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UFS community engagement contributes to nation building

17 March 2021 | Story Karen Venter

UFS CE infographic 3 copy — As illustrated in the infographic, the input from engaged activities delivered by the UFS resulted in 285 engaged-activity outputs, of which the majority constituted engaged citizenship, followed by engaged research, and then engaged learning and teaching.

At the University of the Free State (UFS), engaged scholarship activities are guided by the vision of being a research-led, student-centred, and regionally relevant university, focused on development and social justice.

For enactment of this vision, the UFS invests physical resources and funding, as well as staff and student hours to contribute to nation building.

Demonstrating the heart of strategic partnerships

Engaged scholarship demonstrates the heart of strategic partnerships, where agreements are grounded in shared goals, designed and agreed upon in unity for socio-economic renewal to improve people’s living conditions, contributing to societal well-being. It links the best of the research and teaching skills of staff and students to specific needs of the community, including civil society, the private sector, government, non-governmental organisations, and enterprises.

Democratic knowledge co-creation emerges from engaged learning and teaching, engaged research, and engaged citizenship through interaction between the institution, its staff and students, and the community.

The curriculum, engaged research efforts, engaged learning and teaching, and graduate attributes are all enriched through collaborative and reciprocal learning activities. As illustrated in the infographic, the input from engaged activities delivered by the UFS resulted in 285 engaged-activity outputs, of which the majority constituted engaged citizenship, followed by engaged research, and then engaged learning and teaching.

Deep understanding of socio-economic and environmental challenges

Our students participate in community-engaged service-learning, leading to knowledge acquisition and a deep understanding of socio-economic and environmental challenges in mutual solidarity with the community. Service-learning also gives rise to the acceptance and understanding of diverse cultures and races and advances the ability to interact meaningfully with diverse people from different backgrounds.

Community-engaged learning increases awareness of own biases and stereotypes along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. By transcending their own comfort zones, combined with collaborative learning with diverse groups, students can gain greater appreciation of the strengths and capacities of diverse groups in the community.

The UFS invests physical resources and funding, as well as staff and student hours to contribute to nation building. – Karen Venter

Engaged scholarship also embraces the inculcation of citizenship and the social responsibility of the UFS to society by giving effect to one of the key ‘public good’ dimensions of the UFS.

News Archive

Prof Hendrik Swart richly contributes to research of phosphors

2014-12-02

Prof Hendrik Swart
Photo: Merwelene van der Merwe

Since his appointment as the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair, there has been a sharp increase in the number of papers and publications by Prof Hendrik Swart, Senior Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS). From January this year, he has already published 78 articles. Some of the journals that has published his work, includes:

• Nanotechnology (impact of 3.67)
• Dalton Transactions (impact of 4.097)
• Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical (impact 3.84)

“My biggest success, however, is the powerful group of researchers we have built over the years. Staff, postdocs and students – without them it would have been impossible. I am therefore much indebted to my groups on both the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses.

“The good apparatus we acquired via a sponsorship from the National Research Foundation and Sasol is also one of the main reasons for this. The financial support I get from the university’s research office is of course also a contributing factor,” he says.

For the past 20 years, Prof Swart has been conducting research on any substance that glows. “I only adjust the focus to fit in with current trends,” he says.

Prof Swart believes that his research will make a contribution to the fundamental knowledge about phosphors, as well as to the training of good students for the academic and industrial world on the outside. For the man on the street, his research translates into better, brighter lights that use less energy.

His more recent research focuses on the development of nano-phosphors for light-emitting diodes (LEDS) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLED).

Prof Swart has presented papers on his research not only nationally, but all over the world – including countries in Europe and the East. Some of the most recent papers presented by him and his colleagues/postgraduate students include:

• Applications of AES, XPS and TOF SIMS to phosphor materials at die 15th European Conference on Applications of Surface and Interface Analysis 2013 in Forte Village Resort, Sardinia, Italy.
• Luminescent properties of phosphor nano thin films at the first International Symposium on Nanoparticles/Nanomaterials and Applications in Caparica (Lisbon, Portugal), where he was an invited speaker.
• Role of surface and deep-level defects on the emission of nano metal oxides at the 2014 NanoAfrica international conference, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, where he delivered the keynote address.
• PHI systems and their modifications at KOVSIES at the PHI European User Meeting in Ismaning (Munich), Germany, where he was invited to speak.

Prof Swart also delivered the keynote address at the SETCOR International Conference on Smart Materials and Surfaces in Bangkok, Thailand. His lecture was titled, ‘Role of surface and deep-level defects on the emission and degradation of phosphor materials’.

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