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Dr Yolandi Schoeman: ‘Humanity holds the pen that can rewrite our future’

20 December 2024 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Dr Yolandi Schoeman, a Senior Lecturer in Ecological Engineering in the Centre for Mineral Biogeochemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS) and the Ecological Engineering Institute of Africa, was fascinated by the synergy between engineering and the natural sciences from a young age.

She said that the potential within ecological engineering to regenerate ecosystems at all scales, from the microscopic to vast landscapes, really drew her in. “This field offers solutions not only for daily sustainability challenges but also for the threats to planetary health and human well-being. However, when I was starting out, ecological engineering wasn't recognised as a formal career path in South Africa, and studying it in the United States wasn't feasible for me at the time. So, I explored various educational paths in civil engineering and natural sciences, aiming to merge these disciplines in my projects and research. My ultimate goal has been to establish and develop the field of ecological engineering both in South Africa and across Africa,” she explained.

Conventional and extreme ecological engineering

Dr Schoeman’s work in ecological engineering spans two main areas: conventional and extreme ecological engineering. On the conventional side, she says she is focusing on projects like designing constructed wetlands to naturally treat water, implementing urban greening initiatives to cool cities and manage stormwater, and regenerating various habitats to strengthen biodiversity. In terms of extreme ecological engineering, she focuses on developing innovative solutions for ecosystems that have been severely impacted by disasters like industrial accidents or natural calamities.

Additionally, she is leading efforts in astro-ecological engineering, applying these principles to rehabilitate severely damaged terrestrial environments while exploring their potential for extraterrestrial applications, advancing both sustainability and ecological restoration.

There are two moments in her journey that Dr Schoeman recalled helped shape her career. One was being invited to participate in the 2006 Brightest Young Minds initiative, hosted by the University of Stellenbosch. She said that it was the first platform where she could really develop and share her ideas and vision in ecological engineering. “I contributed to a publication titled Engineering Engineering, which focused on integrating nature into every facet of development and operations. That experience validated my vision of combining engineering and natural systems.”

The other experience came during her studies in Executive Leadership at the Skolkovo School of Management in Moscow. “I was tasked with leading a multidisciplinary, international team that had to create a sustainability strategy for a major international iron, steel and vanadium company. The project pushed me to defend sustainability solutions that would alter the way this industrial giant operated. It was a deeply challenging process that changed my perception of true sustainability and what it means to deliver solutions that are both impactful and make business sense. That moment forced me to step out of the comfort zone of conventional sustainability and reorient my path toward pursuing solutions that seemed almost impossible, but necessary.”

Advancing ecological engineering across Africa

Two of the most important research projects she has been involved in include advancing ecological engineering across Africa and restoring and managing ecosystems that are considered beyond conventional repair. The first project involved establishing an international institution that spearheads various innovative research areas, including exploring floating treatment wetlands, different types of constructed wetlands, and technologies for smarter ecosystem management in urban and rural contexts. “This comprehensive project has substantially elevated the global understanding and application of ecological engineering, addressing a spectrum of sustainability challenges,” she said.

In the second project she worked with a team that tackled severely degraded environments like post-mining landscapes, heavily polluted industrial sites, and areas where ecosystem functionality has been drastically compromised. She also aims to develop the projects further and to collaborate with agencies like NASA to design life-support systems for future space habitats. “These systems are not limited to space applications, but are also designed to address complex planetary health issues in extreme environments on Earth, such as war zones, nuclear disaster areas, and sites affected by climatic catastrophes,” she remarked.

Dr Schoeman is also responsible for the "Astroecological Engineering System" (AES). “This system uniquely integrates terrestrial ecological engineering principles with astro-ecological technologies to deal with some of the most challenging environmental restoration projects on Earth and potentially in future space habitats,” she stated, adding that AES is specifically designed for restoring heavily degraded or contaminated ecosystems – situations where traditional restoration methods are inadequate.

Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible

She believes AES is a versatile tool for addressing some of the most daunting environmental challenges we currently face. This passion for handling seemingly insurmountable problems is what drives her work.

“These are the issues that often push the boundaries of what's possible in ecological engineering. Each project that seems 'impossible' provides an opportunity not just to solve a problem, but to innovate and create methods that can be applied globally. It's about turning what was once thought unachievable into tangible, impactful realities that improve our environment and our relationship with the natural world. I truly believe that humanity holds the pen that can rewrite our future.”

About the future, she says that over the next 15 years she would like to see extreme ecological engineering, supported by astro-ecological insights, evolve into a foundational strategy in global environmental management. This approach will be key in scenarios where traditional restoration methods are inadequate. “My goal is to integrate these advanced, resilient techniques into mainstream disaster response and urban planning processes worldwide, preparing ecosystems and communities to withstand and adapt to future ecological stresses,” she said.

She also envisions a future where the principles of extreme and astro-ecological engineering are routinely taught in academic institutions and incorporated into public policy. “By raising awareness and building expertise on a global scale, I aim to cultivate a new generation of engineers – those who are not only equipped to take on severe environmental crises on Earth but are also prepared for the ecological challenges we may face in space. This ambitious vision drives a shift towards more resilient and adaptive management of Earth's ecosystems, ensuring they thrive amidst the challenges of the 21st century.”

News Archive

State of our campuses: UFS closes campuses until Friday 28 October 2016 to readjust academic programme

2016-10-15

UFS announces strategy for completion of the 2016 academic year

Agreement between UFS management and student leadership in relation to residences

After almost four weeks of student protests about fees at the University of the Free State (UFS) and the subsequent suspension of the academic programme and closing of campuses, the senior leadership announced on 14 October 2016 a strategy to ensure that students will be able to complete the 2016 academic year.

