Breast surgeon Dr Karin Baatjes is a real-life Wonder Woman. This recently appointed Head of the Division of Anatomy and Histology at Stellenbosch University manages to juggle lecturing with pro-bono surgery and administrative duties, yet still finds the time to do to a PhD in surgery and participate in charity projects.

Fortunately, says Baatjes, the Division of Anatomy and Histology was already a well-run unit when she took over as Head in February 2018. This meant that she could take her time to get to know the Division, how its run, and where the potential gaps are.

On an academic level, Anatomy and Histology is involved in the training of undergraduate students in all disciplines at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, as well as postgraduate (MMed and MChD) students. In the research field, it offers a BSc Honours, an MSc and a PhD in various disciplines.

Baatjes' vision as Head of the Division is to see if she can streamline processes even more, while adding a prominent clinical component. Currently, the staff at Anatomy and Histology are mostly scientists. In future, however, she would like to involve more medical doctors, thus adding more clinical expertise to the programmes offered.

As the Division operates across various departments, it helps that Baatjes has been with the University since 2000. “I know most of the departments and staff really well and would like to use this to the Division's advantage," she says. “At the moment, however, I'm still learning how everything fits together."

Juggling all the tasks on her daily to-do list is a challenge, but so far Baatjes has managed to maintain firm boundaries, not allowing her days as surgeon at the Breast and Endocrine Surgery Unit at Tygerberg Hospital, or her PhD research (investigating bone health in post-menopausal women being treated for breast cancer), to interfere with her new role.

“On Tuesdays, I'm in the operating theatre all day," she says. “On Thursdays, I participate in the clinical and academic activities of the Breast and Endocrine Surgery Unit, which includes tutorials, as well as clinic and academic ward rounds with undergraduate and postgraduate students. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I'm exclusively at the Division of Anatomy and Histology, fulfilling my duties there."

A popular lecturer among students, Baatjes' favourite part of her day is teaching. “I enjoy working with the students. Some of them think I'm strict, but I have to be very serious when we're standing at a patient's bedside, as this is our first and most important priority," she says, adding that she also enjoys time spent in the theatre with students. “Upon completion of an operation, it's nice to spend time with the students and get to know them beyond just the academics."

To relax in between all her duties, Baatjes enjoys running. As a member of Reach for Recovery's Board of Management, she sometimes combines her love for the sport with a passion to help breast-cancer patients. In April 2016, Baatjes raised R57 000 for Reach for Recovery's Ditto Project by completing the 42km West Coast Marathon. Through this initiative, more than 50 breast-cancer patients, each of whom underwent a mastectomy, received silicone breast prostheses they otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford. 

Always looking for ways in which to help others despite her own busy schedule, Baatjes is currently also involved in Tygerberg's Pantry Project – a communal pantry on campus that helps to relieve food and hygiene-product insecurity for students.

When asked whether she'll be using her sport for another charity project in the near future, Baatjes quips: “Unfortunately not. Right now I run just to keep fit and sane, especially after challenging days."

But, with a heart that seems to be 100% in the right place, chances are that Baatjes will soon be involved in yet another charity initiative. Watch this space.

Caption: Dr Karin Baatjes is the new Head of the Division of Anatomy and Histology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University.

​This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the full article here.

Understanding children's nutritional status is important. Globally, nearly half of all deaths in children under five are caused by malnutrition. This is due to a lack of sufficient and nutritious food as well as a range of other factors such as healthcare, education, sanitation and hygiene.

Malnourished children are more likely to contract diseases such as diarrhoea, measles and other infections. These can lead to death, as well as a range of permanent mental and physical shortfalls.

In 1999 the World Health Organisation developed a strategy to tackle this global challenge. The aim was to improve the health and development of children under the age of five.

In line with this strategy, South Africa's Health Department introduced a system in 2011 to improve the way it measured children's growth by including height measurements and recording their nutritional status. It distributed a booklet to clinics aimed at helping healthcare workers keep a track record of children's health and development status.

Our study looked at South Africa's response to the Road to Health Booklet to see how well it was being used by healthcare workers and caregivers. We conducted the survey in 140 healthcare facilities in South Africa's Western Cape province.

If used properly the booklet can help healthcare workers identify children who are at risk of becoming undernourished or overweight at an early stage.

But we found that it was not being used properly. Healthcare workers weren't recording some key health statistics. This was either because they didn't understand the value of the information or because they didn't have the time.

In addition, we found that healthcare workers weren't explaining important things that caregivers could do to improve their children's health. This included things like bringing their children to the clinic for regular growth monitoring and advising the caregivers about the importance breastfeeding and complementary feeding for their nutritional value.

The Road to Health booklet is similar to growth monitoring tools, and development assessments in countries around the world has the potential to help improve children's lives. But the government must ensure healthcare workers understand the importance of collecting the relevant information. And that they transfer the correct messages to caregivers.

Recording the data

Our study had three parts. We evaluated 2400 children's booklets to see how well sections were completed. We also sat in on the consultations between caregivers and healthcare workers and we asked both groups to complete questionnaires about their knowledge, attitudes and practices.

Our findings on collecting the data was that information was missing from the booklets. For example, whether children had been dewormed or not was not filled in by half of the healthcare workers. There was other information missing too.

The healthcare workers offered several explanations for not completing the booklets correctly.

Some did not have time. At other facilities there were staff shortages which had an impact on the running of the facility. And there was also a challenge with equipment which was either not working or not available. In some clinics, for example, the weighing scales were inaccurate.

Poor advice

There were several irregularities when it came to advising caregivers.

Many of the healthcare workers couldn't interpret the information they were gathering. While nearly all the children were weighed, more than half of the healthcare workers didn't explain the children's growth to the caregivers.

About a third of the healthcare workers couldn't correctly identify underweight children or those suffering from severe weight loss. And only half could do so for stunting (when a child is short for their age). This is because they didn't know how to perform and interpret the measurements.

Stunting is a serious problem in South Africa and can disadvantage children for the rest of their lives. It's critical for healthcare workers to identify it early and to give advice about changing a child's diet.

Most healthcare workers knew the correct regimes for vitamin A supplementation and deworming. As a result most of the children had their immunisation and vitamin A supplements adequately recorded in the booklets.

Although the healthcare workers received training, some were not clear on the purpose and importance of the measurements and how they determined a child's health. This shows that more resources need to be channelled into healthcare worker training so that they are able to counsel caregivers better on the importance of nutrition.

Fixing the system

There are several other elements that need to be fixed so that the system can run efficiently.

Accurate scales and measurement tools need to be provided to ensure that children are measured properly.

In addition, community healthcare workers need to be mobilised to strengthen awareness in the community.

And lastly, caregivers need to be educated on the importance of routine nutrition screening and interventions. This will give them a better understanding of the programme's benefits which in turn will empower them to ask more questions and get more information.

The Maze Runner might sound like the title of a movie. Not in this instance. It is the name of the group project for final-year Mechanical and Mechatronic students where they learn mechanical and electronic design, manufacturing and control. Along the way they also learn very important lessons in life: Competition in the professional world is stiff and you cannot always choose the team you have to work with.

19 May the Mechatronic Laboratory was abuzz with excitement. Eager teams were ready to outshine each other. The occasion? The annual competition where the Mechatronics 424 class compete against each other in a prescribed project.

Dr Karel Kruger who presents this module says: "This project requires groups (comprising five students) to design, construct and programme a mechatronic system that allows an operator to guide a ball through a maze board with pins. The performance of the system is measured by the speed that a ball is guided through the maze as well as the accuracy of its control. Apart from their final-year project, this is the only opportunity students get to do a complete project which includes mechanical design, electronic design, manufacturing and control."

Dr Kruger elaborates: "In general, the quality of the projects was very good. I am always astounded by the systems the students come up with. This project is presented as a competition which ads a fun element to it. Our students are fiercely competitive and a mere three seconds separated the winning team from the runners-up."

Selecting team members is done randomly. Apart from it being fair, it also teaches students a very important lesson: As engineers you will not always be able to choose the teams you want to work with - so get on with it and make the best of it!

Click here to see the winning team's stellar performance.

Click here for the project description.

Photo:

The winning team

From the left: Dr Karel Kruger (lecturer), Anri Kruger, Pierre de Villiers, Jody Julius, Luke Dyson, Kevin Neaves (Technical Officer) and Jason Raubenheimer.

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The talented Stellenbosch University (SU) Choir, ranking as one of the top university choirs in the world, is spreading its wings to participate in a prestigious world choir eisteddfod.

The choir will be touring the United Kingdom from 29 June to 15 July 2018, where it will compete at the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod in Wales and perform in London and Bath by invitation.

The Llangollen Eisteddfod, in addition to being a world-renowned choral music festival, is also a celebration of the music, dance and culture of nations from around the globe. Participation in this highly esteemed music festival marks the beginning of the SU Choir's bid to broaden its experience and to match itself alongside other musical talents from across the world.

