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08 May 2024
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The Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Prof Paul Oberholster, has the pleasure of inviting you to the inaugural lecture of Prof Dirk Opperman.
Date: 21 May 2024
Time: 17:30
Venue: Equitas
Click here to RSVP before Wednesday, 15 May 2024. Alternatively, contact Christelle van Rooyen on +27 51 401 9190.
About Prof Dirk Opperman
Prof Dirk Opperman obtained his PhD in Biochemistry at the University of the Free State in 2008. This was followed by postdoctoral research on directed evolution with Prof Manfred T Reetz at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research (Germany). In 2010, he was appointed in the Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry. He subsequently established structural biology at the UFS, and his current research focus lies at the interface of evolutionary and structure-function relationships of biocatalysts, and their application in green chemistry. He is an NRF B-rated researcher with co-authored papers in Science, Nature Communications, and Angewandte Chemie.
His research has been funded by both local and international organisations, ranging from industries such as SASOL to the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF, UK). He has a long-standing collaboration with researchers at the Delft University of Technology (TUDelft, the Netherlands) and is currently part of a European Research Area Network Cofund (ERA-NET Cofund) partnership on Food Systems and Climate (FOSC) that develops biocatalysts for upcycling waste.
Armentum decision taken out of context
2009-05-15
STATEMENT BY PROF. EZEKIEL MORAKA, VICE-RECTOR: STUDENT AFFAIRS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE IN RESPONSE TO THE MAIN ARTICLE IN VOLKSBLAD OF 15 MAY 2009
It is unfortunate that the University of the Free State’s (UFS) attempts to protect our students and to ensure that an atmosphere conducive to learning in our residences prevails are now taken out of context and equated to the process of increasing diversity in our residences.
We have a responsibility as a university to protect our students and staff – this includes minority groups like first-year students – and we will continue to do so. The Residence Committees and Residence Heads also have a responsibility to ensure that this atmosphere prevails in our residences.
In accordance with the decision on increasing diversity in the university’s Main Campus residences by our Council, the UFS has a responsibility to protect minorities against the dominance of other groups and to ensure that students respect one another.
The incident at House Armentum is clearly an act of the violation of human rights and cannot be left unattended.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail:
loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
15 May 2009