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Environmental Management gives postgraduates an international experience

02 February 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Leonie Bolleurs

Summer school web read more — Chané Enslin, master’s student in the UFS Centre for Environmental Management (CEM); Stephanie Graumnitz, Institute of Hydrobiology at the Technical University Dresden (TUD); Dr Dirk Jungmann, Head of Ecotoxicology and Biomonitoring in the Institute of Hydrobiology at TUD; Sihle Mlonyeni, master’s student in the Faculty of Applied Science at the Cape Peninsula Technical University; Dr Marinda Avenant, Senior Lecturer in the CEM at the UFS; Akani Baloyi, master’s student in the UFS Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa; and Sphindile Dlamini, master’s student in the Department of Zoology and Entomology on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus.

The Centre for Environmental Management (CEM) at the University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with Dr Dirk Jungmann from the Technical University Dresden, recently presented a virtual summer school on Blackboard, titled: Monitoring of surface water quality: General framework, tools and implementing disaster management aspects in urban areas.

The international group of 30 persons who attended the summer school mostly comprised postgraduate students and employees from, among others, the UFS and other tertiary institutions such as the Technical University Dresden (TUD), the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), UNISA, the University of the Western Cape, Stellenbosch University, the University of Lesotho, and the University of Zimbabwe. Members of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research also attended the summer school.

Experts present

Dr Marinda Avenant, Senior Lecturer in the CEM, believes the summer school provides students with a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to a topic, such as aquatic biomonitoring, over and above their normal postgraduate studies. “The presenters are all experts in their field and come from a range of disciplines (from hydrology and chemistry to the social aspects of water), as well as from different countries and perspectives,” she adds.

Some interesting topics covered during the summer school included a panel discussion on water management challenges in Southern Africa. Head of CEM, Prof Paul Oberholser, participated in this live discourse. In 2021, he won the NSTF-Water Research Commission (WRC) Award for his contribution to water resource management in SA over the past five years.

Also contributing a perspective on surface water quality was affiliated professor in CEM, Prof Anthony Turton, who delivered the keynote address on Managing surface water quality as an element of disaster management in urban areas.

Dr Alice Ncube from the UFS Disaster Management Training and Education Centre (DiMTEC) presented on women and disasters (including a case study on a stokvel in Botshabelo), and Dr Inga Jacobs-Mata from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) provided a social perspective on the water resources sector.

Students excel

Five master’s students representing the UFS, the Technical University Dresden (TUD), as well as the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), assisted with the organisation of the summer school. The Volkswagen Foundation in Germany, which funded a first summer school in 2019, provided funding that was used to appoint the five students.

According to Dr Avenant, they made provision for the appointment of these students in their project proposal to the Volkswagen Foundation. “The students played a key role in the planning of the virtual summer school; they specially came up with ideas to make the virtual sessions more interesting,” she says.

Among others, they managed the technical aspects of the sessions, introduced the speakers, arranged social activities for the virtual platform, and they produced podcasts. The podcasts of the speakers were distributed to the participants over the extent of two months, in order to learn more about the presenters.

“We were really impressed with the work of the students, who are all from the natural sciences,” says Dr Avenant.

News Archive

First-year students encouraged to attend UFS welcoming function

2007-01-12

Main Campus, Bloemfontein

The University of the Free State (UFS) will host a welcoming function for all new first-year students and their parents on Saturday 13 January 2007 in the Callie Human Centre on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

The function starts at 11:00 and will be addressed by the Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, Prof Frederick Fourie. UFS staff will also be available to provide vital information to first-year students on academic matters.

Saturday’s welcoming function can assist students and parents by providing vital information on the registration process, which starts on Tuesday 16 January 2007, and the many high quality academic learning programmes on offer in six faculties at the UFS.

The UFS has split the registration process into various categories of students and students should adhere to the dates, and times which apply to them as a one-stop service will be available so as to avoid unnecessary delays in the registration process.

The registration of first-time entering first-year students who applied before 30 November 2006 to study at the Bloemfontein Campus will take place from Tuesday 16 January 2007 at the Callie Human Centre.

Senior undergraduate students (that is, students entering their second or later year of study) may register from 22 January 2007 according to a programme that was sent to all students who were registered at the UFS in 2006.

Postgraduate students, first-time entering first-year students and other students, who applied for admission to the Main Campus after 30 November 2006 and were accepted, must register at the Callie Human from 5 February 2007.

Late applications will be accepted until Monday 15 January 2007 at the Information Centre on the Main Campus’ Thakaneng Bridge.

Lectures will commence on 5 February 2007 and the registration process will end on 9 February 2007.

Vista Campus:

The Vista Campus in Bloemfontein – which was incorporated into the UFS in January 2004 – no longer accepts applications from first-year students. Such prospective students had to apply to the UFS Main Campus. Students who had been registered on the Vista Campus last year must register at the Vista Campus on the same dates as applicable on the Main Campus.

Qwaqwa Campus:

At the Qwaqwa Campus of the UFS all first-time entering first-year students must report on Sunday 14 January 2007 for orientation, after which the registration of these students will take place according to a specific programme as from Wednesday 17 January 2007. The official welcoming functioning for new first-years at the Qwaqwa Campus of the UFS will take place on Saturday 10 February 2007 at 08:00 in the Rolihlahla Mandela Hall on the Qwaqwa Campus.

First-year students who have applied to study at the Qwaqwa Campus and their parents should attend this function which fulfils the same role as the one held on the Bloemfontein Main Campus.

Detailed information on the dates and times of registration for the various faculties and academic learning programmes is available on the UFS website at www.ufs.ac.za.

Prospective students may also call the Main Campus in Bloemfontein on 051 4013000 or the Qwaqwa Campus on 058 718-5000 for more information.

Media release

Issued by: Lacea Loader

Media Representative

Tel: (051) 401-2584

Cell: 083 645 2454

E-mail: loaderl@mail.uovs.ac.za

11 January 2007

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