​​"The Faculty of Engineering is honoured to be associated with you," August Engelbrecht said to an audience of 300 people during a very special event on 17 March 2018. "Today we acknowledge school principals, their management teams, parents and learners for their outstanding academic results in the 2017 Matric examinations."

During the function, certificates of recognition were handed over to 49 schools on the Western Cape Education Department's merit list. "Significant numbers of learners from these schools come to study at Stellenbosch University (SU), and particularly at the Faculty of Engineering," added Mr Engelbrecht who is responsible for student recruitment and retention at the Faculty of Engineering.

Schools were represented by principals or their deputies, as well as the schools' top Matrics and their parents.

In his address, the Dean of the Faculty, Prof Wikus van Niekerk, said: "Engineers make dreams come true! We believe we make a huge impact in society, by improving quality of life for instance by providing electricity and clean water."

He encouraged learners to consider Stellenbosch Engineering as their first choice of study in 2019. "Why study at SU Engineering?" he asked them. He then provided a few solid reasons:

1. The Faculty's has an excellent reputation. It is the only SA engineering faculty that received ECSA accreditation the past ten years with no deficiencies;

2. The Faculty has a high success rate: 72% of first-years do graduate with a BEng degree;

3. There is a common first-year programme which provides some exposure to all disciplines. This allows students one year to decide which discipline they are really interested in. If their performance is satisfactory, they can switch to another programme in their second year if they wish to do so;

4. The Faculty has an excellent research programme which is strongly supported by industry;

6. Residence life in Matieland is phenomenal, and solid mentorship programmes exist in residences and the Faculty.

7. The Faculty of Engineering offers great support to its students. Apart from two personnel dedicated to looking after the interests of students, there are also two part-time educational psychologists who assist engineering students with academic and personal challenges. The Faculty has a well-established tutor programme where senior students assist groups of first-years who grapple with technical modules.

The audience also heard that 72 of the current 780 first-year Matie engineering students obtained an average of 90% or more in Matric.

"Some of the trust that SU has placed in the Faculty of Engineering is the fact that close on one billion Rand is being spent on the refurbishment of the Engineering building complex. If you come to this Faculty, you will become part of a dynamic, growing faculty," the Dean added to strengthen his argument why learners should choose Stellenbosch Engineering for their studies.

The Faculty then played its trump card and introduced and honoured Janke van Dyk. Janke, who hails from Bellville High School, was the country' top Matric in 2017 with an astounding average of 98,3%. And what is Janke doing this year? This bright young lady is studying Chemical Engineering at Stellenbosch University!

Photo collage:

Photograph on the left: Prof Wikus van Niekerk (Dean) and Mrs Phadiela Cooper (Principal: Centre for Science & Technology (COSAT).

Photograph in the centre: From the left: Prof Steven Bradshaw (Chair: Process Engineering that offers the Programme in Chemical Engineering), Janke van Dyk (top Matric in 2017 and currently first-year student in Chemical Engineering) and August Engelbrecht (responsible for student recruitment and retention at Engineering).

Photo on the right: Prof Wikus van Niekerk (Dean) and Mr Werner van Rensburg (Vice-Rector: Paul Roos Gymnasium).

​

ELSABé DANEEL BEGINNERS AND ADVANCED COMMUNICATION WORKSHOPS

Elsabé Daneel is a well-known TV presenter, TV & movie actor and have produced and acted in many theatre productions.  She is a producer, director and presenter of corporate videos as well as documentaries for kykNET and M-Net.

As communication and media strategist, she conducts the communication workshop, Communication IQ. These fun filled workshops in communication and projection skills are geared for corporate clients, TV and radio presenters, actors, public speakers, educators, students, academic personnel, etc.

Elsabé will offer two communication workshops for Stellenbosch University academic staff during August.  The beginner's workshop will take place on 23 August and the advanced workshop on 24 August.  (Only participants who have previously completed the beginner's workshop can enrol for the advanced workshop.)

The following topics are discussed during the workshops:

• grasp communication jargon
• discover the ABC of the communication process
• evaluate your strong and weaker points as a communicator
• make communication models work for you
• suss out the technicalities that influence the communication process
• recognize the role of personal style
• thrive on body language
• experiment with vocalics
• indulge in relaxation techniques that work
• package your verbal message
• establish rapport
• recording podcasts and videos for use in your modules.

When:

Beginner's workshop:  23 August 2018 from 13:00 to 17:00

Advanced workshop:  24 August 2018 from 13:00 to 17:00

Where:

Den Bosch, 39 Victoria Street (opposite Skuilhoek and behind the Conservatoire)

There are only 10 places available per workshop.

Please contact Nothemba Nqayi at nothemban@sun.ac.za or 021 808 3717 to reserve your place.

​

New Academics' Transitions Regional Colloquium

Thursday 4 May 2017 saw the launch of the very first New Academics' Transitions Regional Colloquium at the University of Cape Town. The Colloquium brought together new academics from UCT, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Stellenbosch University (SU) and the University of the Western Cape (UWC). 

Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at UCT Professor Daya Reddy opened the event by expressing how he wished that he had been exposed to the advantages that the respective new academic programmes provide, in a more systematic way than when he started out in academia. If he had he would have been better prepared to deal with the hurdles and mistakes new academics face. On that note he recognised that the higher education environment is much more complex today than before but as academics there is so much that we can learn from one another. 

Dr Kasturi Behari-Leak, one of the main organisers of the event and educator on the UCT New Academics Professional Programme (NAPP), reiterated what Professor Reddy had said, “it is my firm belief that new academics' both young and old come in with a rich resource that we can certainly learn from."

As it was the first regional colloquium, representatives from each university including Dr Nicolene Herman (SU), Professor Vivienne Bozalek (UWC), Dr Misiwe Katiya (CPUT) and Dr Behari-Leak all shared the different models of induction practice used at the respective universities. A key theme across the programmes was that of critical reflection on practice.

After a short break delegates were broken up into groups where a number of academics from the various universities shared their specific experiences and innovations in the classroom. 

In her presentation Dr Sisa Ngabaza, from the Department of Women and Gender Studies at UWC, shared how she has begun to use a blended learning approach in her classroom by making use of mobile phones. Before attempting to do this Dr Ngabaza surveyed her class and found that 100% of her students had smartphones and 96% were willing to use them for learning. After browsing many applications including Facebook and other social media platforms, she settled on Kahoot!. Kahoot! allows educators to create fun learning games that multiple participants can engage with. This technique proved to stimulate and encourage more participation amongst Dr Ngabaza's students. 

“It encouraged me to understand and not just memorise" was an example of feedback Jessica Stander, lecturer in Physiotherapy at SU, received after she too introduced a blended learning approach in her classroom. Recognising that her students were unprepared for their practical classes even though they knew what subject matter was to be covered, Stander took a leap of faith and began to incorporate online learning into her curriculum. She produced a number of videos and online learning materials which she shared with her students. To her relief, this resulted in more and better prepared students in her practical sessions. She emphasised that physiotherapy is “very practical but you need a theoretical base."

A particularly poignant presentation was given by Asanda Ngoasheng from CPUT, a lecturer in Political and Business Reporting as well as Editorial Management who commented on how she  needed her 'ahistorical students' to understand the concept of privilege so they could look at the world with new eyes. She spoke passionately about the need to decolonise the curriculum and more importantly the way of thinking of many of her students, “we need to decolonise the coloniser but also the colonised."

In order to do this she uses intersectionality theory in her classroom which is actualised by making her students do the Privilege Walk. The Privilege Walk lines students up and asks them a number of questions related to privilege, for example, “If one or both of your parents were "white collar" professionals:  doctors, lawyers, etc. take one step forward" or “if you were raised in an area where there was prostitution, drug activity, etc., take one step back." This experiment put students' own privilege into perspective in a way it never had before. 

After the presentations and a quick lunch the delegates reconvened to reflect on the day. The panelists then shared what they felt were the main themes to come out. According to Dr Herman, what stood out for her was the passion the new academics present showed for their students and their discipline. Dr Katiya echoed that sentiment. She believed that the ideas shared that day showed that “we, as academics care and that attitude is what students need." Her remarks that many academics chose to implement strategies in the classroom without asking permission elicited chuckles from the crowd, but she affirmed, that “sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do".

The day rounded off with thank you's to all those involved in the event and the hopes that this would turn into an annual exchange of ideas and knowledge. 

See more at: http://www.cilt.uct.ac.za/cilt/news/NATRC2017#sthash.iwlJKiM4.dpuf
For photos of the event, visit:  http://www.cilt.uct.ac.za/new-academics-transitions-regional-colloquium-2017-photos

​

Programme Renewal at Stellenbosch University

Background

The Vice-Rector (Learning and Teaching), Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel,  identified holistic programme renewal as one of his Responsibility Centre's (RC's) key strategic priorities for 2017. This stems from an emerging SU strategy for Programme renewal and integrated L&T Environmental Plans presented at the SU Institutional Planning Fora, Senate and Council. A community of practice was established in 2016 to include all the vice-deans for teaching as well as senior staff members responsible for programme management. Regular discussions took place as to how to go into action in 2017.

Going into action: Prof Gilly Salmon workshop

The programme renewal process is a holistic institutional project, with the first year focusing on the identification of one candidate programme for renewal per faculty as well as drawing up a programme renewal roadmap within faculties with different levels of renewal per programme.

The vice-deans was asked to identify a candidate programme, a team leader who will drive the renewal process, team members, a timeline as well as the resources they may need.  As catalyst, Prof Gilly Salmon (Pro Vice-Chancellor: Education Innovation, University of Western Australia) hosted a workshop at Devonvale, Stellenbosch from 16-18 May 2017 focusing on the programme as well as module design aspects.  Representatives from all ten faculties attended the workshop.

At this workshop, the programme teams consisting of faculty members and professional academic support staff focussed in groups ("pods") on their candidate programmes as well as two or three key modules within the programmes. Participants became acquainted with Prof Salmon's "Carpe Diem" methodology as one possible approach, and will now replicate the process for the remainder of the modules as well as additional programmes in each faculty.

One of the main barriers identified by faculties to engage in programme renewal is time and Prof Salmon's methodology is tried and tested to have an impact within a short space of time.

Maintaining the institutional focus and sharing of good practice

The regular meetings with the vice-deans will continue the cross-faculty discussions to raise critical questions and share good practice. These discussion forums also contain the bigger project team including representatives from the RC of the Vice-Rector such as the Senior Director: Learning and Teaching Enhancement; staff from the Centre for Teaching and Learning, Centre for Learning Technologies and Language Centre; the Senior Director: Institutional Reach and Planning and staff from Academic Planning and Quality Assurance. The overarching themes of the project were identified at the previous think tanks. These will be addressed on both faculty and institutional level as part of an overarching three year project. The project plan will be refined as the faculties and the support teams gain experience on the candidate programmes and update their programme renewal roadmaps.

The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences not only welcomed a third cohort of Project Zero bursary recipients in 2018, but also celebrated the progress of the bursary recipients who started their journey in 2016 and 2017.

The Project Zero initiative aims to reduce the cost of studying at SU to zero for talented students. Project Zero bursaries, along with the University's recruitment and merit bursaries, cover the student's full university account. The bursaries are granted based on academic merit and about 50% of the recipients come from resource-poor backgrounds.

“You are the cream of the crop and we are very proud of you," Prof Johan Malan, Acting Dean of the Faculty, told the students at a special function held earlier in March.

The 2018 cohort consists of 20 first-year students, while there are 19 second-year and 15 third-year students. Three students of the original 2016 cohort left the Project Zero initiative after signing other bursary contracts.

The top Project Zero achievers from the 2016 intake (now third year) and the 2017 intake (now second year) were acknowledged at the function. They are Kamir Arjun (Accounting), Panashe Hakutangwi (Actuarial Science), Jeremy Gounden (Accounting) and Wesley Manotwana (Actuarial Science).

They all appreciate the fact that the financial burden was lifted from their shoulders so that they can focus on their studies.

“The bursary has allowed me to study a skill that is in demand without having to worry about student debt. Besides this, the bursary has supported my studies by means of the module mentorship program which allowed me to find a mentor who was able to guide me through the challenges that I faced in the course," said Kamir.

“I believe in living my life to the fullest while ensuring that I remain a well-balanced individual. I constantly set goals for myself and always work towards making them a reality. Among other things, I would like to earn my Accounting degree cum laude, complete a MBA at the Harvard Business School, become a CFA charter holder with the goal of entering the Venture Capital space and run the Comrades marathon. I would also like to give back to the community by offering my time and skills to help mentor fledgling business owners so that they can build a sustainable business."

Jeremy felt very honoured when he received the news that a Project Zero bursary had been awarded to him

“The bursary, first and foremost, is making a huge impact financially, covering my tuition, accommodation and a plethora of other expenses relating to my studies, therefore allowing me to focus on my degree without the fear of financial hassles, whilst also serving as motivation to attain the best marks possible."

His goal is to qualify as a Chartered Accountant and see where the world takes him.

“We are living in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment with various avenues one can pursue as a Chartered Accountant."

Panashe never expected to receive a full bursary from one of the top universities in the country.

“After the shock came overwhelming joy, a strong determination to ensure that my matric results were top notch and since arriving at university, an even stronger determination to do my absolute best and not waste this opportunity. It removed the financial burden from my parents and allows me to focus on my academics, leadership skills and physical wellness.

“The best part about being a student at Stellenbosch University is the realisation that I'm not here just to get a degree. I'm here to grow, make friends and experience some of the best years of my life."

• No contribution is too small and funds can be earmarked for the Project Zero initiative. Contact the faculty manager, MJ Brooks, on +27 (0)21 808 2078 or mjbrooks@sun.ac.za if you wish to contribute.
  

​The Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (SICMF) presented by the Music Department of Stellenbosch University scooped an award for the Best Contribution to the Visual Arts (including Public Arts) at the Cultural Affairs Awards of the Western Cape hosted by the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) in March. 

The Music Department is one of 18 departments within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Each year, DCAS invites nominations from the general public of “individuals (residing in the Western Cape) who have excelled and made a difference in one or more of the Cultural Affairs categories; and in the process, made a substantial contribution towards the Western Cape government realising its strategic objectives". The winners are then selected by a panel of experts from those persons nominated. 

“The SICMF was nominated in two categories: best contribution to public arts and best contribution to performing arts.  We won an award for the best contribution to public arts which was presented at a function hosted by the Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ms Anroux Marais," said Dr Pieter Grobler, the Chair of the Music Department.

“This is a great achievement, not only in terms of the prestige it affords Stellenbosch University but also in terms of recognising the work that the Music Department and  SICMF does in the field of social responsibility. "

Grobler said that he was seated next to Denis Goldberg – a prominent anti-apartheid activist and the only white man to be sentenced as part of the Rivonia trial, which also led to Nelson Mandela's 27-year incarceration – on the night of the awards ceremony when the announcement was made.

Being no stranger to the SICMF, Goldberg was extremely happy that the festival received recognition and the entire Music Department was subsequently invited to his 85th birthday celebrations to be held at the Hugo Lampbrechts Music Centre in April.

Goldberg featured as narrator in the commissioned work, Moments in a Life, at the 2016 SICMF. The music written by local composer Matthijs van Dijk was cleverly crafted to enhance texts taken from Goldberg's autobiography.

The SU Museum also received an award for the Best Museum Promoting Social Inclusion along with Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum.

Photo: Dr Pieter Grobler accepted the award presented by Ms Jane Moleleki, the Director Arts, Culture and Language of the Western Cape government for the SICMF.

The graduation of students from Agriscience and Medicine and Healty Science took place yesterday afternoon while the University also honoured Prof Peter Jones, Prof André Nel, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman with honorary doctorates.

In his welcoming speech at the ceremony, prof Wim de Villiers, Vice-rector, said: “By the end of this week's graduation ceremonies, and following those of December 2017, we will again have awarded a record number of qualifications for a single academic year – 9 032 qualifications in total, including 1 620 master's degrees and 305 PhDs. These are phenomenal numbers! Clearly, Stellenbosch University is making an invaluable contribution as a national asset."

De Villiers said that Against the background of valuable lessons from our complex history, the Centenary signifies a new beginning for Stellenbosch University. “We strive to be a relevant institution playing a key role in the development of our nation, and our continent. And we are committed to contribute to a society of dignity, healing, justice, freedom and equality for all."

“I always tell people that Stellenbosch today is a much better university than when I obtained my MBChB here in 1983, followed by an MMed in 1991. There are three main reasons for this: We are more research intensive; we are becoming ever more diverse while at the same time achieving a module pass rate above 85%, which is among the highest in the country, in line with our aim of broadening access with success and we have a greater international outlook."

“This we also see reflected in AgriSciences, one of the University's four founding faculties. Held in high regard globally, they occupy the No. 1 position in Africa on the QS World University Rankings by Subject for both agriculture and forestry," he added.

The message that the honorary doctorates Jones, Nel and Sooliman brought to the graduation was that………………………………………

Jones:

Nel:

Sooliman:

ADD LINKS TO OTHER Honorary doctorate stories

​

Almost 400 students graduated last night in the Coetzenburg centre shortly after two honorary doctorates were bestowed on Baroness Christine van den Wyngaert and Prof Brian O'Connell.

The vice rector, Wim de Villiers said in a welcoming speech that, this graduation is a truly historic occasion as it is taking place in the Centenary year of Stellenbosch University.

“Against the background of valuable lessons from our complex history, our Centenary signifies a new beginning for Stellenbosch University. We strive to be a relevant institution playing a key role in the development of our nation, and our continent," he said.

He also told the guest of the Faculty of Science, that used to be 1m x 1m big –  the size of the wall cabinet in which our first scientific instruments were stored. Today, the Faculty has 170 laboratories in eight academic departments housed in 13 buildings on campus – empowering nearly 900 graduates per year with a globally competitive qualification.

“The faculty of Education is one of the four original faculties that the University started with. Today we are proud that a contribution is deliver in the improvement of education in the country. The Faculty of Law is occupying the beautiful Old Main Building that goes back to the University's prehistory as Victoria College. “

“The Faculty of Military Science is the only one of its kind in Africa, providing professional military education for the SA National Defence Force as per our agreement with the Department of Defence, which has just been renewed. “

This week will be remembering as the week commemorating the centenary and awarding more honorary degrees than usual, a total of 13 spread over six graduation ceremonies. The recipients are all esteemed local and international thought leaders.

In the fifth graduation, Baroness Christine van den Wyngaert and Prof Brian O'Connell, got honorary degrees.

