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26 August 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Sonia Small
Sing off
SingOff participants getting ready for the upcoming finals of the competition.
The SingOff competition, which is regarded as one of the biggest arts and culture experiences at the University of the Free State (UFS), has returned after a two-year hiatus. “Due to COVID-19, the competition has not happened in just over two years, and we are very excited to have it happen this year,” expressed Hlumelo Xaba: SRC Arts and Culture. 
The SingOff finals will be held in the Kopanong Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State on 27 August 2022 from 17:00.

What the UFS community can expect

From the rotations, which took place from 24 to 25 August 2022, leading up to the finals, the competition has generated a lot of excitement, specifically among the residences. “There’s a lot of competition this year, each and every person wants to make a name for themselves. So, the audience can expect a lot of competition, energy, and fun from the eight groups selected to be in the finals,’’ stated Xaba. 

Although the format of the competition has not changed much, some new elements have been introduced to make it more interesting. “What we decided to do this year, is to make it 80% music and 20% creativity. The creativity portion includes all the choreography, instruments, and costumes used by the participants,” explained Xaba. In addition, two new categories – best male and best female vocalist – have been added to the finals of the competition.

Collaboration

The excitement about the SingOff finals is not limited to the UFS community. In collaboration with the SRC: Arts and Culture, Standard Bank has jumped on board as the official sponsor of the SingOff finals. “This is something that has not happened in nearly four years, so we are very excited about Standard Bank being able to collaborate with us,” Xaba highlighted. In fact, Standard Bank has also been instrumental in building hype around the competition through the activations it has been hosting at the Thakaneng Bridge from 24 August 2022.


Furthermore, Standard Bank has contributed a cash prize of R10 000, which will be divided among the final top three, along with trophies to be awarded to the runners-up.

Xaba maintains that SingOff is an important aspect of student life at the UFS. “It allows people to gain exposure through the arts, and it also builds a sense of community and camaraderie among students,” he expressed. As such, with the final stage of the SingOff fast approaching, Xaba urges that, “all the participants and the UFS community at large should enjoy this moment, as it is about building memories”.

News Archive

UFS boasts with most advanced chemical research apparatus in Africa
2005-11-23

Celebrating the inauguration of the NMR were from the left Prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS),  Dr Detlef Müller (Development Scientist and Manager:  Africa and Asia of Bruker in Germany, the supplier of the NMR), Prof Jannie Swarts (head of the head of the Division Physical Chemistry at the UFS) and Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean:  Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS). Photo: Lacea Loader

UFS boasts with most advanced chemical research apparatus in Africa 

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) Department of Chemistry now boasts with some of the most advanced chemical research apparatus in Africa after the latest addition, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, was inaugurated today by the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Frederick Fourie.  The NMR is used to analyse molecular structures. 

Last month the Department of Chemistry celebrated the installation of the most advanced single crystal X-ray diffractometer in Africa.  The diffractometer provides an indispensable technique to investigate among others the solid state of compounds for medicinal application.

“Three years ago the UFS executive management realised that, if we want to build a university of excellence, we should invest in research.  We started to think strategically about chemistry and decided to bring the apparatus at the Department of Chemistry on a more competitive standard.  Strategic partnerships were therefore secured with companies like Sasol,” said Prof Fourie during the inauguration ceremony.

“The installation of the NMR symbolises the ability of the UFS to turn academic areas around.  I hope that this is the beginning of a decade of excellence for chemistry at the UFS,” said Prof Fourie.

”The catalogue value of the Bruker 600 MHz NMR is approximately R11 million.  With such an advanced apparatus we are now able to train much more post-graduate students,“ said Prof Jannie Swarts, head of the Division Physical Chemistry at the UFS.

”The NMR is the flagship apparatus of the UFS Department of Chemistry that enables chemists to look at compounds more easily at a molecular level.  Research in chemistry is critically dependent on NMR, which is a technique that can determine the composition of reactants and products in complicated chemical reactions, with direct application is most focus areas in chemistry,“ said Prof Swarts.

”Parts of the spectrometer consists of non-commercial items that were specifically designed for the UFS Department of Chemistry to allow the study of unique interactions in e.g. rhodium and platinum compounds,” said Prof Swarts.

According to Prof Swarts the NMR enables chemists to conduct investigations on the following:

To evaluate for example the complex behaviour of DNA in proteins as well as the analysis of illegal drugs sometimes used by athletes. 
It provides an indispensable technique to investigate compounds for medicinal application for example in breast, prostate and related bone cancer identification and therapy, which are currently synthesised in the Department of Chemistry.  
It can also be applied to the area of homogeneous catalysis where new and improved compounds for industrial application are synthesized and characterised, whereby Sasol and even the international petrochemical industry could benefit. This analytical capacity is highly rated, especially in the current climate of increased oil prices.
The NMR can detect and identify small concentrations of impurities in feed streams in the petrochemical industry, e.g. at Sasol and also the international petrochemical industry.  These minute amounts of impurities can result in metal catalyst deactivation or decomposition and can cause million of rands worth in product losses.
It is indispensable for studying the complexity of samples that is non-crystalline. These materials represent the vast majority of chemical compounds such as solvents, gasoline, cooking oil, cleaning agents and colorants as examples. 

According to Prof Swarts the general medical technique of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) in use at larger hospitals, is based on NMR technology.

”The NMR apparatus enabled the Department of Chemistry to characterise complex molecules that were synthesised for the multi-national company, FARMOFS-PAREXEL, and to negotiate research agreements with overseas universities,” said Prof Swarts. 

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:  (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
22 November 2005
 

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