Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
28 May 2025 | Story Lilitha Dingwayo | Photo Lunga Luthuli
Lunga Luthuli
From left to right: Larshan Naicker, Deputy Director: Teaching and Learning, UFS Library and Information Services; Jeannet Molopyane, Director: UFS Library and Information Services; Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation; Keitumetse Eister, University Librarian: Central University of Technology; and Dr Monde Madiba, Deputy Director: Collection Development and Management, UFS Library and Information Services

In a celebration of academic excellence, the University of the Free State (UFS) hosted its first multidisciplinary Library and Information Services Honours and Undergraduate Research Conference (LISHURC) on the Bloemfontein Campus on 23 May 2025. The event offered undergraduate and honours students a unique opportunity to present their research in a professional academic setting.

As a collaborative initiative between faculties and Library and Information Services, the conference served to intellectually stimulate young scholars while promoting scholarly engagement among both students and lecturers. 

Distinguished UFS leaders, including Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation, and Prof Matseliso Mokhele-Makgalwa, Vice-Dean Research Engagement and Internationalisation in the Faculty of Education, were in attendance as guest speakers.

Prof Reddy highlighted the university’s commitment to ensuring that student research reaches a global audience through open-access platforms such as KovsieScholar. 

“I encourage you to embrace this opportunity not only as a moment of recognition, but as a stepping stone toward future research, postgraduate studies, and professional impact,” he said.  

Prof Mokhele-Makgalwa commended the university’s inter-faculty collaboration, led by Library and Information Services, in creating a platform that nurtures academic inquiry. Reflecting on the growth of the initiative since its inception in 2019, she acknowledged its success in 2025 as a milestone.  

“We must also consider the broader purpose - preparing our students not only as researchers but as global citizens, leaders, and innovators,” she said, adding that critical thinking, problem-solving, and strong communication skills are essential in today’s academic and professional landscape. 

Among the student presenters was Langelihle Malaza, an honours student in Information Systems from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, who shared his insights into his group’s project: 

“Our group focused on designing a centralised digital platform - a website that would serve as a hub for both educational resources and communication for users involved in the Information Technology Service Learning (ITSL) programme.”  

The team also acknowledged the instrumental support of Dr Rouxan Fouche, lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics, for his valuable guidance on both content and presentation. 

Attendees praised the event for its inspiring atmosphere and academic depth.  

“I am always interested in learning what other students are researching. When I saw this event, I knew I had to attend - and it exceeded my expectations,” said Jabulile Maseko, a master’s student in Zoology.

This event exemplifies the UFS’s commitment to cultivating research excellence and aligns with the institution's Vision 130 – a roadmap to producing globally relevant graduates who are ready to make a difference. 

News Archive

Students translate documents for the aged
2007-11-08

 

As part of practical module in translation, third-year students in Translation Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS) translated a document for a group of aged people. The document is a guide for luncheon clubs of Age-in-Action, a non-governmental organisation working amongst the aged. The document contains information on how the aged can organise the group and the services they can render in the community. The document was translated into Afrikaans and Sesotho with the help of a group in Heidedal and Mangaung, respectively. As part of their course, the students had to meet with the management of Age-in-Action to find out more about the aim of the document. After that, they visited the groups in the community twice to gain information that would ensure that the documents fulfil the needs of the groups. The students attended to matters such as the type of language used by the groups, what the groups do with the document and the layout requirements of the groups, e.g. a larger font. The module in translation studies is presented as a community service-learning module, which means that students learn while rendering service in a community. They have the advantage of learning in a real-life situation and the community has the advantage of receiving a service. The aim is to develop knowledge which is to the advantage of the community. On the photo the translated document is handed to the leaders of the luncheon clubs. From the left, are: Ms Melita Pietersen (luncheon club leader), me. Karma Harvey (third-year student in Language Practice at the UFS), Ms Susan van Eck (luncheon club leader), and Ms Catherine van Rooyen (luncheon club leader).
Photo: Supplied

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