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16 May 2025 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied
Dr Lisa Rothmann
Dr Lisa Rothmann, a plant disease epidemiologist from the University of the Free State (UFS), has been nominated in the TW Kambule-NSTF Award: Emerging Researcher category for this year’s NSTF-South32 Awards.

Dr Lisa Rothmann, a plant disease epidemiologist from the University of the Free State (UFS) who was nominated in the TW Kambule-NSTF Award: Emerging Researcher category for this year’s NSTF-South32 Awards, says that the nomination is a reminder that service through science matters.

“I am humbled by the nomination. For me, it reflects not just individual recognition, but also the shared effort of the team of postgraduate academics, research assistants, partners, and farmers with whom I've had the privilege to work with. It is affirming to see plant pathology and field-based research recognised in this way; it highlights the consistent (hard) work we do to make a meaningful contribution to agriculture and to serve the grain industry and farmers,” says Dr Rothmann. 

She was nominated by Grain South Africa (Grain SA), with whom she has been working closely since 2018 to contribute research that aligns with the organisation’s mission to strengthen the grain sector. They play a key role in supporting sustainable grain production and farmer development. 

Dr Rothmann, who is one of eight UFS researchers and a research team nominated for the NSTF-South32 Awards – also known as the ‘Science Oscars’ – is nominated for her contribution to interdisciplinary, team-based research to develop practical solutions for plant diseases in order to protect crops and empower communities. 

 

Motivation to keep growing

The Senior Lecturer in the Department of Plant Sciences within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS) says that while she is proud of the work she has done, she sees this recognition as a team effort. Says Dr Rothmann: “It motivates me to keep growing as a researcher, rooted in impact and integrity. I’m not a prolific peer-reviewed publisher; my academic record includes 10 journal articles and one book chapter, but I have written around 50 popular articles – often as a solo author, in collaboration with postgraduates and peers.” 

“These pieces translate plant pathology topics such as the Sclerotinia life cycle, disease surveillance, and management into accessible information for producers and the public. To me, this nomination is a symbol that making a meaningful impact doesn't only come from journal impact factors. This nomination has reminded me that building a career in academia is a relay, not a race, and that lasting impact comes from investing in others.”

As a plant disease epidemiologist, she specialises in field pathology – an area of plant pathology that explores how disease epidemics in crops develop, spread, and can be effectively managed within agricultural systems. Their work centres on understanding and managing Sclerotinia diseases in oilseed and protein crops such as canola, soybean, and sunflower, as well as disease surveillance in key grain crops including dry bean, sorghum, and sunflower.

 

New research

After participating in the US-based National Sclerotinia Initiative in 2017, she was inspired to establish a South African Sclerotinia Research Network with the support of Grain SA, creating a platform for researcher collaboration, farmer engagement, and the development of on-farm management strategies. Over time, explains Dr Rothmann, their research has expanded to include cultivar screening, national disease surveys, fungicide registration trials, and the development of disease-assessment tools. More recently, they have embedded sociological surveys into sorghum disease work to better understand farmers’ knowledge and needs, ensuring that research remains practical and co-created with producers.

According to Dr Rothmann, they have been privileged to work in a space that supports producers and protects crops through applied plant disease management strategies. While high-value crops often attract attention due to export markets, the grain that feed the nation forms the backbone of food security. As part of their new research, Dr Rothman and the research team are currently contributing to the Sorghum Cluster Initiative's pre-breeding programme, where they have screened 160 accessions for diseases to support future cultivar development. 

They are also going to explore how both emerging and commercial farmers will adopt these new cultivars. She is actively seeking collaborators in sociology/psychology or similar fields to better understand farmers’ decision-making. They are developing a plant disease dashboard to map disease occurrences across South Africa – an effort aligned with the Plant Health (Phytosanitary) Act 35 of 2024 to help guide appropriate disease risk categorisation. In the long term, concludes Dr Rothmann, they hope to establish a diagnostic hub for central South Africa in partnership with Agricultural Research Council-Grain Crops to strengthen local disease identification and support producers in real time.

News Archive

Access to the Bloemfontein Campus
2015-04-02

Access Control Made Easy

The first phase of access control at the University of the Free State (UFS) was implemented in August 2014. The aim of this initiative is to tighten security measures on the Bloemfontein Campus.
 
Since November 2014, access control has been implemented at all five gates on the Bloemfontein Campus. These are:

  • The Main gate in Nelson Mandela Drive (Gate 1)
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive (Gate 5)
  • The gate in Wynand Mouton Drive (Gate 3) 
  • The gate in Furstenburg Street (Gate 4)
  • The gate in Badenhorst Street (Gate 2)

Here is some useful information about the access control system:

1. Remember your access card when you enter the campus

Dual-function cards (with distance reader compatibility) will make your movement through the gates more convenient. The university’s access system works automatically with remote or swipe action. Please make sure that you drive close to the reader or, better still, get the dual-frequency card to manage the distance between your vehicle and the remote card reader.

As of 23 March 2015, the extra security staff, who have been assisting at the gates since the implementation of access control on the Bloemfontein Campus, are no longer manning the card readers at the gates. Therefore, persons without cards will be able to enter the campus only at the one gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. They will be referred to the Visitors Centre, where a day visitor’s card will be issued to them. You will need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

Security will continue their normal duties at the guardhouses for the various gates on the campus.

2. Where do I get an access card?

You can apply at the university’s Visitors Centre front desk by producing your positive identification (ID book/passport/driver’s licence) and proof of payment for your access card.

You will then be directed to the Thakaneng Bridge where you will be able to collect your access card.

  • Go to the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge and pay your R65 for the dual-frequency card
  • Take your receipt, together with your existing card (if you have one), to the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge (next to Mellins Optometrists)
  • A new photo will be taken of you at the Card Office for your new card. Your new card will then be issued immediately.

Currently, there is a sufficient stock of the dual-frequency cards available at the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge.
 
Alternatively, you can apply online for your access card: http://apps.ufs.ac.za/cardapplication/application.aspx

Make sure you have the following documents ready to attach when completing the online form:

  • Copy of positive identification: ID/Driver's Licence/Passport
  • Signed declaration (http://supportservices.ufs.ac.za/dl/Userfiles/Documents/00007/4668_eng.pdf) by your service provider/employer (if you are a service provider) or a letter of confirmation from your spouse/partner/relative/coach/relevant UFS staff member or student in cases where you have to visit, pick-up or drop off your spouse/partner/relative frequently on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

Cost: R65 for a long-term card and free of charge for short-term visits and conference delegates. Pay at the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge or at Absa Bank, Account Number: 1 570 8500 71, Ref: 1 413 07670 0198.

3. Cutoff Date: 7 April 2015

After 7 April 2015, no pedestrian or motorist will be able to enter the campus without a valid access card. Persons without access cards will have to enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will then be referred to the Visitors Centre where you will have to apply for a day visitor’s card. It is important to note that no one will be able to enter the campus at the Visitors Centre without a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

4. Dual-frequency card simplifies access to the campus

It is important to have your card ready on entering the campus.

This card will simplify access to the campus considerably, as the card reader will read the card when it is held in a vertical position at the driver’s side window in the direction of the distance reader. Please do not place the card on the dashboard. There is an antenna wire in the card. If the card is placed on the dashboard, you are not exposing the card surface to the reader, and that might influence the antenna’s response to the reader.

Remember, the distance between the reader and the boom is only a few metres.  If you approach the reader at a ’high’ speed, you are not allowing the system to identify your card, match it to the entry in the database, check if you are ‘legal’, and then send a signal to open the boom. 

All five gates are equipped with distance readers. Within the next three weeks, two extra distance readers will also be installed at the Main Gate in Nelson Mandela Drive.
 
Please note that the dual-frequency card is needed only when you enter the campus with a vehicle and you want to activate the distance reader. All the older cards will continue to work at the tag readers. 

5. Use alternative gates

At times, some of the gates carry more traffic than others, especially with the peak morning and afternoon traffic. Gates with less traffic include:

  • The gate in Badenhorst Street
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive
  • The gate in Nelson Mandela Drive

You are welcome to make use of one of these alternative gates.

6. Pedestrians

No pedestrian will be able to enter the Bloemfontein Campus without a valid access card. If you have left your card at home or have lost it, you should enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will be referred to the Visitors Centre where you can apply for a day visitor’s card. You will still need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

7. More information

Email: visitorscentre@ufs.ac.za
Visitors Centre front desk: Tel: +27 51 401 7766 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Card Division: Tel: +27 51 401 2799 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Protection Services duty room: +27 51 401 2634 (24 hours)

 

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