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01 June 2023 | Story Nicole Bongo | Photo Supplied
Student centered community engagement programmes
University of the Free State students participating in one of the many projects coordinated by the Engaged Scholarship Office.

To help make a change and push for sustainable development, the University of the Free State Division of Student Affairs works with communities around Bloemfontein fostering a culture of creating sustainable solutions.

Gernus Terblanche, Kovsie Support Services and Assistant Researcher in the Division says, ‘it is important for the university to be actively involved in the community as it makes up such a large portion of the Bloemfontein and students also represent many different communities on and off- campus.’

Terblanche said: “As an educational institution it is vital for the UFS to support and guide students towards creating innovative solutions; both local and globally. Our experience is that students often come up with real solutions that can make a real impact in the lives of real people – and it would be crucial to support such initiatives.” 

The office has worked with BloemShelter, VermiVillage, GAP Equip, National Hospital and as part of the programmes of 2022 also with Lighuis, Talita Cumi, ROC Kids and the Universitas Neighborhood association. “We are also very fortunate to have, Shanen Emam, Miss Free State 2023 as one of our students that are involved with our programmes,” added Terblanche.

One of the students involved is Prince Sijane, Bloemfontein Campus Student Representative Council member responsible for Civic and Social Responsibility when asked why student participation is important, he said, “By actively participating in initiatives that address social issues or promote community well-being, students become more aware of the challenges faced by society.”

The Division of Student Affairs’ KovsieACT office is also in partnership with the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development) and the Faculty of Health Sciences (Department of Nutrition and Dietetics) to develop and maintain vegetable gardens.

Tereblanche said: “The produce of these gardens addresses hunger and malnutrition amongst students on campus. KovsieACT also facilitates an eco-vehicle project during which student teams learn how to build electric vehicles powered by solar charging stations. This project is aimed at developing skills appropriate to the 4th Industrial Revolution and sustainable resources development including clean and green energy.”  

News Archive

Dr Chantel Swart the ‘Expert on Stage’
2013-06-04

 

Presents Extraordinary Findings at International Nanomedicine Conference.
Photo: Sonia Small
04 June 2013

Dr Chantel Swart, an alumnus of the Prestige Scholars Programme (PSP) from the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, is an invited “Expert on Stage” at the 4th International Nanomedicine Conference to be held in Sydney, Australia from 1 – 3 July 2013.

She is to share the podium with world authorities in nanomedicine.

Dr Swart’s presentation, “A New Nanotechnology for Nanomedicine”, will convey findings that made international headlines. She is part of the nanotechnology group of Prof Lodewyk Kock that discovered gas bubbles inside cells when using Auger-architectomics, a nanotechnology they developed in 2010. This nanotechnology is used to track nanomedicine inside cancer cells in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic in the US.

The Kock Nanotechnology Group includes scholars from the departments of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, Physics, Chemistry, the Centre for Microscopy (all from the UFS) and South African Breweries. Their breakthrough is also showcased on the cover of all issues of 2013 FEMS Yeast Research, a leading journal in yeast research. BiotecVisions and Global Medical Discovery (GMD) both selected this work for worldwide promotion at the end of 2012.

Dr Swart’s future research will use this newly-developed nanotechnology to visualize and hence explore the exposed nano-world. This will include work on the architecture of cells and effects of various drugs on cell metabolism.

A virtual tour is available at: http://vimeo.com/user6296337/videos.

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