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.

Siobhan Clulow (22) from Durbanville soon learnt in her teens that life does not always pan out according to plan. At age 17, she was diagnosed with Keratitis, a rare eye disease that causes inflammation in the cornea and leads to a loss of vision.

Siobhan relates: “During my grade 11 exams, I noticed that after studying for hours my vision would become more blurred. I initially thought it was as a result of tiredness, but after a visit to an eye specialist, it became evident that the increased blurred vision was more serious."

After undergoing numerous tests and treatments, doctors recommended that Siobhan have immediate eye surgery to avoid a complete loss of vision.

Says Siobhan: “News like that at 17 was a huge shock to me and my family. I always had 20/20 vision, and then suddenly it was no more the case. I remember when some of my classmates at school learnt about my disease and the operations; they were not too fazed about it all. That's understandable, because at that age everyone is mainly thinking about himself or herself, but, believe me, it taught me resilience and gave me a new perspective on life."

As a result of the deteriorating effects of the disease, Siobhan had to give up on her dream of studying accounting. Instead she decided on making a difference in the education sector, by pursuing a BEd (General Education) (Foundation Phase) degree at Stellenbosch University (SU) which she has passed with seven distinctions. She will receive her degree at the third graduation ceremony of 2017 on 5 December at 17:30.

Siobhan continues: “Having experienced first-hand the lack of facilities and support services for visually impaired learners in the public school system, I hope to one day help change that, by working on the ground in the basic education sector, or possibly even opening a practice with my mother, who is currently pursuing her studies in education psychology."

Before coming to SU she knew that the workload at tertiary level would be more intense, but she never expected lecturers 'to hold her hand' throughout the course of her four year degree. However, Siobhan says she never thought she would receive such a generous chunk of the tremendous support the university has available for its physically challenged students.

She explains: “Throughout my studies the university has really given me top notch educational and service support to help me successfully complete my studies. Also the level of support and encouragement from the Braille Department to help visually impaired students has been immensely good."

Siobhan will return to SU next year and pursue a postgraduate degree – BEd (Foundational Phase).

She puts it as follows: “I love this university.  It has helped me grow as an individual and expand my worldviews by creating a diverse and open-minded community and student life.  My fervent hope is that I can impart that same change in future generations through education."

Where you come from does not have to dictate where you are headed. Dr Nitiksha Wesley once again proved this saying by not only overcoming difficult childhood circumstances, but also by becoming the first student enrolled in the MB,ChB extended degree programme at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences to graduate cum laude.

“I grew up in Gelvandale in Port Elizabeth, a predominantly coloured community faced with its own struggles such as drug abuse and related crimes. My siblings and I were raised by a single working mother and a grandmother."

Nitiksha's motivation for working hard and achieving as much as she has thus far, stems from her determination to not let her circumstances define her. “I want to define me."

While choosing to become a doctor was a no-brainer for Nitiksha (“I've always viewed doctors as pillars in a community by helping and healing, and I wanted to do the same"), the path to studying medicine wasn't that easy.

“At the end of my matric year I was awarded the ThuThuka Bursary for chartered accountants. All my applications for bursaries for medicine was unsuccessful. I was thus left with the decision to study BCom Accounting with a full bursary, versus studying medicine (my dream) with no funding."

After seeking advice from her mom and elders, they told her it was her decision to make. So with a lot of faith and still no bursary, she boarded the bus to Cape Town to study medicine.

“It was the toughest decision I've ever had to make, considering my background."

But her hopefulness paid off and after a few months at SU she was awarded a bursary by the Eastern Cape Department of Health. “I have not once regretted my decision!"

She is humbled to have been able to pass her degree with honours, and attributes it partially to adhering to a strict daily study routine she set for herself from her first until her final year. “I balanced it with having fun weekends or studying at another venue off campus, just to keep sane."

In difficult times it was her faith and support network, consisting of her family and partner, that helped her to stay motivated and to maintain perspective.

Nitiksha says success is being able to achieve the goals you set for yourself. After completing her community service year at Kimberley Hospital in the Northern Cape, her next goal is to qualify as a general surgeon before sub-specialising in transplant surgery. “I would like to work as a transplant surgeon and to have the influence to expand this field in the public sector."

To stay grounded, Nitiksha would like to remind her 50-year-old self of what she had to go through to get where she was. She would say: “Be forever grateful and never forget where you come from."

Caption: Dr Nitiksha Wesley is the first student enrolled in the MB,ChB extended degree programme at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences to graduate cum laude.

More than 350 medical and health science students graduated from Stellenbosch University (SU) this week.

At the oath taking ceremonies for students from the undergraduate programmes, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), Prof Jimmy Volmink, congratulated the Class of 2017 on the successful completion of their studies, and welcomed them to the fraternity of health professions.

“The FMHS extends its warmest congratulations to all those who are participating in this oath taking ceremony. You have made a solemn pledge to serve humanity, to respect humankind, to provide compassionate, effective and ethical health care, and to act honourably at all times," Volmink told the graduates.

In total, 357 students from the FMHS' five undergraduate programmes were capped this week: 226 medical students graduated from the MB,ChB programme; 47 graduates received a BSc in Physiotherapy; 31 students obtained a BSc in Dietetics; 28 students graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy; and 25 graduates obtained their Bachelor's degree in Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy.

In his motivational talk at the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences' oath taking ceremony, Dr Gillian Arendse, Deputy Director of SU's Centre for Student Recruitment and Career Advice, warned students against the “seven deadly sins of mediocrity". This concept, coined by the author Todd Henry, highlights seven behavioural traits to overcome in order to rise above mediocrity, namely aimlessness, boredom, comfort, delusion, ego, fear, and guardedness.

Addressing the group of MB,ChB graduates, Prof Glenda Grey, Director of the South African Medical Research Council, called on the newly qualified medical doctors to use their positions in the health care system to contribute to social justice. The FMHS also awarded Grey an honorary doctorate degree for her pioneering research, her revolutionary work in HIV/Aids, and her social impact by harnessing science to serve society.

The Dean's Award for Excellence in Leadership was presented to Bohlale Selahle, a graduate from the Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy programme, and the Dean's Prize for Undergraduate Research went to MB,ChB student Coutney Olivier. The top performing undergraduate student of the Class of 2017 was Estè Louw, who averaged 88,68% for the entire Occupational Therapy programme. The top MB,ChB student was Leanne Young, who achieved a 83,27% average over this six-year programme.

A total of 18 doctorates were awarded to PhD students, of which several are also staff members at the FMHS.

Caption: The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences capped 357 graduates in December.

Two MSc students from the Institute for Plant Biotechnology (IPB) of the Department of Genetics at Stellenbosch University (SU), Melt Hugo and Janto Pieters (under the guidance of their supervisors, Drs Shaun Peters and Bianke Loedolff), proved this year that science knows no bounds where language is concerned. Messrs Hugo and Pieters attended the annual Student Symposium in Science 2017 at the University of Pretoria (UP), where all the work had to be presented in Afrikaans – no mean feat. Especially for Mr Hugo, a second-language speaker of Afrikaans, who presented his work on exotic sugars (the raffinose family of oligosaccharides) in poster format, following this up with a talk of four minutes on the topic. Mr Hugo triumphantly returned with two prizes: The AfriForum prize for an exceptional contribution by a non-mother-tongue speaker of Afrikaans and the Ctext award for a contribution with merit for his poster. Mr Pieters was selected to talk on his work on metagenomic libraries and the search for biopolymer-forming sugars that can serve as prebiotic substances. Mr Pieters, who could practise his talk (supplemented by an iron, ironing board and TV) only the evening before the conference, walked away equally triumphantly with a science merit prize, the Blue Stallion award (Sigma Plot), for his contribution. As if this were not enough, both participants' presentations are to be published in the South African Journal of Science and Technology in expanded and in a poster summary format.

Messrs Hugo and Pieters challenged not only their own limits of language in science but also proved that you can represent science on any platform. The two are looking forward to obtaining their MSc degrees in December 2018, after which they plan to tackle the PhD road in science. May we see more of the pioneering work of these two versatile SU students in the future.

Photo: MSc students and their supervisors at the science poster presented by Mr Melt Hugo at the Student Symposium in Science 2017 at UP. From left to right, Dr Shaun Peters, Mr Melt Hugo, Mr Janto Pieters and Dr Bianke Loedolff.

Academic perseverance and teamwork at home paved the way for a couple originally from Madagascar, to both completing postgraduate degrees in mathematics from Stellenbosch University (SU) in 2017.

Dr Valisoa Razanajatovo Misanantenaina received her PhD in mathematics at the December 2017 graduation ceremony for her research on graph polynomials and related parameters. Her husband, Tsinjo, earned his MSc in mathematics in March 2017, also at SU.

The couple met in 2011 while studying at the University of Antananarivo, but at the end of 2012 their relationship was put to the test when Valisoa was selected to participate in the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) programme in South Africa. AIMS is a pan-African network of centres of excellence for postgraduate education, research and outreach in mathematical sciences.

Valisoa says although long-distance relationships are hard, they decided not to give up on each other: “Tsinjo encouraged and supported me all the way. He even interrupted his studies for one year to work at a high school to earn money for our wedding.

Over the next three years Valisoa graduated from AIMS and then continued with an MSc in mathematics under the supervision of Prof Stephan Wagner, divisional head of mathematics at the SU Department of Mathematical Sciences.. During the same time Tsinjo was selected for the AIMS programme in Ghana, graduating in December 2014. He was then also accepted for an MSc in mathematics at SU.

With the prospect of finally being together at the same place at the same time, the couple decided to get married before coming to Stellenbosch in January 2015. But one plus one quickly became three.

Valisoa says she was really scared when she learned that she was pregnant, but again the couple managed to turn the situation around through teamwork: “Luckily I could mostly do my research from home during the first six months of my son's life‒one of the advantages of doing research in mathematics! When he was six months old we started taking turns to look after him. I used to come into the office in the mornings while my husband took care of him. In the afternoon he would then come into the office and work until late."

Looking back now, she says it was a wonderful experience: “My colleagues and staff members of the mathematics division were extraordinary. I sometimes just had to come to the office with my son and was scared that he will disturb them, but they even gave advice and helped to make it work for me."

Next year Valisoa will continue as a postdoctoral fellow with Prof Wagner who was her study leader for her PhD as well. She hopes to find an academic position afterwards until Tsinjo completes his PhD. Then they will have to decide on the future of their family.

She says AIMS and SU allowed her to develop on an academic and personal level. She concludes: “Always remember that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."

