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29 October 2024 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Thandi Mazibuko
Thandi Mazibuko, with her presentation: LED there be light, was the overall institutional winner in the PhD category and the runner-up in the national competition of this year’s 3MT competition.

The Centre for Graduate Support (CGS) recently (11 October 2024) hosted the annual institutional Three-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT), which was followed by the national competition (25 October). This year, the nationals took place on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus. According to Tshepiso Mokoena, responsible for Research Capacity Development in CGS, the participating master’s and PhD students gave well-prepared presentations. The competition aims to equip postgraduate students with valuable communication and presentation skills.

She says that postgraduate students are encouraged to do research that will benefit the community. “To do this, students should be able to communicate and present their research to a non-specialist audience. The 3MT competition trains and equips them with skills that they will use in their community and workplace,” she noted.

Overall PhD winner

The overall winner in the PhD category of the UFS competition was Thandi Mazibuko with her presentation: LED there be light. Thandi was also announced as the first runner-up at the national competition.

Growing up in Qwaqwa, Thandi’s passion for mathematics and the natural sciences led her to pursue a BSc Physics degree at the UFS in 2013, followed by an honours at the UFS. She then completed her MSc at the University of the Western Cape and worked as a science engagement intern at iThemba LABS in Cape Town, which inspired her to start a YouTube channel with more than 4 800 subscribers, called Thandisayensi. On this channel she uploads Physical Sciences videos for learners in grades 10-12.

Thandi states that she loves learning and being in learning environments; in 2022, she registered for a PhD in Solid State Physics under the supervision of Prof Hendrik Swart and Prof David Motaung.

Her research focuses on synthesising a phosphor material capable of emitting red, green, and blue light, which, when combined, creates the perception of white light. Thandi compared the research process to cooking, explaining how the preparation of phosphors resembles food preparation. She believes that relatable language, analogies, and storytelling are important tools in science communication.

Thandi says that this competition was a valuable platform to improve her science communication skills. “It is an interesting challenge to explain your work in 180 seconds to an audience with different backgrounds,” she said, adding that she is excited to represent the UFS at the national competition.

The other winners

Each department hosts its own 3MT competition, and the winners and runners-up in both the master’s and PhD categories then represent their faculty in the institutional competition.

The master’s category winners from other faculties were:

  • Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences: Evodia Mohoanyane with Does SI/tutoring work and what about it works? Evodia was also the overall winner in the institutional competition in the master’s category.
  • The Humanities: Yonwaba Matshobotiyana with Of Speaking and Visibility: Black Women Poets' Voices in South Africa
  • Health Sciences: Viwe Fokazi with Establishing a novel 3D doxorubicin-resistant triple-negative breast cancer spheroid model

In the PhD category, the winners were:

  • Economic and Management Sciences: Chrizaan Grobbelaar with The use of gamification to enhance retirement preparedness of millennials
  • The Humanities: Sheree Pretorius with The Psychometric Properties of the Prison Adjustment Questionnaire (PAQ) among South African Male Incarcerated Offenders

With Thandi, first runner-up of the institutional competition, Chrizaan, participated in the national 3MT competition. Universities such as the Nelson Mandela University, UNISA, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of the Western Cape, University of Johannesburg, and the Central University of Technology were also present. 

News Archive

New Visitors Centre opened
2015-01-05

From the left: Mamosa Makaya, Deputy Director: Integrated Communication; Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research; and Lacea Loader, Director: Communication and Brand Management at the opening of the Visitors Centre.

Welcoming point to the Bloemfontein Campus for national and international visitors

Each year our university welcomes numerous visitors onto the Bloemfontein Campus – be they conference delegates, prospective students, parents or service providers. As part of the university’s greater plan of access control and securing the campus for its staff, students and visitors, a Visitors Centre was built at the DF Malherbe gate. The Department of Communication and Brand Management officially opened the new Visitors Centre on 27 November 2014.

In partnership with Protection Services, visitors are now registered and issued with temporary cards to gain access to various parts of the campus. Visitors will also be able to obtain directions and a copy of the campus map at the centre.

The design of the building not only lends a modern, spacious feeling to the centre, but supports green energy as well. Also located at the Visitors Centre is the university switchboard which is the first point of contact for enquiries.

The centre will in future be the welcoming point for larger delegations and visiting groups, nationally and internationally.

For enquiries about the Visitors Centre contact: Mamosa Makaya, Deputy Director: Integrated Communication, at +27(0)51 401 9188 or email makayam@ufs.ac.za.

Visitors Centre front desk: +27(0)51 401 7766.

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