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13 August 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied
Maricel-van-Rooyen
Maricél van Rooyen, Project Manager for Research Information Management System (RIMS) and Research Ethics Adviser in the Directorate Research Development (DRD) at the University of the Free State (UFS), is the Programme Coordinator for a first-of-its-kind Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA)/ COP webinar on Environment and Biosafety Research Ethics.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is playing host to a first-of-its-kind webinar on Environment and Biosafety Research Ethics later this month with Maricél van Rooyen, Project Manager for Research Information Management System (RIMS) and Research Ethics Adviser in the Directorate Research Development (DRD), playing a pivotal role.

The webinar, which is part of the Eastern Region Community of Practice (COP), is taking place on 20 August. The target market for this virtual workshop is Biosafety and Environmental Research Ethics Committee (REC) chairpersons and members, professionals including research management professionals, administrators, research compliance managers and advisers, and research directors in Southern Africa and beyond.

Van Rooyen will be the Programme Coordinator for this Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA)/ COP Research Ethics Webinar, while Prof Robert Bragg, chairperson of the UFS Environmental and Biological Research Ethics Committee (EBREC), will give a presentation on the establishment of an EBREC.

The UFS, Stellenbosch University and the University of the Witwatersrand, form part of the COP which is a SARIMA (Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association) initiative to assist and share research ethics questions between institutions to empower research management and ethics compliance. SARIMA assisted with the online hosting and advertising of the webinar.

Purpose of the webinar

“Environment and Biosafety Committees in South Africa are a new idea, and only a few institutions in the country have such a committee. The UFS and the other institutions that will present at the workshop, take a leading role because they have already registered committees in place. We want to share and assist with establishing and operating such committees,” says Van Rooyen.

According to her, the need for the webinar arises from the upsurge of research and innovation in biotechnology and related fields over the past two decades that has led to exciting new discoveries in areas such as the engineering of biological processes, gene editing, stem cell research, CRISPR-Cas9 technology, Synthetic Biology, recombinant DNA, LMOs and GMOs, to mention only a few.

These advances, however, have generated concerns about biosafety, biosecurity and adverse impacts on biodiversity and the environment, leading to the establishment of Research Ethics Committees (RECs) at Higher Education and Research Institutions dedicated to reviewing research with implications for biosafety and the environment.

These EBRECs are in the early stages of their establishment and formalisation in South Africa, and there is much uncertainty about their composition, scope, procedures of decision-making and the principles that should guide their deliberations and assessments.

Leading the charge

The UFS took the lead in South Africa in ensuring international ethical compliance in this extended area of research, by establishing its own Environmental and Biological Research Ethics Committee (EBREC) six years ago. The UFS EBREC is one of only two such ethics committees at a South African university that combines the biosafety committee with environmental and biological research ethics to ensure ethics compliance in these fields.  The initiative started with Van Rooyen and her RIMS EthicsTeam, (Willem Kilian and Amanda Smith). The university is again taking charge with this webinar, which is a first of its kind.  

News Archive

Meet the person behind the new #FaceOfFacebook
2016-05-19

Reuben “R” Davids

The votes have been counted, and we have a winner! After much excitement and a fairly close contest, Reuben “R” Davids emerged victorious from the top five contestants selected by our panel of judges. We chatted with the vibrant and enthusiastic Mr Davids to get a sense of the person who will be our Facebook ambassador for the next year.

What does the “R” stand for?

“Interestingly, some also know me as Vuyo. It's not a name on my birth certificate or anything; I just really like it. And I also coincidentally found out that it means “joy/happiness”, and I do enjoy being happy.”

What is your field of study, and how far along are you?

“I am pursuing a career in the economics field as a third-year BCom Accounting student in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences here at the University of the Free State.”

Are you originally from Bloemfontein?

“Yes, born and bred. I've been a Bloem Kid since day one.”

How is it that you ended up here, studying at the UFS?

“The UFS has always been one of my favourite universities. During my high school period, I was constantly exposed to people from my neighbourhood as well as schoolmates who performing excellently here at UFS, and it didn't go unnoticed. So I have always been drawn to the prestige that UFS carries.”

Which residence are you in, and what do you enjoy most about res life?

“I currently stay at home with the family, but for my first 2 years of study I resided at ConLaurês. What I enjoyed the most about res life is the freedom and independence that you get. It also enables one to participate in campus life much easier. It actually helps one grow and mature into the adult you're supposed to become with all the challenges and responsibilities that you're faced with.”

What do you hope to accomplish during your term as the #FaceOfFacebook?

“I enjoy the art of presenting (as well as being an MC), and being the #FaceOfFacebook will enable me to exercise that skill. Also, my interaction skills will be exercised. That being said, I would like to have those skills developed further by the end of my term as #FaceOfFacebook.”

What is your motivation in your studies, in taking part in this contest, and in life?

“I am an adrenaline junkie. I like taking on challenge; so what I normally do is I set a certain goal for myself and then take on the challenge to achieve that goal. That's my number one motivating factor. And I think I'm also inspired by the failures and successes of myself and of those around me.”

Reuben has already been featured in a #PeopleOfKovsies post on Facebook, and appeared in his first Facebook video covering the Open Day on our Bloemfontein Campus.

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