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14 December 2020
Prof Abdon Atangana
Prof Abdon Atangana is known for his work in developing a new fractional operator used to model real-world problems arising in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. He was recently awarded the TWAS Mohammad A. Hamdan Award by The World Academy of Sciences.

Prof Abdon Atangana, Professor of Applied Mathematics in the Institute for Groundwater Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS), was awarded the TWAS Mohammad A. Hamdan Award by The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries.

It is the first time that the TWAS Mohammad A. Hamdan Award was bestowed. According to a statement issued by TWAS, this award is given for outstanding mathematical work carried out by a scientist working and living in Africa or the Arab region. It states that the award can be given for work in pure mathematics, applied mathematics, probability, or statistics. Prof Atangana received the award for his contribution to fractal mathematics and partial differential equations.

Making a difference in society

He is known for his research in developing a new fractional operator, the Atangana-Baleanu operator, which is used to model real-world problems. With this operator, he not only describes the rate at which something will change, but also account for disrupting factors that will help to produce better projections.

His work can be applied to make complicated predictions in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. His models can, for instance, help to predict the spread of infectious diseases among people in a settlement, forecasting the number of people who will be infected each day, the number of people who will recover, and the number of people who will die.

Prof Atangana’s models can also help to advise people drilling for water by predicting how groundwater is flowing in a complex geological formation. These are only two examples of how his work can be applied to make a difference in society.

The award from TWAS is the third prestigious commendation he has received in the past month. He was recently named as one of the top 1% scientists on the global Clarivate Web of Science list. His name also appeared on a global list of leading scientists published by Stanford University in the United States. The list is the result of a study published in PLOS Biology, a peer-reviewed open-access journal.

World’s most accomplished scientists

Honours awarded by TWAS and its partners are among the most prestigious for research in the developing world. They recognise outstanding achievements and contributions to science and acknowledge the best work by scientists from the global South.

TWAS, founded in 1983 by a group of scientists under the leadership of Pakistani physicist and Nobel laureate, Abdus Salam, believes that developing nations – by growing strength in science and engineering – will be able to address challenges such as hunger, disease, and poverty, through their knowledge and skills.

TWAS is represented in 100 countries, and of the more than a thousand elected fellows, 14 are Nobel laureates. Eighty-four percent of these fellows are from developing nations. TWAS fellows are also some of the world’s most accomplished scientists.

News Archive

Information session: New company legislation
2007-03-06

The Department of Trade and Industry, in co-operation with the Centre for Business Law, Faculty of Law, University of the Free State, will present an information session on the Draft Companies Bill, 2007, in the C R Swart Auditorium, Main Campus of the UFS, from 10:00 – 13:00 on Thursday, 8 March 2007.

There will be ample opportunity for public participation and translation services will be available.

The Companies Bill, 2007, which envisages the repeal of the Companies Act of 1973, and the eventual repeal of the Close Corporations Act, 1984, has just been released for public comment with a view to expeditious finalization. This information session is therefore of the utmost importance for members of the auditors and accounting professions, legal professions, local and provincial government officials, the financial services and financial planning professions, banks and insurance companies, etc., who would like to stay abreast of the envisaged new legal developments in the field of Company Law and / or Close Corporations Law and / or to make inputs thereto.

The information session is open to the public and attendance is free of charge. Booking is essential and can be made with Mrs Riekie Erasmus (051) 4012451 (8:00 – 12:45) or Mrs Ina Malan (051) 4012319 (14:00 – 16:30).
 

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