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03 January 2023
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Photo Evert Kleynhans
Dr Dolf van Niekerk.
The University of the Free State (UFS) would like to express its condolences to the family and friends of South African author, Dr Dolf van Niekerk, on his passing.
Dr Van Niekerk, the recipient of an
honorary doctorate from the UFS, passed away on 31 December 2022. The UFS awarded a Doctor of Letters to Dr Dolf van Niekerk during its April 2021 graduation ceremony.
Dr Van Niekerk was a celebrated author who also achieved fame as a dramatist and radio presenter. An alumnus of the UFS, he received a BA degree from the university cum laude in 1949. He also played a role in academia and was an emeritus professor at the University of Pretoria until his retirement in 1994. His work includes 27 books in philosophy, poetry, fiction, drama, and memoirs, for which he has received numerous awards. These include the
Eugene Marais Prize, the MER Prize, and the Scheepers Award for Youth Literature.
“Dr van Niekerk is a Kovsie alumnus with a deep connection to the Free State. He played a significant role in the country’s literary history, and it was an honour for the university to award him with an honorary degree. A wordsmith of note, Dr van Niekerk’s contributions to South African literature, radio, and stage will live on," says
Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor.
Large number of UFS department's staff and students participate in international conferences and workshops
2009-01-19
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An exceptionally large number of staff and students (25 in total) of the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS) participated in international conferences and workshops (poster and lecture presentations) and undertook research visits to foreign countries during 2008. This is indicative of the high level of research activities in the department and international involvement. The countries visited included Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates (Dubai emirate), France, Germany, Greece, Mauritius, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the USA. Here are, from the left, front: Prof. Hugh Patterton, Dr Lizelle Piater, Prof. Lodewyk Kock, Dr Carlien Pohl-Albertyn, Prof. Rob Bragg, Ms Sonia van Zyl, and Prof. Martie Smit; middle: Profs Garry Osthoff, Esta van Heerden, James du Preez (Departmental Chairperson), Hester Steyn, Ms Carina Bothma, Profs Koos Albertyn, Bennie Viljoen, and Derek Litthauer; back: Ms Liezl Renz, Mr Ruan Ells, Ms Chantal Smith, Mr Walter Müller, Dr Elsabé Botes, Ms Ntsoaki Leeuw, Ms Nathlee Abbai, Dr Khajamohiddin Syed, Ms Kamini Gounder, and Dr Suman Pradhan.
Photo: Supplied |