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18 March 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs
Famelab
Abdullahi Jamiu, who is working on his master's degree in Microbiology, was adjudicated as the FameLab winner at the Central Regional Heat and will represent the region at the national semi-finals.

Abdullahi Jamiu, who is working on his master's degree in Microbiology in the Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS), was recently announced as the FameLab winner at the Central Regional Heat and will represent the region at the national semi-finals.

Abdullahi, who plans on pursuing a doctoral degree after his master’s, says he wants to establish himself as an academic in microbiology.

Making science simple
He says he decided to participate in the FameLab competition because he is very passionate about communicating science. “Science communication affords me the opportunity to not only take my research outside of the lab space, but also to communicate it to the lay audience. Moreover, science is often perceived by the general public as difficult and unfathomable. As such, science communication programmes promote the simplification and better understanding of scientific knowledge in the community,” he says.

FameLab is coordinated by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement, the British Council, and Jive Media Africa.

According to Abdullahi, the experience was mind-blowing. “It gave me the opportunity to compress my 200-page master's thesis into a three-minute talk in a way I had never thought was possible. Having to present virtually and adjust to the ‘new normal’ was quite challenging,” he adds.

“The overall experience was enlightening and engaging, and at the same time entertaining,” says Abdullahi.

Impressing the judges with his charisma, engagement with the audience, and use of props, Abdullahi’s presentation focused on how the exploration and exploitation of a ‘combination therapy’ approach to drug discovery could help to effectively combat fungal infections, which are the common comorbidities in immune-compromised individuals, including those living with HIV, cancer, and COVID-19.

Revealing an enigma
His fascination with microbiology started at a young age. “How very tiny, microscopic creatures, invisible to the unaided eye, are able to infect and sometimes kill both healthy and immune-compromised individuals, was an enigma to me as a little boy. My desire to unravel this mystery triggered my interest in microbiology, and the more I learn, the more enthusiastic I become to broaden my horizon in this challenging yet exciting field of study,” he says.

Abdullahi would like to one day make a difference by conducting relevant research aimed at contributing to finding lasting solutions to the lingering menace posed by pathogenic microbes. “Moreover, I am very passionate about facilitating the transfer of scientific knowledge to the next generation,” Abdullahi concludes.

News Archive

UFS welcomes the class of 2010
2010-01-13

Pictured with Prof Jansen are, from the left: Christo Smal (B.Sc. Quantity Surveying student from Bloemfontein), Nicole Tarentaal (LL.B. student from Bloemfontein), Charmoné Swartz (LL.B. student from Kimberley) and Lizé de Witt (B.Sc. Quantity Surveying student from Bloemfontein).
Photo: Stephen Collett


The University of the Free State (UFS) welcomed its first-time entering first-year students on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein this past weekend.

Addressing the new students and their parents at the ceremony, the Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof. Jonathan Jansen assured the new students and their parents that “they are at the right place”.

“We will not cut corners with your child’s education as we are serious about the quality of the education we provide,” he said to the parents. “We shall make sure that our students are distinguished among graduates from other universities – that they are leaders. Quality is not negotiable.”

Prof. Jansen also said the standards of admission at the UFS would be raised. “We need students of a higher academic standard,” he said.

“Our students will obtain a degree they will be proud of. We are going to put everything into their education and experience here at the UFS so that they can be the best in their field of study.”

He told the new students and their parents that they were safe at the UFS as no first-year student would be initiated anymore. He said that there were other ways to create self-respect and confidence in a young person without having to use initiation.

“It is not enough to have a degree,” he said. “We want to link your degree to thorough preparation for the workplace. Your degree must be accepted globally.”

Prof. Jansen further emphasised the importance of students to understand one another and to get along with one another – especially with those who speak a language different from their own and with a different skin colour than theirs.

“Our students must have respect for one another. This is a value that should be added to your qualification in order for you to be relevant in the workplace anywhere in the world.”

He said the university was busy with a programme to install computer points in all the residences. He also extolled the virtues of the UFS, citing excellence in sport, music, debating and other activities.

Prof. Jansen also reiterated the fact that the first group of 100 first-year students who would be sent overseas to study during the second semester would come from this class of 2010.

“The class of 2010 will change Kovsies. They will be the best students that have ever graduated,” he said.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za  
12 January 2010
 

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