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25 May 2022
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Story Alicia Pienaar
The Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities, Prof Heidi Hudson, has the pleasure of inviting you to the inaugural lecture of Prof Paul Fouché in the Department of Psychology.
Event details:
Date: Wednesday 1 June 2022
Time: 17:30 SAST
Venue: Equitas Auditorium, UFS Bloemfontein Campus
RSVP before or on 27 May 2022 to Anneke Diesel, +27 51 401 9314 or email denobilia@ufs.ac.za
Subject:
Understanding Greatness: Dissecting the eminent personality from a psychobiographical approach
About the Speaker:
Paul Fouché has been employed at the UFS since 2007. Currently, he is a professor and a registered counselling psychologist with the HPCSA and an active member of the Psychological Society of South Africa. He is also an NRF C-rated researcher. As research supervisor/co-supervisor, he has graduated 115 postgraduate students.
He served on the editorial committee of Acta Academica, was guest editor of the Journal of Psychology in Africa, and co-editor of special issues on psychobiography for Europe’s Journal of Psychology and two books by Springer. Paul is the
coordinator of the BPsych Honours programme and lectures in the Applied Master’s programme.
Academic credentials:
PhD: 1999, Psychobiography, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa
MSocSc cum laude: 1993, Counselling Psychology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
BSocSc Honours cum laude: 1990, Psychology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
BSocSc: 1989, Psychology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
The impact of personal care products on water resources in the Free State
2015-12-14

Jou-an Chen Photo: Charl Devenish
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Water is of the utmost importance in personal hygiene. Most people can hardly have a day go by without taking a shower in the morning and at night. However, it is this very habit that is increasingly polluting the water resources in South Africa.
Contaminants found in pharmaceutical and personal care products have been accumulating in water masses in recent years. These contaminants especially refer to hormones in medication, as well as colouring agents and fragrances used in soap, shampoo and body lotions.
“Little information and data are available on the prevalence of these contaminants, and on how high the level of pollution really is,” says Jou-an Chen, researcher in the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the UFS.
Her research particularly focuses on the prevalence and impact of those contaminants.
“Because these substances have not been properly investigated, we are not sure how widely it occurs and whether it is harmful to the environment. It was precisely the lack of information that has inspired me to investigate further.”
“If we could identify the contaminants and what it is doing to the environment, it could make a valuable contribution to directives on water quality standards.”