expanding our choice of yeast strains to use. This quickly became more than a solution to our own problems, as other breweries were also interested in using our yeast. We then formed LiquidCulture and started supplying the industry,” says Christopher.

Organic Heat

Grace Mthembu’s inspiration for her eco-friendly, cost-effective heating and cooking device, came after reading about devastating fires in rural and informal settlements caused by cooking fires.

“I decided to investigate the cause of these fires and found that the majority of the households did not have access to electricity or they couldn’t afford it,” explains Grace.
Her invention is based on the traditional metal cylinder or “imbawula”, used by many households in informal settlements to cook or heat with wood or coal. What makes her invention different is that it has a water filtration interior system which makes it safer and ensures that the smoke produced during the heating of the sources does not get released into the home and the air in general.

Her invention has already earned her awards for best community development, best mechanical engineering and best rural development project in the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, plus a gold medal and all-expenses-paid trip to represent South Africa at the London International Youth Science Fair.
She plans to establish a brand for the system with the name “Organic Heat”.

Student entrepreneurs showcased
  
The Entrepreneurship Intervarsity gives student entrepreneurs from across the country’s 26 public universities the opportunity to submit their innovative ideas as part of a competition supported by Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE), in collaboration with the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation.
Both Christopher and Grace see it as a great honour to represent the UFS in the finals, which will be held in Johannesburg on 18 September 2019. 

“The intervarsity has been fun thus far and the quality of the competitors is really high. Luckily I like public speaking and I am really passionate about my company so pitching to the judges has been very comfortable for me so far,” says Christopher. 

“I’m not obsessed about winning,” says Grace. “I’m looking forward to networking and connecting and building relationships with potential investors. If I do happen to win, it will obviously be amazing and will provide me with a lot of exposure and bring opportunities.”

News Archive

Water use on campus
2015-12-14


Report water wastage on the campuses.

 High temperatures and the fact that no rain was falling, puts pressure on the existing water supply. The Free State is one of the most arid areas in the country, and the province was also declared a drought area by the government.

It is therefore very important that the UFS community will use water sparingly – both where you live and in the workplace.

Report water wastage on the campuses by sending an email to news@ufs.ac.za or phone 051 401 3422.

Tips to use water sparingly in the workplace:
- Set up an inventory regarding water use and identifiable water management goals in your department. Control this to indicate progress.
- Keep a bottle of tap water in the fridge to avoid running the tap until the water is cold.
- Fill the kettle with water according to your needs.
- Sweep paving with a broom instead of washing it with water.
- Apply mulch to your garden, as it can reduce water use by up to 70%.
- Don’t rinse glasses and other dishes under running water. Plug the sink and reuse the water in the garden.
- Where possible, recycle water. Support projects making use of recycled water.
- When waiting for hot water to come out of the tap, place a bucket under the tap so that the cold water can be used later.
- Don’t let water run wild. Make sure all taps in the kitchen or bathroom are closed when leaving the office/residence.

Tips to use water sparingly at home:
- Showering can use up to 20 litres of water per minute. Take short showers, less than 5 minutes.
- Turn the tap off between washing your face, brushing your teeth or shaving
- Ensure that you have a full load of washing when using the washing machine.

Source: water tips: Rand Water, Bloem Water.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept