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UFS pays tribute to outstanding graduates at June graduations

05 July 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Stephen Collett

June Graduation medalist — Recipients of special awards are from left; Elzmarie Oosthuizen, Council Medalist; Jannie de Villiers, Chancellor's Medalist; Dr Khotso Mokhele, UFS Chancellor; Dr Jerry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha, and Dr Barnard Fanaroff, both honorary doctorate recipients.

The UFS presented a number of special awards during the graduation ceremonies on its Bloemfontein Campus on 27 and 28 June 2019.

Jannie de Villiers earns UFS Chancellor’s Medal

Chief Executive Officer of Grain SA and recipient of the 2019 Chancellor’s Medal, Jannie de Villiers, is a renowned leader in the agricultural and food sectors, nationwide and globally. He started his career as an economist for the South African Department of Agriculture in 1985, and dedicated more than 30 years of his knowledge, skills, and leadership to the agricultural sector, specifically in grain-industry development.
Mr De Villiers is commended for a number of initiatives he has implemented to enrich people’s lives throughout his career. One of his many admirable achievements is equipping upcoming farmers with the necessary knowledge and practical skills to advance crops and establishing a sustainable livelihood for South African citizens in the process.

UFS Council honours Elzmarie Oosthuizen

Council Medal recipient, Elzmarie Oosthuizen, is the Director: Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in the UFS Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS).
Oosthuizen’s experience and leadership in foundation and bridging programmes are exceptional. She has successfully initiated a programme to promote teaching and learning in Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Economics, and Agricultural subjects. Due to her active involvement in managing foundational and bridging programmes for students who do not meet the minimum requirements for mainstream higher-education degrees in NAS, the pass rate of the BSc bridging programme has increased from 34% to 83%.

“This award inspires me to sustain my efforts and find extraordinary solutions for the challenging and complex scenarios that we are facing in higher education,” said Ms Oosthuizen.

UFS June graduation Dean’s Medal recipients

Michelle Nöthling (Master of Arts in Africa Studies) in the Faculty of the Humanities and Megan Braithwaite (Master of Arts in Theology with specialisation in Bible Translation) in the Faculty of Theology and Religion were awarded Dean’s Medals on the morning of 28 June 2019. The Faculty of Education also honoured Deborah Lynn Fair, who achieved the best results for her master’s degree in Education with specialisation in Curriculum Studies, with a Dean’s Medal.

On the afternoon of 28 June, Teboho Mooko (Master of Medical Science with specialisation in Pharmacology) received the Dean’s Medal in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Tshanduko Mutandanyi (Master of Science majoring in Geohydrology) received the Dean’s Medal in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, as well as the Senate Medal for the best overall results in both under- and postgraduate qualifications in all the UFS faculties.

Dr Khotso Mokhele hosts Chancellor’s Dinner

Later that evening, the Chancellor of the UFS, Dr Khotso Mokhele, hosted the Chancellor’s Dinner in the Centenary Complex on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus, paying tribute to the outstanding achievements of the recipients of UFS honorary doctorates, Council and Chancellor’s medals, and doctorates.

Among the honoured guests were the two honorary doctorate recipients, Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha – world-renowned, respected television and theatre actor (DLitt Honoris Causa – Faculty of the Humanities), and Dr Bernie Fanaroff (DSc Honoris Causa – Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences), who is the Co-chair of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Working Group on Information and Communication Technologies and High-Performance Computing, and member of the Advisory Committee of the Breakthrough Listen project; Mr Jannie de Villiers; Ms Elzmarie Oosthuizen; the Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, Prof Francis Petersen; and Mr Willem Louw, Chairperson of the UFS Council.

Guests also enjoyed a musical performance by the Graduation Instrumental Ensemble under the direction of Anton Esterhuyse, accompanied by the vocal ensemble of Thabo Hlongwane, Jacobus Silwer, and Mario Lategan.

News Archive

Renowned forensic scientist speaks at the UFS

2014-04-02

Forensic science is about the truth. At the presentation delivered by Dr David Klatzow, were, from the left: Tinus Viljoen, lecturer in Forensic Genetics, Dr Klatzow and Laura Heathfield, also a lecturer in Forensic Genetics.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

It is necessary for more research to be done in the field of forensic science in South Africa. This is according to Dr David Klatzow, well-known forensic scientist, during a lecture delivered at the University of the Free State (UFS) last week.

The university is offering, for the first time this year, a BSc degree in Forensic Science in the Department of Genetics. This three-year degree is, among others, directed at people working for the South African Police Service on crime scenes and on criminal cases in forensic laboratories. Students can also study up to PhD level, specialising in various forensic fields.

There is no accredited forensic laboratory in South Africa. “It is time to look differently at forensic science, and to deliver research papers on the subject. In light of the manner in which science is applied, we have to look differently at everything,” Dr Klatzow said.

Dr Klatzow praised the university for its chemistry-based course. “Chemistry is a strong basis for forensic science,” he said.

A paradigm shift in terms of forensic science is needed. Micro scratches on bullets, fingerprints, DNA, bite marks – all of these are forensic evidence that in the past led to people being wrongfully hanged. This evidence is not necessarily the alpha and omega of forensic science today. DNA, which seems to be the golden rule, can produce problems in itself. Because a person leaves DNA in his fingerprint, it is possible that DNA is transferred from one crime scene to another by forensic experts dusting for fingerprints. According to Dr Klatzow, this is only one of the problems that could be experienced with DNA evidence.

“No single set of forensic evidence is 100% effective or without problems. Rather approach the crime scene through a combination of evidence, by collecting fingerprints, DNA, etc. It is also very important to look at the context in which the events happened.

“A person sees what he expects to see. This causes huge problems in terms of forensic science. For example, if a criminal fits the profile of the perpetrator, it doesn’t follow that this specific criminal is the culprit. It isn’t what we don’t know that gives us trouble, it’s what we know that isn’t so,” Dr Klatzow said.

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