An improvement on the famous Markowitz' theorem may have the potential to not only more accurately predict the next financial crises, but also the outbreak of pests and diseases, or whether a patient will have a heart attack in two hours' time or not.

Described as a newer version of Markowitz' portfolio theory, the unified 'landscape portfolio platform' is able to predict inflated growth and reduced volatility in an ensemble of stochastically co-varying populations across the landscape.

It was developed by Prof Cang Hui, a bio-mathematician from Stellenbosch University, in collaboration with two researchers from the United States of America, Prof Gordon A Fox, a statistician from the University of South Florida, and Prof Jessica Gurevitch, a well-known ecologist from Stony Brook University.

The theorem was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) this week (Monday 6 November 2017) with the title 'Scale-dependent portfolio effects explain growth inflation and volatility reduction in landscape demography'.

Prof Hui says the collaboration started after Profs Fox and Gurevitch visited South Africa in 2014 as Fellows of the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies (STIAS).

“Initially we were looking for ways to quantify population demographics of invasive species on a larger scale in order to make it more relevant to management," he explains.

At that stage, most demographic work had been carried out on a few populations and at local scales.

But the idea to use the Markowitz theorem was completely serendipitous: “I often go to the library and browse a section of books. That day I was in the economics and statistics section when my eye caught a book on the portfolio theory of financial investment. That is where the idea then came to use Markowitz' theorem as the corner stone."

By combining concepts from landscape ecology and Markowitz' portfolio theory, they developed the landscape portfolio platform to quantify and predict the behaviour of multiple stochastic populations across spatial scales. As a case study, they used a 35 year time series on gypsy moth populations, covering about 350 000 square kilometres.

The landscape portfolio platform, however, is applicable to any situation where subsystems fluctuate with a certain level of synchrony, from trade analysis in stock market to sudden outbreaks of pathogens and invasive species.

Prof Hui says while the current article took an invasive moth species as case study, the new theorem is applicable to the financial world, ecologists working on regional scale invasions or threatened species, as well as any biologist working with time-series data.

Prof Hui and co-researchers are now working on expanding the platform to allow the differentiation of system stochasticity and external noise in driving portfolio inflation.

More about Markowitz' portfolio theory

Harry Markowitz's portfolio theory is described as one of the most important and influential economic theories dealing with finance and investment. Published for the first time in 1952, it is a mathematical framework for assembling a portfolio of assets in such a way that the expected return is maximised for a given level of risk, defined as variance. Its key insight is that an asset's risk and return should not be assessed by itself, but by how it contributes to a portfolio's overall risk and return. In 1990, Markowitz received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for this work.

More about Prof Cang Hui

Prof Hui is based in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Stellenbosch University, where he holds the South African Research Chair (SARChI) in Mathematical and Theoretical Physical Biosciences. His research team works on the interface between mathematics and biology. As ecological processes are highly complex and adaptive, the researchers rely on the simplicity of mathematical language to quantify emergent ecological processes and their hidden mechanisms.

Media enquiries

Prof Cang Hui

E-mail: chui@sun.ac.za

Tel: +27 _21 808 4907

Prof Jessica Gurevitch

Stony Brook University, New York

E-mail: Jessica.gurevitch@stonybrook.edu

Tel: +1 (631) 632-8567

Prof Gordon Fox

University of South Florida

E-mail: gfox@usf.edu

Tel: +1 (813) 974-7352

A chancellor's award and more than 600 BSc degrees were on the menu at the Faculty of Science's graduation ceremony that took place on Monday 4 December 2017.

Prof Len Barbour, a world-leader in solid-state supramolecular chemistry and one of only three chemists in South Africa with an A-rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF), was the recipient of the SU chancellor's award. The award is given in recognition of staff whose careers attest to sustained excellence over their whole career and can only be received once in a person's career.

Prof Barbour has established a world-class laboratory in SU's Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science, where he leads a prolific research group of 20 postgraduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Their publications have been cited over 12 000 times and have made a substantial contribution to the University's scientific research output.

This year the Mathematics Division in the Department of Mathematical Sciences boasts with five doctoral degrees in mathematics. Close on their heels are the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science with four new PhDs. All in all, 25 PhD-, 54 MSc-, 183 BScHons- and 377 BSc-degrees were awarded.

The five new doctors in mathematics are (front, from left to right) Dr Joseph K Mahasa, Dr Valisoa Razanajatovo Misanantenaina, Dr Jacques Masuret and Dr Kevin Durant. At the back is Dr Joubert Oosthuizen with Prof Stephan Wagner (division head of mathematics) and Prof Ingrid Rewitzky (vice-dean teaching and learning and head of the Department of Mathematical Sciences. Photo: Stefan Els

From Sabratah in western Libya to Stellenbosch in the Boland.

This is the journey that Dr Eman Teer had to travel to complete her doctorate in Physiological Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU). Having done research on the how inflammation and blood clotting increase the prevalence of heart disease among HIV-positive patients, she obtained her degree on Monday (4 December) at SU's first graduation ceremony of December 2017.

She was among the 639 students in the Faculty of Science who received their degrees at the ceremony. A record number of 5720 degrees, certificates and diplomas will be awarded this week at the December graduation. It is 420 qualifications more than in December 2016, and 700 more than in December 2015.  The December total includes 142 doctoral and 545 Master's degrees.

Teer, who worked as a medical doctor in Sabratah, has reached the pinnacle of academic success but her road was not always paved with rose-petals.

Following the Arab Spring protests in 2011, her home country Libya was plunged into a civil war. In an instant, Teer's world was turned upside down.

“When the war broke out, it was very difficult for me and my daughters, especially the youngest one. My husband, Emad, was already in Stellenbosch working on his doctorate. He arrived here in 2010."

“The war was close to our city."

With her own future and that of her three daughters at stake, Teer left her country and made the long trek southward.

“It wasn't easy to get out of Libya," she says. “My husband came to fetch us, but he couldn't get into the country."

“My brother had to drive us to Tunisia where we were able to meet my husband."

There's a tinge of sadness in her voice when she speaks about leaving her country and her extended family.

“I have seven sisters and two brothers and it was very hard for me to leave them behind."

“I'm worried about my relatives and my family. Sometimes I found out through Facebook that some of my relatives have died. It's not easy for me."

Despite this, Teer remains upbeat that things will change for the better in her country.

Life in Stellenbosch

For now, she is making the most of her time in Stellenbosch and happy to see her daughters doing well.

“My oldest daughter Sarah is a first year BSc student at Stellenbosch University; Tasneem just finished her matric exams at Rhenish High School while Ream is in Rhenish Primary School."

When asked about her time in South Africa, her face lights up and she grins from ear to ear.

“I like South Africa very much; I love the people and especially the diversity of the people. I have met nice people and this, together with a very good environment, helped me to finish my studies. South Africa is a good place."

“I'm very lucky to do my research in Stellenbosch. Even if you have problems, you see the support of your colleagues and your professor."

Teer says she is grateful for the support of her supervisor Prof Faadiel Essop and his team.

“Prof Essop has been profoundly supportive of me."

She also speaks in glowing terms of the support and encouragement of her husband to whom she has been happily married for 22 years. He is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in SU's Department of Industrial Engineering.

“He has helped me a lot with many things and continues to do so."

Teer also acknowledges her family's support after she arrived in South Africa. As a person of faith, she strongly believes that God helped her along the way.

As someone who never gives up, Teer believes that women have to fight for their future.  “Women can change a lot either in Libya, the Middle East, South Africa, everywhere. I talk a lot about this with my daughters."

Teer says she hopes to one day reciprocate all that her homeland has done for her. “I want to make a difference in the lives of my people."

In the meantime, she enjoys life in Stellenbosch and plans to do postdoctoral research next year.

• At the same ceremony, Prof Len Barbour of the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science and Mr Neels Fourie of the Division of Academic Administration received Chancellor's Awards.
  

​Photo: Dr Eman Teer with her husband and three daughters at the graduation ceremony.

Photographer: Stefan Els

​Two decades of eminent research has earned Professor Soraya Seedat Stellenbosch University's coveted Chancellor's Award for Research.

Seedat is a distinguished professor in psychiatry and the Executive Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). She holds the South African Research Chair in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, funded by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation.

“Seedat is an internationally renowned clinician-scientist whose research interests include gender-based violence, post-traumatic stress disorder, HIV/neuroAIDS, early-life adversity and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Drawing on different disciplines, the more than 350 journal articles and book chapters from her pen have had a substantial impact on clinical practice and policy, and are widely cited in scientific literature globally," Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of the FMHS, said at the Faculty's graduation ceremony where the prize was awarded to Seedat.

Other accolades bestowed on this high-impact researcher include fellowships of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry and the Lundbeck Institute, along with an award from the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.

She has 19 years of clinical, epidemiological and basic neuroscience research experience as a psychiatrist in the field of traumatic stress and anxiety. She has also been involved in neuroAIDS research for 15 years and foetal alcohol spectrum disorders research for the past 10 years. She directs a number of research programmes in the Department of Psychiatry and mentors several master's, doctoral and postdoctoral students. 

She has experience in research ethics and is currently a member of Stellenbosch University's Senate Research Ethics Committee and a board member of the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies. She serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health and as an associate editor of the journals PLoS One, Global Mental Health and the South African Journal of Psychiatry.

“I'm delighted about the acknowledgment and support, especially from Prof Volmink and his management team. I am very fortunate to work with many talented colleagues (staff and students), and the award is an affirmation that all good work happens by, with and through people," said Seedat.

Caption: Prof Soraya Seedat received the Chancellor's Award for Research.

Liesl James always dreamed of becoming a physiotherapist. “I wanted to study physiotherapy for as long as I can remember," she recalls.

Her dream was, however, born in different circumstances than most. Liesl was diagnosed with left hemiplegic cerebral palsy when her mom noticed that something wasn't “quite right" and started looking for answers from specialists when she was three months old. This means Liesl has limited use of the left side of her body.

“But my mother went to great lengths to ensure I had the right physiotherapist and occupational therapist to assist me."

She recalls having a physiotherapist who really pushed her at age 11. “This made me want to understand what was 'wrong' with me and how I could help other children with diagnoses similar to mine."

However, childhood was never easy for Liesl. “I was bullied in the special school I went to, as well as in mainstream schools, due to the way I walk. Luckily my mother was always there to make sure that it didn't get me down."

But, she admits, it took a toll on her. The biggest challenge she has had to overcome was the fear in her mind. “I was afraid of doing anything in case I would be ridiculed or might fail."

