Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Prof Andreas Roodt receives prestigious prize from SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns

09 May 2023 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Prof André Roodt — Prof Andreas Roodt was recently awarded the MT Steyn Prize for Natural Science and Technology Excellence from the SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. He will receive the prize, sponsored by Sanlam, at a function scheduled for September this year.

Prof Andreas Roodt, former Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS) and retired Distinguished Professor in the same department, was recently awarded the MT Steyn Prize for Natural Science and Technology Excellence from the SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns.

The prize, a major recognition of his life's work, was presented to him for his contribution to the exploration and sustained development of natural science and technology and the successful application thereof in broader society.

Impacting society

About receiving the prize, he says it was a big surprise, but he is very proud to be honoured with this special award, “being an Afrikaans kid from a ‘platteland’ school outside Bloemfontein.”

Prof Roodt’s research focuses on understanding the reaction mechanisms of mainly inorganic coordination chemical systems that are critical to different industrial, medical, environmental, and metal beneficiation processes.

His research, for instance, contributes to important compounds and processes relevant to nuclear medicine and potential cancer therapy. Not so long ago, he registered a patent on this in Europe, Japan, and the USA that could help to diagnose and potentially treat cancer-related tumours in the future.

In addition, he continues to work on several projects aimed at developing cleaner industrial processes in the South African petrochemical industry. He is also focusing on more efficient ways of accessing the country’s mineral resources.

Career highlights

Throughout his academic career, Prof Roodt has achieved many significant milestones. He was extensively involved in crystallography for more than 30 years. One of his career highlights was being elected as the President of the European Crystallographic Association from 2012 to 2015, an organisation with more than 35 member countries.

In this field, he established an X-ray crystallographic facility in the UFS Department of Chemistry, which was officially named the ‘Roodt XRD Lab’ at the end of 2021.

He also sees his journey with the diverse group of 41 PhD and 54 MSc students (Afrikaans, English, Sesotho, Setswana, and isiXhosa) as another notable achievement in his career.

Other outstanding moments in Prof Roodt's career were his collaborations with research leaders from countries such as the USA, UK, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, France, Croatia, India, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands, Germany, and Tunisia. These collaborations have allowed him to be recognised by peers worldwide and have demonstrated that Africa and South Africa can produce high-quality and relevant research that can compete on an international level.

The future

Despite his appointment as a Distinguished Professor and his commitment to finishing uncompleted work and assisting younger colleagues both in South Africa and abroad, Prof Roodt retired more than a year ago. He is now enjoying his retirement with his wife, children, and grandchildren, while also devoting time to his passion for collecting aloe plants and generating new hybrids.

News Archive

South Africa praised for dealing with its history

2012-07-12

Case Study: Symbols of Power, Justice and Transformation - Prof. André Keet

“I listened to an incredible conversation on how South Africans can talk about the past. We failed to do that in the US. We cannot move on because we failed to name the ghosts in our past. I am honouring what South Africa is doing.”

These are the words of a staff delegate from a university in the USA in a case study at the Global Leadership Summit led by Prof. André Keet, Director of the International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Students and academics from universities in the USA, Belgium, the Netherlands and Japan are attending a Global Leadership Summit with the theme “Transcending Boundaries in Global Change Leadership” at the UFS.

In the case study, symbols on the Bloemfontein Campus such as the MT Steyn Statue, Justitia symbol of justice at the building of the Faculty of Law, the artwork Van hier tot daar, and the Women’s Memorial were presented to the audience and the question was asked if they had to be removed or if they had to remain.

Students overwhelmingly felt that symbols of the past had to remain. Here are some of the comments:

“Without our past we would not be here today. Without the past, we would not know why we are here or where we are going.”
“It is important for students that it remains on campus, as a reminder that history must not repeat itself.”
“There is room for new symbols. We must look back but must also look at the future.”
“We must resolve the problems of the past and move on.”
“We must remember that we cannot go back there again. We must not take away part of other people’s history.”
“Symbols must be contextualised.”
“Don’t look in the rear mirror, but through the windscreen where you are going. The windscreen is far bigger.”

One student said the statute of MT Steyn filled him with anger.

Prof. Keet said the act of running away from the ghosts of the past was a way to keep those ghosts alive. The past cannot be dealt with, only visited. The ghosts connect people with the past and allow the past to be present in the now.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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