SU Choir conductor André van der Merwe says that this UK trip means a lot to the choir. “It is an exciting opportunity to showcase South African culture on a truly international stage. We will compete in three categories and the choir has also been invited to sing at a special International Celebration Concert before the competition."

The choir has been hard at work preparing for the trip. It has been rehearsing twice a week for two hours over the last few months, something André is very pleased with. The choir plans to sing a diverse programme from classical to pop music.

“For our pop category, I made arrangements of Baba Yetu by Christopher Tin; Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran and Angel by the Wings by Sia especially for our choir. We will also perform two compositions by Capetonian composer Hendrik Hofmeyr," says André.

The SU Choir is one of South Africa's most outstanding youth development and choral programmes. For the past 82 years, this choir has reflected the changes in the country's wider society and today stands as a testament to the power of music to bring about diversity and harmony across the societal divide.

On its return to South Africa, the choir will participate in the Interkultur World Choir Games (WCG), held in Tshwane this year, as featured special guests. In 2017, the SU Choir was ranked first on the Interkultur list of 1 000 international choirs for the fifth consecutive year after participating in the World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia, organised by Interkultur in July last year.

“The ranking is a wonderful bonus and testimony to the students' commitment and talent. It also brings a responsibility to strive to be the best we possibly can, on and off the stage. In a sense, it is wonderful that we won't compete when the WCG is hosted in our own country. Now we can focus more on sharing who we are," says André.

Visit https://www.youtube.com/user/USChoirKoor to view and listen to the SU Choir.​

The Junior Boks will be in action at the World Rugby U20 Championship in the south of France from 30 May to 17 June.

All four players were in the Maties Young Guns squad that won the Varsity Cup's u20 tournament for the first time in the tournament's history this year. Sandi and Erasmus had limited exposure in the maroon jersey because of injuries, but Jooste scored four tries in the final and Dixon was named Player of the Match.

Jooste also played for the Junior Boks in 2017.

“Playing for my country has always been a dream for me, ever since I can remember. To be part of this setup and getting the opportunity is such a blessing. I have to thank my heavenly Father for the immense privilege to play for the Junior Springboks. I am living my dream. I will never take these opportunities and experiences for granted," said Jooste.

The team will meet Georgia in their opening pool match on Wednesday 30 May, and then take on Ireland on Sunday 3 June and France on Thursday 7 June in the pool stages.

​Universities can be quite daunting for learners who have no experience of academic or tertiary institutions. On 10 May the Faculty of Engineering welcomed top learners in Grades 11 and 12 whose parents have not had the opportunity to study at a university. During this event, called the First Generation Experience, learners could feel the exciting vibe of campus, hear about the six Engineering Programmes and even meet the Dean.

This exciting new outreach is the brainchild of August Engelbrecht who is responsible for student recruitment and retention at the Faculty of Engineering. Where does his bright idea come from? Mr Engelbrecht explains: "Participation in higher education in South Africa is still very low compared to more advanced economies. We should promote university education, especially in the coloured and black communities in the Western Cape. Since many parents of top achieving learners did not experience tertiary education, for instance in Engineering, there is a lack of role models for the younger generation. The result is that Engineering is not a preferred career choice amongst the youth of certain communities. Furthermore, Stellenbosch University is not well known in these communities.

He continues: "Many learners in these areas do well at school despite challenges, such as a lack of proper infrastructure at their schools. They are often unaware of the many doors of opportunity good results in Mathematics and Science can open for them. These communities have a lot of talent and potential but sadly, it is largely underutilised."

He elaborates: "The marvellous response from schools and learners overwhelmed us! We welcomed 134 keen learners from 25 schools at our pilot event. Although most of the learners hail from quantile 1 to 3 schools, we invited schools from all over the spectrum. Some of the schools that were represented, were: Centre for Science and Technology (COSAT) in Khayelitsha, Claremont High School, DF Malan High School, Kayamandi Secondary School, Kylemore Secondary School, Parel Vallei High School and Paul Roos Gymnasium.

The Dean, Prof Wikus van Niekerk, welcomed the "First Generation Learners" with this thought-provoking message: "Engineers are among the most valued professionals in the world today." One of Faculty's young lecturers, Prof Cara Schwarz, also addressed the crowd. She is a reputable researcher and a shining example of a first generation student who excelled at university. She encouraged the learners with these words: "I was also a first generation student. My dream became a reality...never stop pursuing your dreams..."

