Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS helps Tritech National Science and Technology Fair to reach new heights

18 November 2024 | Story Nicolle Loader and Rudi Swart | Photo Supplied

The Centre for Mineral Biogeochemistry (CMBG) at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) support and partnership of the Tritech National Science and Technology Fair reached new heights this year with the event set to be featured in a new television series.

CMBG has been a proud sponsor and partner of the Tritech National Science and Technology Fair for the past four years. Established in 2008, Tritech is a renowned competition that allows Grade 7 to Grade 12 learners from across South Africa to showcase their research abilities. The Tritech National Science Competition serves as a beacon of opportunity for young minds, fostering their passion for scientific exploration and igniting their curiosity. It is designed to enhance scientific literacy, encourage innovation, and nurture the next generation of scientists and inventors.

“The CMBG has consistently demonstrated its commitment to promoting education and empowering young individuals. As a result, we have partnered with Tritech since 2021, and I believe that this partnership has opened new doors and possibilities for our young scientists. We are incredibly honoured to be part of such a dynamic and inspiring environment,” said Dr Mariana Erasmus, Vice Director: CMBG and Tritech EXCO member.

Power of science and technology

According to Dr Erasmus, at the CMBG, they believe in the power of science and technology to transform our world. Their involvement in this event aligns perfectly with the centre’s commitment to fostering innovation, encouraging critical thinking, and nurturing the next generation of scientists and innovators.

“We are excited about the opportunities Tritech presents to the university to engage with cutting-edge projects, to exchange ideas, and build lasting collaborations. The spirit of curiosity and exploration that Tritech embodies is exactly what drives our institution’s mission forward.”

In addition to assisting with the judging of projects during the National Science Competition at the Merensky Agricultural Academy in Tzaneen, the CMBG presents a fun but intellectually stimulating activity, showcasing various STEM-related disciplines that UFS offers to inspire students from across South Africa to celebrate scientific discovery. Each year, the CMBG collaborates with a different department for these activities, and this year, in October 2024, the collaboration was with the UFS Department of Chemistry.

‘Science Olympics’

The theme for Tritech 2024 was “Science Olympics”, and after the formalities of the project presentations were completed, the fair kicked off with a grand procession led by bearers of flaming torches and flags reminiscent of Olympic ceremonies. “Learners marched proudly, symbolising their commitment to science, with representatives from UFS and Tritech EXCO leading the way, an unforgettable visual display honoured the learners’ passion for exploration,” said Dr Erasmus.

The event transitioned into a video presentation explaining the misuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sports, followed by interactive activities focused on analysing possible doping agents. Thereafter, the UFS team guided learners through hands-on experiments, demonstrating the science behind identifying performance-enhancing drugs. Through engaging, real-world applications, learners were not only able to detect these substances but quantify their findings, making the learning experience both fun and educational.

As the night closed, the Chemistry team mesmerised the audience with a ‘magic show’. Explosions of colour, booming sounds, and flashes of light filled the sky, leaving everyone in awe. The show combined entertainment and chemistry, showcasing the wonders of science through spectacular reactions.

On TV

The fair concluded the next day with activities like kart building and livestock showcases, ending with a prize-giving ceremony to reward the learners for their hard work throughout the year. Adding to the excitement, the event is set to be featured in a new television series, with the pilot episode filmed during the weekend of Tritech Nationals 2024.

“The series promises to bring the Tritech experience to life for a wider audience, aiming to capture the incredible spirit, creativity, and innovation that defines Tritech. It will be an incredible opportunity to gain recognition, inspire others, and highlight the importance of science and technology in solving real-world challenges,” Dr Erasmus concluded.

This year’s fair was a celebration of knowledge, creativity, and the endless possibilities of science, leaving a lasting impact on all who attended.

News Archive

UFS physicists publish in prestigious Nature journal

2017-10-16

Description: Boyden Observatory gravitational wave event Tags: Boyden Observatory, gravitational wave event, Dr Brian van Soelen, Hélène Szegedi, multi-wavelength astronomy
Hélène Szegedi and Dr Brian van Soelen are scientists in the
Department of Physics at the University of the Free State.
Photo: Charl Devenish

In August 2017, the Boyden Observatory in Bloemfontein played a major role in obtaining optical observations of one of the biggest discoveries ever made in astrophysics: the detection of an electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave event.

An article reporting on this discovery will appear in the prestigious science journal, Nature, in October 2017. Co-authors of the article, Dr Brian van Soelen and Hélène Szegedi, are from the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS). Both Dr Van Soelen and Szegedi are researching multi-wavelength astronomy.

Discovery is the beginning of a new epoch in astronomy

Dr van Soelen said: “These observations and this discovery are the beginning of a new epoch in astronomy. We are now able to not only undertake multi-wavelength observations over the whole electromagnetic spectrum (radio up to gamma-rays) but have now been able to observe the same source in both electromagnetic and gravitational waves.”

Until recently it was only possible to observe the universe using light obtained from astronomical sources. This all changed in February 2016 when LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) stated that for the first time they had detected gravitational waves on 14 September 2015 from the merger of two black holes. Since then, LIGO has announced the detection of two more such mergers. A fourth was just reported (27 September 2017), which was the first detected by both LIGO and Virgo. However, despite the huge amount of energy released in these processes, none of this is detectable as radiation in any part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Since the first LIGO detection astronomers have been searching for possible electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave detections.

Large international collaboration of astronomers rushed to observe source

On 17 August 2017 LIGO and Virgo detected the first ever gravitational waves resulting from the merger of two neutron stars. Neutron star mergers produce massive explosions called kilonovae which will produce a specific electromagnetic signature. After the detection of the gravitational wave, telescopes around the world started searching for the optical counterpart, and it was discovered to be located in an elliptical galaxy, NGC4993, 130 million light years away. A large international collaboration of astronomers, including Dr Van Soelen and Szegedi, rushed to observe this source.

At the Boyden Observatory, Dr Van Soelen and Szegedi used the Boyden 1.5-m optical telescope to observe the source in the early evening, from 18 to 21 August. The observations obtained at Boyden Observatory, combined with observations from telescopes in Chile and Hawaii, confirmed that this was the first-ever detection of an electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave event. Combined with the detection of gamma-rays with the Fermi-LAT telescope, this also confirms that neutron star mergers are responsible for short gamma-ray bursts.

The results from these optical observations are reported in A kilonova as the electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational-wave source published in Nature in October 2017.

“Our paper is one of a few that will be submitted by different groups that will report on this discovery, including a large LIGO-Virgo paper summarising all observations. The main results from our paper were obtained through the New Technology Telescope, the GROND system, and the Pan-STARRS system. The Boyden observations helped to obtain extra observations during the first 72 hours which showed that the light of the source decreased much quicker than was expected for supernova, classifying this source as a kilonova,” Dr Van Soelen said.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept