​Athletes participating at the Paralympics can suffer from illness and injury during competition and therefore prevention strategies are needed to help them perform at their best.

This was one of the viewpoints of Prof Wayne Derman from the Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences on Thursday (16 November 2017). He delivered his inaugural lecture in the Education Building on the Tygerberg campus.

Speaking about the different illnesses and injuries at Paralympic Summer and Winter Games, Derman said “the longitudinal study of the epidemiology (patterns, causes, and effects of diseases in specific populations) of both injury and illness in Paralympic sport is important, as the findings can assist in the formulation of prevention strategies."

“Illness and injury surveillance remains an important mainstay of athlete care, and forms an integral part of the formulation of prevention programmes."

Derman said data on illnesses and injuries are also useful for team medical staff.

“Perhaps more importantly, the data allow for the determination of which sports need to be assessed in detail for injury risk."

He pointed out that although there have been many advances in medical care for athletes with impairments, some challenges remain.

“The Paralympic movement poses a number of challenges that may directly overlap with medical support. These areas include doping and intentional misrepresentation (cheating), boosting (purposeful induction of an increase in blood pressure through a noxious stimulus in an athlete with a high spinal cord injury), Paralympic classification methods, and access (or lack thereof) to advanced medical support, sport technology and other resources."

Derman said the Paralympics must raise awareness and provide a global perspective on the unique and remarkable capabilities of individuals with impairments.

“Athletes with disabilities are just as dedicated as their able-bodied counterparts, and train and compete equally hard."

Derman said the International Paralympic Committee, athletes, coaches, administrators and medical staff throughout the movement must be challenged to ensure that all people with disabilities – not just elite athletes, and not just those in wealthier countries – are given the opportunity to participate fully in physical activity and sport.

He did mention, however, that Paralympic sport has done a great deal to improve perceptions of people with disabilities and what they can achieve.

• ​Main photo: A wheelchair athlete at the Paralympics. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
  
• Photo 1: Proff Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, Wayne Derman, Jimmy Volmink, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Jacques du Toit, Head of Orthopaedic Surgery, at the inaugural lecture.
  
• Photographer: Wilma Stassen
  

The medical programme (MB,ChB) of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) is currently being renewed with the aim of making the curriculum more pragmatic for students, and more responsive to the health needs of the population.

It is envisioned that the new curriculum will come into operation in 2020. Various changes will be made to the current programme to address issues such as factual overload, and to instil greater interprofessional collaboration between disciplines, said Prof Julia Blitz at a recent meeting where the renewal project was announced. She is the Vice Dean: Learning and Teaching at the FMHS, and is part of the curriculum renewal project management team driving the process at the FMHS.

“The project entails more than just making changes to the programme content – it also relooks the process of teaching and learning," said Blitz.

This project is part of an university-wide programme renewal process launched in May this year. At a workshop in August, the project management team and other role players developed a broad outline for the new MB,ChB curriculum.

“We likened the curriculum to a DNA double helix. The one arm represents the theoretical and clinical components of the curriculum, while the other arm represents the graduate attributes – it's a double helix because the two need to follow each other. The base pairs of the DNA strands represent a continued, longitudinal focus on the self, the patient, the community and the healthcare system," Blitz explained.

The modules proposed by the project management team are:

• Year 1, Semester 1 – Being and becoming
  The transition from school to university and the notion of becoming a doctor.
• Year 1, Semester 2 – Health and wellness
  The fostering of health and prevention of ill-health – with a focus on understanding what health and maintenance of “normality" is.
• Year 2, Semester 1 – Form follows function
  The link between anatomy and physiology.
• Year 2, Semester 2 – Dysfunction
  How things “go wrong" – in terms of self, the patient, the community, and the health care system.
• Year 3, Semester 1 – Medical detective
  Signs and symptoms, including collecting histories, performing clinical examinations, and making a diagnosis.
• Year 3, Semester 2 – Interventions
  The interventions to be implemented after making a diagnosis, including pharmacotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, counselling, acting as change agents, etc.
• A longitudinal primary care exposure component will be integrated into the first 3 years of the curriculum.
• Years 4 and 5 – Core clinical rotations and selective rotations, elective(s), and a research module
• Year 6 – Decentralised rotation

“An important principle that we want to embed in the renewed curriculum is to move away from discipline-specific teaching towards a problem-based curriculum," said Dr Liezl Smit, a consultant clinician in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health. She explained that in practice, patients present with a problem and it is then up to the doctor to identify the disease. “In medical school we currently teach them about diseases, but then expect them to come into clinical rotation and make sense of a problem with a patient in front of them."

According to Prof Ben van Heerden, MB,ChB Programme Coordinator and Director of the MB,ChB Unit, medical curricula have to undergo regular renewal to keep pace with trends in health professions education globally. This is the third major overhaul of the FMHS's MB,ChB curriculum since the programme was launched in 1956.

“Our curriculum design should be based primarily on the health needs of the population and the needs of the health system," Van Heerden said. According to him, major changes are occurring in the country's healthcare system that will require medical graduates to be competent in all the roles described by the CanMEDS graduate attributes: health professional, communicator, collaborator, leader and manager, health advocate and scholar.

Prof Leopoldt van Huyssteen, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Stellenbosch University (SU), is looking forward to his retirement at the end of November, especially to the freedom that he will have to tackle his long list of projects.

Even though some of these projects include travelling widely throughout the country and the rest of Africa, he's not breaking away completely from the academic world. Van Huyssteen has been appointed Academic Head at a private teaching institution and will take up that post after his retirement. His new challenges will include compiling learning plans and cultivating leaders with the environment as catalyst.

Some of the other projects are tackling the dangerous Van Zyl's Pass again with his four-wheel drive Pajero and the hair-raising route in Lesotho where his vehicle ended up hanging halfway over an abyss years ago. He wants to drive the route again to see if his vehicle won't act quite as precariously this time. But he reassures us that he is much more mellow these days and no longer drives as wildly as he did when he was younger.

Van Huyssteen was appointed Head of the former Department of Soil and Agricultural Water Science at SU in 1999. A few months later, he became Dean of the former Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and then Dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences after the faculties of Agriculture and Forestry merged. He was also a member of the Rector's Management Team, acting Vice-Rector (Research), acting Executive Director: Innovation and Commercialisation, Executive Director: Operations and Finance and acting Rector and Vice-Chancellor in 2014/2015. In 2013, he was appointed SU's first COO.

What are the highlights of the 18 years that you have worked at SU – things that you will always remember?

My colleagues at AgriSciences helped me to turn the then Faculty of Agriculture around completely from a non-viable faculty to one that's now serving the industry well and where student numbers have almost doubled. Another highpoint is the cooperation agreement that was signed with the former Elsensburg Agricultural College to offer that degree programme under the banner of SU as well; the market for both Elsenburg and SU enlarged after this agreement was signed. The innovation and technology transfer culture cultivated at SU together with Anita Nel is another thing that I'll remember. The establishment of the LaunchLab also stands out. And we developed a reasonable level of maturity in financial management among senior and middle management to drive the University.

How has the University changed in those 18 years?

When I attended my first meeting of deans here, everyone was wearing pin-striped suits. When I got back home that evening, I said to my wife that I'd have to buy myself a couple of suits too. So, being more at ease in management circles and less formal without losing professionalism will stay with me. Also, when the post for dean of AgriSciences was advertised, they said that a dean was the academic head of a faculty. These days, when they advertise for a dean, they're looking for someone with a proven ability to raise funds, someone with a proven ability to manage a business. I think this is a change for the better. It's not about universities being commodified or about money influencing everything – it's about using your academic project and academic expertise together with your trademark and asking the right price for your product, be this student fees or research contracts.

Where would you like to see the University over the next 100 years?

One of the big things that we did and that will be continued is to catch up with maintenance and upgrade facilities. We began with the implementation of the campus renewal project with heavy financial support from so-called Council funds. I think that we're entering the next 100 years with good infrastructure and with a plan to keep it that way. The University will also be privatised in time, without loss of the state as a partner. A lot of water will have to flow under the bridge before that can be done though.

You are known for your sayings. Where do they come from?

Management needs strength – not force! – and will. I learned a few things over the years to help people or myself get difficult things in management done. When you develop a framework for a budget, for example, I say you “hammer in the pegs" and then you just make sure you play inside those pegs. Academics are smooth talkers, good with words. I listen well and I analyse words. I circle phrases in texts and tell people that “words have meaning". These things, of course, develop to lighten the heaviness of the load of management.

What do few people know about you?

I'm the best mechanic I know. I work on my cars and tow-things myself. And I'm busy learning about the electronics of the new cars of today together with my son.​

Westvaal Stellenbosch has recently announced that it will be extending the sponsorhip of a Chev Utility bakkie for the botanical garden for a period of six months. Beside the use in support of gardening activities the bakkie is also used for plantcollecting and conservation work and the support of various community greening inititaives in and around Stellenbosch.

Before Westvaal sponsored the bakkie in 2016 the Botanical Garden did not have a vehicle for years. "Beside the costs the Botanical Garden saves on transport it is also a huge boost to the moral of staff. For years our staff has been using their own cars for transporting material and plants that often their own vehicles were never meant to carry", Martin Smit explained. "When only a bakkie could do a job, work often had to be delayed until one could be rented. We are very excited to have this vehicle at our disposal and the efficiency that it will bring to our work. We are very grateful that local businesses recognise and support our role as a community asset. We look forward to a long fruitful relationship with Westvaal Stellenbosch."

The Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa recently found in favour of Stellenbosch University (SU) in an application in which Gelyke Kanse and eight other applicants ('the applicants') challenged the process SU followed for the revision of the Language Policy and the 2016 Language Policy itself. Some of the most significant premises of SU's 2016 Language Policy are that language should promote access to SU and also support the academic and career success of students and staff. In the judgement, Judge Daniel Dlodlo said the following about the Policy: “If one assesses the 2016 Policy holistically, one finds or comes to the realisation that it is proportional to the goals it seeks to achieve. I can think of no better and carefully crafted policy." SU has since been informed that the applicants have filed an application for leave to appeal the judgement. 

To read the full statement click here.

​Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy and Internationalisation at Stellenbosch University (SU), has recently been elected to serve on the Council of the Consortium Universities for Global Health (CUGH) based in Washington DC in the United States of America. Recognised internationally as an academic leader in health care, Klopper is one of six newly elected council members and the first South African to achieve this feat. She will serve a three-year term from 2018-2021.

Established in 2008, the CUGH is a rapidly growing organisation of over 145 academic institutions and other organisations from around the world engaged in addressing global health challenges. SU is a member of the CUGH.

Apart from allowing SU to strengthen its contributions to address global challenges, membership of the CUGH augments the University's presence in the global health community, facilitates linkages with academic institutions, companies, and governments around the world, and provides access to information about employment, research and training opportunities.

“It's indeed a great honour to be the first South African and I think the second person in Africa to be elected to the Council of the CUGH," Klopper said about her achievement.

“This give me the opportunity to represent Stellenbosch University in the international arena, and also to strengthen the Department of Global Health, which was formed at the end of 2016, in the FMGSW. In addition, it offers me the chance to contribute to global health and the linkage with the Sustainable Development Goals."

“In an organisation where most members are medical practitioners, I see it as an opportunity to highlight the role that other health professions play in global health," Klopper added.

She said partnerships are needed to address these challenges and she hopes to collaborate with different stakeholders and to serve the common agenda.​

The success of the land reform effort is constrained by, among others, poor agricultural support systems, bureaucracy, and a lack of smart incentives, said Prof Johann Kirsten, Director of the Bureau for Economic Research at Stellenbosch University, on Tuesday (21 November 2017). He delivered his inaugural lecture in the Van der Sterr Building on the Stellenbosch campus.

Kirsten said considerable time and effort were (and still are today) wasted on design and redesign of land reform programmes without any appreciation of the productive value of farmland and the realities of farming in South Africa.

“There were five programmes in total between 1996 and 2016 that tried to deliver on the land redistribution imperative (in addition to the other two main programmes of restitution and tenure reform)."

​“Most of these programmes were considered by some to have focused only on the creation of viable commercial farms and large-scale operations which were often preferred by technicians who rarely are familiar with small scale farming."

Kirsten said market-assisted programme has delivered much quicker than generally believed and should therefore be supported and streamlined.

He argued that most of the official statistics on the progress towards the redistribution targets reported by government (and politicians) have ignored all private transactions where black individuals have bought farmland from white farmers without assistance from the state.

“The claims that land reform is disappointingly slow and that farmers are not willing to sell their land are therefore not surprising."

“Unfortunately, we know that land already in the hands of the state is not used productively – evident in the 5 000-odd farms that have been acquired but not allocated, and the hundreds of thousands of hectares of land that have already been redistributed but that now lie fallow because of weak state support and management."

“There is, therefore, little practical evidence that land expropriation without compensation will combat poverty and create jobs."

Kirsten said many of the recent policy proposals for land redistribution seems to have their origin in the continued obsession with the establishment of small-scale farms.

“It has also not been understood that the dominant form of South African commercial farming is family farms – single-owner operations with family and hired labour. The large corporate-style farms make up only a small component of agriculture in South Africa – only approximately 700 farm businesses."

According to Kirsten, most farming units with a turnover in excess of R3 million could make a reasonable contribution to land reform.

“We are only talking of around 5 000 farms. These farms should be reasonably well-represented in each district and can assist in reaching any redistribution target in each district."

Kirsten said if farmers in a district work together and land reform is implemented through a flexible and well-planned financial mechanism, then land ceilings and other punitive measures will not have to be implemented.

​“The majority of commercial farmers have now accepted the important imperative of a more equal distribution of commercial farmland in South Africa and have already offered useful ideas on how to implement successful and workable land reform."

There is much goodwill and considerable expertise that the state could leverage from the commercial farming sector to deliver land to the majority, Kirsten added.

• Main photo: Credit: Pixabay
  
• Photo 1: Proff Johan Malan, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Management and Economic Sciences, Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, Johann Kirsten, Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, and Danie Brink, Dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences. Photographer: Justin Alberts.
  

​Stellenbosch University (SU) has ensured that the name of late anti-apartheid student leader, gay rights lobbyist, equal rights proponent and HIV/Aids activist, Simon Nkoli, becomes part of the present and future of the university.

This comes after management proudly announced its decision to rename one of its buildings at 39 Victoria Street after him as Huis Simon Nkoli House. The occasion of the unveiling of the new name will take place on World Aids Day (1 December 2017) – a day to commemorate those infected and affected by HIV/Aids. The festivities of this day will coincide with birthday celebrations of the Equality Unit (EqU) and Disability Unit (DU), marking their two and ten years of existence, respectively.

The proposal to rename 39 Victoria Street after Nkoli was first proposed by the EqU and supported by the DU, both within the Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) – the two share the house as office space. The CSCD is one of the centres in the Division of Student Affairs (DSA), which recognises that in order to achieve greater student success at SU, they need to be thoughtful and proactive in speaking to the needs of those often made vulnerable in society.

As an equality activist, the late Nkoli will be honoured for his steadfast quest for equal rights and fair treatment of all South Africans irrespective of one's race, political affiliation, HIV status or sexual orientation. He resolutely fought unfair discrimination in all its forms.

Simon Nkoli quoted in 1990, notably said: “I am black and I am gay. I cannot separate the two parts of me into secondary or primary struggles. In South Africa, I am oppressed because I am a black man and I am oppressed because I am a gay man. So, when I fight for my freedom I must fight against both oppressions… All those who believe in a democratic South Africa must fight against all oppression, all intolerance, all injustice".

According to Mr. Jaco Greeff Brink, head of the EqU, having Nkoli's name on this house will echo the social justice foundation on which they (the EqU and DU) are founded, both historically and looking into the future.

“We couldn't think of any other name than his! Huis Simon Nkoli House is the ideal name for 39 Victoria Street as this embodies the collaboration of two units.  Mr Nkoli was a fighter for equality, against unfair discrimination and the rights for all marginal groups and this is exactly what the two units are advocating for," said Brink. He added that Nkoli's name, and what it stands for, has significant national and international stature and reverence.

Dr Marcia Lyner-Cleophas, head of the DU, also shared the same sentiments, saying that they are very excited about this new chapter. Disability as an area of focus that still needs much advocacy work to establish disability inclusion from a human rights perspective in society. She added that the move will increase the two units' imprint and service excellence to the staff and students at SU.

During consultation processes between March and July 2016, students applauded the proposal saying it is a step in the right direction to celebrate and honour those who have fought relentlessly for human rights. Mr Bongani Mapumulo, the current chairperson of the Dis-Maties had this to say about Nkoli: “His rights activism and clear stance on non-discrimination appeals to the issues faced by minorities that co-exist under the pressures of heteronormativity, HIV stigma and racialism. In addition, his driven activism intersects with the struggles still faced by groups that remain on the outskirts of mainstream society of political and economic participation including women, racial minorities, people with disabilities and homosexuals."

SU's strategic positioning is anchored in creating and sustaining an environment of inclusivity, transformation, innovation and diversity. The University has fully committed itself to promoting all fundamental rights and freedoms of every person on campus. It is furthermore committed to become a more diverse, inclusive and representative institution and is working hard to create student-friendly living and learning spaces as well as a congenial staff work environment. SU aims to create a more enabling environment inclusive to a diverse group of staff and students and celebrates Simon Nkoli's legacy, while looking forward to inspire and reflect back on the principles Simon Nkoli stood for.

Simon Nkoli, the road less travelled…

The 1957 Soweto-born, grew up on a farm in the Free State and his family later moved to Sebokeng. When he joined the mainly white Gay Association of South Africa in 1983, little did he know that he would later be the founder of the first black gay group in Africa called the Saturday Group.

During his activism, Nkoli spent a great deal of time giving talks at various rallies across the Vaal Region in support of rent-boycotts. In 1984 he was arrested and faced the death penalty for treason with twenty-one other political leaders in Delmas, collectively known as the Delmas 22.

As a co-founder of the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW), Nkoli, along with LGBT activist, Beverley Palesa Ditsie, was very instrumental in organising the first pride parade in South Africa in 1990.  His commitment to the cause saw him travel widely, receiving several human rights awards in Europe and North America including becoming a member of the International Lesbian and Gay Association Board, representing the African region.

Another one of his major achievements was a successful campaign for the inclusion of protection from discrimination in the Bill of Rights in the South African constitution and for the repeal of the sodomy law, which happened in May 1998, in his last months.

After becoming one of the first publicly HIV-positive African gay men, he initiated the Positive African Men group based in central Johannesburg. He lived with HIV for around 12 years, and had been seriously ill, on and off, for the last four years. He died of AIDS in 1998 in Johannesburg.

More about the Equality and Disability Units

The EqU, formerly known as the Institutional HIV Office, promotes collective action towards social justice and discourse regarding social asymmetries at SU. Its core mandate is to oversee the implementation of SU's policies on unfair discrimination, sexual harassment and HIV/Aids, educate students and staff around sexualities, gender non-violence, HIV/Aids and anti-discrimination and to provide comprehensive HIV and LGBTQI services.

The DU, formerly known as the Office for Students with Special Learning Needs (Disabilities) is responsible to facilitate support to students with disabilities on campus, by creating an awareness about issues pertinent to disabilities, in the academic, social and psychological sense. The unit is a starting point for coordinated support for students with disabilities, engaging with prospective students as needed.

​The days are fast approaching! Are you ready for our annual SU Staff Sports Day?

Date: 30 November 2017

Place: Coetzenburg sports grounds

Time:   10h00 – 15h30

Please note that there is still time to enter your teams in the Tag rugby AND Basketball sports only…so first come first serve!

As for the other sports, all activities have now been officially closed.

Please see below the Wellness Sports Day Programme as follows:

​ 

SPORT ACTIVITIES

Please note the following areas for the sport activities:

• Netball courts:  Netball and basket ball
• Netball clubhouse: Chess
• Hockey clubhouse: Table tennis and dominoes
• Sand courts:  Volley ball
• Behind netball and hockey courts:  soccer, rugby, tug-of-war, bondelsport and walk (start and finish)

Each sport activity will be co-ordinated by the sports code managers or coordinator.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

All departments planning to braai:

• Braai drums will be provided. Please bear in mind there are limited drums available. (only 8 drums)  Each braai drum can be used by two groups at a time.  You are also welcome to bring your own braai equipment.
• Please bring your own wood and charcoal
• Fires for the braai can start any time after the “warm up" walk.
• Please bring your umbrella / blanket /picnic basket / extra chairs / gazebo and tables.

PARKING

Please note that the Hockey Field is under construction, so no one will be allowed to park there. Parking will be available at the Coetzenburg Centre (previously known as the DF Malan Hall)

From the parking area, proceed pass the swimming pool on the left, down the road and through the gate by the netball courts to reach the fields on the other side of the netball clubhouse.

​

For any queries please contact:

Maureen Kennedy at maureenk@sun.ac.za or Adele Josias at adelej@sun.ac.za or 021 808 4824/2867; Conrad Human at conradhuman@sun.ac.za

​Stellenbosch University (SU) supports the sectoral approach that universities require a minimum income increase of 8% for 2017.

This is according to Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers in a statement earlier this week to staff and students. This income could come from a variety of sources, including state subsidy, student fees and an array of other private sources of funding. An income increase below 8% for 2017 is likely to compromise the financial position of at least 17 of the 26 higher education institutions, he said.

He also encouraged input from students and staff. The email address for feedback is studentinfo@sun.ac.za.

​Reflecting on another year, the staff at the Central Analytical Facilities are proud to have achieved several positive outcomes during 2017. Plans for new facilities also developed during 2017 ‒ paving the way for an exciting 2018.

           Joubert                           Bracciali                     Spectacular new Neuromechanics unit                Two new CAF units coming in 2018

The Units

Two new senior staff appointments, i.e. Dr Lydia-Marie Joubert and Dr Laura Bracciali have brought extensive international experience to CAF.

Joubert came from Stanford University to manage the Electron Microscopy unit. She spent the last 10 years as professional at the Cell Sciences Imaging Facility at Stanford University (USA) and is excited about her new challenge. “Because of the clinical field I was in at Stanford at both the medical school and bioengineering, I would like to bring in the medical environment into the bigger SU campus" Joubert said.

Bracciali is the new division manager for geochronology at the ICP-MS & XRF unit. She is an Earth Scientist with 5 years of post-doctoral experience in the NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory (British Geological Survey), Keyworth, UK. Her main research interests lie in the fields of multi-technique, multi-proxy sedimentary provenance (applied to constraining the co-evolution of continental margins, palaeodrainages and sedimentary basins) and single grain U-(Th)-Pb dating by LA ICP-MS, including the development of the technique and refinement of best practice.

Prof Celia Abolnik from the Poultry Health and Production Research Chair at the University of Pretoria has recently started using the NGS service offered by the DNA Sequencing unit to help in her investigation of avian influenza in South Africa. She is currently performing whole genome sequencing of avian influenza samples collected from across the country, to better understand the diversity in the viral population. Monitoring viral diversity in poultry, hobby birds and wild bird populations is an important part of understanding the spread of the outbreak of avian influenza and this will assist the development of future control strategies.

The CT Scanner unit has this year further consolidated its track record as a leading facility for X-ray tomography applications research, which is evidenced by the wide diversity of academic work completed during the year – students completing, papers published and international conference presentations. Among these, one particular highlight has been the work with Dr Chris Broeckhoven, Prof Cang Hui and in collaboration with Dr Anton du Plessis – where the strength of body armour of girdled lizards were investigated by high resolution microCT, mechanical simulations and physical mechanical testing – this work was published and recently reported in a report in the Journal of Experimental Biology as well as on http://jeb.biologists.org/content/220/21/3840.1

Following good financial figures for 2016, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance unit decided against any rate increase for both internal and external clients for 2017. Despite a decrease in internal demand, the unit managed to show significant growth on both their solution and solid state external client income. This allowed the unit to break even this year, and will probably result in another zero percent rate increase for 2018, despite rising maintenance costs.

In June the new branch of the Neuromechanics unit was launched in a spectacular new laboratory space at the Coetzenburg Sports Science Complex. The development of the lab will have a direct impact on sports performance at Stellenbosch University, through provision of a variety of tests on athletes of the Maties Sport High Performance Programme. The laboratory will also support a very broad range of research in the fields of biomechanical engineering, sports science, physiology and physiotherapy.

At the Mass Spectrometry Unit the new ultra-performance convergence chromatography system was used by a PhD student, Jonathan Quanson, to investigate the role of adrenal steroid hormones in the development of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). This lead to new achievements in steroid analysis. Quanson has developed and published a high-throughput method to separate and quantify nineteen structurally related androgen precursors and androgens, which have been implicated in the development of CRPC.

A highlight for Fluorescence Microscopy was hosting the very first ISAC Cape Town Flow Cytometry Workshop, in partnership with the International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC) and BD Biosciences in April. Eight internationally acclaimed experts in flow cytometry, with the assistance from local flow cytometrists, conducted lectures and wetlab training courses and demonstartions on a range of topics.

General

More than 1900 clients registered on the new CAF database system, which was introduced in March. With the data captured CAF provides the NRF with comprehensive information about all users of NEP equipment. 2017 Data shows that, to date, CAF has provided services to 1629 academic clients and 295 clients from industry. The academic clients consist of 987 from Stellenbosch University, 522 from other South African Universities, 21  from foreign universities, 64 from SA Research Institutions that are not part of a university and 35 undefined. Of the 1629 academic clients, 940 are post-graduate students.

New developments

Two new CAF units will come into being during 2018. The Vibrational Spectroscopy unit will open early in 2018 and will be managed by Dr Janine Colling. The creation of the unit has been made possible by an NEP equipment grant to Prof Marena Manley and Dr Paul Williams of the Department of Food Science. The unit will be housed in the Food Science building.

Another exciting opportunity has been created by DST support for the Nuclear Medicine Research Initiative (NuMeRI), of which Profs Annare Ellmann and James Warwick from the division of Nuclear Medicine were part. NuMeRI and Stellenbosch University funding will create the Node for Infection Imaging (NII) at Tygerberg Hospital. The NII will be managed by CAF and will provide a dedicated PET/CT scanning facility for research. This development is critical to Tuberculosis research in the Western Cape and has been made possible by collaboration between the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), from whence Dr Jan Rijn Zeevaart champions the NuMeRI initiative, SU Faculty of Health Sciences, SU Division of Nuclear Medicine, Tygerberg Hospital, Western Cape Health and CAF. Construction work on the new facility will begin early in 2018.

www.sun.ac.za/caf

Dean's Advisory Committee on Transformation – a brief update on progress

As you will be aware, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) is committed to building an inclusive and welcoming environment where all students and staff are able to develop to their full potential. One of the initiatives to support our efforts in this regard was the establishment of the Dean's Advisory Committee on Transformation (ACT) in mid-2016.

The ACT comprises a broadly representative group of undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as staff from various environments: Faculty Management, Academic Departments, Student Administration, Student Support, Residence Management and Tygerberg Hospital Management. 

Having agreed its terms of reference and rules of engagement, the committee has met quarterly over the past 18 months. It has held robust and illuminating discussions on a range of topics, such as “Fees Must Fall", “Men are Trash", “the Anglo-Afrikaner movement", “Tygermaties Confessions", Bullying and Rape Culture and the need for strengthening student and staff wellness services.

One of ACT's first discussion points was the faculty's core values. This resulted in a recommendation to replace 'commitment' with 'compassion'. After further consultation, the values were amended to the following: excellence, integrity, compassion, inclusivity, innovation and accountability. The committee has since begun to explore how these faculty core values can be made more visible and how we can ensure they are more fully reflected in our day-to-day decisions and actions.

Linked to Human Rights Day this year, a ceremony was held in which three plaques were unveiled in the foyer between the Clinical and Education Buildings displaying the preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. This serves as a constant reminder of the central importance of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, as a guide to our engagement with each other as South African citizens. More recently, a Faculty Transformation Charter has been proposed and a task team has been set up to work on this. 

I trust you find this update helpful. If there are any matters related to transformation at the Faculty you would like to bring to the committee's attention, or if you would like to join the committee as a member, please contact us at email: deanfhs@sun.ac.za.
 

Kind regards 

Prof Jimmy Volmink
Dean

​​The “antidote" to quackery and pseudoscience is evidence-based healthcare based on sound scientific research, and proper science communication to make technical scientific information digestible for members of the public.

This message was conveyed by Prof Wim de Villiers, Stellenbosch University (SU) Rector and Vice-Chancellor, in his opening address of the International Summit on Quackery and Pseudoscience recently held by the Centre for Evidence-based Healthcare (CEBHC) at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), and the Centre for Science and Technology Mass Communication in the Department of Journalism.

“This summit brings together professionals from the medical sciences and the media and law for an in-depth focus on the dangers of quackery and to debunk some pseudoscience pretending to be the real thing," said De Villiers, who is a medical doctor by profession. He admitted to being concerned about quackery and pseudoscience, as these practices are misleading, exploitative and dangerous.

“Just take the anti-vaccination campaign, which is wreaking havoc worldwide! Diseases we thought had almost been eradicated are making a comeback, like measles," De Villiers said.

“This summit will not only highlight the threat of pseudoscience to the well-being of society, but will also offer effective tools to help people assess healthcare claims and make sound choices."

Speakers at the summit emphasised the importance of science communication professionals being aware of the dangers of pseudoscience, which often lands up in the media as “fake news". Fake news is media content that looks like factual reporting, but is actually propaganda aimed at swaying public opinion, and which is amplified by the internet and social media.

FMHS Dean, Prof Jimmy Volmink, warned that not all scientific evidence is reliable and highlighted some common misrepresentations of science in the media, as well as issues within the scientific process that can skew evidence.

“The media is replete with examples of single studies with exciting results. But research has shown that the findings are almost always wrong," Volmink said. He explained that many studies are too small to produce reliable evidence and that findings could be affected by the play of chance. Using examples of actual medical practices and medications, he illustrated how evidence based on small, single studies actually caused tens of thousands of deaths, and only came to light when evidence from a larger number of studies was consolidated.

Volmink also warned about scientific information being lost due to studies not being formally published, and bias creeping into research due to financial, ideological or other interests.

In her talk about communicating science, Prof Taryn Young, Director of the CEBHC, appealed to research organisations to enhance scientists' capacity to communicate their research with the public, and to foster partnerships between scientists and the media to facilitate the clear and accurate conveyance of the message.

The summit hosted an array of local and international experts unpacking an array of related topics, including communicating uncertainty in science, health regulation, pseudoscience in the media, and much more.

Caption: FMHS Dean, Prof Jimmy Volmink delivers a talk at the International Summit on Quackery and Pseudoscience was recently held by the Centre for Evidence-based Healthcare (CEBHC) at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), and the Centre for Science and Technology Mass Communication in the Department of Journalism.

CAF took part in the Faculty of Science's first Science Showcase event on 17 November where the latest research projects were introduced.

These included disciplines such as biochemistry, botany and zoology, chemistry and polymer science, earth science, mathematics, computer science, applied mathematics, microbiology, physics and physiological sciences.

CAF's Electron Microscopy and ICP-MS & XRF units presented the following posters at the event:

• High resolution SEM imaging and X-ray elementalanalysis for characterizationof industrial samples
• Applying X-ray Computational Micro-Analytical tools in the mining industry: a case study using electron microscopy EDS and WDS analysis
• Elemental and isotopic analysisapplied to natural resources and exploration

Photo (top): Riana Rossouw (ICP-MS & XRF unit manager), dr Laura Bracciali (U-(Th)-Pb Geochronology Division Manager), Nonkuselo Madlakana (PhD student) and dr Lydia-Marie Joubert (Electron Microscopy unit manager) at the Science Showcase event.

Photo (below): Madelaine Frazenburg (Electron Microscopy senior analyst) and dr Laura Bracciali.

​Universities SA (USAf) has released a statement in which concern is expressed relating the cuts in funding for research development. .

Click here to read the statement

​​​Stellenbosch University (SU) remains committed to the use of Afrikaans - together with English - as teaching languages in the context of inclusiveness and multilingualism, Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of SU, told Convocation members at the annual Convocation meeting where the importance of Language and SU's Language Policy came under scrutiny.

Prof De Villiers touched on the recent judgement in the Gelyke Kanse court case which challenged the process SU followed for the revision of the Language Policy and the 2016 Language Policy itself. The court found that SU's 2016 Language Policy complies with the requirements of the Constitution and according to De Villiers this verdict confirmed that SU has not turned its back on Afrikaans.

"The principle of inclusivity is the cornerstone of SU's current Language Policy, De Villiers said. "We are mistakenly depicted by some as a monolingual place - no more Afrikaans but now full English. It's just not true," he added.

De Villiers referred Convocation members to the full statement and judgement on the University website as well as the University's Language Policy.​

In his speech, Dr Willem (Willa) Boezak, author and researcher and keynote speaker at the event, reiterated that Afrikaans is not a white man's language, but an integral part of the Khoisan's cultural heritage, identity and human dignity. It is exactly that thinking that Afrikaans is the white man's language, that we should decolonise, Dr Boezak said. "Language is vulnerable - you can pray in it and you can swear in it. One cannot punish a language and its speakers because of the unwise decisions of policymakers. A language is not an orphan - it has speakers, people with stories, dreams and values. It is a part of our culture, our heritage of who we are."

This year, the Convocation's annual community service award went to businessman and SU alumnus, Francois van Niekerk, who was honoured for his longstanding leadership in philanthropy. Van Niekerk is the founder of the Mertech Group and the Mergon Foundation. He is also co-founder of the Atterbury Group and was chairperson of Atterbury Investment Holdings from its inception to 2012. Van Niekerk, who wrote the book Doing Business with Purpose, has received a number of academic, business and philanthropy awards, including an honorary doctorate from Unisa.

In his report to Convocation, Prof De Villiers also shared the many highlights the University has accomplished over the past year.

"For Maties, 2017 was another year full of highlights - for which we would like to thank our staff members, students, alumni, donors and partners," he said.

"We enrolled more students than ever before, and awarded a record number of qualifications. Our total student body has grown to more than 31 000, and in the last full academic year, we awarded 8 348 qualifications, including 1 468 master's and 278 doctoral degrees."

He added that SU is maintaining its momentum of excellence and making a positive difference in society, referring to among others, the 2 000 smoke alarms that were installed in low-income homes and informal backyard homes in the Greater Cape Town area to prevent devastating fires and save lives as well as the Smart Water Meters developed in the Faculty of Engineering that were rolled out to a hundred schools in the drought stricken Western Cape, not only helping them save water but also spreading the preservation message far and wide.

In his report to Convocation, advocate Jan Heunis, President of the Convocation, called for honest and open discussions and the exchange of ideas. “It is an essential characteristic of a university that people should hold different viewpoints and be able to justify them. That others can judge or criticise, agree with or differ from those views. You don't have to accept my viewpoint, but I expect that you will accept my bona fides," he said.

Full speeches available here:

• Prof Wim de Villiers / ​Prof De Villiers podcast
  
• Willa Boezak
  
• ​Adv Jan Heunis
  

Photo: Dr Willa Boezak and Advocate Jan Heunis. (Photographer: Anina Fourie)

​​Stellenbosch University (SU) launched the Africa Centre for Scholarship (ACS) during the Africa University Day celebrations today (24 November 2017).

