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06 August 2021 | Story André Damons | Photo Charl Devenish
Sherry-Allan Jacobs is an operational logistic officer at the South African Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL) and believes making an impact in helping to prevent drug misuse in sports is one of the most interesting aspects about the field of Anti-Doping Science.

The South African Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL), the only World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory in Africa and which is located at the University of the Free State (UFS), mostly consist of women – each with an important role they play in keeping this unit in formation.

For one of these women, Sherry-Allan Jacobs, an operational logistic officer, making an impact in helping to prevent drug misuse in sports is one of the most interesting aspects about the field of Anti-Doping Science. 

If you apply you mind to it anything is possible 

Jacobs, whose daily responsibilities includes receipt and opening of sample shipments and entering sample information into database, preparation of analytical batches, believes the possibilities for women in science are endless. If you apply your mind to it anything is possible, says Jacobs who is also handles queries to/from clients and reporting of results to clients.

Like every work environment, this job comes with its own challenges – especially since the Olympic Games are currently taking place in Japan and SADoCoL has a role to play in testing athletes samples from Africa.

“I think in every work environment, there are challenges which can be resolved by staying calm and just do the work to the best of my ability. The Olympic Games are a wonderful opportunity for athletes to showcase their talent and also bringing work to countries and generating business. For us as a unit, we stay positive and move forward with the work,” says Jacobs. 

The country still has a long way to go

By doing her utmost to be a better version of herself for the people around her in her personal and work life, Jacobs believe, she adds value as a woman to her community and scientist. 

With August being women’s month, Jacobs says the country has a long way to go. “Gender-based violence (GBV) is still a big issue in the country. Another issue (we are battling currently) is the COVID-19 pandemic as women's lives are at risk for the mere fact that most frontline workers are women.” 

According to Jacobs these challenges can be addressed by punishing the perpetrators who commits these heinous crimes of GBV while the law does its utmost best to protect women against this crime. To protect frontline workers, says Jacobs, each person should do their part in the fight against the virus. 
 

News Archive

Stakeholders endorse UFS’s vision and strategy
2014-05-27

Results from a perception audit commissioned by the University of the Free State (UFS) in February 2014 have been finalised. The audit indicates that 86,14% of the university’s internal and external stakeholders agree with the institution's stated vision. An average of 81,99% of stakeholders endorse our values and 81,28% agree with our goals. 

The study was commissioned by the university's Department of Communication and Brand Management and conducted by an external firm of independent researchers. It was aimed at determining internal and external stakeholder understanding and endorsement of university strategy, as well as tracking core reputational indicators and perceptions.

The study was conducted among a representative sample of 23 stakeholder groupings, including staff, current and prospective students, donors, alumni, school principals, community leaders, potential employers of students and international partner universities.

Two similar audits were conducted in the last ten years – in 2005 and again in 2008 after the Reitz incident. Although a direct comparison of findings would not be psychometrically rigorous due to differing research modelling and sampling methods, there is a strong indication that the perception of the institution's stakeholders has shifted.

The uniqueness of the study and the research model developed for the project have recently received international recognition from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The prestigious Jack Whittmer Research Award was presented to the university on 9 June 2014 during the Excellence Awards Gala of the association's world conference held in Toronto, Canada.

Read the full release (pdf)

 

 

Issued by: Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Tel: +27(0)51 401 2584 or +27(0)83 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27(0)51 444 6393

 

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