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Webinar: Intersection between science and entrepreneurship

16 November 2020 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath

Read more Newsfeed Science Entrepreneurship webinar

In this webinar, Prof Brownhilder Neneh of the University of the Free State, and Christopher Rothmann, co-founder of LiquidCulture, discuss the intersection between the two fields of science and entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship and the university curriculum from an interdisciplinary perspective. The webinar will provide insight into entrepreneurship at universities, particularly the UFS, advancing entrepreneurship development and entrepreneurship-related programmes that are student focused, and illustrate the critical role that entrepreneurship plays in the lives of students.

This webinar is part of a series of three webinars on Interdisciplinarity that is presented from November to December 2020 via Microsoft Teams for a duration of 45 minutes each. The webinar topics in the series explore the intersection between Neuroscience and Music, between Science and Entrepreneurship, and between Science and Visual Arts.

Date: Tuesday 24 November 2020

Topic: The intersection between science and entrepreneurship

Time: 13:00-13:45 (SAST)

RSVP: Alicia Pienaar, pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za by 23 November 2020

Platform: Microsoft Teams

Introduction and welcome

Prof Corli Witthuhn
Vice-Rector: Research at the University of the Free State

Presenters

Prof Brownhilder Neneh

Prof Neneh is Associate Professor and Academic Chair (HOD) in the Department of Business Management at the University of the Free State. She is an NRF-rated researcher in the field of entrepreneurship and small business development. Her research is primarily based in the field of entrepreneurship, where she looks at different aspects of a business venture – from business gestation activities to performance, growth, and exit. She also focuses on some niche areas in entrepreneurship, such as women and student entrepreneurship. She was a 2019 winner of the Emerald Literati Awards in the category Outstanding and Highly Commended papers.

Christopher Rothmann – Co-founder of LiquidCulture

Liquid Culture (LC) was started by Christopher Rothmann and Dr Errol Cason in the UFS Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology in 2018. They produce yeast in its purest liquid form. LC is the only company in Africa to do so. Their yeast is mainly used by breweries for the fermentation of beer and they have since also branched out to the baking and distillery industries. Christopher was awarded the joint runner-up position in the Existing Tech Business category of the 2019 Entrepreneurship Intervarsity.

News Archive

UFS first to mechanise agricultural technique

2006-05-09

Small farmers from Thaba `Nchu were the biggest group attending the farmers day at the UFS Paradys experimental farm. From the left are Mr David Motlhale (a small farmer from Thaba 'Nchu), Prof Leon van Rensburg (lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader), Mr Nhlonipho Nhlabatsi (Agricultural Research Council, Glen), Ms Meisie Mthethwa (small farmer from Bloemspruit). In front is Mr Patrick Molatodi (chairperson of the Tswelopele Small Farmer Association).

Some of the participants of the farmers day at the UFS Paradys experimental farm were from the left Prof Leon van Rensburg (lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader, Mr Patrick Molatodi (chairperson of the Tswelopele Small Farmers Association) and Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean: UFS Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences).

UFS first tertiary institution in world to mechanise agricultural technique
The University of the Free State (UFS) is the first tertiary institution in the world to mechanise the in-field rain water harvesting technique on a commercial scale.

The technique was recently demonstrated to about 100 small farmers at the UFS Paradys experimental farm outside Bloemfontein.

“With this technique rain water is channeled to the plant and in this way food security is increased. The advantage of the technique for commercial farmers lies in the reduced cultivation of land. Small farmers will benefit from this because they can now move out into the fields and away from farming in their back yards,” says Prof Leon van Rensburg, lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader.

Rain water harvesting is an antique concept that was used by communities before the birth of Christ. In South Africa the technique is mainly used in the plots of small farmers where they make surface structures by hand.

"The technique is also used for the first time by the UFS on commercial scale by means of the cultivation of a summer crop on 100 ha at the Paradys experimental farm,” says Prof Leon van Rensburg,

Of the farmers who attended the farmers day most represented about 42 rural communities in the vicinity of Thaba ‘Nchu. A group of seven from KwaZulu-Natal also attended the proceedings. These small farmers can for example apply this technique successfully on the 250-300 ha communal land that is available in the Thaba ‘Nchu area.

The project is funded by the UFS and the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the farmers’ day was funded by the Water Research Commission.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
9 May 2006

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