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PhD student Alina Ntsiapane dominates in international research pitching contest

10 May 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied

Alina Ntsiapane, a PhD student at the University of the Free State, obtained second place in the partners category of the International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI) CapDev Grand Challenge research pitching contest, which took place on 13 April 2022. The pitching contest is the first part of the CapDev Grand Challenge, which is a 10-month process aimed at equipping scientists with the necessary skills to contribute to new research.

Presenting Research to a Tough Panel of Judges

Ntsiapane was one of 30 contestants who presented their research virtually to a panel of esteemed judges. “It was not easy, it was very challenging for me because it was my first time presenting my PhD study and I had to do it live on an international platform,” expressed Ntsiapane. Although each contestant is thoroughly prepared for their respective presentations, Ntsiapane argues that some of the questions asked by the judges can be quite daunting. “Some of their questions were very challenging and I did not know how to respond to them, but they made me aware of ways in which I needed to improve my research,” she stated. However, regardless of the intensity of the pitching contest, Ntsiapane’s research allowed her to progress to the next stage of the CapDev Grand Challenge. She will be part of the rigorous 10-month training process that will begin in June 2022.

Ntsiapane’s Research Project

Ntsiapane’s PhD research focuses on the production of smallholder wool as a means to improve livelihoods in both Thaba ’Nchu and Botshabelo in the Free State. In fact, in the research Ntsiapane highlights that there has been a significant decline in the production of wool within the last three decades. As such, Ntsiapane believes it is imperative to create spaces that allow for the training of small-scale farmers, so that the production of wool can still be a possibility.

Consequently, Ntsiapane hopes that the 10-month training she will receive from the CapDev Grand Challenge will not only allow her to grow but will assist in opening doors for her. “I’m hoping to get exposure and to make connections with policy makers and the donors as well. This will assist me in achieving my goals,” she explained.

Future Endeavours After the Training Course

Subsequent to the training course, Ntsiapane would like to utilise that knowledge by continuing to make her most recent project a reality. Ntsiapane is currently working on developing a television show aimed at providing adequate training to small-scale farmers, so that they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and understanding of the industry in which they find themselves. As such, being part of the CapDev Grand Challenge will allow her to learn some of the necessary ways in which this dream could become a reality.

News Archive

International ties for OSM

2013-08-21

Prof Nicol Viljoen in the historic Teatr Zdrojowy in Walbrzych, Poland
20 August 2013

Profs Nicol and Martina Viljoen from the Odeion School of Music (OSM) recently undertook a very successful trip to Europe where Prof Nicol Viljoen rendered two solo piano recitals in Poland. They also delivered a joint paper at a congress in Budapest.

The first of the two recitals were held in Crakow at the famed Zespol Panstwowych School of Music. At this event, Prof Viljoen essentially recited Chopin Mazurkas and was invited to repeat this performance in Poland in the future.

The second piano recital was in the historicTeatr Zdrojowy im. Henryka Wieniawskiego in Walbrzych. This concert included Preludes, Mazurkas, as well as the Ballad in G minor by Chopin. After the Mazurkas, the audience rewarded Prof Viljoen with a standing ovasion – and again at the end of the concert. As a result of this, the chief organiser of the event, Jerzy Kosek, who is also the conductor of the Filharmonia Sudecka, invited Prof Viljoen to perform as soloist with his orchestra next year.

Kosek also invited Conducting students at the OSM to work with the Filharmonia under his leadership on an exchange basis. He indicated that he would like to strengthen the ties with the University of the Free State and the Odeion School of Music. Two members of the Filharmonia Sudecka are currently doctoral students in Performing Arts at the OSM, namely Karol Legierski (concertmaster) and Marianne Cilliers (first violin), while the co-concertmaster, Dorota Graca, is in the process of registering for doctoral studies at the OSM.

The paper delivered by Profs Viljoen in Budapest, formed part of the interdisciplinary congress, ‘The Arts in Society,’ where more than twenty countries were represented. Their paper dealt with the post-apartheid oeuvre of the South African composer, Hans Huyssen. Charla Schutte, another doctoral student at the OSM, delivered a paper on an interpretation of indoctrination songs on the basis of an analytical model by the philosopher Johann Visagie.

During the trip, Prof Martina Viljoen also had a productive meeting with the executive manager of Common Ground Publishers, an academic publisher based in the USA, with a view to publish work from the OSM.

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