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Best of the best compete for a place in 3MT

11 August 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Staff and students from departments in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) participated in this year’s annual Flash Fact competition.

Liesl van der Westhuizen in the Office of the Dean: Natural and Agricultural Sciences, and Dr Frans O'Neill, Senior Lecturer and Programme Director: Biochemistry, coordinated this initiative that allows staff and students to not only talk about their work, but to learn about other research and collaboration opportunities in the faculty. “The Flash Fact competition is a quick and entertaining way to disseminate information within and between departments,” states Van der Westhuizen.

Talk about it

Since 2018, the annual Flash Fact competition, which is now in its third year, has – in one day – exposed the UFS Natural and Agricultural Science community to, among others, mathematical processes, chemistry, biochemistry, the building sciences, animals, plants, microbes, and agriculture. Van der Westhuizen says she is amazed at the interesting research that the university is engaged in. Dr O’Neill adds that, due to the wide range of fields within the faculty, it is difficult to choose the most interesting presentation, but plenty of originality was displayed to present research in an entertaining and readily understandable manner.

However, the panel of judges announced the winners according to a predetermined set of criteria in the different categories of master’s, PhD, postdoctoral fellows, and staff participants.

The following persons were awarded third, second, and first places in this initiative, which is also a faculty outcome of the Integrated Transformation Plan:

Master’s

Bathabile Makhathini – Department of Chemistry

Henry Basson – Department of Plant Sciences

Tristen Lourens – Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry

PhD

Emmie Chiyindiko – Department of Chemistry

Sander van Leusden – Department of Architecture

Gerhard de Jager – Department of Zoology and Entomology

Postdoctoral fellows

Soumya Ghosh – Department of Genetics

Howard Castelyn – Department of Plant Sciences

Krishnan Rajagopalan – Department of Physics

Staff

Dr Sandy-Lynn Steenhuisen – Department of Plant Sciences

Elizabeth Maritz – Department of Mathematics

Mpho Mafa – Department of Plant Sciences

Best of the best

The faculty winners first had to participate in a Flash Fact competition within their own departments. After that, the winners of the different departments had the opportunity to compete against each other at faculty level. According to Van der Westhuizen, the faculty winners in the master’s and PhD categories are eligible to participate in the Postgraduate School’s Three-minute thesis competition later this year.

Bathabile Makhathini was announced as the winner in the master’s degree category of the recent Flash Fact competition in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Photo: Supplied

Emmie Chiyindiko, PhD student in the Department of Chemistry, says she will not stop her work to produce electricity in a wide range of light conditions as long as half of sub-Saharan Africa lacks access to reliable energy. Photo: Supplied

Dr Sandy-Lynn Steenhuisen , was announced the winner in the staff category of the recent Flash Fact competition. Her research investigates why flowers look and smell the way they do, and what they attract. Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

The research focus of Soumya Ghosh, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Genetics, is microbial ecology studies, which includes both taxonomical and functional profiling leading to novel drug discoveries.

News Archive

Minister praises the Faculty of Law

2009-02-13

At the launch of the Faculty of Law at the UFS's celebration of 100 years of jurisprudence, under the theme "Iurisprudentia 100", were, from the left: Judge Faan Hancke, Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Criminal and Medical Law and Chairperson of the UFS Council, Judge Lex Mpati, President of the Highest Court of Appeal, Mr Surty, Judge Hendrik Musi, Judge President of the High Court of the Free State, and Prof. Henning.
Photo: Stephen Collett

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr Enver Surty, has praised the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) for producing lawyers, academics, judges, etc. of great note.

Mr Surty was guest speaker this week on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein at the launch of the faculty’s celebration of a century of excellence in legal education, training and research at the UFS. The theme of the celebration is “Iurisprudentia 100”.

“The faculty has throughout its existence demonstrated its capability and capacity to produce scholars, legal practitioners, academics, judges, politicians etc, of great note. The university can take pride in the fact that, as an institution, you have done so well,” said Mr Surty.

Mr Surty said that our judiciary must be adequately qualified and it must be representative of our nation. “We must therefore have more aspiring judges in our midst and we must have a more representative judiciary – in race and gender. This is where an institution like the UFS can play an important role,” said Mr Surty.

Mr Surty also commented on the university’s engagement with its communities.
“The UFS has begun to recognise the importance of community engagement. Unless community engagement is part of your curricular activity we would not be able to produce the judges of the caliber we need who are better able to understand the social and economic context of our society,” he said.

According to Prof. Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the UFS, the faculty has a distinguished history of excellence in theoretical and practical legal education and training, which can be traced as far back as the establishment of the Grey University College in 1904.

Over the years, student numbers grew considerably and today the faculty has over 2 700 graduate and postgraduate students.

“The faculty prides itself on the fact that some of its students and lecturers went on to hold some of the highest offices in the country. Under its alumni are state presidents, ministers of state, administrators, judges of appeal, judges, rectors, professors and lecturers at the UFS as well as at other universities, advocates, attorneys and legal advisors – in private practice as well as in government,” said Prof. Henning.

The faculty’s “Iurisprudentia 100” celebrations will take place throughout the year with activities such as breakfasts for the various alumni groups of the faculty and a series of inaugural lectures. Cum Laude awards will also be
handed to Judge Lex Mpati, President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, and Judge Louis Harms, Deputy President of the Supreme Court Appeal. The celebrations will be concluded in November with a prestige dinner.

Celebration programme:

26 February 2009: Visit by Prof. Fernand de Varennes (of the Murdoch Law School, Perth, Australia),
13 March 2009: Breakfast for all candidate attorneys
18 March 2009: Breakfast for judges and Cum Laude awards
15 May 2009: Breakfast for labour law certificate alumni
11 September 2009: Breakfast for diploma alumni (CFP)
16 October 2009: Breakfast for attorneys and advocates
9-12 November 2009: Inaugural and public lectures
13 November 2009: Centenary dinner

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
18 February 2009

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