Baroness Christine

Prof O'Connell

​

The Faculty of Economical and Management Sciences, that is the biggest faculty of Stellenbosch University, awarded degrees to the last students in a second ceremony the week adding up to a total of 3 232 students graduating in the faculty for 2017. This pleasing ceremony took place amidst an honorary degree awarded to Prof Mervyn King at the Coetzenburg-sentrum. Through the week altogether 13 honorary degrees were bestowed esteemed thought-leaders as part on commemorating the centenary year of SU.

Prof Wim de Villiers, vice rector of SU, said in a welcoming address that SU is commemorate the Centenary this year and “we celebrate great achievements and ground-breaking discoveries the past 100 years."

“We acknowledge everyone who helped to mould this institution. At the same time, the University has “acknowledged its contribution to the injustices of the past" and committed itself to redress and development."

“This Faculty has been very successful in boosting access to higher education. For the past decade, it has participated in the Thuthuka project, which aims to produce more Chartered Accountants from previously disadvantaged groups. In the last year 40% of the faculty's income was used in financial support for student's class fees," De Villiers said.

“It is not only about the numbers of students we accommodate but also about the quality of learning and teaching provided. For instance, a number of MBAs will be awarded today, and I am pleased to point out that the University of Stellenbosch Business School was the first business school from an African university to achieve all three of the major international accreditations in this field," De Villiers said.

“We also know that good governance is absolutely essential in both the private and public sectors. SU's School of Public Leadership, which is part of this Faculty, prepares graduates – many of whom come from the local government level – to tackle these challenges. It also provides specialist anti-corruption education and training through a dedicated research chair and centre."

According to De Villiers do the honorary degree recipients not only exemplify the graduate attributes that need to be instil in students, but also the qualities that we take with us into the future as we enter our second century as a leading university.

Prof Mervyn King said just after receiving the honorary degree,………………………………………..

​ The first graduation ceremony of the centenary year of Stellenbosch University (SU) kicked off in splendour tonight (19 March 2018) with more than 1500 degrees and diplomas that were awarded to students in the University's biggest faculty: Economic and Management Sciences.

As part of its centenary commemoration, SU also bestowed honorary doctorates upon Mr Patrice Motsepe and Mr Jannie Mouton during the ceremony. They are part of 13 prominent thought-leaders to be honoured with honorary degrees during this graduation week.

The Vice-Rector: Learning and Teaching, Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, addressed the graduates and guests at the ceremony stating that over the past hundred years SU has grown into one of Africa's leading higher-education institutions.

“Against the background of valuable lessons from our complex history, our Centenary signifies a new beginning for Stellenbosch University. We strive to be a relevant institution playing a key role in the development of our nation, and our continent. And we are committed to contribute to a society of dignity, healing, justice, freedom and equality for all," said Schoonwinkel.

Cellphone users click here for the video.

According to Schoonwinkel the group of graduands at SU represent the priorities the University values namely inclusivity, excellence and social impact.

“By the end of this week's graduation ceremonies, and following those of December 2017, we will again have awarded a record number of qualifications for a single academic year – 9 032 qualifications in total, including 1 620 master's degrees and 305 PhDs. These are phenomenal numbers! Clearly, Stellenbosch University is making an invaluable contribution as a national asset," he says.

“Our Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences was created seven years after the University was established in 1918. Back then, it was a bold step, because the field of commerce was a novelty just appearing on the academic landscape. Soon, however, the success of this experiment became apparent, judging from the Faculty's continuous growth, the influence of its academics and the outstanding careers of its many alumni through the years."

​

Cellphone users click here for video. 

The Faculty's current student numbers – some 5 200 undergraduate and 3 500 postgraduate students, with nearly as many women as men – are far removed from the first intake of only 15 men in 1925.

Schoonwinkel welcomed the recent announcement by the state that “fully subsidised, free higher education and training for poor and working-class South Africans" will be phased in. He said that additional bursary support will still be required and thanked all donors helping SU to provide opportunities to the next generation of talented students making an impact globally.

Messrs Motsepe and Mouton both addressed the audience.

“We are celebrating  Stellenbosch university and Madiba's 100 years. This country needs to uphold the principles of Nelson Mandela," said Motsepe. 

Mouton said: "Take your time, focus on the opportunities, do not focus on the bad. Start a great company and employ people." 

Read more about the 13 recipients of the honorary doctorates of SU here .

​Rory Dunbar and his friendly service dog, Vaughn, are familiar faces at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS).

Dunbar is the Data Centre Manager at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre and was awarded his PhD in Paediatrics and Child Health this week for the development of a model for the virtual implementation of TB diagnostics.

Serendipitously, he received his degree just four days ahead of World TB Day.

“I enjoy the work and it's fulfilling to do something that can help the community," he explains his motivation for doing a PhD while also working fulltime. His research can assist the Department of Health to evaluate new TB diagnostic tools.

Dunbar is a quadriplegic with damage to his C4, C5 and C6 vertebrae, which means that he is paralysed from the chest down and has restricted use of his hands. Vaughn helps him to get around by opening and closing doors and picking things up for him, and is also trained to “call" for help in case Dunbar is incapacitated. “He's also good company," Dunbar praises the lovable Labrador, who always shows off his plush toy to visitors at the office.

Dunbar has a background in information technology (IT) and joined the FMHS 12 years ago as a data analyst. “Working in this environment piqued my interest in research, so I decided to expand my knowledge and skills. I first obtained my honours degree in epidemiology, and that lead to a Masters, also in epidemiology. After that everyone started asking 'when are you doing your PhD?' When the opportunity arose, I went for it," explains Dunbar.

While doing his PhD, Dunbar received SU's HB & MJ Thom bursary that is annually awarded to people who show positive leadership potential in any field and boast a good academic record in their previous studies. He used the bursary to travel to the Liverpool School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom to consult with an expert in operational modelling, Dr Ivor Langley, who also co-supervised his study.

“For me it's quite expensive to travel overseas, because I have to take along a care attendant to help with my medical needs. The bursary helped me carry the cost to go over for a month," says Dunbar.

He is very grateful to the FMHS and the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in particular for their ongoing support. “Everybody here has been very supportive – from the director to the data capturers. They always asked how my studies were progressing, offered to help, and put things in place to make my life easier."

​​SU student comes up with a way to decrease load shedding

In an attempt to minimise the risk of load shedding, Stellenbosch University (SU) student Jancke Eygelaar, 25, designed a cable system to support planning managers at power utilities to schedule preventative maintenance and increase reliability to satisfy power demands.

