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21 June 2019
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The University of the Free State (UFS) will be presenting the 2nd UFS Thought-Leader Series in cooperation with Vrye Weekblad as part of the Vrystaat Arts Festival.
Facilitator: Dr Max du Preez, Editor of Vrye Weekblad
Thursday 4 July 2019
Economic and Management Sciences Auditorium, UFS Bloemfontein Campus.
Two panel discussions will take place:
10:00
Panel 1:
How can we fix the South African economy and create jobs?
12:00
Panel 2:
How can we establish a pro-youth and entrepreneurship strategy for South Africa?
Panellists include:
Mr Prince Mashele, Executive Director at the Centre for Politics and Research, political commentator
Ms Annabel Bishop, Chief Economist: Investec
Prof Philippe Burger, Vice-Dean (Strategic Projects):Faculty of Economic and Management
Sciences, UFS
Mr Dawie Roodt, Chief Economist, Efficient Group
Ms Maryana Iskander, Chief Executive Officer of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator
Mr David Abbey, Rand Merchant Bank
Prof Brownhilder Neneh, Head: Department of Business Management, UFS
Attendance is free of charge.
Enquiries: news@ufs.ac.za | +27 51 401 3422.
Darwin lecture focuses on the genetic foundation of evolution
2009-05-22
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The Department of Genetics at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently made their contribution to the story of life and survival by presenting two lectures on The genetic foundation of evolution. Prof. Johan Spies, Head of the Department of Genetics at the UFS discussed the variation that was created by mutations and how this variation was enhanced by re-combination. He also pointed out that these methods contributed relatively little to the gene pool of a species and that the expansion of the gene pool primarily took place by means of chromosome evolution. The latter also contributed to the creation of isolation mechanisms to prevent hybridism. He further emphasised the multitude of deviations of mendelian heredity, which contributed to more variation within a species.
Prof. Paul Grobler, Associate Professor from this department, next pointed out how natural selection played a role to form new species. He used various examples to indicate how the process took its course, for example, lactose intolerance. He also reported out that the man on the street mostly believed that Darwin with his theory of the survival of the fittest meant that the physically strongest species would survive. It was more a case of the one that could reproduce the fastest and the most, that would survive, he stated.
Present at the occasion were, from left front: Ms Letecia Jonker, student, Prof. Grobler, Ms Paula Spies, lecturer at the Department of Genetics and Ms Zurika Odendaal, junior lecturer at the Department of Genetics; back: Prof. Spies.
Photo: Stephen Collett |