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30 March 2022 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Nonsindiso Qwabe
US Consul
US Consul General Vincent Spera (centre) and his delegation, alongside Dr Cornelius Hagenmeier (UFS), Dr Jesse Lutabingwa (App State), Morena Tsholo Mopeli (Mopeli Royal family representative), Qwaqwa Campus principalship, and Dr Grey Magaiza and Prof Geofrey Mukwada (UFS project coordinators, far right).

“There are many shared values between the US and SA, such as a commitment to institutions, the belief in the importance of science and research, investment in education, and a commitment to human rights. This comes through in partnerships such as this; science-based, collaboration-based partnerships designed at their core to strengthen the University of the Free State and the Appalachian State University.”

These were the words of the US Consul General in Johannesburg, Vincent Spera, during his visit to the Qwaqwa Campus on Wednesday 23 March 2022.

His visit reaffirmed the long-standing partnership between the University of the Free State Qwaqwa Campus and the Appalachian State University in North Carolina, USA.

Consul general commends research partnership

Spera said as the representative of the US Government, it was powerful and important to learn more about the research and capacity-building initiatives that are taking place as a result of the partnership between the two institutions.
The US Consulate is a key link in the strategic partnership between the two institutions. In 2020, the US Embassy and Consulates in South Africa funded the implementation of projects at the two institutions through the R8 million mountain-to-mountain research grant.

Since then, the grant has introduced two master’s degree offerings in Community Development and Mountain Environments, five meteorological weather stations – with one based on the Qwaqwa Campus, leadership capacity building for black women in academia, and doctoral research projects. This grant is funded by the US Embassy and Consulates in South Africa.

“It’s exactly why we have these university partnerships, and it’s really meaningful to see it in practice,” he said.
Spera and his delegation were given an overview of the ongoing projects by the UFS project leaders, Dr Grey Magaiza and Prof Geofrey Mukwada, and the Appalachian State University project leader and Vice-Chancellor for International Education and Development, Dr Jesse Lutabingwa.

The long-term relationship began in 2008 as a framework for academic and scientific cooperation across multiple scopes of teaching and research activities for students and staff members on the Qwaqwa Campus.

News Archive

Double achievement for Prof. Paul Grobler
2012-04-25

 

Prof. Paul Grobler
Photo: Supplied
25 April 2012

Early this year, two journal editions appearing almost simultaneously in Europe featured cover photographs based on papers by Prof. Paul Grobler of the Department of Genetics and his collaborators.

These papers stem from collaborations with Prof. Gunther Hartl at the University of Kiel (Germany) and Dr Frank Zachos from the Natural History Museum in Vienna (Austria). Both papers cover aspects of the genetics of southern African antelope species.
 
The first paper appeared in the Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research” (from the Wiley-Blackwell group). This was titled “Genetic structure of the common impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus) in South Africa: phylogeography and implications for conservation”.
 
In this paper, the team analysed impala from various localities in South Africa to determine the relationship between distribution and genetic structure. The results suggest a clear relationship between genetic characteristics and habitat features that regulate gene flow.
 
The second appeared in the journal Mammalian Biology (from the Elsevier group), with the title “Genetic analysis of southern African gemsbok (Oryx gazella), reveals high variability, distinct lineages and strong divergence from the East African Oryx beisa”.
 
Here, the researchers looked at various aspects of the genetics and classification of gemsbok. Among the notable findings is that gemsbok populations on the game farms studied are less inbred than previously predicted.
 
Proffs. Grobler and Hartl initiated these projects on gemsbok and impala, with sub-sections of the research later completed as M.Sc. projects by students from both South Africa and Germany.
 
Prof. Grobler has been involved with aspects of the population genetics of various mammal species since the early 1990s, and continued with this line of research after joining the UFS in 2006. Current projects in this field include work on wildebeest, vervet monkeys and white rhinoceroses.

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