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16 July 2020 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Supplied
Prof Paul Oberholster and Prof Zakkie Pretorius

Two staff members from the University of the Free State (UFS) are nominated for the Science Oscars for their outstanding work and contributions to science over the years. 

Prof Pretorius is nominated in two categories, namely the Special Annual Theme Award: Research and development (R&D) and innovation in Plant Health as well as the Lifetime category.  The Special Annual Theme Awards are made in recognition of the International Year of Plant Health (2020), as declared by the United Nations.

Prof Oberholster is nominated for the NSTF-Water Research Commission Award. This award is for an outstanding contribution to science, engineering, and technology (SET) and innovation in South Africa in terms of sustainable water management, knowledge generation, and solutions over the past five to ten years, and is awarded in recognition of demonstrated leadership and impact.

Science Oscars of South Africa

The NSTF-South32 Awards are referred to as the ‘Science Oscars’ of South Africa and are the largest, most comprehensive, and sought-after national awards of its kind in the country. It was also the first science awards in South Africa.

Prof Oberholster says it is a privilege to be nominated and selected as a finalist in his specific field of interest.
“I always believe the best person will win the award. At this level of competition, it can go both ways. I was nominated by the university for my scientific contribution to water resource management in South Africa over the past 10 years, with special reference to the field of passive wastewater treatment,” says Prof Oberholster.

Although this is the first time that he has been nominated for the NSTF-Water Research Commission Award, Prof Oberholster has previously been nominated in the Innovation category.

Prof Oberholster, whose research focus area is the use of freshwater algae to treat acid mine drainage or domestic wastewater, has previously also won the Excellence Award: CSIR:NRE Outstanding team contribution: Project Leader: Coal tech, WRC and SANBI, Wetland restoration project; and the Excellence Award: CSIR:NRE Innovation: Algae technology for sewage treatment in South African rural areas.

Innovative technology 

This innovative, low-cost green technology assists in the effective and efficient removal of nutrients and bacteria in effluents discharged from wastewater treatment works to improve human health risk, create economic opportunities, and protect downstream ecosystem services. This technology is currently being rolled out to other SADC countries by the African Development Bank. In the case of acid mine drainage treatment, the technology provides a ‘walk-away’ solution for the mining industry. These systems are largely self-sustainable, using no electricity or chemicals, and can be maintained by a semi-skilled workforce.

Prof Pretorius, who has extensive expertise in diseases of field crops – more specifically the rust diseases of small grain cereal crops, has recently been awarded Honorary Membership by the Southern African Plant Breeders’ Association (SAPBA). His colleague, Prof Liezel Herselman, Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, was presented with a Fellow Award.

• A new, specially arranged virtual Awards Gala Event will be livestreamed on Thursday, 30 July 2020 at 18:45 for 19:00 until 20:30 to honour the finalists and announce the winners.

News Archive

Horse-riding therapy improves self-confidence in children
2016-05-10


This group of Honours students in Psychology at the University of the Free State was honoured with the best postgraduate Service Learning award at the prize-giving function of the Faculty of the Humanities. From the left are Adriana de Vries, Hershel Meyerowitz, Simoné le Roux, Wijbren Nell, Melissa Taljaard, and Gerán Lordan. Photo: Marizanne Cloete.

Horse-riding therapy helps to improve self-confidence in children, and changes their perception of themselves. It puts them in a totally new environment where they can be free of any judgement.

According to Wijbren Nell, who achieved his Honours degree in Psychology at the University of the Free State (UFS), this is the ideal therapy when working with children with disabilities. He said it was amazing to see how they developed.

He was part of a group of Honours students in Psychology who received the best postgraduate Service Learning award in the Faculty of the Humanities for their community project. In 2015, this project by Wijbren, Hershel Meyerowitz, Gerán Lordan, Melissa Taljaard, Simoné le Roux, and Adriana de Vries, was part of their module Community and Social Psychology. They were honoured at the Faculty’s prize-giving function on 15 April 2016.

Purpose of project

“Our purpose with the project was to demonstrate to the children that they could still accomplish something, despite their disabilities,” Wijbren said. The students work on a weekly basis with learners from the foundation phase of the Lettie Fouché School in Bloemfontein. Marie Olivier’s Equistria Therapeutic Development Trust serves as the site for the community project. She has a long standing partnership with the UFS.

Horse-riding and therapy

According to Wijbren, the idea was to stimulate the psychomotor functioning of the children, as well as to promote their psychological well-being. He said research has shown that there is incredible therapeutic value in horse-riding. In this specific case, it has improved the children’s self-confidence, as they may have a poor self-image as a result of their disabilities.

“At the beginning of the year, there was a girl who didn’t even want to come close to a horse, let alone getting onto the horse. We kept on trying, and, once she was on the horse, we couldn’t get her down. This was the amazing thing about the project,” said Wijbren.

Award a surprise

Wijbren said the award was a honour and surprise to his group. He was full of praise for Dr Pravani Naidoo, a lecturer in Psychology at the UFS, who coordinates the therapeutic horse riding project. “She has a tremendous passion for this project, and challenged us to think on our feet. She is a real inspiration.”

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