She was challenged even further when her physiotherapy dream couldn't be realised immediately after she matriculated at Edenvale High School in Johannesburg. “I wrote matric in 2006, but my marks weren't good enough. I then took a gap year in an effort to improve my marks, but that was fruitless."

She found herself working for the South African Sport Association for the Physically Disabled (SASAPD), where she discovered a love for working with disabled athletes and started saving to study in 2008. “I think it was only during this time, seeing the athletes overcome so many obstacles, that I changed how I felt about myself, and started thinking I can do anything I put my mind to."

She then went on to complete a BA degree in Human Movement Science and an honours degree in Sport Science at the University of Pretoria.

When she married an actuary in 2012, Liesl couldn't anticipate that his company would ask him to relocate to Cape Town. This was exactly the push she needed and she successfully applied for a BSc in Physiotherapy at Stellenbosch University.

Now 29 years old, Liesl has completed her degree and is more excited than ever about the possibilities her future holds. Next year she'll be starting her community service year at New Somerset Hospital in Cape Town, and after that the world is her oyster.

“There's so much a physiotherapist can do for people. It's about the connection you make with your patient emotionally, spiritually and physically. It gives me such joy to help a patient who has had a stroke to get up and walk after months of lying in bed, or help a patient to finally walk pain-free."

She is motivated by the Nike catchphrase “Just do it!", and believes that everyone is capable of doing anything through hard work and perseverance – characteristics she says are embodied by her mother and passed on to her.

Liesl plans on continuing to make a difference. “I would love to say that being one of the physiotherapists of the Paralympics team is on the list of things I've done. But I'm just happy to be starting my dream job!"

Caption: In spite of a left hemiplegic cerebral palsy, Liesl James obtained her BSc degree in Physiotherapy.

Sadly, the stress of graduating with debt is overwhelming for many students.

As we stand on the threshold of our Centenary, we would like to send the Class of 2017 into their new adventure debt free. All monies raised during our SU99 campaign will go directly to final year students who have outstanding debt on their books.

Professor Stan du Plessis, Chief Operating Officer (Designate), shares his support for the #SU99 campaign.

1.      Why has motivated your giving to numerous Stellenbosch University projects over the past decade?

I care deeply about universities – and our university in particular – and have often seen the powerful role it can play in the lives of students and staff, as well as society more broadly. I try to help modestly where I can on all these dimensions with my time and sometimes with resources. 

2.      How do you respond to potential donors who have the perception that Stellenbosch University “has enough money?"

SU's financial management is sound and prudent, and that is how it should be to achieve our goals over many decades. We are grateful for the resources we have, and use them actively to support students with financial need, as well as many other wonderful projects.

But the need is much greater than our current means. I try to show potential donors how much more we can do if they were able to support the university; this is especially true where financial aid to students is concerned.  

3.      Is there resistance to giving to SU that you've encountered recently?

I hear most frequently the sincere plan to give to the university in the future, some years hence, when the potential donor expects to have the means. My view is that one's opportunity to support a worthy cause is not determined by the comfort of your own circumstances but by the need of the person you could assist. 

4.      You were inspired to help pay a student's debt this month. Can you tell us about this?

I have known the student for a number of years as a beneficiary of a bursary scheme of which I am a trustee. He is a wonderful student and admirable young man. Due to unhappy family circumstances, he ran into financial difficulties shortly before graduation and the trust was not able to support him. I did not want him to start his career with a debt burden and was fortunate enough to have been in a position to help. 

5.      Would you encourage fellow SU staff to support the SU99 campaign to help alleviate student debt?

I would like my colleagues to reflect on the position of students who have worked hard to complete their degrees, but cannot yet receive their degree certificates due to outstanding debt. I challenge them to help us clear their debt and help launch them on the career paths for which we helped to prepare them. 

​​Stellenbosch University's pre-centenary fundraising campaign #SU99, aimed at alleviating student debt, has a new target.

Recent generous donations to support the cause of alleviating student debt at Stellenbosch University exceeded the initial R99 999 target, providing the impetus to reach further and increase the target to R999 999.

"As of 1 December, donations received on the GivenGain platform amounted to R24 000, and donations from alumni, and staff and students have all added a further R32 500 to the campaign," says Karen Bruns, Senior Director of the Development and Alumni Relations Division (DAR), “but a significant donation of R500 000, received from one of our loyal major donors who regularly provides top-up bursary funding, has enabled us to raise the bar to help more graduates."

"Although many of our students have received bursary support from various partners such as government, foundations, corporates and trusts, there is often still an outstanding amount that is owed by students upon graduation," says Cheryl Benadie, Donor Relations Manager at SU.

Graduation marks the end of an incredible journey for any graduate as they stand on the threshold of new beginnings, armed with a well-earned degree from Stellenbosch University, an internationally-recognised institution.

"Sadly, for some of our first generation graduates, who will enter the world of work as a first generation professional, the weight of debt that they carry on their shoulders as they try to make a fresh start can seem overwhelming. We acknowledge and appreciate the support of all our donors and partners. The need is ongoing," she adds.

Donations can be made via the Given Gain platform: https://goo.gl/AaTm2q or via credit card on our online portal: https://goo.gl/JkCM4J, EFT payments can be made via the following bank account, using the reference: Initial, surname + R2090 DEBT.

