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#WomensMonth: Prof Felicity Burt – inspired by all women …

25 August 2020 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Pierce van Heerden

Prof Felicity Burt_read more — Prof Felicity Burt is a passionate virologist with more than 25 years of research on medically significant viruses that cycle in nature and are transmitted to humans via mosquitoes, ticks, or animals.

Prof Felicity Burt, an expert in arbovirology in the Division of Virology, has been leading the University of the Free State (UFS) COVID-19 Task Team over the past five months. Prof Burt is a passionate virologist with more than 25 years of research on medically significant viruses that cycle in nature and are transmitted to humans via mosquitoes, ticks, or animals.

As the UFS is celebrating its champion women this Women’s Month, Prof Burt gives us some insight into who she is.

Please tell us about yourself

I am an arbovirologist from the Division of Virology in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the National Health Laboratory Service. Who am I? I am a mum, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a sister-in-law, a friend, a scientist, a colleague, a professor. I am passionate about my work and have spent more than 25 years researching medically significant viruses that cycle in nature and are transmitted to humans via mosquitoes, ticks, or animals.

My research group investigates the various mechanisms that viruses use to cause disease, and I am particularly interested in how our bodies respond to infection that can help us develop vaccines or therapies. Raising awareness of these viruses, profiling disease associated with different viruses, and developing tools for surveillance programmes all contribute towards understanding pathogens and the public-health implications. I am so grateful for the opportunities my career has provided me, which includes travelling all over the world for conferences and meetings and participating in outbreak responses in Africa.

Is there a woman who inspires you and who you would like to celebrate this Women’s Month, and why?

I am inspired by all women who set goals and work to achieve them. The goals may vary, but they are important and challenging to each individual. Hence, I would like us to acknowledge and celebrate all women who achieve their goals through hard work, dedication, and of course, plenty of passion.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your life that have made you a better woman?

I have always been quite a shy person and still find it challenging to stand up in front of an audience. I was born in Zimbabwe and when I finished school, I moved to South Africa to study at the University of the Witwatersrand. Moving on my own to Johannesburg at the age of 18 was definitely a challenge for a quiet, reserved girl from Harare. Compared to home, Johannesburg was a mammoth city; however, I absolutely loved university life, met people who became lifelong friends, and pursued a career in science. I try to learn from my many mistakes and treat others how I would like to be treated, especially with kindness.

What advice would you give to the 15-year-old you?

Dream on girl, and it doesn’t matter if they don’t all come true; life isn’t going to turn out as expected, but as long as you enjoy the journey. You don’t have to be the best, but you have to do your best – with passion of course.

What would you say makes you a champion woman [of the UFS]?

To be honest, I wouldn’t call myself a champion, but I am quite proud of what I have established at the UFS. With hard work and passion, contributions from colleagues, support from management, and never forgetting a whole bunch of wonderfully enthusiastic students, we have built an active postgraduate research group, graduated multiple students, published scientific articles in international journals, presented our research at conferences, contributed to community engagement, had fun, and still have plenty more to achieve!

News Archive

International Year of Crystallography attracts science experts from across the globe

2014-10-13

Video: Discover what Chrystallopgraphy can do for you
Video: Celebrating Crystallography: An Animated Adventure

Summit programme

The third world summit in the International Year of Crystallography (in Africa) will be hosted by the UFS Department of Chemistry here on the Bloemfontein Campus. Prof André Roodt, Head of the Department of Chemistry, was elected as the President of the European Crystallographic Association in 2012. Earlier this year he unveiled the Max von Laue 'Plaque' in Posnan, Poland.

The Pan-African Meeting of the International Year of Crystallography consists of a congress and summit. The details are as follows:

Congress
12–15 October 2014
CR Swart Senate Hall, UFS Bloemfontein Campus

Summit
15–17 October 2014
CR Swart Senate Hall, UFS Bloemfontein Campus
Summit opening: Wednesday 15 October 2014 at 14:00 in the CR Swart Senate Hall

This event will be opened and attended by:
•   the UFS Rector and Vice-Rector – Profs Jonathan Jansen and Corli Witthuhn;
•   the acting Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology – Dr Thomas Auf der Heyde;
•   the acting CEO of the National Research Foundation – Dr Gansen Pillay;
•   the UNESCO Vice-Director for Science Extension – Dr Jean-Paul Ngome-Abiaga (Paris, France);
•   the representative of the Executive Committee for the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) – Prof Santiago Garcia-Granda (Oviedo: Spain);
•   the marketing director of the IUCr – Prof Michele Zema (Pavia, Italy);
•   the President of the European Crystallographic Association (ECA) – Prof André Roodt, who will officially open the summit on Wednesday 15 October 2014 from 14:00–15:30.

Presenters from across Africa and Europe will deliver papers at this event which will be attended by more than 100 delegates from twenty-plus countries, including Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Russia and India.

Numerous crystallographic research areas will be covered. This includes:
•   powder diffraction,
•   small molecule crystallography,
•   biological crystallography,
•   industrial crystallography,
•   surface crystallography,
as well as techniques such as
•   electron microscopy and
•   synchrotron work.

“At this event we hope to establish an African Crystallographic Association,” said Prof Roodt.

The United Nations declared 2014 as the International Year of Crystallography. It was recently officially opened at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, by the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon.

The International Year of Crystallography celebrates the centennial of the work of Max von Laue and the father and son, William Henry and William Laurence Bragg. More generally, it celebrates what crystallography can do for humanity – which proves to be a significant amount.

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