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Prof Paul Oberholster latest UFS scientist inaugurated by Academy of Science

24 October 2022 | Story Andrè Damons | Photo Monsoon Photography

Prof Paul Oberholster, Director of the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of the Free State (UFS), is the newest academic from the university to be inaugurated as a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).

Prof Oberholster was one of 29 scholars and scientists who were inaugurated as new ASSAf members earlier this month (19 October 2022). At the same time, 10 new members of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) were inaugurated.

As the official Academy of South Africa, ASSAf honours the country’s most outstanding scholars by electing them to membership of the Academy. ASSAf members are drawn from the full spectrum of disciplines. New members are elected each year by the full membership of the Academy in recognition of scholarly achievement. Members are the core asset of the Academy and give of their time and expertise voluntarily in the service of society. The 29 new ASSAf Members bring the total membership of ASSAf to 659.

Science must be in the service

“I feel very honoured to have been selected as a member of the official national academy of science which represents South Africa in the international community of science academies. I am a strong believer that science must be in the service of society. In all my research, I have shown an interest and determination to bring practitioners, students, and scholars together to pursue and foster the betterment of the human condition through its intimate relation to the natural world. The latter is in strong relationship with the vision and mission of the Academy,” says Prof Oberholster about being included in the academy of science.

This honour comes almost a year after Prof Oberholster won the NSTF-Water Research Commission (WRC) Award for his contribution to water resource management in SA over the past five years, with special reference to the field of biological passive wastewater treatment.

According to him, the ASSAf membership means providing evidence-based scientific advice on water resource issues of public interest to government and other stakeholders. He was nominated by Prof Eugene Cloete, the previous Vice-Rector Research and Innovation at Stellenbosch University for his research focus related to water resource management.

Research has direct impact on the most important resources

Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice Rector: Research and Internationalisation, says the UFS staff and students are proud of the national recognition that Prof Oberholster received for his lifetime achievements in research on water resource management. His research has direct impact on the managing, protection and rehabilitation of one of the country’s most important resources.

“The demands on our water supplies will increase in the future as a result of climate change globally. We believe his research will become even more important and relevant in the next decade. We are looking forward to his future achievements and will work with him to provide him with the appropriate UFS support. Congratulations,” says Prof Witthuhn.

News Archive

UFS departments receive recognition for quality work from MACE

2017-12-07

The team from the Department of Communication and Brand Management,
UFS Marketing and Institutional Advancement who received awards at the
2017 Annual National MACE Congress.
Photo: Supplied

The Departments of Communication and Brand Management, UFS Marketing, and Institutional Advancement collectively won 16 awards during the 2017 Excellence Awards presented by the National Association of Marketing, Advancement, and Communication in Education (MACE), which took place in Johannesburg on 30 November 2017.

Shared experiences and best practices
The awards ceremony is part of the MACE Annual National Congress, which took place from 29 November to 1 December 2017 at the Wits School of Governance. The MACE Congress is a platform on which experts from the fields of marketing, advancement, and communication share experiences and best practices. This year’s programme included speakers such Basetsana Kumalo, CEO of Basetsana Woman Investment Holdings and a former Miss South Africa (1994), and first runner-up in the Miss World Pageant, Saint-Francis Tohlang, independent trend analyst and writer, Emma Sadleir, founder of the Digital Law Co and Leanne Manas, multiple award-winning TV presenter.

Celebrating successes
Lacea Loader, Director of the Department of Communication and Brand Management at the University of the Free State, received an Award of Excellence Gold for the UFS Graduations Ceremonies Communication Strategy and an Award of Excellence for the UFS Rector’s inauguration and welcoming ceremonies.

Mamosa Makaya, Deputy Director: Integrated Communication received two Merit Awards for, respectively, the Dumela newsletter and the Visitor’s Guide. Jóhann Thormählen, former employee in the department’s Internal Communication Unit, received an Award of Merit for the Wayde van Niekerk Campaign and an Award of Excellence Gold for the Student Newsletter. Thabo Kessah, also from Internal Communication, on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus, received an Award of Merit for the UFS Qwaqwa Campus Open Day video.

"I am extremely proud of what we
have achieved this year and of
the quality and standard of the
work produced."

Martie Nortjé, Assistant Director of the Unit for Branding and Merchandise received an Award of Merit for KovsieGear Qwaqwa: Live the brand and set the trend. Leonie Bolleurs, Assistant Director of the Unit for Internal Communication received two Awards of Merit, for respectively, the UFS Schools Marketing Video and the UFS Corporate Profile and UFS Fingertips brochures.

Ilze Bakkes from UFS Marketing received the Chairperson’s Award of Excellence for her entry, Top Achievers Early Bird Registration. The award is for the highest-scoring entry across all divisions. She also brought home the Award of Excellence Gold for Registration branding and communication – The Lighthouse Campaign, the Award of Excellence Gold for the Kick-Start Your “I-Want-To-B” Grade 9 Subject Choice Booklet and the Award of Excellence Gold for the Top Achievers Early Bird Registration project. Chantel Koller, also from UFS Marketing, received an Award of Merit for her Star of Stars Competition entry.

The Institutional Advancement (IA): Alumni event planning committee received an Award of Excellence Gold for their entry: Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner. The committee consisted of Helen Namponya, Ntokozo Nkabinde, Tertia de Bruin, Nhlanhla Modzanane, and Elmada Kemp.

IABC Africa Award
“This is the second year in a row that the department has received so many accolades from its peers at MACE. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved this year and of the quality and standard of the work produced. The fact that we were also again acknowledged by the Africa Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is also commendable,” said Loader. She is also the National Chairperson of MACE.

Earlier this year, the Department of Communication and Brand Management received an IABC Africa Award of Excellence for the UFS 2017 Winter Graduation Ceremonies Communication Strategy from the International Association for Business Communicators (IABC). Loader collected the award during the Silver Quill Awards ceremony on 3 November 2017 in Cape Town.

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