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24 April 2024 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Eco-vehicles race
Join the UFS on 18 May 2024 from 10:00-13:00 at the Red Square Parking area for the seventh annual Kovsie ACT Eco-Vehicle Race. Come and support your favourite team to victory!

Kovsie ACT at the University of the Free State (UFS) proudly presents the seventh Kovsie Eco-Vehicle Race, set to take place at the Equitas Parking area on the Bloemfontein Campus.

According to Karen Scheepers, Assistant Director: Student Life, ten teams will be participating in this year’s race, featuring the three UFS campuses as well as the Central University of Technology. The event promise excitement like never before.

Scheepers says, besides an exciting race, spectators can look forward to a new track and viewing area. She invites the public, staff and students to come and support the competing teams as they showcase their skills on the racetrack.

Event details:

  • Date: Saturday 18 May 2024
  • Time: 10:00-13:00
  • Venue: Red Square Parking area (opposite George du Toit Building)

Breakdown of the programme:

09:00 -10:15 Performance by student artists 
10:15 -10:35 Walkthrough by judges
10:35 -10:40 Welcoming
10:40 Races commence
12:30 -13:00 Announcement of winners

13:00 -14:00 Performance by student artists

The Eco-Vehicle Race marks the culmination of a nine-month co-curricular skills programme, aimed at empowering participating students with a set of skills for the world of work. Through this programme, they are equipped with basic knowledge and abilities on sustainable energy, enabling them not only to compete in the eco-vehicle race but also to comprehend the inner workings of the vehicle. This understanding is important to the teams for when they are doing repairs during the race.

Students will be competing in three events:

• Obstacle course: Teams will be challenged by obstacles to test their control over the car.
• Smart lap: A timed lap in which the drivers take the main track for the first time.

• Endurance race: The teams need to finish as many laps as possible using the least amount of energy in 45 minutes.

The winners of the three events will each be awarded a trophy. Additionally, there will be a trophy for the best pit stop as well as a spirit cup for the team with the best energy and support from the audience.

For more information, contact Teddy Sibiya.

News Archive

Authentic leaders inspire themselves
2010-04-30

 

 Dr Renalde Huysamen and Mrs Marietjie du Plessis.

Leadership is held in very high esteem. In today’s world the ability to lead and motivate yourself and others is of the utmost importance. This year, Dr Renalde Huysamen and Marietjie du Plessis from the Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development (CHESD) at the University of the Free State (UFS), continue to build on a year-long Leadership-Learning Community Programme that they launched last year.

The aim of the project is, amongst others, to assist academic and non-academic staff at the university not only to discover their own strengths as leaders, but also to dream about it in order to achieve lively, sustainable and flourishing communities of collaborative learning and development. During the first six months of the programme staff members of the UFS investigate their personal and professional experiences and in the process they grow as individuals and authentic leaders.

The group is very diverse in terms of race, gender, language and qualifications. According to Mrs Du Plessis this diversity creates an opportunity where participants learn to understand themselves and others better. Firm ties are forged in a supportive, safe and stimulating environment in which mutual learning can take place.

During the last six months of the year the focus is on research outputs for academic staff en projects for non-academic staff. Some personnel have already published articles and managed to build international relations by means of this. Non-academic personnel have engaged in projects to improve provision of service with great success.

The Leadership Programme comprises 40 hours and includes breakaway sessions, group and individual activities, interviews and conversations, out-door activities, narrations and research methodology. The sessions take place on the UFS campus, but two breakaway sessions at resorts near Bloemfontein are also undertaken. Although this programme has been launched in the Higher-Education sector, it can also be adapted to fulfil the needs of any other sector, says Dr Huysamen.

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