ORGANISATION NAME:  University of Stellenbosch

BANK:  Standard Bank

BRANCH: Stellenbosch

BRANCH CODE: 05 06 10

ACCOUNT NAME: University of Stellenbosch

ACCOUNT NUMBER: 073006955

PAYMENT REFERENCE: Initial, Surname, R2090 DEBT

The #SU99 campaign, launched on the 20^th of September, will run until the 27^th of December.

“Small donations of R50, R100, R500 etc all add up - it is the power of collective giving in action. We urge you to please consider giving the gift of financial freedom this festive season," Benadie concludes.  

• For more information on SU's campaign to alleviate student debt, please contact: Cheryl Benadie on tel: 021 808 9351 or e-mail: cbenadie@sun.ac.za/ Anneke Muller on tel: 021 808 9906 or e-mail: annekem@sun.ac.za.   ​

​​​“I've just recently ... the last year or so... realized the end is in sight. Although I was motivated throughout, there were as many steps forward as backwards. It still feels like walking on clouds when I drive home after work and realize I do not have any more bridges to cross."

This is how an excited Dr Viljoen van der Walt, Director: Risk Management and Campus Security at Stellenbosch University (SU), described his PhD journey on Wednesday (December 6). Van der Walt received his doctorate in Business Administration and Administration at SU's fourth graduation ceremony of December 2017.

He was among the 847 students in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (Group A) to whom degrees, diplomas and certificates were awarded. A total of 1664 students (Group A and B) in the Faculty will be graduating this week – the most ever for the Faculty at a December graduation. Last year, 1495 students received their degrees, diplomas and certificates. Of the 379 BAccounting Honours students who enrolled in the School of Accounting in 2017 – also a record – 208 will graduate during the week.

Van der Walt conducted research on how the key elements of risk management can be included in strategy formulation processes at universities.

He expressed his gratitude for the support of his family, supervisors, line manager, Nicolette van den Eijkel, and especially his colleagues at Campus Security. “They knew when to encourage and when to offer silent support."

It is his wife Jolene, in particular, who deserves a special word of thanks, Van der Walt added.

“I'm privileged to be married to a primary school teacher. She works every night to who-knows-what time. Throughout my Honours, MBA and PhD she always worked later than I did. We have been used to the 'night shift' from eight to midnight."

Although Van der Walt received support from various quarters, it was very difficult to find a supervisor.

“There are very few supervisors in the field of risk management in South Africa. After a lot of back and forth and having to start over twice, Proff Jackie Young from UNISA and Eon Smit from the Stellenbosch University Business School were appointed as supervisor and co-supervisor respectively. I only started to show progress after several years."

“Just when I started to gain momentum, protest actions broke out at SU and broke my momentum," said Van der Walt.

Also among the graduates was Randall van der Heever who obtained his BAccounting degree. Van der Heever was one of the first recipients of the Russel Botman Bursary in 2016.

“The Botman Bursary gave me the peace of mind to pursue a dream that seemed so unrealistic a few years ago yet it seems like yesterday when this same bursary changed my life in a way I would have never imagined. I had a dream, and thanks to the Botman Bursary, today it is a reality," said Van der Heever.

He will be following the BAccounting Honours programme next year.

In congratulating the new graduates, the Chancellor of SU, Dr Johann Rupert encouraged them to work on radical economic growth that is distributed fairly.

“Carry on learning because if you stop you will be left behind. Stay curious and have empathy with your fellow human beings and the planet. With empathy and curiosity you will go a long way," he said.

At the same ceremony, Manie Lombard (Division of Finance), Anita Nel (INNOVUS and Commercialisation) and Japie Kotze (Human Resources) were honoured with Chancellor Awards.

• Besides live streaming, recordings of graduation ceremonies are available online after the ceremonies.
  

Main Photo: Dr Viljoen van der Walt at the graduation ceremony.

Photo 1: Randall van der Heever with Dr Beryl Botman, widow of the late Prof Russel Botman.

Photographer: Stefan Els

Close to 550 degrees were awarded to graduates by Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Education on Tuesday, 5 December. This number included eight PhD graduates.

Among the graduates was Aimée van Reenen, the recipient of the Faculty of Education's Dean's Bursary.

“I'm very excited about begin a graduate. I worked hard for four years and I'm looking forward to start teaching and enriching children's lives," she said.

Charl du Toit, Paralympian and World Champion in the T37 class, who won two gold and one silver medal at the World Para Athletics Champs in London in July, received his BEd Honours degree.

Another graduate was MK Nompumza, who was recently awarded a Mandela Rhodes Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to individuals that reflect a commitment to the principles of education, reconciliation, leadership and entrepreneurship for postgraduate study at South African universities or tertiary institutions.

MK was “so, so happy" about receiving his BEd degree and will pursue an honours degree in Education Development and Democracy in 2018.

Two Chancellor's awards were awarded to staff in the Faculty.

With some 200 publications from his pen, distinguished professor Lesley le Grange is the most productive researcher in the history of the Department of Curriculum Studies. His innovative work in the field of curricula and teaching makes him instrumental in the University's pursuit of excellence through ongoing curriculum renewal.

