Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
25 June 2019 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Barend Nagel
Marnus du Plooy
Marnus du Plooy, recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, will depart for the Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, in August to complete a doctoral degree.

Marnus du Plooy will receive his master’s degree at the University of the Free State’s Winter Graduation Ceremony.

After completing his BSc degree in Microbiology, he discovered a passion for this field of research and enrolled for postgraduate studies in the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the UFS.

During his master’s, Du Plooy focused on the pathogenic yeasts, Cryptococcus neoformans and a related species, C. deneoformans.

Passion for science instilled at a young age

His passion for this field comes from a young age. “Both my parents were Science teachers and they instilled a love for Science in me. At school, I enjoyed the Science subjects the most and usually obtained my highest marks in these,” Du Plooy said. 

The pathogenic yeasts studied by Du Plooy, Cryptococcus neoformans and the sister species, C. deneoformans, often cause meningitis in immunocompromised individuals, such as in people living with HIV/Aids.

He pointed out: “Infection caused by these yeasts is right on the heels of TB as the second largest killer of HIV-positive patients in sub-Saharan Africa. The focus of my master’s project was to investigate new ways in which genes can be ‘switched off’ in these yeasts in order to study the role of the genes in virulence. Doing so could help to identify new drug targets for the treatment of this form of meningitis in subsequent studies.”

Expanding his international footprint

Although Du Plooy received his master’s degree from the UFS, he grabbed the opportunity to study abroad with both hands. He applied for and received a Fulbright scholarship from the Fulbright Foreign Student Programme, giving him the opportunity to study in the US.

“I did not expect to get very far with the application, as very few candidates are selected each year. I was very lucky to receive a Fulbright scholarship and an admission offer from Duke University for PhD studies in Microbiology,” said Du Plooy.

He hopes to continue with research on Cryptococcus and to contribute to improving the lives of HIV/Aids patients. “I have always been interested in pharmaceutical and medical research and noticed a need for better cryptococcal treatments, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Cryptococcal meningitis is a neglected disease which claims more than 600 000 lives worldwide every year. The current treatment options are several decades old, with some only available in well-resourced areas.”

Du Plooy will depart for the US in August. “The duration of the degree is four to five years, where-after I will return to South Africa to apply what I have learned at home.”

News Archive

High-level Texas delegation visits UFS
2010-08-13

Pictured here, from the left, back, are visitors from Texas and UFS management: Ms Stephanie Curs (Director: Office of the Vice President for Global Initiatives), Dr Edwin Price (Associate Vice-Chancellor for International Agriculture and Director of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture), Dr Mike Greenwald (Professor and Program Director for the International Studies Program, College of Liberal Arts), Prof. Ward Wells (Professor and Associate Head for Professional Programs, College of Architecture, and Director of Academy for Visual and Performing Arts), Dr Glen Mills ( Professor and Head of Department of Architecture), and Dr Alan Sams (Executive Associate Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences); front: Prof. Jonathan Jansen (Rector and Vice-Chancellor, UFS), Mr Eric Bost (former USA Ambassador to South Africa and Vice-President for Global Initiatives), and Prof. Ezekiel Moraka (Vice-Rector: External Relations, UFS). – Photo: Stephen Collett.

A high-level delegation from Texas A&M University in the USA, led by Mr Eric Bost, Vice-President Global Initiatives and previous USA Ambassador to South Africa, visited the University of the Free State (UFS) recently. The objective of the visit was to forge strategic linkages and research partnerships within the ambit of Texas A&M’s expanded Africa strategy.

Texas A&M has 50 000 students, and is internationally renowned and highly rated for its scholarship, academic achievement and excellent research profile. The delegation consisted of representatives from the President's Office, various deans and heads of departments.

The discussions during the visit identified a number of shared interests and common research foci, and colleagues were unanimous in their pursuit to strengthen the relations.

In January 2009 Mr Bost delivered his final official address as US Ambassador to South Africa on the UFS Main Campus. Mr Bost, a close friend of the UFS, has since sparked numerous activities to further the transformation agenda at the UFS, and is very supportive of the work of the International Institute for Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice. A number of Fulbright senior specialists from the US are participating in the further conceptualisation, roll-out and activities of the Institute.
 

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