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31 January 2024
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Story EDZANI NEPHALELA
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Photo ANJA AUCAMP
Dr Martin Laubscher’s thesis, crowned with the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize, is testament to the university’s unwavering commitment to scholarly excellence.
In a historic triumph that reverberates over four decades since its inception, the UFS has clinched the coveted
Andrew Murray Prize – now renamed the Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu Prize – for the first time. Standing shoulder to shoulder with institutions such as the University of Pretoria (UP) and Stellenbosch University (SU), this achievement marks a significant milestone in the UFS’ journey.
At the heart of this accomplishment lies the profound contribution of
Dr Martin Laubscher, distinguished Senior Lecturer specialising in Practical and Missional Theology in the
Faculty of Theology and Religion. Dr Laubscher’s dedication and scholarly prowess culminated in the groundbreaking work titled
Publieke teologie as profetiese teologie? (Public theology as prophetic theology), a revised edition of his doctoral thesis, which was originally crafted at Stellenbosch University in 2020, with a focus on the eminent Karl Barth.
Dr Laubscher received the Andrew Murray Prize for Theological Books in Afrikaans for his research and insightful analysis. The journey started when he realised, under the guidance of his study leader,
Prof Dion Forster, that his script had the potential to be published in Afrikaans. Sun Media’s interest in publishing this work in Afrikaans, led to it being the first-ever published thesis in Afrikaans. Dr Laubscher recalls, “I was grateful and excited about Sun Media’s interest. The book emerged within a year, and during a celebratory launch Prof Forster suggested I submit it for the Andrew Murray Prize.”
Earlier this year, Dr Laubscher was excited to learn that he was being shortlisted for the prestigious award. Reflecting on the significant moment, he shares, “The elation I felt upon receiving the news was unparalleled. I was not only celebrating a personal triumph, but also etching my name as the first laureate from our faculty to secure this prestigious accolade.”
Final year Ph D-student is the only speaker from Africa in Spain
2005-09-14
Ms Catrine Strauss, a final year Ph D-student from the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS) is the only speaker from Africa that will present parts of her thesis later this month (28 September-2 October 2005) at the “24th International Specialized Symposium on Yeasts (ISSY 24)” in Valencia, Spain.
Ms Strauss' investigation on substances that can control yeast clumping (flocculation) and the effect of the addition of aparine on it, has already been published in the foremost accredited specialised journals in the field.
From left:
Prof Pieter van Wyk, head of the UFS Centre for Confocal and Electron Microscopy; Ms Strauss and Prof Lodewyk Kock, lecturer at the UFS Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology. Proff Kock (senior promotor) and Van Wyk (promotor) will accompany Ms Strauss to the symposium.