The university on 13 October 2016 announced that it will shut down its Bloemfontein and South Campuses until 28 October 2016 for crucial and complex arrangements to be put in place to readjust the academic calendar and ensure that all students can complete their studies. The senior leadership did, however, make it clear that the university will not be shutting down for the remainder of 2016.

No teaching and learning activities at undergraduate and honours level will be offered between 17 October and 28 October 2016. The university will re-start teaching and learning at undergraduate and honours level in the first week of November 2016.

However, teaching and learning will not take place in the classrooms during November 2016, but through a different mode of delivery that consists of a combination of printed and recorded lectures, study materials and learning aids that will be provided by the university and delivered through Blackboard. In this manner no attempts at disrupting the rest of the academic year will affect our students’ academic programme. Students, however, will sit for the exam on campus.

Students in residence accommodation can return to campus as from 29 October 2016 and it is recommended that students who do not have off-campus internet access return to campus in order to access study material to complete the academic year.A new timetable for exams is still being developed and will be communicated as soon as the arrangements have been finalised.

Faculties have been differently affected by the loss of teaching time. Some faculties like the Faculty of Law have completed their curriculum, while other faculties like the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences require more teaching time. Some faculties, like the Faculty of Health Sciences, cannot do teaching through alternative modes of delivery.

The needs of the different faculties have been taken into account for developing a rescue plan to complete the 2016 academic year.

The Faculty of Health Sciences will continue its classes and clinical rotations as normal for all three schools on the Bloemfontein Campus and in the relevant hospitals. All students registered in programmes in the Faculty of Health Sciences will stay in residences for the full period of their studies and exams. Final-year medical students will graduate in December 2016 as expected.
In the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, final-year students for the Certificate in the Theory of Accounting (CTA) will stay on campus during October through to December 2016 and their classes and tests will not change.
Arrangements for all other faculties and programmes are being prepared and within the next week, students and parents/guardians will receive communication about how curriculum content will be completed and when the final exams will take place.
The university is extending the academic year so that we can recuperate all the lost teaching and learning time. The qualifications conferred on the 2016 class will be of the same quality and standards as all UFS qualifications.

The UFS is and will remain a fundamentally contact teaching and learning education university. However, under the current circumstances faced not only by the UFS, but higher-education institutions across the country, the best way of ensuring the integrity of the academic programmes in most faculties is by using an alternative way of teaching and learning. Other South African universities have chosen the same approach to be able to complete the academic year.

Instead of students going to class, they will have content delivered to them where they are (library, computer labs, their own computers, etc.) through Blackboard and printed and electronic material. This is a different way of learning but students will be carefully guided and supported.

Faculties are currently preparing all the necessary materials and instructions to support student learning.Standards and quality will be the same as if students were attending classes. Some faculties require practical laboratory work as part of their curriculum. The exam timetable will be adapted for these students to be able to complete their practical work when the academic activities commences in November 2016. The relevant faculties will communicate the schedule of practical work directly to the students.

Students in their final year will complete their studies during 2016. It is possible that in some cases the graduation ceremony for these students will be in June 2017 instead of April 2017. This will not prejudice students with bursaries, or committed employment in law firms or other businesses. The university will provide the necessary academic transcripts as proof of the completion of the relevant qualifications. None of these changes will affect postgraduate students.

The university will maintain regular communication with students and parents/guardians to update them on the new exams timetable.Faculties will communicate directly with students about issues related to their programmes.

“One of the areas in which significant progress was made, is that we were able to agree on a basis for stability with student leaders. The student protests occurred during an important time in the university’s academic calendar and the readjustment of our academic programme has put tremendous pressure on academic and support services staff, and created anxieties for parents,” said Prof Nicky Morgan, Acting Rector of the UFS.

“The senior leadership restates its commitment to free education as well as its willingness to stand together with students and other public universities to impress on government the urgency to decide on a time frame for the roll-out of free higher education for the poor and missing middle. We will use the next two weeks to meet with the leadership of Universities South Africa to coordinate collective action in this regard. We will furthermore also roll out a series of activities to inform and educate students and the general public on different models and experiences of providing free higher education,” he said.

The strategy to readjust the 2016 academic year is applicable to students on the Bloemfontein and South Campuses.

Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Telephone: +27 51 401 2584 | +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393

State of our campuses #15: UFS closes campuses until Friday 28 October 2016 to readjust academic programme

State of our campuses #14: All academic activities on UFS campuses remain suspended on 13 and 14 October 2016

State of our campuses #13: Availability of information about plans for remainder of UFS 2016 calendar year

State of our campuses #12: All academic activities at UFS campuses suspended for 11 and 12 October 2016

State of our campuses #11: Academic activities on UFS campuses continue

State of our campuses #10: Impact of non-completion of the 2016 academic year on UFS students

State of our campuses #9: Academic programme on all UFS campuses to resume on Monday 10 October 2016

State of our campuses #8: UFS extends vacation as from 28 September until 7 October 2016, 28 September 2016

State of our campuses #7: All three UFS campuses will be closed today, 27 September 2016.

State of our campuses #6: All UFS campuses reopen on Tuesday 27 September 2016

State of our campuses #5: UFS campuses to remain closed on Monday 26 September 2016

State of our campuses #4: Decisions about the UFS academic calendar

State of our campuses #3: UFS campuses closed until Friday 23 September 2016

State of our campuses #2: UFS Bloemfontein and South Campuses closed on Tuesday 20 September 2016 (19 September 2016)

State of our campuses #1: Academic activities suspended on UFS Bloemfontein Campus (19 September 2016)

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