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
12 July 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Varsity Sport
Antonet Louw
Antonet Louw, star hockey player, was the leading goal scorer at the University Sport South Africa championship in Stellenbosch. She achieved the same milestone in the Varsity hockey competition in May.
Improvement by the Shimlas, men’s hockey, volleyball (men and women), and basketball teams (men and women), and stumbling over the final two hurdles by the netball and women’s hockey teams.

This, in a nutshell, was the Kovsie story at this year’s University Sport South Africa (USSA) championships that took place across the country in the first week of July.

The Shimlas improved from fourth to third place in 2019, winning two of their three encounters. The hockey men, who finished second in last year’s B Section, were unbeaten in 2019, earning them an automatic promotion to the A Section in 2020.

The men’s volleyball team improved from 11th to 6th place, the women from 15th to 5th, and the basketball men (6th) and women (9th) improved by three and one positions respectively.

For a large part of the netball and women’s hockey tournaments, it looked very promising that one or both of the UFS teams could go all the way.

The netball team has won all five of their group matches, including victories over the North-West University (NWU) and Tuks, against whom they lost in the play-off fixtures on the final two days.

Another milestone by Antonet
This was also the case with the women’s hockey team. They recorded wins in all three of their group matches, including a 3-0 win over the Maties, who were the Varsity hockey runners-up in May. In the semi-final, Tuks prevailed by 4-0 and in the play-off for third/fourth place, the Maties triumphed by 3-1.

Antonet Louw, the leading goal scorer during the Varsity hockey tournament, again contributed the most goals (five in five matches).

In the fencing championship, Relebohile Pule (women’s epee) and Johanco Viljoen (men’s sabre) both returned with bronze medals.

Ewald van Zyl (elite male kumite +84 kg, gold medal) and Diena Benade (elite female kumite -68 kg, gold) were the two standouts in karate.

News Archive

UFS student makes breakthrough in the application of nanorobots
2005-04-21

A student from the University of the Free State (UFS) has made a ground-breaking discovery in the field of microbiology by uncovering a series of new compounds that may in future be used to lubricate man-made nanorobots.

Mr Olihile Sebolai, a full-time student at the UFS’s Department of Microbial- Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, made this discovery while working on his M Sc-study on yeast.

With this discovery Mr Sebolai will also be awarded six prestigious prizes during this week’s autumn graduation ceremony at the UFS.  This university has recognised this exceptional achievement as a build-up to the celebration of national Science and Technology week next month.     

Mr Sebolai’s dissertation on the yeast genus Saccharomycopsis Schionning has been published in an accredited international journal of repute. 

“Words cannot describe how excited I am. I never expected to receive such recognition for my studies.  I am humbled by all of this,” said Mr Sebolai.

The Lipid Biotechnology Group at the UFS recently discovered that some yeasts produce their own water-propelled capsules in which they are transported.  These capsules have different shapes and resemble among others miniature flying saucers, hats with razor sharp brims etc.  “In order to function properly, parts of the capsules are oiled with prehistoric lubricants – lubricants that are produced by yeasts and that probably existed for many millions of years as yeasts developed,” said Mr Sebolai.  

According to Mr Sebolai these capsules are so small that approximately 300 can be fitted into the full-stop at the end of a sentence and are therefore invisible to the naked eye.

“With my studies I discovered many new compounds that resemble these prehistoric lubricants.  These lubricants may in future be used to lubricate man-made nanorobots and are similar in size compared to yeast capsules,” said Mr Sebolai.  The nanorobots are used to perform tasks in places that are invisible to the naked eye and could one day be used, among others, to clean up human arteries.

Mr Sebolai has been interested in the subject of Micro technology since he was at RT Mokgopa High School in Thaba ‘Nchu.  “I was specifically interested in the many possible applications the subject has – in the industry, as well as in medicine,” said Mr Sebolai. 

His next goal is to successfully complete his Ph D-degree.

The prizes that will be awarded to Mr Sebolai this week include:

Best Magister student at the UFS (Senate medal and prize);

Best Magister student in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science and Dean’s medal at the same faculty;

The Andries Brink – Sasol-prize for the best M Sc dissertation in Microbiology;

The JP van der Walt prize for best M Sc dissertation in yeast science;

The Chris Small prize for an outstanding Master’s dissertation; and

Honorary colours awarded by the UFS Student Representative Council

Media release

Issued by:                     Lacea Loader

                                    Media Representative

                                    Tel:  (051) 401-2584

                                    Cell:  083 645 2454

                                    E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za

20 April 2005

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