Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2019 2020 2021
Months
February March May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
07 November 2019 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Leonie Bolleurs
Chemistry
Discussing progress in green energy and nuclear medicine during the recent ReMec2, were from the left: Dr Dumisani Kama (UFS), Prof Roger Alberto (University of Zurich), Prof Andreas Roodt (UFS), and Dr Orbett Alexander (UFS).
Scientists in South Africa and Switzerland, with a research collaboration of 20 years, are working together to make a difference. A major focus of their work is nuclear medicine and green energy. 

Since the end of October, 22 speakers from five countries met for five days at four different sites in South Africa to discuss their work during the second symposium on reaction mechanisms, better known as ReMec2. The Department of Chemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS) hosted this event. 

Considerable reduction of carbon dioxide

According to Prof Andreas Roodt, lead researcher from the UFS Department of Chemistry, ReMec2 focused mainly on two projects: nuclear medicine and an R8 million project titled: Solar Light-driven Homogeneous Catalysis for Greener Industrial Processes with H2 (hydrogen gas) as Energy Source and CO2 (carbon dioxide) as C1 Building Block. This is a sunlight-driven project in search of new catalysts, which are chemical compounds that make the reactions faster and more effective, but which are not consumed during the reaction. The aim is to provide greener industrial processes with hydrogen as energy source, and to reduce carbon dioxide in the environment.

This research, if applied, has the probability of preventing the release of more than 100 kg of harmful carbon dioxide for every one kg of hydrogen produced. “Together with the Swiss group, we are at that stage of the research where these compounds, with just one molecule of the catalyst, can make 80 000 hydrogen molecules (very clean energy, as hydrogen in a car's engine burns to clean water; not like gasoline that burns to harmful carbon dioxide),” Prof Roodt explains. 

The UFS and the research group from Prof Robert Alberto at the University of Zurich have been working together on this research for the past twenty years. According to Prof Roodt, they are studying complete reaction mechanisms, including the time profile of how the different chemical compounds are reacting with each other and not just the simple product analysis as studied by most groups in the world. 

International patent on nuclear medicine

In June 2019, they registered an international patent on nuclear medicine model compounds. The patent was granted. During ReMec2, a lecture was presented on this patent, according to which a compound with an imaging isotope [Tc-99m] that has its own ‘X-rays’, can shed light on an affected organ in the human body for doctors to see where medicine should be administered. The same compound also contains the medicine to treat the disease. 

The work of these scientists is 100% in line with South Africa’s National Development Plan and it supports the UFS Strategic Plan. “The programme also builds on students’ research and increases network and collaboration possibilities. We receive more international acknowledgement for our research efforts and compete with the best in the world. Our research is not necessarily about having the best equipment (although it is very important), but critically it is about the generation of innovative ideas,” says Prof Roodt. 

News Archive

Student leaders 2012/13 announced
2012-08-30

Ready for the task - Sabelo Khumalo, SRC President of the Qwaqwa Campus and William Clayton, SRC President of the Bloemfontein Campus.
Photo: Johan Roux
31 August 2012

The 2012/13 elections for the Student Representative Councils (SRC) of the University of the Free State were completed successfully and show meaningful support for the changes in student governance adopted by students across campuses over the past two years.

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 23 August 2012, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 27 and 28 August 2012.

The SRC Elections at our Bloemfontein Campus showed a voter turnout of 4516 votes (30.8%), with the elections at the Qwaqwa Campuses showing 1753 votes (46%) – both campuses reached the required quorums and the IEA (Bloemfontein Campus) and IEC (Qwaqwa Campus) declared the elections free and fair and announced the results as a true reflection of the will of the student bodies at the campuses.

The full SRC at Bloemfontein Campus now consists of 62% black and 38% white, and 53% female and 47% male members.

In the Qwaqwa elections, SADESMO achieved 46, 38% of the vote, with SASCO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 30,23% and 8,39% and 14,26%, respectively.

The successful elections at Bloemfontein Campus show that the detailed transformation of student governance introduced by students at the Campus in 2010 and adopted by the university in 2011, succeeded in mobilizing greater participation of students in governance and representation. These changes in the main included a shift to independent candidacy for elective portfolios (12 seats) and organizational candidacy in nine sub-councils that holds ex officio seats on the SRC. Changes also included the establishment of student representative seats in faculty governance and management forums and the adoption of a reviewed Central SRC Constitution. Ex officio seats hold full and equal constitutional authority in the SRC.

Students at Qwaqwa Campus introduced additional portfolios to its SRC, including ex-officio seats for academic affairs, arts and culture, commuter students, Rag Community Service, religious affairs, residences and sports.

A joint sitting of the Campus SRCs will establish the Central SRC 2012/13 on 9 September 2012.

As a further opportunity for participation in and the development of student governance and representation, the current Central SRC herewith also announces its recent adoption of a student governance advisory programme, namely the UFS Student Elders Council (SEC).

The SEC is established as a combined programme between the Central SRC and the Dean of Student Affairs and will consist of selected senior student leaders from all campuses who completed their terms of office, apply and are appointed to the Elders Council by the Central SRC.

The Council will serve as an advisory structure to the Central SRC and other student structures in support of the continuous development of student governance and representation of the student body at the university.

The SEC will advise the Central SRC to be constituted following the constitution of the respective Campus SRCs.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

President: Mr William Clayton

Vice-President: Mr Bonolo Thebe

Secretary: Ms Karis-Robin Topkin

Treasurer: Mr Pieter Coetzee

Arts & Culture: Ms Chanmari Erasmus

Accessibility & Student Support: Ms Gene McCaskill

First-generation Students: Ms Tanya Calitz

Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Ms Nokuthula Sithole

Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Neo Chere

Sport: Mr Tshepo Moloi

Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Thabisile Mgadi

Transformation: Ms Koketso Mofokeng

Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa

Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Council: Ms Nombuso Ndlovu

Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Residences Council: Mr Johann Steyn

City Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Council: Mr Michael van Niekerk

Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Council: Mr Fadeyi Akinsuyi

International Affairs & Ex officio: International Council: Ms Tumelo Moreri

Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Media Council: Mr Jamal-Dean Grootboom

RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Mr Jaco Faul

RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Keneue Mahloana

The SRC members at the Qwaqwa Campus are:

President General: Mr S Khumalo

Deputy President: Mr P T Lenka

Secretary General: Mr D Khethang

Treasurer General: Mr S I Sithole

Media & Publicity: Mr S N Ntombela

Politics & Transformation: Tbc

Student Development & Evironmental Affairs: Tbc Academic Affairs: Mr T Molawude

Arts & Cultural Affairs: Mr T Nkohli

Off-Campus Students: Mr B Mtshali

RAG, Community Service & Dialogue: Ms S F Mlotya

Religious Affairs: Ms D C Khau

Residence & Catering Affairs: Ms Z Mzolo

Sports Council: Mr S Mngomezulu

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