Dr Trevor van Louw's outstanding work as director of the Stellenbosch University Centre for Pedagogy (SUNCEP) mirrors his personal conviction that education is key to development and liberation. Under his capable leadership, SUNCEP has established a solid national footprint in the field of educational development. The Centre's two university preparation programmes SciMathUS and HOPE@Maties offer learners an opportunity to improve their Grade 12 marks and turn their dream of accessing higher education into reality.

Insect researcher to be mentored through African Academy of Science Affiliates Programme

When Dr Nomakholwa Stokwe matriculated, she had no idea that insects or nematodes could actually be a field of study, let alone a career choice. This all changed when she started her BSc degree at Fort Hare University, and insects crawled under her skin and became her passion. These days the 32-year old lecturer at Stellenbosch University researches natural ways by which to control insect pests such as woolly apple aphids and mealybugs that give fruit producers their fair share of headaches.  

Earlier this year she was named as one of the 22 young researchers from across Africa who are part of the 2017 intake of African Academy of Science affiliates. The AAS Affiliates Programme aims to further the professional growth of young and early-to-mid career professionals and to help them develop into research leaders. The opportunity stretches into 2021.

In the last few months she has been finding her feet as a lecturer, since being appointed to the staff of Stellenbosch University's Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology in August 2016. As a member of the Department's Integrated Pest Management research team, she now finds herself among many of her postgraduate lecturers who had helped develop her into an entomologist with a keen interest in nematology (the study of soil-living roundworms).

Previously she worked as a researcher of the Agricultural Research Council at Infruitec Nietvoorbij in Stellenbosch. There Dr Stokwe was among others responsible for managing projects related to integrated pest management research.

During this time, she also completed her PhD in Entomology. She studied whether nematodes and fungi that can parasitize on woolly apple aphids (Eriosoma lanigerum) and therefore help to control this pest in South Africa. These 2 mm small insects originated in North America. The management of this pest primarily entails the use of resistant rootstocks, chemical and biological control, or the integration of all three strategies. There is not yet a one-size-fits-all approach for producers to take.

“They are also called American blight or plant louse of apple," says Dr Stokwe. “These insects are now found worldwide in all apple-producing countries, and have been around in South Africa since at least the late 1890s."

In a recent review article in the journal African Entomology that she co-authored with Dr Antoinette Malan, Dr Stokwe states that these insects pose a major threat to apple production in South Africa. “The aphid forms densely packed colonies covered with white, waxy, filamentous secretions, on the above-ground parts and on the roots of apple trees."

During the course of her MSc degree studies at Stellenbosch University on biological ways to control the obscure mealybug (Pseudococcus Viburni), she also discovered a new species of nematode found in the soil.

The SUNLearn platform undergoes an upgrade every 6 months. This is done following extensive testing by the colleagues at Information Technology and based on information available via the international Moodle community.

On 9-10 December 2017, the final upgrade of the year will be carried out. While there are quite a few new features, a major change to the user experience will be the new dashboard.

Please see the Facilitator guide regarding the upgrade. Alternatively, the video guide can be found here

Additional changes to this latest version of SUNLEarn can be found on the Moodle community website: https://docs.moodle.org/33/en/New_features 

Assistance with creating a comprehensive learning and teaching space on SUNLearn is available through the CLT support desk. Emails can be sent to learn@sun.ac.za

As a reminder, please ensure that you have requested your module roll-over before the new academic year begins. A link can be found on our website to the form, as well as on any SUNLearn course page (top right of your screen). 

​There are two different options available for you to officially register as a student of Stellenbosch University in January 2018.

This includes the following:

• self-registration (e-registration)
• registration process in NARGA on the Stellenbosch campus, or GERGA on the Tygerberg campus for students in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

If you have completed the National Senior Certificate or the IEB-certificate, you will be able to register yourself.

Candidates from other school systems cannot make use of self-registration. These candidates are urged to submit their final school results, as well as the certificate of university exemption that must be obtained from the SA Matriculation Board to info@sun.ac.za. Candidate must also supply their student number.

Notice on registration:

It is important that you read the notice on registration that will be sent to you separately via email by the Registrar of the University before the end of the year.

All the information that you need to decide whether you want to register yourself, or whether you want to register in NARGA (GERGA at the Tygerberg campus) during the welcoming programme, will be provided in the notice.  All the necessary dates, times, documentation required and other important information will be contained in the notice.

Self-registration by first-year students:

Self-registration by first-year students can be done from 12 January up to the time slot alloacted to register in NARGA or GERGA.

Self-registration can be done from any computer with access to internet on www.maties.com. We urge you to make use of this option.

Student card:

You will obtain your student card at the Student Centre (Neelsie) in Stellenbosch in the time slot allocated for your faculty's registration in NARGA, or in GERGA if you are at Tygerberg.

GERGA-registration and NARGA-registration:

If you cannot or do not want to register yourself, you must carefully read the notice on registration that will be sent to you via email to ensure that you report for registration at the right date and time at NARGA or GERGA.

• GERGA-registration at the Tygerberg campus is scheduled for Friday 26 January  
• NARGA-registration at the Stellenbosch campus is per faculty allocated time slots on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 January

Please ensure that you have all the necessary documents required for registration.

Please note that first-year students who have not registered on these dates and who obtain special permission to register (the programme for which you want to register might already be full), will have to register later in the course of that week in NARGA together with the senior students of their faculty. First-year students, who register later than that, will be charged a levy of R500, on condition that the relevant Faculty Administrator has granted permission for late registration.

If you do not register yourself before you arrive in Stellenbosch or at Tygerberg, it is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with all the admission requirements of your study programme before you leave for Stellenbosch.

If you are going to register in NARGA or GERGA, you must provide the following original documents when you report for registration in your faculty's allocated registration time slot:

• Advice of Results of the 2017 NSC or IEB final school-leaving examination.
• NSC or IEB candidates who matriculated in 2016 or earlier: National Senior Certificate.
• Candidates from other school systems: School-leaving certificate/s and certificate of university exemption issued by the SA Matriculation Board.
• Candidates who studied at other universities: The document/s mentioned at 2 or 3 above, as well as a full academic record and a certificate of good conduct issued by the university concerned.
• If you are not a South African citizen: a valid study permit.

Please take note of the notice regarding the writing of the National Benchmark Tests.

Stellenbosch University (SU) researchers have discovered that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) directly impacts the brain in the early stages of the infection.

It has long been known that many people with HIV also experience negative cognitive symptoms, such as depression, forgetfulness, etc. However, it was unclear whether it was caused by such patients' physical illness, or whether the HI virus had a direct effect on the brain.

“Our research shows that HIV does have an impact on the brain and that these low-grade cognitive symptoms are likely not just function loss due to patients feeling sick, tired or depressed," says Dr Stéfan du Plessis, lead author of a series of articles about the research published in AIDS and other international journals.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) – a type of brain scan that shows how blood flows to certain parts of the brain when someone is performing certain tasks or is experiencing certain emotions – Du Plessis and his team compared the brain activity of people with HIV to those without HIV while they performed certain tasks designed to stimulate specific regions of the brain. HIV-positive study participants were in good physical and mental health, did not abuse drugs, and had not yet started on antiretroviral treatment (ART).

They found that these participants had a decreased blood flow in the striatal region of the brain while performing tasks involving higher motor functions. They also observed little action and blood flow to the nucleus accumbens of HIV-positive patients while performing a task involving a monetary reward. This section of the brain is involved with aspects concerning motivation, apathy and enthusiasm for life.

“The fMRI scans show how the HI virus affects important parts of the brain involved with motivation. We theorise that this could happen to such an extent that patients are often simply not motivated enough to take their medication, or even get out of bed," explains Du Plessis. He conducted the research as part of his PhD in Psychiatry and was the first person to obtain a PhD at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences that focused on fMRI.

Finally, the researchers also studied the structure of the frontal cortex, a brain region that is known to atrophy in the context of HIV. They discovered a link between the levels of atrophy and brain functional impairment – the thinner the actual frontal lobe was, the lower the levels of function.

“The study highlights a previously unknown functional effect that HIV has on the brain. We hope that these results will stimulate further studies to test the effects of ARVs, or other interventions, that could improve brain function and therefore the lives and well-being of patients with HIV," says Du Plessis.

Earlier studies have shown that up to 50% of people with HIV may suffer from some form of cognitive impairment, ranging from subtle impairment detectible only through sophisticated cognitive tests, to severe psychosis.

Prior to the introduction of ART many patients developed severe HIV-related dementia. ART has markedly improved the symptoms of dementia in HIV-positive people.

Caption: Dr Stéfan du Plessis was the first person to obtain a PhD at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences that focused on fMRI.

Photo: Damien Schumann

​​​The official welcome of new students (Stellenbosch campus, Tygerberg campus and Faculty of Military Science) and their parents/guardians, student leaders and staff will take place at 18:00 in the Danie Craven stadium on Thursday, 25 January 2018. The informal pre-programme starts at 17:30.​

​Parking arrangements​
Parents/guardians are kindly requested to park at the Coetzenburg sports fields and the Coetzenburg Centre near the Danie Craven stadium for their introduction to the faculties as well as the official welcoming event. Parking on the central campus is limited, and in support of our environment we request that parents/guardians park at Coetzenburg and walk to the venues where the introduction to the faculties will take place. Most venues are within walking distance.​

Faculty of Engineering: this faculty is the only exception. It is too far from Coetzenburg to walk, but parking is available at the faculty. Parents/guardians should take traffic congestion into consideration when driving to Coetzenburg after meeting with the dean. 

Traffic congestion
Please take the high volume of traffic on all access routes to Stellenbosch, in town and at Coetzenburg into account when planning travelling time, parking and walking distance to the different venues. The pre-programme for students will start at 17:15 and we suggest that you take your seat as soon as possible after your introduction to the faculty, to enjoy that part of the programme. 

​Comfortable clothes, walking shoes, a hat and bottled water are also recommended. It can be very windy at Coetzenburg: a light jacket or windbreaker may be a good idea for the early evening. 

Shuttle service 
A shuttle service will operate in a circular route from the parking area at the Coetzenburg Centre to the Konservatorium (Conservatoire of Music) on the corner of Neethling and Victoria streets. Parents/guardians and students who have difficulty walking are welcome to make use of this service. Look out for the vehicles with a Maties bus or Stellenbosch University logo. 

Information officers
Information officers (dressed in clearly visible T-shirts) will be at Coetzenburg and on the central campus. 

Please ask them for assistance or directions. The Administration B building (Victoria Street opposite Wilgenhof) and the Administration A building (on the T junction of Ryneveld and Crozier streets) both have an enquiries desk. ​​​​