The Faculty of Engineering invited Dr Gillian Arendse, Deputy Director: Centre for Student Recruitment and Career Advice, as motivation speaker, and collaborated with colleagues from the Faculties of Natural Science and AgriSciences to present the learners with more options in the Science, Engineering and Technology fields of study. This was followed by a guided tour through campus, the Neelsie Student Centre, residences and a visit to AmaMaties HUB. (See the full programme here.)

A very satisfied Mr Engelbrecht concludes: "Our next step is to nurture the Grade 12s in this group who apply in time for Engineering studies and who are accepted provisionally for study in 2019. We would like to invite them to experience a class first hand in the September school holidays. In the longer term, we will also keep a close eye on the Grade 11s who show an interest in Engineering as a career. We intend to have a similar function again next year."

Photograph:

August Engelbrecht (the adult in the group) and the keen, top achieving learners who attended the First Generation Experience on 2018.05.10 at the Faculty of Engineering.

“I'm sad that I won't compete at a Varsity Athletics meet again. I've watched the competition develop over the past few years and it was a good experience. Now it's time for younger athletes to make their mark," she says.

Justine Palframan  , who is busy with her BSc honours in Biokinetics, is the reigning SA champion in the 200m and 400m. She represented South Africa at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 and has won two medals at the World Student Games – gold in the 400m in 2015 and silver in the 400m in 2017.

She has been in scintillating form this year, running a personal best time in the 200m (22.83s) at the recent USSA Athletics Championships. She is also nearing a personal best time in the 400m.

“I'm enjoying my running at the moment. I'm focusing less on the results and more on getting the race plan right."

She and her coach, Dr Suzanne Ferreira, are working on making small improvements and changing habits with the long-term goal of qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

As a Maties High Performance student-athlete, Justine has access to all the knowledge, services and technological support offered by the Maties Sport High Performance Unit. Her training group – which includes Paralympic stars Charl du Toit, Dyan Buis and Anruné Weyers – also provides excellent support and motivation.

Her athletic and academic career also received a significant boost when she was named one of the first two recipients of the Bettie Harmsen Scholarship. Bettie Harmsen, born Buitendag, was a keen athlete and Stellenbosch University graduate who received her BSc Honours in Medical Biochemistry in 1989. She passed away in 2016 at the age of 50 after a fierce battle with cancer. Days before her death, she and her husband Hans decided to award a scholarship to promising SU track and field athletes. The family has committed to donate $10 000 per year for a minimum of ten years.

Justine is very aware of the importance of support.

When she was growing up in KwaZulu-Natal, someone told her parents that no top sportsman or woman will ever come out of a small town like Eshowe because they don't have adequate facilities. Justine is proof that this is not true. She overcame the lack of facilities by training on her school Eshowe High's hockey field with her dad, Steve Palframan, as her coach.

She believes many people don't reach their full potential because the obstacles they face seem unsurmountable.

“I would like to say to them: I know you don't have this, but you might have something else. You have to be inventive. It is possible to get to the top using what you have. It is not an excuse."

For now, Justine's goal is preparing for the Athletics World Cup in London in July. She is in the squad for this event and is awaiting the final team selection. She also wants to compete in one or two other races in Europe.

She has been an excellent ambassador for Stellenbosch University over the years and represented them, along with three other representatives from Maties Sport, at the 7th IWG World Conference on Women and Sport in Botswana from 17 to 20 May.

​

Twenty-three-year old Master's student in Neuroscience at Stellenbosch University (SU), Akile Khoza is one of the top 12 finalists in the annual Miss South Africa pageant to be held on Sunday (27 May 2018) The Mpumalanga brainy beauty will be competing against 11 other beauties from different parts of the country.

In a recent online question and answer session, she revealed her dream of inspiring young girls to chase their dreams. On the official Miss SA website, Akile was quoted as saying: “I want to be a vessel of hope and a symbol of beauty that transcends deeper than physical beauty."

She also mentioned that she spends most of her time doing research for her Master's degree.

 Akile added that her mother, who is also an SU alumna, is her role model.

“She started off as a housewife and raised three amazing kids. In seeing the journey of growth in her own kids, she wanted to be an example of hard-work and demonstrate the importance of pursing higher education, especially coming from a background of where many were denied this opportunity in the past. So she decided to go to school and study to become a teacher. She became more than a teacher that just teaches; she became an encourager, a caregiver and a mother to her students. She pursued her studies further and recently obtained her PHD degree at Stellenbosch University."

Like any proud Matie, Akile said Matie FM is her favourite radio station.

Speaking to Corporate Communication,  her supervisor Dr Theo Nell from the Department of Physiological Sciences described Akile as a very humble and hardworking student.

