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
14 August 2020 | Story Anban Naidoo | Photo Charl Devenish
Students returning for the second semester should take note of the following important dates. Also note that the online self-service facility for module changes and additions will be available until 11 September 2020. If you are unable to register online and need assistance with changes to your registration, please contact your relevant faculty for academic advice/approval.

Important second-semester dates:

• 31 July 2020: Predicate day
• 3 August 2020: Main mid-year examination commences
• 22 August 2020: Main mid-year examination ends
• 22 August 2020: Final date to submit final marks for module with continuous assessment
• 24 August 2020: Mid-year additional examination commences
• 27 August 2020: Mid-year additional examination ends
• 28 to 31 August 2020: UFS long weekend (no academic activity)
• 1 September 2020: Second semester commences
• 1 September 2020: Second-semester registration commences (Faculty of Health Sciences)
• 2 September 2020: Final date to transfer marks for the first semester (excluding Faculty of Health Sciences)
• 3 September 2020: Second-semester registration commences (all faculties, excluding Health Sciences)
• 3 September 2020: Mid-year additional examination ends
• 10 September 2020: Final date to transfer marks for the first semester (only Faculty of Health Sciences)
• 11 September 2020: Second-semester registration ends
• 11 September 2020: Last date to cancel year modules and second-semester modules with financial credit
• 24 to 27 September: 2020: UFS long weekend
• 30 September 2020: Last date for master’s and doctoral students to register for the second semester
• 30 October to 2 November 2020: UFS long weekend
• 27 November 2020: Second-semester classes ends
• 30 November 2020 to 18 December 2020: Main Examinations
• January 2021 to 16 January 2021: Additional Examinations


News Archive

Department celebrates 50th anniversary
2009-03-25

 
The first Departmental Head and the subsequent Departmental Chairpersons at the dinner on 14 March this year. From left: Proff Bernard Prior (1991-1998), Piet Lategan (1962-1990), Derek Litthauer (1998-2002) and James du Preez (2002-). These are all the Heads/Chairpersons of the Department since its founding in 1959, with the exception of Prof Hans Potgieter who acted as Head during 1959-1962.
Photo: Stephen Collett
 
Department celebrates 50th anniversary

On 13 March the Department Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS) celebrated its 50th anniversary in a splendid fashion with a lecture entitled, The origin of life: Exactly how did life begin? as part of the Darwin commemorative lecture series, followed by a reunion of current and former staff members and postgraduate students of the department with a barbeque on the following day.

The proceedings were concluded on 14 March with a gala dinner in die Centenary Complex at the UFS attended by 153 staff members, post-graduate students (current and former) and other guests. During the dinner the guests were treated to a presentation of historical photos of the founding and development of the department. Currently the department is one of the largest departments in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences in respect of the number of staff members and students as well as research outputs. This is the result of entrepreneurial actions to increase student numbers and research activities, as well as the merging with the smaller Department of Biochemistry in 1988 and more recently with the Department of Food Science in 2002. The department comprises 20 academics, 24 support staff and 65 postgraduate students. It also boasts 12 lecturers with ratings from the National Research Foundation (NRF), which include three academics with a B-rating, an indication of international recognition for their research. The department has the largest number of lecturers with an NRF-rating at the UFS. 

“It was interesting to learn during the reunion of the variety of professions occupied by former students of the department, i.e. at other tertiary educational institutions, the CSSIR, SAPPI, Sasol and a multitude of other industries, as well as at research institutions in the USA and Australia,” said Prof. James du Preez, Head of the Department.

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