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
28 August 2019 | Story Zama Feni | Photo Charl Devenish
3MT
From the left: University of the Free State (UFS) students, Chantelle van der Bijl (Master’s Category) and Keafon Jumbam (PhD Category) emerged victorious at the annual institutional Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition held on Friday, 23 August 2019.
Two University of the Free State (UFS) students, Keafon Jumbam (PhD) and Chantelle van der Bijl (master’s), emerged victorious at the annual institutional Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition held on the Bloemfontein Campus on Friday, 23 August 2019.

The 3MT is a research-communication competition which was developed by the University of Queensland (UQ), whereby PhD students are given three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance. 

Winning students

Jumbam, who is a student in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, cleaned the table in the PhD category, which had six contestants from various faculties. She walked away with a cash prize of R14 000.
She presented a thesis titled: Social, ecological and personality factors influencing bat-eared fox foraging behaviour.
Asked about the secret to her victory, Jumbam said: “You must ensure that you publish your work, because that gives a person a competitive edge, globally.”
In the Master’s Category, Chantelle van der Bijl grabbed the first spot, beating four other contestants in this category, winning an amount of R10 000.  Her thesis title was: Doctor Mothers: Infant feeding intentions and behaviours.
“I am excited to have won this. I am very grateful for the support I got from my family and faculty staff,” said Van der Bijl.

Idea behind the 3MT

The 3MT challenges students to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries in order to be presented concisely to a non-specialist audience. The 3MT was designed to develop skills that will give students an important career advantage once they complete their studies. 
The competition was originally reserved for PhD students, but the UFS Postgraduate School decided to include master’s students so as to prepare them in case they wanted to do their PhDs after their studies. 
The UFS winner in the Master’s Category (Van der Bijl) will not represent the university in the national final 3MT competition on 25 October 2019, but the 1st runner-up in the PhD category (Lourens Strauss) – as per the rules of the competition.

Nothing but research for better future
Giving a word of encouragement to the contestants on the importance of research, the Senior Director for Research Development, Dr Glen Taylor, said: “When our generation of practitioners and leaders (students) engage in research with its deliberate process and requirements for critical thinking skills, they become better students and are best prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future. Research is an opportunity to make a difference; it is open to everyone and thrives on a diversity of approaches and perspectives.”

Taylor said universities have to be vital sources of new knowledge and innovative thinking, providers of skilled personnel, attractors of international talent and business investment into a region, agents of social justice and mobility, and contributors to social and cultural vitality.


News Archive

Triumph of the Human Spirit – a symbol of hope
2015-08-24

Ahmed Kathrada discusses his latest book, Triumph of the Human Spirit.
Photo: Johan Roux

“A triumph of courage and determination over human frailty and weakness; a triumph of the new South Africa over the old.” – Ahmed Kathrada

Ahmed Kathrada, stalwart of South Africa’s liberation struggle, visited the Bloemfontein Campus on 18 August 2015 to launch his latest book, Triumph of the Human Spirit. Turning page after page, the reader travels back with Uncle Kathy – as he is fondly known – to revisit Robben Island with the more than 300 guests he has accompanied since 1994. With each photo – be it a celebrity or school child, head of state or famous artist, friend or royalty – the significance of the island is eternalised, right alongside Ahmed Kathrada.

Message of triumph
“Why this specific title for the book?” Prof André Keet, Director of the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ), asked during the book launch. “Robben Island,” Kathrada answered, “should not be remembered only as a place of suffering – that’s history. But the message of Robben Island is the message of triumph – triumph of the human spirit over all sorts of adversities.”

Speaking about Kathrada’s quiet but profound impact, Zaakirah Vadi, editor of the book, said “I think Uncle Kathy does not realise what an inspiration his own strength of spirit is”. The fight for human values and dignity was “honed and perfected in the cells of Robben Island,” she said. “It created the vision for a new South Africa and, as Uncle Kathy puts it, the triumph of the new South Africa over the old.”

UFS surprises Ahmed Kathrada with a birthday cake.
Photo: Johan Roux

Freedom was sacrifice
This triumph was not achieved without a cost, though. “No freedom comes on a platter,” Kathrada said. “Freedom was fought for. Freedom was sacrifice. Through the sacrifices of those who did not survive, we are still here to tell the story.”

And that is exactly what Triumph of the Human Spirit does. As Kgalema Motlanthe writes in the foreword, “This book serves as a preservation of history and a symbol of hope.”

Birthday celebration
Just as the event seemed to come to a close, members of the Student Representative Council carried a candle-lit cake – shaped in the number 86 – toward Kathrada. This surprise was organised by the UFS to celebrate his birthday on 21 August 2015. And, as the audience cheered and sang, Kathrada’s smile spread like a light across the hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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