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25 February 2019 | Story Mamosa Makaya | Photo Charl Devenish
Principles Functions
From left: Mrs Zinette de Wet, Headmistress Eunice High School, Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, and Stefan van Schalkwyk from Eunice High School.
The relationship between the University of the Free State (UFS) and high schools in Bloemfontein and the region remains vital to the successful recruitment and enrolment of high-performing students at the university. 

The office of Student Recruitment Services hosted a breakfast on 20 February 2019 to honour school principals in Bloemfontein and surrounding towns for their continued support of UFS student recruitment programmes at their schools.

Principals, headmasters, teachers and chairpersons of school governing bodies, play an important role in advising and motivating learners to apply at institutions they regard as providers of quality tertiary education, and the UFS has been chosen, time and again, as the institution of choice. 

The UFS Student Recruitment Services office engages in recruitment drives using a three-tiered recruitment model throughout the academic year in the Free State and around the country, working closely with the leadership of high schools schools.

University and schools working together

In his welcoming remarks, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, said the relationship between local high schools and the university was vital in the process of developing the region. By producing high-performing students, schools and the university as partners, drive innovation, transformation and academic excellence. “In order to be innovative, we have to be forward looking, and want to work with you on that. I plan to engage with you one-on-one to strengthen our partnerships further,” Prof Petersen said.

Engaging the leaders

Each year, the university presents school principals with awards for their contribution to student recruitment and enrolment. This year, the platinum award, which is the top award for more than 50 enrolments at UFS, was presented to Brebner High School, C&N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje, Eunice High School, Grey College Secondary School, and Jim Fouché Hoërskool. Other award categories were; gold for 20-49 enrolments, silver for 10-19 enrolments, and diamond for one to nine enrolments, these were presented to 29 schools in Bloemfontein and Excelsior.

The Director: Student Recruitment Services, Nomonde Mbadi, said the value of the relationship with schools and principals was immeasurable, and would continue to be nurtured for years to come. The event is held annually at the UFS, and is a rich platform for renewed engagement into the future.


Principles Function
Principles Function
Principles Function
Principles Function
Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor
Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor
Principles Function
Principles Function
Nomonde Mbadi, Director: Student Recruitment Services
Nomonde Mbadi, Director: Student Recruitment Services
Principles Function
Principles Function

News Archive

Two scientists part of team that discovers the source of the highest energy cosmic rays at the centre of the Milky Way
2016-03-22

Description: Giant molecular clouds Tags: Giant molecular clouds

Artist's impression of the giant molecular clouds surrounding the Galactic Centre, bombarded by very high energy protons accelerated in the vicinity of the central black hole and subsequently shining in gamma rays.
Artist's impression: © Dr Mark A. Garlick/ H.E.S.S. Collaboration

Spotlight photo:
Dr Brian van Soelen and Prof Pieter Meintjes of the UFS Department of Physics.
Photo: Charl Devenish

H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System) scientists publically revealed their latest galactic discovery in the international science journal, Nature, on 16 March 2016. These scientists were able to pinpoint the most powerful source of cosmic radiation – which, up to now, remained a mystery.

Part of this team of scientists are Prof Pieter Meintjes and Dr Brian van Soelen, both in the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Physics. Dr Van Soelen explains that they have discovered a proton PeVatron – a source that can accelerate protons up to energies of ~1 PeV (10^15 eV) – at the centre of the Milky Way. The supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A has been identified as the most plausible source of this unprecedented acceleration of protons.

The protons are accelerated to Very High Energy (VHE) gamma rays. The energy of these protons are 100 times larger than those achieved by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research).

According to Dr Van Soelen, the fact that this research has been published in Nature demonstrates the importance and pioneering nature of the research conducted by H.E.S.S. The H.E.S.S. observatory – operational in Namibia – is a collaboration between 42 scientific institutions in 12 countries.

In 2006, H.E.S.S. was awarded the Descartes Prize of the European Commission – the highest recognition for collaborative research – and in 2010 the prestigious Rossi Prize of the American Astronomical Society. The extent of the observatory’s significance places it among the ranks of the Hubble Space Telescope and the telescopes of the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

“The next generation VHE gamma-ray telescope,” Dr Van Soelen says, “will be the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), which is currently in the design and development stage.” Both Dr Van Soelen and Prof Meintjes are part of this project as well.

H.E.S.S. has issued a complete statement about the paper published in Nature.

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