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17 June 2020
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Story Dr WP Wahl
The Division of Student Affairs (DSA) prioritises innovation to meet the challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition among students. To this end, several student volunteers and student governance structures are collaborating with the DSA on various initiatives.
During 2019, various conversations were held about the possibility of creating a health-promoting food environment at the UFS where students and staff are well informed and empowered to take appropriate action regarding their food and nutritional needs. These conversations resulted in an institutional strategy to address the food environment at the UFS. Student representatives serve on a technical committee that directs the implementation of this strategy. In this regard, several initiatives have already been launched.
Students from residences and other student communities have planted vegetable gardens on the Bloemfontein Campus with the assistance of KovsieACT and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Students and staff are already harvesting and distributing vegetables to needy students every week. Measurements were put in place to continue this during the COVID-19 period. The following vegetables were planted: spinach, cabbage, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.
Food parcels, donated by Tiger Brands and Gift of the Givers, are continuously handed out by DSA staff and student volunteers. In this regard, 540 food parcels have already been handed out on the Bloemfontein Campus during the COVID-19 period alone. During the same time, 117 students received food parcels on the Qwaqwa Campus. The innovation of this food parcel project rests on the fact that business, NPOs, UFS students, and DSA staff are collaborating to address food insecurity and malnutrition.
More collaborative initiatives will be implemented over the next 12 months. The DSA staff and students are already working with the Department of Dietetics and Consumer Sciences to create information packages about the preparation of low-budget nutritious meals.
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Vegetable tunnels established to continue the fight against food insecurity
UFS receives apparatus for research in bio analysis
2006-08-31
The Department of Chemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS) and FARMOVS-PAREXEL received three mass spectrometers valued at R6 000 000 from Applied-Biosystems (Canada), one of the biggest suppliers of mass spectrometers in the world.
The apparatus will be used in the department's research projects on bio analytical and bio prospecting in the search of new drugs for indigenous biodiversity. The UFS Department of Chemistry and FARMOVS-PAREXEL have been working together closely for the past two years to develop new bio analytical methods to analyse drugs in blood.
Standing next to one of the mass spectrometers are from the left: Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences), Dr Irene Kamara (senior lecturer at the UFS Department of Chemistry), Dr Kenneth Swart (senior director and head of the bioanalytical section of FARMOVS-PAREXEL), Mr Uwe Völlkopf (Business Development Manager of Applied Biosystems (Canada)) and Prof Jan van der Westhuizen (head of the organic chemistry division at the UFS Department of Chemistry).