Jancke says that studying further was not part of his plan but he enrolled for a Masters in Engineering programme​ in any case. “I started to enjoy it after a few months even though my goal wasn't to study further." The programme was initially for a master's degree but it was later upgraded to a PhD. “I'm very proud of myself for getting the upgrade. It shows the hard work I put into the project," he adds.

One of Jancke's biggest challenges was working on a single problem for three years. “It requires a lot of motivation. There were many times when I felt like giving up, especially after the upgrade, because I knew if I were to stop I'd still obtain my master's degree."

As a business intelligence consultant, Jancke works in an advanced analytics team, which does mainly data analysis to obtain insight into business processes, such as sales, products and consumers.

He explains that being an average undergraduate student motivated him to do well in his postgraduate studies. He also wanted to prove to himself that he could achieve a higher level of education.

The Stellenbosch-born Jancke started his master's in 2015 and finished it at the end of 2016. After his public master's defence, his degree was awarded and upgraded to a PhD, which required another year of study before he could submit his project.

Jancke says that his plans include staying a few more years in the consulting industry to gain some more experience – always valuable – and then maybe to work overseas for a few years.

Jancke will be among 267 doctoral graduates at the SU Centenary graduation, which will take place at Coetzenburg in Stellenbosch from Monday, 19 March, until Friday, 23 March.

​
The pioneer work of the faculties of Theology and Engineering was acknowledged at the second March graduation ceremony of Stellenbosch University (SU) at Coetzenburg Centre. At this ceremony, honorary doctorates were also bestowed on Prof Musa Dube, Archbishop Thabo Cecil Makgoba and Mr Trueman Goba.

For people with cell phones, click here

People with cell phones can click here

To watch the video on a cell phone, click here

In his welcoming address, the University's Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers, said this graduation ceremony was a truly historic occasion, forming part of SU's Centenary year. He also reminded the audience that the Faculty of Theology was officially established in 1920, and the Faculty of Engineering in 1944.   

“As we commemorate our Centenary this year, we celebrate great achievements and ground-breaking discoveries over the past 100 years. We acknowledge everyone who has helped mould this institution. At the same time, the University acknowledges its contribution to the injustices of the past and is committed to redress and development," he said.

“Our Faculty of Theology is listed among the world's top 100 theological institutions on the QS World University Rankings by subject, making it one of only three theological institutions on the African continent to have achieved this distinction. The Faculty's transformative impact is evident from the fact that 57% of the students receiving qualifications today are from previously disadvantaged groups. And the fact that students from diverse denominations are included points to the Faculty's inclusive approach."

“Our Faculty of Engineering, in turn, is also doing sterling work with a positive impact on society. For instance, it houses the national head office of the TRAC SA programme, which assists under-resourced secondary schools with science and technology teaching. Every day, TRAC facilitators work with more than 10 000 learners in 110 secondary schools countrywide. The learners supported by TRAC are also performing better in their school exams," De Villiers said.

Altogether 13 honorary doctorates will be awarded as part of the Centenary commemorations this year. “The recipients of our honorary doctorates exemplify not only the graduate attributes that we aim to instil in our students but also the qualities we seek to take with us into the future as we enter our second century as a leading university," said De Villiers.

At the ceremony, the honorary doctorates had an opportunity to address the guests.

“I'm honoured and humbled to be a recipient of an honorary doctorate from such an illustrious university at this point in its history," said Prof Dube.

Prof Musa Dube, Archbishop, said: "If you (SU) continue on this way of transformation, a Matie may one day become the president of South Africa."  

“The knowledge and freedom we enjoy today help us to create wealth in our country, directly or indirectly," said Goba.

Read more about the 13 recipients of the honorary doctorates of SU here .

To read Prof De Villiers total speech, click here . 

​Growing and moving forward together is not only the Centenary theme of Stellenbosch University (SU) but also the theme that has run through the lives of the Van Zyl family for years. In illustration of this, mother and daughter Benita and Tinneke van Zyl will be receiving their degrees at this year's series of graduation ceremonies in March.

Benita will be awarded her MEd (Curriculum Studies) degree cum laude during the fifth graduation ceremony on Thursday, 22 March, and her daughter, Tinneke, will receive her BScHons (AgriSciences) degree during the third graduation ceremony on Tuesday, 20 March.

“I would never have thought that mom and daughter would graduate together in the same year during the same graduation week. Words cannot describe the emotions I'm feeling. It's exciting and something we'll cherish throughout our lives," says Benita.

The Van Zyls are a proud Maties family. Benita met her husband at SU while studying towards their undergraduate degrees. Their children Tiaan, who is studying Industrial Engineering, and Tinneke decided to follow their parents' example by studying at the same university.

While Benita was completing her postgraduate degree, she also had to juggle her day job as Res-Ed Manager at the Centre for Student Communities at SU.

“I'm extremely proud of my mom for finishing her master's while being a mom and a wife and working full time. What a superhero. It was also a comfort having three students in the same household. We were able to support each other throughout our years of study. Graduating with my mom at the same time makes it even more sentimental and special," says Tinneke.

Tinneke moved to Ceres at the beginning of January this year to work at Tru-Cape, where her role entails quality assurance at Ceres Fruit Growers and ensuring that all the different specifications are met for the company's local and its export markets.

“I miss my daughter very much. Our relationship has always been more than a mother-and-daughter one – we've always been best friends, too. I'm proud of Tinneke for wanting to achieve her goals, though, and starting her career in Ceres," says Benita.

Besides graduating together this year, Benita and Tinneke also share a passion for netball. Benita served as captain of the Protea netball team between 1996 and 1997, and she also served as the Maties netball captain in 1988. Tinneke played netball as a teenager and was part of the Western Province netball team when she was in Grade 8.

According to Benita, playing netball had to take a backseat while she raised her children and worked on her career in education. “Unfortunately, I don't have the time to focus on netball anymore. My focus is now on my students, whom I love very much, and on helping to make their experience at SU even better," says Benita.

Benita's MEd research focused on commuter students and on how the cluster communities at SU have helped these students have a better Matie experience. “This is ground-breaking research, as no one else in the country has looked at this topic. I've always been able to relate to and understand the circumstances of commuter students and the experiences they go through, as I was one during my high-school years."

Benita had to travel from her home in Kuils River to Bellville High School during her secondary education. She also participated in sports and other extra-curricular activities while doing her best to excel academically.

Tinneke says that it is this hard work and determination that she always saw in her mother that has motivated her to work harder, too. “My family have always been very supporting and loving. They have always told me to do what I want to do as long as I enjoy it. Being able to see my mom do the same is even more encouraging."

For more information on the March graduation ceremonies, visit www.sun.ac.za.

​Dr Alanna Rebelo on Tuesday (20 March 2018) became the first student in the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) to be awarded a joint doctorate by SU and the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She received her doctorate in Conservation Ecology at the third ceremony of SU's March graduation. Rebelo's supervisors were Prof Karen Esler from SU's Department of Conversation Ecology and Entomology and Prof Patrick Meire from the Ecosystem Management Group at the University of Antwerp.

This was only the second joint doctorate to be awarded in the Faculty of AgriSciences. The first joint PhD in the Faculty was awarded with the University of Bordeaux in France in 2017. The University of Antwerp is one of 21 partners with whom SU has joint PhD agreements. In addition to Rebelo's degree, two other joint doctorates, one in Sport Science and one in Geology, will also be awarded during the 2018 March graduation. This brings to 23 the number of joint doctorates that SU has conferred to date.

In her doctoral study, Rebelo looked at, among others, the benefits palmiet wetlands hold for ecosystems such as slowing the force of floods, cleaning water and providing habitat for biodiversity and sediment retention. Describing herself as a wetland ecologist, she says many people have heard of palmiet, but not many know what a valuable wetland plant it is.

Rebelo, who will be doing postdoctoral research at SU, says she has fond memories of her journey towards a joint doctorate.

“I enjoyed my PhD thoroughly; learning the ropes at a new (international) institution and most of all I loved my research group."

“I got to attend courses abroad, conferences, and research trips. I was fortunate to meet exciting researchers from all around the world."

“Belgium is a wonderful country where I was afforded multiple opportunities. The many coffee breaks with my research group really helped me get through my PhD, as well as building relationships with fellow students, and starting interesting research ideas and collaborations."

She advises students who would want to do a joint doctorate to choose their supervisor and research group well.

“Make sure your interests are aligned and choose a group that has a few post docs in your line of research, as they tend to have more time, and would be available to answer questions or give feedback."

Rebelo obtained her joint doctorate in the same year that SU is commemorating its centenary and also celebrating 25 years of internationalisation. Leading international activities at the university, Stellenbosch University International, which first opened its doors in 1993 as the then Office for International Relations, plays an influential role in positioning SU as rooted in Africa and global in reach.

At the same ceremony, several other doctoral degrees in AgriSciences with supervisors from other countries were also awarded. Doctoral degrees in Wine Biotechnology were also conferred upon Bahareh Bagheri, Heinrich du Plessis, Samantha Fairbairn and Carla Weightman for their wine-related research.

Photo: Dr Alana Rebelo at the graduation.

Photographer: Hennie Rudman

For many people choosing a career is a difficult decision, but for others, life experiences point them in a direction and it becomes a calling. Dr Abigail Ornellas, who received her PhD in Social Work this week, is one of the latter.

Ornellas and her twin brother were adopted when she was almost five years old, after spending four years in foster care. “The family who adopted us is incredible and has given us an amazing life and opportunities we probably would never have had. This has always given me a sense of wanting to make my life count for something. I was the first in the family to go to university and get a degree. They have been incredibly supportive and are very proud of me.

“My experience in foster care has made me intrinsically aware of the importance of social work and the impact it can have on a life. Some of the experiences I went through as a child have also helped me in social work practice, to understand the importance of opportunity. This is all people really need to truly step into who they are. It has kept me humble."

However, it wasn't until closer to the end of her social work bachelor's degree that she began to realise how much more the profession was capable of and responsible for, and its complex history.

In her fourth year of social work studies, she worked at a local state hospital and spent a lot of time working in the mental health ward. “My biological mother had dealt with mental illness, and so this was an area of interest for me. But I hadn't realised how social work could play an important role in this field. I became increasingly aware of the struggles in mental health as many public mental health facilities were being shut down due to deinstitutionalisation."

This sparked an interest in the concept of deinstitutionalisation and she decided to focus her Masters on exploring this phenomenon in South Africa. “This was my first real entry into the world of social policy. What I would later realise was that deinstitutionalisation was linked to a much bigger concept – neoliberalism, which emphasises individualism, inequality as a driver for economic growth, protection of the privileged and elite, the commodification of care, the privatisation of services, and the idea that welfare creates dependency. These are all in direct contradiction to the social work values of collectivism, social justice, social cohesion and human dignity."

Following her Masters, she worked as a research fellow on an international staff exchange scheme for two years where teams from 11 different countries actively mapped the impact of neoliberalism on social care and welfare. “This experience had the greatest impact on my career goals in social work and academic research. It gave me that bigger picture. Living in different countries working with social workers who have incredible stories and varied backgrounds opened my eyes to the vastness of our profession. I truly fell in love with it. I began to understand that social work has a responsibility to resist global socioeconomic changes that did not serve people."

Something one of her professors said stuck with her. When talking about the concept of giving a person a fish as opposed to teaching them how to fish, he added, “but it doesn't help teaching someone to fish, if there is a fence around the pond".

“That day I decided I would commit myself to finding ways of removing the fence – and that is macro and structural, and in my opinion, at the heart of the social work profession. We need to confront the system in which social injustice occurs at the individual level, to tackle things from the outward in." 

The graduation ceremony of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) today (22 March 2018) are marked by the milestone reached by this faculty of not only celebrating more than 100 PhD's awarded to students, but also being the faculty that was one of the four faculties that SU started with in 1918.

At this ceremony, 605 students graduated (a total of 1591 students including those of Dec 2017), while honorary doctorates were also bestowed upon two esteemed thought-leaders Mr Max du Preez and Ms Sandra Prinsloo.

Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of SU, said in a welcoming address: “As we commemorate our Centenary this year, we celebrate great achievements and ground-breaking discoveries the past 100 years. We acknowledge everyone who helped to mould this institution. At the same time, the University has “acknowledged its contribution to the injustices of the past" and committed itself to redress and development."

“By the end of this week's graduation ceremonies, and following those of December 2017, we will again have awarded a record number of qualifications for a single academic year – 9 032 qualifications in total, including 1 620 master's degrees and 305 PhDs. These are phenomenal numbers! Clearly, Stellenbosch University is making an invaluable contribution as a national asset."

De Villiers said that the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has a wide academic offering. He also pointed to the pioneering work that's being done by the Postgraduate School for full-time doctoral studies.

“In our Centenary year, the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences in this Faculty is celebrating the milestone of having produced more than 100 PhD graduates (114 to be exact) since 2010, most of whom now work as researchers and academics at higher education institutions across our continent, thereby helping to stem the so-called 'brain drain' from Africa. “

As part of SU's centenary commemoration, 13 honorary doctorates will be awarded during the week. In a brief address the doctorates said:

Du Preez: "It is a special honour to receive this award, especially because it is my alma mater and the University's centenary. It is rare that brave journalists be honored. De Preez added that he is proud of the investigative journalists, but is a bit concerned about some Afrikaans newspapers that got stuck in s Mandela euphoria while other present issues are not addressed.

Prinsloo: "This is the biggest award that I have ever received. Especially coming from an institution that strives for multilingualism and  multiculturalism."  She jokingly said that she can now tell Dr John Kani that she is Dr Prinsloo. 

For the Rector's speech, click here.

For more on the Honorary Doctorates click here.

Trueman Goba, industry leader, mentor of young engineers and champion of the transformation of the engineering profession in South Africa, received the degree Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa, from Stellenbosch University on 20  March 2018. This honorary degree was awarded for his exceptional contribution to establish critical national infrastructure, his key role in growing and transforming South African civil engineering, his service as a thought leader taking national industry forward, and for ploughing back by showing aspiring young engineers the way to success.

Trueman Thandabantu Goba has set himself apart as a leader in South African civil engineering, not only excelling as a first-rate engineer, but also unlocking the field for those less fortunate by serving as their mentor and role model.

Holding the degree MEng (Civil Engineering) from Cornell University, United States, this born Durbanite is adept at various disciplines such as transportation, fluid mechanics, geotechnical and structural engineering. This has seen him contribute to award-winning projects, including the Nelson Mandela bridge (Johannesburg), the N4 Platinum toll freeway (North West), the Berg River dam (Franschhoek), the Durban harbour tunnel, the Tsitsa River bridge (Eastern Cape) and several 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums.

Moreover, Goba is widely respected as a champion for aspiring civil engineers from disadvantaged groups. Largely thanks to his mentorship, a significantly transformed South African civil engineering industry today has a promising pool of young black professionals, who in turn uplift their communities through vital infrastructure. In recognition of his industry leadership at a critical time for our democracy, Goba was elected the first black president of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) in 2002, and of the South African Academy of Engineering (SAAE) in 2016.

Always ready to serve society, Goba provided seasoned leadership during ministerial appointments to the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). As a presidential appointment to the country's first National Planning Commission, he showed his mettle as a thought leader of note.

Recent accolades recognising his commitment to engineering excellence and inclusivity include the SAICE gold medal – their highest honour – and a lifetime achievement award at the South African Professional Services Awards.

Stellenbosch University salutes Trueman Goba as an engineer of not only key infrastructure, but of an entire new generation of high-impact professionals.

Prof Wikus van Niekerk, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Stellenbosch University, says: "Over and above all his achievements, Trueman Goba is a truly humble person and serves as an excellent role model to our engineering students as well as to the engineering profession."

​

South African wine consumers share similar perceptions about wine across different ethnic groups.

This is according to research by Dr Carla Weightman that focuses on the perceptions of local consumers towards wine. Dr Weightman receives her PhD (Wine Biotechnology) in the Faculty of AgriScience at Stellenbosch University on this subject today (Tuesday, 20 March).

The project was done in the research programme of Dr Hélène Nieuwoudt, senior researcher at the Institute for Wine Biotechnology, which focuses on consumer and sensory aspects of South African wine.

Dr Weightman's study is the first of its kind to focus on understanding the changed landscape of local wine consumers in a cross-cultural way.

In the past, the local wine industry has mostly focused on the export market. However, it has identified growing the domestic market as a priority. South Africa has a very low per capita wine consumption when compared to other wine-producing nations. The local wine market has also changed over the last two decades and faces stiff competition from other alcoholic beverages, mainly beer. The wine industry is now aiming to become more consumer-driven to increase wine consumption.

Dr Weightman's study focuses on the two most significant wine-consuming population groups in the country, namely urban black and white wine drinkers. Historically, the white consumer group was the largest group of wine drinkers, but black consumers now account for approximately 80% of the wine consumers in the country. Yet little research has gone into investigating the changing nature of local wine consumers and their perceptions of wine.

It appears wine is associated with status and sophistication, appearance, celebration, relaxation, and food. Dr Weightman explains: “The fact that wine is consumed with food is what seems to be the driving force differentiating wine from other alcoholic beverage categories. While not surprising, these results emphasise the importance of consumers' motivations, and the industry should focus its attention on these ideas. As consumers' socio-demographics become similar, so do their wine perceptions and preferences."

Dr Weightman used focus groups to get a better understanding of consumers' perceptions, style preferences, the context of enjoyment, buying and consumption patterns, and journeys towards wine consumption.

She developed a questionnaire to investigate motivations for wine consumption on a larger scale and focused on urban consumers living in Gauteng. Dr Weightman also compared consumers', trained assessors' and industry professionals' sensory perceptions of wine and looked at the influence of cultivar name on consumer liking.

Overall, motivations for drinking wine between the different consumer segments studied were similar. The social aspects, sensory appeal and ethical concern factors were the three most important motivational determinants for consumers' wine choices. “Observed differences mainly occurred between male and female consumers. With regards to ethnicity, this study did not reflect a large distinction between the different ethnic groups," Dr Weightman remarks.

In South Africa, approximately 56% of the wine-drinking population is female, and they seem to drink more wine on a broader set of occasions than their male counterparts, who make up only around 43% of the wine-consuming population.

Wine is usually the first choice alcoholic beverage for females on most occasions. Males will generally choose to drink beer or whiskey first, but will drink wine when it accompanies a meal. Females from both cultural groups tended to start consuming wine on a more regular basis earlier in life than their male counterparts. Younger males of both cultural groups drink mostly beer and spirits (whiskey).

The most significant influence on wine consumption is the context in which it is consumed. The second key factor is the venue where the consumption will take place, and the third factor is whether a meal is involved. Ultimately, the deciding factor in consumer choices about wine is related to their budget, according to the study.

Another context where wine consumption differs is at home. Female participants mentioned that they often have a glass of wine when they get home to help them relax after a stressful day. For males, wine consumption was strongly linked to social occasions. This finding is not limited to wine but has also been found to be true for beer consumption.

An emerging trend amongst black consumers, both male and female, is the idea of matching your meal and your wine to enhance the eating experience. According to the study, It seems as though black consumers are more conscious and interested in keeping up with current trends and brands than their white counterparts.

Interestingly, red wine is considered to be superior to white wine. People are also willing to spend more money on red wine than white wine, and especially if the bottle has a cork. Consumers also believe wine with a cork 'tastes different' from wine with a twist cap but could not describe exactly how the taste differed.

Although the black consumer group had a relatively delayed start to their wine consumption, their motivations for drinking wine and perceptions about it do not seem to differ significantly from that of their white counterparts.

'Barriers' in terms of consumption etiquette and unspoken rules were identified as possible reasons preventing broader wine consumption. To some degree, it is also these barriers that differentiate wine from other alcohol categories. Dr Weightman explains: “This is a bit of a catch-22 when it comes to increasing wine consumption in South Africa. Although the industry would like to see an increase in consumption and make wine more accessible, the elite status (of the product) is what makes wine appealing. This leads to the question: if everyone starts drinking wine, could it lose its appeal?"

Overall, motivations for drinking wine between the different consumer segments were similar. The social aspects, sensory appeal and ethical concern factors were the three most important motivational factors for South African wine consumers.

The study contributes towards a better understanding of local consumers' perceptions of wine and also highlights directions for future studies. There are a few spin-off projects currently being done by the Institute for Wine Biotechnology, targeting specific segments of the local wine-consumer population.

The project was funded by the National Research Foundation, Department of Science and Technology, Winetech and the Institute for Wine Biotechnology.

Why does wine smell like 'wine'? This question may appear straightforward, yet the answer has remained unexamined for decades in wine research.

Now Dr Samantha Fairbairn has come up with an answer. Dr Fairbairn received her PhD (Wine Biotechnology) in the Faculty of AgriScience at Stellenbosch University on Tuesday, (20 March) on defining the chemical features of wine perception. Currently, she works as a technical officer in the Institute for Wine Biotechnology (IWBT).

Her research suggests that the 'wine' character that distinguishes wine from other beverages, and also allows consumers to identify a product as 'wine', is entirely due to the metabolic activity of yeast. This generic 'signature' is found in every bottle of wine, regardless of the country of origin. Dr Fairbairn explains: “This wine-like character is prevalent in all wine, irrespective of wine quality and cultivar, suggesting that it stems from alcoholic fermentation, rather than the variable varietal or technical aspects associated with winemaking."

In her thesis titled 'Defining the chemical features of wine perception,' Dr Fairbairn considers to what extent yeast contributes to the formation of the wine-like feature through fermentation. She designed a synthetic grape juice that, after fermentation by wine yeasts, displayed a vinous character, indistinguishable from real wine following sensory analysis. This forms part of her novel research that considers wine recognition as a field of study.

Broadly speaking, wine aroma has three origins: the grape, alcoholic fermentation and ageing. Dr Fairbairn explains: “The wine-like feature is largely established by alcoholic fermentation in a synthetic grape must. This means that we would be able to gain meaningful sensory data from synthetic grape must fermentations, or use this as a wine-like matrix to test the impact of other wine odorants." Outside the winemaking season (when natural must is not available) a synthetic version of this grape juice is used to study aspects of alcoholic fermentation.

Her research topic came about after Prof Antonio Ferreira, a part-time professor from Portugal involved at the IWBT, smelled a fermenting synthetic grape must sample in the laboratory and thought it was reminiscent of wine. This sparked a collaboration between Prof Florian Bauer, the SARChI Chair in the IBWT, and Prof Ferreira to explore whether one could increase this 'wine-likeness' in a synthetic grape must.

Dr Fairbairn's study considers to what extent volatile aromas produced by yeast contributes to this vinous character, referred to as the wine-like feature.

Using a novel fermentation-based approach, she investigated how a particular yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) converted synthetic grapes must into a wine-like product. Yeast uses the nutrients in grape must to produce biomass and metabolites, which turns grape juice to wine. Her study examined the degree to which these nutrients contribute to wine (product) recognition. Various nitrogen and anaerobic-factor compositions were also evaluated for their contribution to the wine-like feature.

These synthetic products underwent sensory evaluations by panellists to rate the product's resemblance to wine and to describe the aroma. This data was used as a decision-making tool to decide upon treatments to be studied in other fermentations. Ultimately, a wine-like character was created by altering the anaerobic-factor composition of a synthetic grape must.

Wine quality is of paramount importance to the wine consumer. But, due to its subjective nature, the concept of wine quality is a contentious matter amongst scientists. Nonetheless, the importance of wine flavour (aroma, taste and mouthfeel) to perceived wine quality is indisputable. Wine aroma is determined by the complex interaction of several hundred compounds, which includes esters and volatile fatty acids, among others.

Dr Fairbairn explains: “These volatile compounds all interact with each other, enhancing or altering each other's sensory perception. This contributes to the difficulty associated with predicting the sensory outcome of chemical data alone.

“The results show that the vinous character responsible for the recognition of wine is perceived in commercial wines and to a certain degree also in the synthetic products."

This study provides invaluable information needed to formulate better strategies to test, verify and characterise the wine-like feature.

Anecdotal data described these synthetic samples as neutral. Several panellists reported the commercial wines as being harsh in comparison. “As a follow-up study, it would be interesting to determine whether varietal- or ageing-related compounds could enhance the perceived fruitiness of these synthetic products, besides to confirming the presence of the wine-like feature via chemical reconstitution," she says.

Although the study has fallen short of being able to define the chemical signature responsible for wine recognition, preliminary data suggest that acetate esters may be important for establishing this feature. Additionally, Dr Fairbairn's work highlights the value of using the sensory data as a decision-making tool, rather than the more commonly adopted chemistry-driven approach.

Dr Fairbairn says her study has influenced the way she thinks about her favourite wines. “Now when I enjoy a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, for instance, I find myself thinking about wine-likeness as one the features of the wine. We still have so much to learn about wine."

Funding for the research was provided by the National Research Foundation and Winetech, the research funding body of the South African wine industry