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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

Ensure your place at the UFS
2010-10-27

The University of the Free State (UFS) appeals to all prospective South African students who want to come and study at the UFS in 2011 to submit their applications no later than Tuesday, 30 November 2010.

The UFS is aware of the fact that learners will not have received their final Grade 12 results by Tuesday, 30 November 2010; therefore provisional admission will be granted based on learners’ most recent Grade 12 results. Final admission will take place upon receipt of the final Grade 12 results, which will be available early in January 2011.

Prospective students can obtain application forms for admission at the following places:

  1. The UFS’s web site at www.ufs.ac.za,
  2. The Information Office (Unit for Prospective Students) at the Thakaneng Bridge on the UFS’s Main Campus in Bloemfontein,
  3. You may also send an e-mail to info@ufs.ac.za or
  4. Phone 051 401 3000 and the necessary forms will be posted to you.

Senior undergraduate students (that is all students who were registered up to and during 2010 at the UFS) as well as post-graduate students, must self-register electronically on-line from Monday, 1 November 2010 until Tuesday, 4 January 2011. This includes master’s and doctoral students.

In order to encourage senior students to register online, the UFS offers 20 laptops as incentives for the senior students who successfully register online from 1 November 2010. These laptops will be handed over to the winners after the registration process in 2011.

Registration of first-year students:

The Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, will welcome first-year students on Friday, 14 January and Saturday, 15 January 2011, respectively, in the Callie Human Centre. The Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, the Humanities and Education will be welcomed on 14 January 2011 and the students of the Faculties of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Law and Theology shall be welcomed on 15 January 2011. The compulsory orientation programme for new first-years will also then commence.

From 17 to 21 January 2011 first-year students will receive academic advice at the Callie Human Centre, whereafter they will be referred for self-registration. These processes will take place according to the set timetable. This timetable is available in the Kovsie Guide that will be sent to learners as soon as we have received their applications, as well as on the web site of the UFS at www.ufs.ac.za/register2011.

First-year students’ fees must be paid prior to arrival on 14 and 15 January 2011.

Registration of senior students:

Senior students who experience problems with the electronic on-line self-registration process have the opportunity to resolve problems within a programme on campus from Wednesday, 5 January until Wednesday, 12 January 2011. This programme will be sent out to students and is also available at www.ufs.ac.za/register2011. The specific scheduled day for senior students to resolve problems is the last and only day to resolve the problem.

Senior students can also contact 051 401 9111 for more information in this regard.

Students may register for prescribed modules for 2011, even though the November 2010 examination results are not yet available. Changes resulting from examination results that are made available later can be done up to and including 28 January 2011.

In terms of applications for senior students, only students who have interrupted a calendar year of study need to re-apply for admission.

Registration of students at the UFS’s Qwaqwa Campus:

Senior and first-year students of the UFS’s Qwaqwa Campus register from Wednesday, 12 January until Friday, 28 January 2011 in the Nelson Mandela Hall on this campus.

Registration of students at the UFS South Campus:

First-year students from the UFS’s South Campus in the University Preparation Programme and the Extended Programme (only Natural and Agricultural Sciences) register from Monday, 24 January till Friday, 28 January 2011 in the Arena Hall on the South Campus.

Students who have successfully completed the University Preparation Programme register with the first-year students on the UFS Main Campus on Friday, 14 and Saturday, 15 January 2011 – according to faculties (cf. paragraph 6).

Lectures for all students shall commence on Monday, 24 January 2011.

MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
26 October 2010

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