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UFS students in top four of CFA Institute Research Challenge

12 November 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Groepfoto (1) copy — The group that went through to the finals of the CFA Institute Research Challenge, was from the left: Jan Hendrik Grobbelaar; Frans Benecke, Dr Ivan van der Merwe, Sacha Bourquin, and Johann Schlebusch.

Due to their knowledge and skills, charter holders are in high demand in the finance industry. A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification sets extremely high standards of integrity and excellence, and these professionals are thus highly sought after in the investment management industry.

Dr Ivan van der Merwe, Lecturer in the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of the Free State (UFS), says the CFA Society South Africa recently (27 October) hosted the 13th annual local edition of the CFA Institute Research Challenge. “This research challenge is an annual global competition in equity research presented by the CFA Institute, which is the global representative body for CFA charter holders.”

Exceptional performance

In a very competitive university challenge, one of the two UFS teams that entered made it through to the regional finals, along with one team each from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB), and the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Besides having the opportunity to compete with the best, the research challenge also offered students the chance to learn from leading industry experts on how to perform in-depth company analysis and to present their findings,” says Dr Van der Merwe.

He explains that during this challenge, students had to assume the role of a sell-side research analyst and were scored by a CFA judging panel on their ability to value a specific company – Impala Platinum in this case. They had to write a concise report that covered various aspects related to the company’s business activities, structure, governance, finances, etc., after which they had to present their recommendation in terms of buying or selling the company. In addition, finalists also had to make a formal presentation via Zoom to a panel of judges from the CFA Society South Africa, where they had to justify their valuation by answering several questions posed by the judges.

“Although the team from USB won the finals, it was still an exceptional performance for the UFS to make it to the top four teams in the country,” states Dr Van der Merwe.

Mentored by the best

Selection of the two teams of four members each representing the UFS during the 2021 challenge was based on the students’ performance during the first semester of their BCom Honours (specialisation in Financial Economics and Investment Management) in the Department of Economics and Finance.

Once selected to enter the competition, the team members were coached by an industry mentor as well as a faculty adviser.

Dr Van der Merwe, who was the team’s adviser, says, “I was very impressed with the dedication that this group showed during the competition. It took many days and even some sleepless nights for them to produce an impressive final product within a short period.”

He believes the experience they gained during this challenge will stand them in good stead. “To successfully complete a very stressful live presentation and subsequent question session was a confidence builder for the teams. They made us proud and will inspire future Finance students at the UFS to follow in their footsteps.”

Winners of the regionals will proceed to participate in the international final, which is, according to Dr Van der Merwe, an extremely prestigious achievement, since more than 1 000 universities compete annually.

News Archive

Nanotechnology breakthrough at UFS

2010-08-19

Ph.D students, Chantel Swart and Ntsoaki Leeuw

Scientists at the University of the Free State (UFS) made an important breakthrough in the use of nanotechnology in medical and biological research. The UFS team’s research has been accepted for publication by the internationally accredited Canadian Journal of Microbiology.

The UFS study dissected yeast cells exposed to over-used cooking oil by peeling microscopically thin layers off the yeast cells through the use of nanotechnology.

The yeast cells were enlarged thousands of times to study what was going on inside the cells, whilst at the same time establishing the chemical elements the cells are composed of. This was done by making microscopically small surgical incisions into the cell walls.

This groundbreaking research opens up a host of new uses for nanotechnology, as it was the first study ever in which biological cells were surgically manipulated and at the same time elemental analysis performed through nanotechnology. According to Prof. Lodewyk Kock, head of the Division Lipid Biotechnology at the UFS, the study has far reaching implications for biological and medical research.

The research was the result of collaboration between the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, the Department of Physics (under the leadership of Prof. Hendrik Swart) and the Centre for Microscopy (under the leadership of Prof.Pieter van Wyk).

Two Ph.D. students, Chantel Swart and Ntsoaki Leeuw, overseen by professors Kock and Van Wyk, managed to successfully prepare yeast that was exposed to over-used cooking oil (used for deep frying of food) for this first ever method of nanotechnological research.

According to Prof. Kock, a single yeast cell is approximately 5 micrometres long. “A micrometre is one millionth of a metre – in laymen’s terms, even less than the diameter of a single hair – and completely invisible to the human eye.”

Through the use of nanotechnology, the chemical composition of the surface of the yeast cells could be established by making a surgical incision into the surface. The cells could be peeled off in layers of approximately three (3) nanometres at a time to establish the effect of the oil on the yeast cell’s composition. A nanometre is one thousandth of a micrometre.

Each cell was enlarged by between 40 000 and 50 000 times. This was done by using the Department of Physics’ PHI700 Scanning Auger Nanoprobe linked to a Scanning Electron Microscope and Argon-etching. Under the guidance of Prof. Swart, Mss. Swart en Leeuw could dissect the surfaces of yeast cells exposed to over-used cooking oil.

The study noted wart like outgrowths - some only a few nanometres in diameter – on the cell surfaces. Research concluded that these outgrowths were caused by the oil. The exposure to the oil also drastically hampered the growth of the yeast cells. (See figure 1)

Researchers worldwide have warned about the over-usage of cooking oil for deep frying of food, as it can be linked to the cause of diseases like cancer. The over-usage of cooking oil in the preparation of food is therefore strictly regulated by laws worldwide.

The UFS-research doesn’t only show that over-used cooking oil is harmful to micro-organisms like yeast, but also suggests how nanotechnology can be used in biological and medical research on, amongst others, cancer cells.

Figure 1. Yeast cells exposed to over-used cooking oil. Wart like protuberances/ outgrowths (WP) is clearly visible on the surfaces of the elongated yeast cells. With the use of nanotechnology, it is possible to peel off the warts – some with a diameter of only a few nanometres – in layers only a few nanometres thick. At the same time, the 3D-structure of the warts as well as its chemical composition can be established.

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

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