As part of the ACS launch, three bursaries of R30 000 each were awarded to postgraduate students from Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Prof Hester Klopper, Vice-Rector: Strategic Initiatives and Internationalisation at SU, facilitated the bursary awards. Prof Klopper has recently been elected to serve on the Council of the Consortium Universities for Global Health based in the USA. She is the first South African to achieve this feat.

The purpose of the ACS includes developing and implementing a trajectory for scholarship development across Africa, building on but not limited to existing SU on-campus initiatives.

The guest speaker at the ACS seminar was Prof Jonathan Jansen, Distinguished Professor at the SU Faculty of Education. Jansen is the former Rector and vice- Chancellor of the University of the Free State.

Reflecting on the role of a social scientist, Jansen said: “A social scientist should be one that scrutinises concepts on campus and with his/ her community, scholars need to be suspicious of things."

In his keynote address Prof Jansen also focused on topics such as decolonisation, the education system and the student protest about university fees, access and inclusivity. This was followed by a panel discussion and questions from the audience.

Mr Robert Kotze, Director: SU's International Office, closed the discussions off by reflecting on the topics and questions posed during the discussions.

​ 

​The Legal Aid Clinic, which has served a large number of individuals in the Boland region, will find a new home from 11 December 2017. 

As part of its strategic goals, and in association with the Law Faculty at Stellenbosch University (SU), the Legal Aid Clinic will move from 44 Banhoek Road to 18-24 Crozier Street. 

The move will ensure that there is a better integration with the university's Law Faculty and give easier access from public transport to its current and future clients, says Theo Broodryk, Manager of the Legal Aid Clinic and Senior Lecturer at the university's Law Faculty.

“The move just made more practical sense. Being in Crozier Street, which will be across from the Law Faculty (situated in the Old Main Building on the corner of Victoria and Ryneveld Street) and close to the Stellenbosch Magistrate Court, will help reach more law students who want to get involved at the clinic and help clients in the community in need of legal representation."

Broodryk believes that the old location of the clinic did not fully help the Law Faculty achieve their social awareness goals.

“With the old location, the clinic was a bit hidden from students and not fully integrated in the community and the university. Now that the clinic will be so close to the law faculty, there is a better opportunity to share resources and help give clients an even better service."

The Legal Aid Clinic functions as a law firm and forms part of the SU Law Faculty. The Clinic also trains future prospective human rights lawyers by providing practical legal training to final year law students. 

“The clinic will be able to give practical training to more law students in future. At the moment we only had about 50 to 60 students a year receiving training or volunteering at the clinic, but with the new location we can increase that to about 200 students by 2019," says Broodryk.

The Legal Aid Clinic is also planning a relaunch and rebranding, as part of the centenary celebrations of SU next year.

 The Legal Aid Clinic will be operational until its move on 11 December 2017 and then re-open its doors to the public from 15 January 2018.

For more information on the Legal Aid Clinic click here.

Please note that SU International will have their year-end function on Friday, 15 December. The office will be closed for the day.

Insect conservationist Prof Michael Samways of the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at Stellenbosch University has retained his A-rating in the latest round of assessments conducted by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF). The rating acknowledges him as a world leader in his particular field of study.

Ratings are determined by a NRF panel who receives reports from experts across the globe.

Prof Samways helped to develop the field of insect conservation since its early years. He is also active in matters relating to the conservation of 'other little animals that run the world'. This prolific researcher is the author of more than 375 scientific publications, including 15 books. These include guides about South African dragonflies.

“While insect conservation may seem a rarefied topic, it is vitally important for every one of us, and the world in general," he says. “Insects, along with other invertebrates, are a major component of the woof and weft of life.  They help make soil, they pollinate plants, and they are food for the majority of vertebrates, whether frog, lizard, bird or mammal."

The concern globally is that insects are in dramatic decline from human impact on the environment.  This decline stems from habitat loss, pesticide use, pollution, traffic impact, to the effect of electric lights at night. 

“Something had to be done, and done fast," says Samways. “This means interacting with the world far beyond the ivory tower, and engaging with landowners and stewards across the world to share ideas and find solutions. While the basic thinking is global, the action is local."

He says good conservation outcomes can be achieved through an iterative process between research at a university level and management in the field. 

“The challenge is defined in the field, addressed by research, and findings applied in the field to address the challenge, and so on," he sets out the methodology.

Prof Samways has been very involved in this iterative interaction with landowners and stewards for many years. “We can be proud that in South Africa we have paved the way for new approaches," he says.

These include the implementation of interconnected conservation corridors, known as ecological networks, among responsible forestry enterprises.  These networks, strongly promoted by Mondi, enable optimal production of timber while maximizing conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem processes.

For this work, his research team in the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology received the GreenMatter Award at the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) ceremony in 2016.

Over the past 40 years he has been able to put his academic interests into practice by among others helping to rethink local pest management strategies, freshwater assessments, sustainable wine and timber production and to help restore the Cousine Island in the Seychelles to its natural state.

His contribution to such biodiversity and conservation matters has been acknowledged by the Global Conference of Entomology and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Species Survival Commission. Among the recent honours he has also received were the Science-for-Society Gold Medal from the Academy of Science of South Africa and the Gold Medal of the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns.