Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
24 April 2023 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Corlé van der Walt received her honours degree in mathematics and applied mathematics. She wants to show students that mathematics is not necessarily difficult, but that it is logical and practical.

Mathematics is undeniably part of the world – from telling time, buying groceries, to manufacturing clothing sizes, and everything in between.

This is the view of Corlé van der Walt, Junior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Free State (UFS), who received her honours degree in mathematics and applied mathematics (with distinction) at the university’s April 2023 graduation ceremonies. 

The focus of her honours was on applied mathematics, specifically optimisation and dynamical systems. “These subjects link to my undergraduate degree, which is in industrial engineering,” says Van der Walt, who has always enjoyed and excelled in mathematics for as long as she can remember. 

Maths = skills +

She believes that mathematics is important because it helps us describe and value ourselves. “But still, mathematics is more than just the skills we learn; in the words of Albert Einstein, "Mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas".

She says that mathematics is also the foundation for other sciences, such as physics, chemistry, and engineering. “Mathematics paves the way for all other forms of science. Without the computational groundwork, it will not be possible to do physics, chemistry, engineering, or any other form of science,” she adds, remarking that we will not be able to make scientific or technological progress.

“This is where I come in; I want to teach young upcoming students’ mathematics and the power of it. I want to show students that mathematics is not necessarily difficult, but that it is logical and practical. With my current qualification, I have already been appointed as a junior lecturer and I teach precalculus to university students who would like to take calculus,” she says.

A balancing act

Although she enjoys her work, Van der Walt finds it challenging to juggle work and studies. But she overcomes these obstacles by prioritising tasks and celebrating small achievements. Her motivation also comes from the joy of seeing her students understand concepts that they previously struggled with. 

With plans to complete her master's degree in the next two years and commencing her PhD studies, Van der Walt is committed to teaching the power of mathematics to upcoming students.

News Archive

2014 Winter Graduation
2014-06-27

 
It is time for the 2014 Winter Graduation on our Bloemfontein Campus. From 2 – 4 July 2014 Masters and Doctoral degrees will be bestowed on graduates from across all seven faculties as well as the School of Open Learning. These include the conferral of Medicine degrees on the South African Cuban trainees.

Wednesday 2 July 2014 at 14:30: School of Open Learning
The School of Open Learning will confer a total of 609 degrees this year – almost double compared to the 320 of last year.

Thursday 3 July 2014 at 09:30: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prof Magdalena Blum will receive an Honorary Doctorat, DPhil honoris causa, at this event. Prof Blum is an Extension Systems Officer in Rome. She works for a specialised agency of the United Nations called the Food and Agriculture Organization. This organisation’s mandate is:
• to improve nutrition,
• increase agricultural productivity,
• raise the standard of living in rural populations and
• contribute to global economic growth.

Her position serves to modernise and strengthen rural advisory services, their systems and networks worldwide. She has filled this position for almost nine years.

Prof Blum is driven by a passion for development, humanitarian work and female upliftment, but most of all, to enable people to help themselves.

Blum’s life has taken her from a small German village to Africa, Asia and Europe – and she has made an impact wherever she went.

Thursday 3 July 2014 at 14:30: Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, Humanities, Education, Health Sciences, Law and Theology
At this ceremony, Faculty of the Humanities will award an Honorary Doctorate, DPhil honoris causa, on Prof Laura Mulvey. She is a feminist film theorist and worked at the British Film Institute for many years. She is currently a professor at Film and Media Studies at Birkbeck, University of London.

Prof Mulvey was prominent as an avant-garde filmmaker in the 1970s and ‘80s. In collaboration with her husband, Peter Wollen, she co-wrote and co-directed:
• Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazons (1974),
• Riddles of the Sphinx (1977, perhaps their most influential film),
• AMY! (1980),
• Crystal Gazing (1982),
• Frida Kahlo and Tina Modotti (1982), and
• The Bad Sister.

In 1991, she returned to filmmaking with Disgraced Monuments, which she co-directed with Mark Lewis.

Friday 4 July 2014 at 10:30: Special Graduation Ceremony
Conferral of Medicine Degrees on the South African Cuban trainees at the UFS

Live streaming will be available on: http://www.ufs.ac.za/ufslivestreaming/

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept