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Looking ahead: UFS unveils cutting-edge electron microscopy equipment

23 March 2023 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Stephen Collett

Microscopy read more — From left: Hanlie Grobler, Senior Officer at the CFM; Prof Koos Terblans, Head of the Physics Department; Nonkululeko Phili, Assistant Officer at the CFM; and Edward Lee, Junior Lecturer and Researcher at the CFM. Photo: Stephen Collett

The Centre for Microscopy (CFM) in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) unveiled a sophisticated JEOL High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM) during a two-day microscopy conference on 14 and 15 March 2023. The microscope is part of a larger investment into research equipment worth R65 million.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Prof Corli Witthuhn, out-going Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation, said the microscope purchase “is a significant milestone in the university’s bid for cutting-edge research”. The HRTEM is part of a larger consignment of JEOL equipment at the UFS and, according to Dr Sarah Harper from JEOL UK, it places the UFS in a unique position.

UFS at the forefront in using electron microscopes

The HRTEM microscope can be utilised across disciplines and will give the UFS an advantage in uncovering new solutions and creating national and international interdisciplinary research collaborations. “The UFS is at the forefront in this field in SA and continues to push the boundaries,” Prof Witthuhn said. This move will also positively impact the training of honours, master’s, and doctoral students.

Prof Danie Vermeulen, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, reiterated Prof Witthuhn’s sentiments by saying that this equipment will set the faculty apart from its competitors. “The faculty already reached the goals of Vision 130 by being proactive,” he said. In the past seven years more than R300 million worth of equipment was acquired by the faculty, but he added that to be the best is not just about the best equipment – “the data coming from using this equipment is what will make the real difference”.

Prof Koos Terblans opens the conference on 14 March 2023. Photo: Stephen Collett .

Road to the JEOL HRTEM started in 2018

The process of acquiring a HRTEM microscope started in 2018 and was concluded with the purchasing of the JOEL microscopes in March 2020, a few weeks before the first COVID-19 lockdown. The purchase was made possible through the collaboration between the faculties of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and Health Sciences. Thanks to the dedication of staff members in the Centre for Microscopy and Physics, it was possible to accept delivery of the new HRTEM in June 2021. Prof Koos Terblans, Head of the Physics Department and the Centre for Microscopy, who led the entire project, said this was one of the “proudest moments in my career”.

Installing the equipment involved various university resources, including the University Estates Department, which had to make additional structural changes to the room where the equipment is housed. This included digging two metres into the existing floor and placing the HRTEM on a 70-tonne solid concrete block, to ensure that the equipment was secure and vibration free.

Prof Terblans said now that the HRTEM from JEOL and its supporting equipment – the final piece of the R65 million research investment puzzle – is part of the faculty’s resources, it is up to the scientists and academics to utilise it for innovative research, enhance research productivity, and foster new collaborations.

Edward Lee shows the new HRTEM electron microscope to colleagues and conference attendees.Photo: Stephen Collett

In front from the left; Dr Molapo Qhobela, Vice-Rector: Institutional Change, Strategic Partnerships, and Societal Impact; Prof Corli Witthuhn; Prof Koos Terblans. Back from the left; Prof Jannie Swarts, and Prof Danie Vermeulen.

From the left; Prof Jannie Swarts, Prof Danie Vermeulen and Prof Koos Terblans.

Ribbon cutting: Prof Corli Witthuhn together with Prof Koos Terblans,left, and Prof Danie Vermeulen

News Archive

A year of various highlights for UFS

2016-12-19

Some other highlights:

Description: Prof Maryke Labuschagne, Bloemfontein Highlights Tags: Prof Maryke Labuschagne, Bloemfontein Highlights
The UFS was awarded five SARChI
(South African Research Chairs Initiative)
research chairs, the main goal of which is
to promote research excellence.
Read the full story

The UFS Chancellor’s Distinguished
Alumni Awards ceremony was held on
5 November 2016 on the
Bloemfontein Campus.
Read the full story

UFS student Candice Thikeson
completed a hat-trick of accolades when
she was named recipient of the Abe Bailey
Travel Bursary.
Read the full story

Reitumetse Maloa, a young researcher
at the UFS, is searching for a solution to
South Africa’s energy and electricity
problems from a rather unlikely
source: cow dung.
Read the full story

It was a year of various highlights for the University of the Free State (UFS) which has again illustrated the institution’s versatility by excelling on various fronts, from sports to research.

Some of these included Wayde van Niekerk winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; research on the locomotion of the giraffe, and the awarding of honorary doctorates to people such as veteran journalist Max du Preez.

Van Niekerk breaks 400m world record

After his feat in Rio on 14 August 2016, Van Niekerk was described as “the next star” by former US sprinter Michael Johnson, whose 17-year-old 400m world record he broke in a time of 43,03. Johnson described the way in which the Kovsie outperformed the 400m field as “a massacre”.

Wayde van Niekerk was described as “the next star" by Michael Johnson, whose 17-year-old 400m world record he broke in a time of 43.03.

Max du Preez and Trevor Manuel honoured

Du Preez (Humanities) said he was excited about the young minds he had interacted with at the Winter Graduation ceremony of the UFS. The leading journalist and political analyst was one of four recipients of honorary doctorates from the university on June 30 2016. The others were Prof Joel Samoff (Humanities), former finance minister Trevor Manuel, and Dr Reuel Jethro Khoza (both Economic and Management Sciences.

Research of great value for conservation

Dr Francois Deacon, Department of Animal, Wildlife, and Grassland Sciences at the UFS, and Dr Chris Basu, a veterinarian at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK, conducted research on the manner in which giraffes locomote from one place to another.

Very little research has been done on the manner in which these animals move. The research will assist in understanding aspects such as the giraffe’s anatomy and function, as well as the energy it utilises in locomoting. Such information could help researchers understand where giraffes fit into the ecosystem and the data would be of great value for large-scale conservation efforts.

Wayde van Niekerk:

15 August 2016: Wayde the next big star, says Michael Johnson
20 September 2016: I don’t see myself as a star, says Wayde
27 October 2016: Wayde, Karla shine again at KovsieSport gala night
24 November 2016: Wayde keeps winning off the track

Honorary doctorates:

29 June 2016: UFS will award four honorary doctorates during Winter Graduation ceremonies
2 July 2016: Trevor Manuel and Max du Preez among the recipients of honorary doctorates at UFS graduation

Giraffe research:

9 March 2016: Giraffe research broadcast on National Geographic channel
23 August 2016: Research on locomotion of giraffes valuable for conservation of this species
18 November 2016: Studies to reveal correlation between terrain, energy use, and giraffe locomotion

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