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UFS Qwaqwa NAS faculty soars with exceptional achievements in 2024

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 school of management offers educational workshop to alumni and public

2004-08-27

“The most important responsibilities of the University of the Free State ’s (UFS) School of Management towards its alumni are the provision of quality academic programmes and continuing quality service.” This is according to the Director of the School, Prof Helena van Zyl.

“One of these services is to offer workshops in order to refresh alumni’s better knowledge and to expose them to the latest developments in several fields and disciplines. Such an opportunity is being arranged by the MBA Alumni on 11 September 2004 , when alumni and members of the public are welcome to join in an interesting workshop,” said Prof van Zyl.

The three subjects that will be discussed will of such a nature that all professional and non-professional persons – from lawyers to general practitioners and people in the business world – will benefit from it.

Prof Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector: Academic Operations at the UFS will discuss The effect of the promotion of access to information on medical practitioners, patients and their next of kin.

Prof Verschoor’s second presentation will give insight into The professional as an expert witness in court. Medical practitioners will obtain one CPD ethics point for participating in the workshop.

Another highlight of the workshop will be Prof Mukul Gupta from India , who will give a presentation on marketing lessons learned from India .

The first two sessions, led by Prof Verschoor, will take place from 10:00 to 12:00 . The workshop presented by Prof Gupta, will be from 13:00 to 15:00 . The workshop will take place in the CR Swart Auditorium on campus at a cost of R100 per person. Those interested can contact Mr Danie Bredenkamp at 082 5530 535 or banket@mweb.co.za.

More than 100 MBA students have graduated since 2001 and all of them are invited to the Annual General Meeting, which will take place in the CR Swart Auditorium after the workshop.

The annual MBA Alumni Banquet, exclusively for Kovsie Alumni with an MBA qualification from the UFS, will take place on the evening of 11 September 2004 .

For more information Sarien can be contacted at (051) 401-9195 or crouss.ekw@mail.uovs.ac.za.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
27 August 2004

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