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05 May 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Prof Hennie van Coller and Prof Hendrik Swart
Prof Hennie van Coller, left, received the the NP van Wyk Louw medal, and Prof Hendrik Swart, right, received the Havenga Prize for Physical Sciences.

The board of the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (SAAWK) recently (22 April) announced the winners of the 2022 prizes. The academy, which was established in 1901, aims to promote the use of Afrikaans in science and the arts.

Havenga Prize for Physical Sciences

Prof Hendrik Swart, NRF B1-rated researcher, SARChI Research Chair in Solid-state Luminescent and Advanced Materials, and Senior Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS), received the prestigious Havenga Prize for Physical Sciences.

He says it is an honour to receive this award. “When I look at the list of names that have received the award in the past, I am very humbled and surprised to receive such an award.”

The Havenga Prize, for which candidates are specifically judged on research publications and evidence of their promotion of Afrikaans, has been awarded annually for the past 77 years for original research in the natural sciences or a technical field. 

A collaboration with researchers from the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) on semiconductor materials that improve the efficiency of solar cells, resulted in Prof Japie Engelbrecht (Emeritus Professor, NMU) nominating Prof Swart for this award. He is involved in an NRF collaborative research project with NMU and Linköping University in Sweden.

Prof Swart has played an important role in the acquisition of numerous research devices for analysing the thin layer of phosphor, and the semiconductor devices that can be made from such materials. His research and zeal for his work led to the establishment of the national nano-surface characterisation facility (NNSCF) containing state-of-the-art surface characterisation equipment. 

The PHI Quantes XPS system, for instance, is the first in Africa and one of only 20 in the world. The Quantes XPS system uses X-rays to determine the chemical composition of molecules on the surface of a sample. The system is unique in the sense that it also has an extra X-ray source that can determine the chemical state below the surface, which was not possible in the past. This will help to dictate the position of defects in phosphor materials, which will consequently enable the department to create better phosphor for solid-state lighting as well as solar cell applications.

The most meaningful for him, however, was the production of several well-trained postgraduate students and the generation of high-impact, well-cited scientific publications.

This award, one of several awards he has received during his career, does not signify the end of the road. On the contrary, he is looking forward to improving solar cells by using the phosphor materials they have manufactured, applying it on glass windows doped with phosphors to generate electricity.

NP van Wyk Louw Medal and Alba Bouwer Prize for children's literature

The NP van Wyk Louw Medal was awarded to Prof Hennie van Coller, a researcher who is also affiliated to the UFS. Prof Van Coller, currently an emeritus outstanding professor and research fellow at the university, was a former Head of the UFS Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French, as well as Chairperson of SAAWK. He is known for his impact on the literary world, both locally and internationally, through the quality of his scientific articles and books. 

According to SAAWK, the body awards the NP van Wyk Louw Medal for a person’s creative contributions to the exploitation, organisation, and continuous development of a section of the humanities, significantly contributing to the advancement of the humanities.

Jaco Jacobs, the children’s author of more than 170 books who recently presented the 35th DF Malherbe Memorial Lecture at the UFS, was also awarded for his work. Jacobs, also a UFS alumnus, received the Alba Bouwer Prize for children's literature. The prize, which is awarded every three years, was presented to Jacobs for the book Die boekwinkel tussen die wolke, written during the COVID-19 lockdown period. 

SAAWK will present the awards later this year during two virtual award ceremonies in July. 

News Archive

Lottery grant will boost public art at UFS
2009-05-25

 
 Public art at the UFS will get a major boost with money made available by the National Lottery Board. Here are Dr Ivan van Rooyen, Director: UFS Marketing, Ms Nontombi Ntakakaze (Artists in School Project) and Mr Ben Botma (Head of Department: Fine Arts) at one of the existing works of art by Edoardo Villa on the Bloemfontein Campus. 
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar.
Emerging and established artists will showcase their work in a comprehensive public sculpture project on the campuses of the University of the Free State (UFS). The aim is to create a greater understanding of cultural differences and promote the UFS vision of a truly multilingual, non-sexist, non-racial campus, says Dr Ivan van Rooyen, Director: UFS Marketing.

The National Lottery Board has approved a grant of R4,125 million in total for three major projects, one of which is the public sculpture project. The others are a Khoe-San Early Learning Centre pilot project in Heidedal, and a boost for the Artists in Schools project, which is already underway.

Dr Van Rooyen says one way of promoting the UFS vision is to create an alternative environment and provide visible, tangible symbols of change and transformation. This will enrich the educational and cultural experience of students and visitors to the campus by stimulating intercultural dialogue and providing a setting for historical dialogue between past and future.

The dream of the UFS is to inspire a sense of ownership of the campus of an open university, worthy of a democratic South Africa. “Therefore, a large-scale project of national significance has been conceptualised, where the development of infrastructure will involve the creation and acquisition of major South African art works for the long-term benefit of all South Africans,” Dr Van Rooyen says.

The public sculpture project will be implemented over the next few years. Artists will be commissioned as funds become available. The UFS will also consult extensively with local and national art museums with experience in the public art field. A wide spectrum of artists, especially artists from the black community, will be used.

Dr Van Rooyen says that many black artists have not had an opportunity to exhibit public sculptures because of prohibitive costs and the project will empower them to develop their skills. The project makes provision for both established and emerging artists to showcase their work.

The aim of the Khoe-San Early Learning Centre pilot project is to compile a curriculum that is sensitive to multiculturalism and multilingualism. The centre will be the first in the country and will respond to the need to promote and revitalise Khoe-San languages. Using arts and crafts and storytelling, as well as literacy, numeracy and life skills, children will learn to adapt to their environment and contribute to our diverse society. This centre will be a collaborative venture between the Heidedal community and the UFS.

Finally, the Artists in Schools project, which has been running successfully since 2004, will also receive a boost from the Lottery funding. Through a series of workshops that the Department of Fine Arts presents at schools, participants develop functional art products with a distinctive Free State character. These products are marketed and sold to benefit the artists, designers and craftspeople.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
25 May 2009
 

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