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11 January 2021 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied
Vincent Clarke
Dr Ralph Clark

The Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), the flagship research group of the University of the Free State (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus, has recently been granted R8,4 million to establish a Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre programme.

The Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre (RVSC) programme was established by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) as part of the Global Change Research Plan for South Africa and is funded by the DSI through the National Research Foundation (NRF). The RVSC will focus on the need to generate and disseminate knowledge about risk and vulnerability on global change challenges faced by local policy makers/ governance structures and communities in South Africa.

Invited to participate  

Dr Ralph Clark, Director of the ARU, says the UFS, together with the University of Zululand and the Sol Plaatje University, has been invited to participate in Phase 2 of the RVSC programme. Dr Clark was approached by the DSI (on referral from the South African Environmental Observation Network – SAEON) in February 2020 regarding the potential for establishing a RVSC at the UFS Qwaqwa campus.

Subsequent interactions were held between the UFS and DSI, and in March 2020, the UFS formally accepted the DSI invitation. It has since been agreed that the RVSC: UFS will be hosted as a RVSC under the ARU umbrella, with dedicated personnel embedded at the UFS in this regard (internal processes and reporting) but reporting directly to the NRF regarding the RVSC.

Interest and support welcomed

Dr Clark welcomed this interest and support from the DSI-NRF, saying that the funds will further assist the UFS in growing its excellent and growing research portfolio and building more research capacity on this traditionally undergraduate-focused campus. “The RVSC will contribute to much-needed solutions in an area marked by major sustainability challenges and will assist in moving Phuthaditjhaba away from its negative apartheid history towards becoming a sustainable African mountain city,” says Dr Clark.

News Archive

Inaugural lecture: Derivatives of general order
2005-08-22

Prof Alain Cloot, from the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Free State (UFS), will deliver his inaugural lecture on Wednesday 24 August 2005 at 19:00 in the CR Swart Auditorium on campus.  

The topic of the lecture is “Derivatives of general order: A modelling tool”.

Prof Cloot obtained the degree of Civ Eng in Physics (1980) and a Doctorate in Applied Sciences (1984) from the University of Liege (Belgium).

He started his career in 1985 as a Research Assistant in the Department of Applied Mathematics at the UFS and was subsequently promoted to Senior Lector (1987), Associate Professor (1991) and Professor (2004).

His research focuses on mathematical modelling and he has already published 40 manuscripts as author or co-author of national- and international journals and is acting as referee for six scientific publications.   He also made 16 contributions at national and international conferences.

For any enquiries, please contact Ms Joan Nel at (051) 401-9301.

Media release

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

21 August 2005
 

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