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16 April 2025 | Story Precious Shamase | Photo Supplied
Qwaqwa NAS Achievements
From left to right Prof Richard Ocaya is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics, Dr Tebogo Motsei and Dr Kamohelo Tshabalala

The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS) at the University of the Free State (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus is celebrating a year of remarkable achievements, showcasing the dedication and brilliance of its students and faculty. The 2024 academic year has been marked by outstanding academic performance, prestigious awards, and groundbreaking research, solidifying the faculty's commitment to excellence.


Academic excellence shines bright

The faculty's commitment to rigorous academic standards has yielded impressive results. This year, four doctoral candidates successfully obtained their PhDs, contributing valuable research to their respective fields. Furthermore, the dedication of the honours and master’s students was evident in their exceptional performance. Out of 25 honours students, an impressive 11 achieved distinctions, demonstrating their mastery of their subjects. Similarly, 5 out of 10 master’s students passed with distinctions, a testament to their advanced research capabilities and academic prowess.


Dr Tebogo Motsei: A beacon of innovation and excellence

Among the faculty's many successes, the achievement of Dr Tebogo Motsei stands out as a testament to the calibre of talent being nurtured on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus. Dr Motsei, who recently graduated from the campus, was awarded the prestigious CV Raman Scholarship by the Government of the Republic of India – a recognition bestowed upon only the most promising postgraduate students.

This highly competitive scholarship, named after the Nobel prize-winning physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, provided recipients with a six-month research opportunity in India. Dr Motsei conducted her research at the esteemed Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), under the guidance of Prof Arul Manuel Stephan and Prof Sabu Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi University. CECRI – one of the most difficult Indian institutes to get admitted into – is part of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Dr Motsei’s research focused on sodium-ion batteries and supercapacitors with lithium-sulphur integration, resulting in significant advancements in energy storage devices. Her innovative work has the potential to revolutionise the field, contributing to more efficient and sustainable energy solutions.   

Adding to her achievements, Dr Motsei also established Lesedi Innovations Pty, a company dedicated to the manufacturing of button batteries and cells of the CR2032 and 18650 form factors. This entrepreneurial endeavour highlights her commitment to translating research into practical applications that benefit society.

For her PhD studies, she was supervised by Prof Richard Ocaya in the Department of Physics, and co-supervised by Dr Kamohelo Tshabalala, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics. Prof Ocaya, proud of Motsei’s achievements, believes that this fellowship not only serves as a great motivation for students – especially on the Qwaqwa Campus – but also highlights the global relevance of the UFS, particularly the Department of Physics.


A message of pride and congratulations

Prof Aliza le Roux, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, expressed her immense pride in the students and staff. "I would like to congratulate the NAS students and staff members on this fantastic achievement – it’s a sign of people going out of their way to do their best and make their research work despite any obstacles thrown in their way. These distinctions show that we have smart, dedicated, creative people in NAS, and I’m very proud of all of them. For students, this means great opportunities ahead, and for staff, it is a sure sign that they did something right in their mentorship and teaching. Thank you to this wonderful team," concluded Prof Le Roux.

The UFS Qwaqwa Campus congratulates all the graduates, distinguished students, and dedicated staff of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Their accomplishments are a testament to the university's commitment to fostering academic excellence and innovation. The faculty continues to fly the UFS flag high, inspiring future generations of scientists and researchers.

News Archive

UFS launches journal on name change
2008-11-14

 

At the launch of the journal on name change were, from the left: Prof. Johan Lubbe, research associate of the Unit for Language Management at the UFS and guest editor of the magazine, Dr Lucie Möller, expert on geographical names and place name expert - and also an occasional member of the United Nations' committee of experts, Dr Peter Raper, research associate of the Unit for Language Management at the UFS, and Prof. Theo du Plessis, Director of the Unit for Language Management at the UFS. The magazine is dedicated to Dr Möller.
Photo: Lacea Loader

UFS launches journal on name change

From all the language issues coved in the English and Afrikaans printed media, the name change of place names is receiving the most attention. This is according to Prof. Johan Lubbe, research associate from the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Unit for Language Management, during the recent launch of a journal on name change on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

In the journal it is found, among other, that, as a result of the nature of the new democratic foundation of the ANC controlled government which puts the interests of the majority first, there is a move in the thinking and execution of name change. In this way not only names change but art, culture and heritage matters are democratically thought through and planned.

“As a directive from the South African Language Board (Pansalb), the Unit for Language Management at the UFS annually compiles the SA Language Monitor which reports on the language rights situation in South Africa as mainly reported by the print media. Issues about name change appeared throughout and this is why the unit decided to publish a journal with various perspectives on this,” said Prof. Lubbe, who is also the guest editor of the journal.

Other topics discussed in the journal include, among others, language visibility, a historical overview of the change in place names, the Khoisan influence on naming and naming amongst Xhosa speakers.

In a contribution on language visibility it is found that geographical naming policy and the national language policy does not correlate and language visibility as language mechanism is not considered. In a historical overview on the change of place names it is found that name change was never a calculated, political process and only after 2000 mention was made of a conscious, orchestrated process of name change.

In a further contribution on the name change of Johannesburg International airport, it was found that the government, by ignoring the sentiments of the minority, made itself guilty of splitting the nation in spite of pronunciations that nation building is a priority. Where African languages are concerned, it was found that the English name is increasingly being discarded in favour of the Xhosa name. This is apparently connected to the language debate in South Africa.

The journal, “Kritiese perspektiewe op naamsverandering” (“Critical perspectives on name change”) is a supplement to the “Acta Academica”, an accredited national journal that is independently publishing selected research articles in the human sciences and interdissiplinary fields. Nine cooperators from across the country made contributions to the journal.

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  
14 November 2008
 

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