 “She has achieved so much over the years I have known her (undergraduate as well as post- graduate – since 2014-2018).  She is very ambitious, focussed and asks a lot of questions because of her curious mind," said Nell.

He added that she is a beautiful person on the inside and on the outside, kind caring and with a lot of empathy for people around her.

Nell said she made the absolute best choice of studying in Human Life Sciences (Psychology and Biology).

He said that when Akile told him about being in the top 12, he promised her that he would attend the pageant to show his support.

“I am positive she will be our next Queen!  She is such a go-getter!  Nothing will ever stop her from reaching her goals", he added.

​

“Nkosi Sikeleli Afrika" (Lord Bless Africa), “Ndodemnyama" (Beware, Verwoerd!) and “Sikakela Izwe Lakithi" (We Protest for Our Land) are but a few iconic struggle songs that have been sung during the fight against apartheid in South Africa. In contemporary South Africa, struggle songs have become the background music to all social justice movements and protests and still play an important role in mobilising, building morale and creating a sense of unity among those who are fighting for a particular cause.

To celebrate Freedom Day and shed some insight on the role and importance of these songs, the Stellenbosch University (SU) Museum, in partnership with the SU Transformation Office and the Robben Island Museum, hosted a conversation entitled “The role of struggle songs in the attainment of our freedom."

One of the key speakers at the event was Muntu Nxumalo, ex-political prisoner on Robben Island and musician, who has played an integral part in the creation of some of the country's most iconic struggle songs. During the event, Nxumalo emphasised the importance of understanding the meaning and significance of struggle songs.

“Struggle songs are a form of music that you shall never forget. This is a special kind of music reminding us where we come from, where we are today and where we are going. A lot of the songs that are still being sung today during protests played an important part in fighting against apartheid and haves a very special meaning when you look at what freedom really means."

Arrested in 1978 by the then apartheid state, Nxumalo was sentenced to 22 years at Robben Island Prison. He was released from prison in 1991. Nxumalo later became a director in the Correctional Service Department and, until his retirement recently, was the director of the Robben Island Project, a community outreach programme, where he worked for over 15 years.

Displaying his musical talent, Nxumalo gave those attending the conversation a taste of some of the struggle songs by playing his guitar, singing and even teaching the audience some of the songs, persuading people to join his performance.

One of the other speakers at the event was Lwazi Pakade, a Political Science student at SU and one of the former leaders of the Open Stellenbosch and #FeesMustFall movements. He reiterated Nxumalo's sentiments, in that the true meaning and significance of struggle songs should never be forgotten. He also expressed the sentiment that those who use struggle songs today should understand the origins and intended use of these songs.

“Struggle songs touch people differently. The culture of singing and dance has always been an intrinsic part of Africa. Our people sing to express grief, happiness or disagreement with towards the government. Struggle songs have helped us mobilise people, share an identity and articulate a particular message in different contexts," says Pakade.

While Nxumalo and Pakade expressed the importance of struggle songs, Masego Mafata, a second-year BA International Studies student at SU, shared her gratitude towards Nxumalo for his fight against apartheid and sharing his wisdom on the importance of struggle songs in South Africa.

“I've been privileged enough to be born into a free South Africa, and it is people like Baba Nxumalo and student leaders like Pakade who have helped give this new generation of students better opportunities at tertiary institutions and reminded us of how far we've come."

Mafata further says that her generation should never sing struggle songs out of context. She believes that these songs should be sung with sincerity and the cognisance of the meaning and origins behind them. “Struggle songs carry a wealth of emotion, being pain, hope or victory. Music has always been the fruit of life. Music is the fruit that one bears when one can no longer articulate what one is feeling into speech, and the struggle songs we have come to know help people articulate those feelings," says Mafata.

Watch the full conversation here:

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For cellphone users click here .

Photo from left: Muntu Nxumalo , Lwazi Pakade , Masego Mafata. 

​Two international conferences focused on interpreting and translation studies are being hosted by the Afrikaans and Dutch Department by the Non-Professional Interpreting and Translation (NPIT4) organisation from 22 to 24 May 2018 and the Association for Translation Studies in Africa (ATSA) from 25-26 May.

Both conferences are held at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) at Stellenbosch University (SU).

According to Prof Harold Lesch, a lecturer in Interpreting and Afrikaans Linguistics and the main organiser of the NPIT4 conference, the NPIT4 “provides an opportunity for researchers and practitioners within the field of interpreting and translation studies to share recent and relevant work within this discipline and related to the activities of non-professional interpreters and translators".

The conference will build on previous international discussions regarding interpreting and translation offered by non-professional interpreters and translators which were initiated by the organisation in Bologna in 2012, in Mainz in 2015 and in Zurich in 2016. This year the conference will focus on Finding a balance between required skills and available resources in non-professional interpreting and translation.

“As a language intermediary certain skills are required, but in the case of non-professionals these skills can be absent or there could be a lack thereof but nevertheless a service is being provided – dare I say a functional service. The divide between a first and second economy is prevalent in the African context and the practice of non-professional language intermediaries proves to have a role to play. In the same vein people are flocking to affluent countries, also to SA from other African countries and extended communication, extended due to the service of an interpreter – as opposed to a linear communication – is an everyday reality. The language combinations also bring its own challenges," says Lesch.

Some of the topics to be addressed during the three-day conference, include defining and mapping the field of non-professional interpreting and translation; ad hoc interpreting and translation in everyday life; language brokering by family members (oral, written or sign language); non-professional sign language interpreting; and interdisciplinary approaches to research in non-professional interpreting and translation.

“Interpreting in itself is an age-old practice. Within the context of the recent past, emphasis was placed on the professional interpreter and translator. However, one is of the opinion that the role of the non-professional language intermediary is also a source for research and empirical studies. The term non-professional brings its own ramifications to the topic, but in essence, it refers to a non-trained, semi-trained or unpaid language practitioner. This is in contradiction to the professionally trained and experienced interpreter. One is of the opinion that there is room for both within our context," adds Lesch.

Keynote speakers will include Prof Cecilia Wadensjö,  Professor of Interpreting and Translation Studies at The Institute for Interpreting and Translation Studies in the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism at Stockholm University; Prof Leslie Swartz, a clinical psychologist and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at SU; and Prof Maria Tymoczko, Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

The ATSA conference, which starts on Friday, 25 May, will be the first official conference of the association and will focus on Translation and context: Perspectives on and from Africa. ATSA was founded in 2016 in Nairobi with SU's Prof Ilse Feinauer as a founding member. The conference in Stellenbosch was planned at the founding meeting to coincide with SU's centenary celebrations as well as Africa Day.

“To consider Africa as a context, one could conceptualise Africa from a number of perspectives. In translation studies, a postcolononial perspective and political-culture perspective, could be used, to name only two. Researchers could also use alternative conceptual perspectives from which to study translation," says Feinauer, who is the Vice Dean: Languages in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and  Professor in Translation Studies and Afrikaans Linguistics in the Department. 

“Recent work in conceptualising the relationship between translation and development would be one option. It also seems that many options exist for sociological studies as not much has been written about translation in Africa from a sociological perspective. Translation studies scholars have also not yet explored the economy, in particular the informal economy, as a discussion partner for translation studies. Tapping into the oral culture of Africa may open further avenues. Lastly, the teaching of translation and interpreting in Africa in response to the contextual constraints that the context set is an avenue that warrants exploration," adds Feinauer who is also the convenor of the ATSA conference. 

According to Feinauer, delegates from countries all over Africa including Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania as well as persons from countries such asBelgium, Canada, Switzerland, and the UK will attend the conference. Some of the topics to be discussed are theoretical work on context and universalism in translation studies, including the implications of continentalism; conceptualisations of translation as influenced by Africa as context; empirical data on translation and interpreting practices in Africa; and comparing data from Africa with data from other contexts.

“The conference will be followed by the 5^thSchool for PhD students in Translation Studies in Africa from 28 May until 1 June. The guest professor will be Prof Tymoczko from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I want to specifically thank Stellenbosch University for the Africa Collaboration Grant  that covered most of the costs for both the ATSA conference and the PhD School."

The Faculty of Law has a post-doctoral fellowship available. This fellowship is awarded for a year.

The primary responsibility of successful applicants will be to participate in the Department of Mercantile Law's research programme, publish in academic journals and attend academic conferences. The fellow will not be expected to undertake any teaching responsibilities in the Law Faculty, but may be exposed to limited teaching and research administration tasks.

Requirements:

• A doctoral degree (LLD) in the regulation of financial markets, which had to be obtained not prior to 1 July 2013.
• The successful candidate may not hold any other full-time or part-time job at the same time and may not undertake any other work for remuneration.
• Good computer skills (MSWord, Internet research skills).
• Fluent (reading, writing and speaking) English; second and third languages are an advantage.
• The successful candidate must be able to work full-time in Stellenbosch for the duration of the fellowship.
• Persons from under-represented groups (race, gender, culture or otherwise) are particularly encouraged to apply.

The post-doctoral fellowship package includes:

• A fellowship of R170 000 for a year, payable in two instalments (tax free)
• A working space

Send an application letter and supporting materials to Prof N Smit, Faculty of Law, Stellenbosch University, at yolandi@sun.ac.za by 15 June 2018.

Applicants may be expected to attend an interview (in person, by telephone or Skype).​​

“By the time a black and a white South African at the age of 18 come to the university, they are already messed up in their heads. Depending on which schools they went to; the homes they grew up in; the churches, mosque or synagogues they went to – they are either struggling greatly with social cohesion, with being together with others that do not look like them, pray like them or speak their language … or they are able to get along more easily."

These were Prof Jonathan Jansen's opening words when he delivered the inaugural African Day Lecture at Stellenbosch University (SU) last night. Jansen was introduced by SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers, who described him as Distinguished Professor of Education at SU, President of the South African Institute of Race Relations, and President of the Academy of Science of South Africa Prof Jansen is regarded as one of South Africa's most prolific scholars.

The topic of his lecture was: “Can schools build an inclusive African identity? Tracing changes in the racial demographics of schools since 1994". According to Prof Jansen, settled patterns of school desegregation are discernible presently, 20 years after apartheid. These patterns are an indication of the prospects for social cohesion in South Africa.

He warns that young people cannot be thrown together just like that, and expected to get along. They need to be guided and taught how to get along. Prof Jansen is convinced that it is easy to change young people's thinking. 

People with cell phones click here.

At the same occasion, Prof De Villiers launched the SU Africa Day Lecture Series as an annual institutional event to commemorate Africa Day. He highlighted the important role that SU will continue to fulfil in collaborating towards higher education, specifically research in Africa.

Prof De Villiers said that the University was already involved in more than 400 active projects with more than 600 partners from Africa in 42 countries on the continent. He also mentioned the valuable work of the Centre for Collaboration in Africa, which resorts under Stellenbosch University International.

“We are an African university. Yes, we are located in Africa, but it is also true that approximately 14% of our student body come from 117 countries across the world, and 56% of our international students are from African countries other than South Africa," Prof De Villiers said.

Africa Day commemorates the formation of the Organisation of African Unity – the forerunner of the African Union – in 1963. SU also celebrates African University Day, on 12 November, to mark the foundation of the Association of African Universities (AAU) – of which SU is a member – in 1967.

Photo gallery: People attending the Africa Day Lecture at SU. Artist Wilken Calitz and singer Devonecia Swartz performed at the event after Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela ( Research Chair in Historical Trauma and Transformation) had a conversation after the delivery of the lecture.

Photos and video: Stefan Els

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Thirty Stellenbosch academics, all keen to sharpen their popular science writing skills, participated in a workshop hosted at the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) on 22 May 2018.

Two members of the editorial team at 'The Conversation Africa', Shallan Govender (copy chief) and Candice Bailey (health and medicine editor), presented the training organised by the Division of Corporate Communication.

“So much amazing research remains hidden in academic silos, but we want to change that", Bailey said. “Our job is to take science news and expert opinion and put it in the public domain in a user-friendly way."

'The Conversation' is a novel online platform that allows academics to showcase their work and to earn public recognition for their expertise. All content is published under a Creative Commons licence, meaning that media outlets may republish it with due credit to the author(s) and source. This novel media model was first launched in Australia in 2011, followed by editions in the UK and US. The Africa edition was launched in 2015, followed by country platforms for France, Canada and Indonesia. African offices are located in Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi.

Over the last three years, more than 2 000 authors (all academics) have written more than 3 000 articles for the Africa edition of this platform. The authors get expert help from the editorial team at 'The Conversation' to ensure their articles are reader-friendly and jargon-free. Articles are only published once the author(s) give the green light.

The Conversation Africa currently attracts about 350 000 readers per month. With about 90% of its content re-published in other media channels, the total reach is close to 1.8 million people per month. This kind of visibility helps academics to network with policy makers and may even spark research collaborations across institutions and countries.

'The Conversation Africa' operates as a donor-funded NGO. Core funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is supplemented by funding from universities and other research organisations. Stellenbosch University became a funding partner recently and will contribute R200 000 annually.

Efforts to bring our research closer to society are close to our hearts, Dr Therina Theron, research director at Stellenbosch University, said at the start of the workshop. “Communicating science to the public may not be the mainstream activity of academics, but it is increasingly important to our funders and partners," she explained. “People want to hear these stories about new advances in science and how it affects their lives."

Photo:: Getting science news and views into the public arena – that was the focus of a science writing workshop hosted at CREST on 23 May 2018. In the photo (right) are Martin Viljoen (media manager at Stellenbosch University, Shallan Govender (chief copy editor, The Conversation Africa), Candice Bailey (health and medicine editor, The Conversation Africa) and Dr Therina Theron (Senior Director: Research Development at Stellenbosch University).

We are well aware of the benefits of exercise to your physical health – it helps to control your weight, lowers your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and even protects against some types of cancer. Now scientific evidence is also emerging of the benefits of exercise to your mental health.

World Move for Health Day is celebrated on 10 May. This annual global initiative was initiated by the World Health Organisation to promote physical activity as essential for health and well-being.

“Research shows that just 150 minutes (two-and-a-half hours) of moderate-intensity exercise (including walking) a week lowers your risk of dying early from many of the leading causes of death. It is now coming to light that physical activity also has a major protective effect on the brain and nervous tissues and reduces your risk of developing neurological conditions," says Prof Wayne Derman, Director of the Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine (ISEM) at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

“We have long known that exercise aids sleep, reduces anxiety and can even improve your mood and memory. New research is showing that it also offers some protection against dementia and that it can be beneficial in the treatment of depression," explains Derman.

He highlights some of the recent research on the topic:

A multinational study, that also includes data from research subjects in South Africa, was recently published in the Journal of Experimental Gerontology and emphasises the dangers of not being active. The researchers found that people who are sedentary (inactive) for more than eight hours a day, have a 1.56 times higher risk of experiencing memory loss and other symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is often a precursor for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD).

A Finnish study published last month in the journal Age and Ageing showed that low fitness levels are associated with an increased risk of dementia. The study followed more than 2000 Finnish men for an average period of 22 years, and found that those with a high cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max >36.5 ml/kg/min) had a 20% lower risk of developing dementia than men with low cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max <23.7).

The protective effect of exercise on the brain was reiterated by another study. Researchers from China recently reported in the journal Neural Plasticity that exercise could slow down the progression of cognitive impairment in ageing populations, and potentially provide a cost-effective therapy in the fight against dementia.

Researchers from Norway combined the results of 23 earlier studies that looked at the effects of exercise on depression. They reported in the Journal of Affective Disorders that exercise had a significant effect on depression compared to no intervention, but was not quite as effective as psychological treatments or antidepressant medication. They recommended incorporating exercise alongside traditional interventions for effective treatment of depression.

“This research adds to the already long list of benefits that physical exercise offers the body and brain. It is a cost-effective and accessible intervention that everyone can use to improve not only the quantity, but also the quality of their life," Derman concludes.
 

Sources

2018 Cui, M.Y, et al. Exercise Intervention Associated with Cognitive Improvement in Alzheimer's Disease. Neural Plasticity. March 2018

2018 Kurl. S, et al. Cardiorespiratory fitness and risk of dementia: a prospective population-based cohort study. Age and Ageing. April 2018

2018 Vancampfort. D, et al. Mild cognitive impairment and sedentary behaviour: A multinational study. Experimental Gerontology. Volume 108

2016 Kvam, S. et al. Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis. Volume 202

Caption: Prof Wayne Derman

Photo: Damien Schumann

“It feels like a space full of success stories waiting to happen. Thank you for creating it for us." This comment about the new Medicine and Health Sciences library was made by a Stellenbosch University student and retold by Ilana van Niekerk, the chairperson of the Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council, at the official opening of the modern new library on the university's Tygerberg campus.

Speaking on behalf of the Tygerberg student body, Van Niekerk expressed her sincere thanks to the university council and other stakeholders involved in the funding, design and development of the library. “Thank you for thinking of us as students, and thinking of our success in the development of this project. We will cherish it and use it to be the best that we can be," said Van Niekerk.

The 3 000m2 library has been entirely refurbished and is now an ultramodern facility with innovative spaces for collaborative learning and research, and boasts state-of-the-art video conferencing and e-classroom amenities.

“We often speak about Stellenbosch as being a world-class university. Part of what makes it world class is having world-class facilities – and this is what we see over here," said Prof Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at the opening event.

“This is a wonderful moment," said Cloete. “You start off with a dream and you end up with a space like this. And you can celebrate it in the university's centenary year. It's just wonderful."

SU Rector and Vice Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers, also praised the new library. “Isn't it great to have this friendly, fresh space filled with light and colour? A modern, future focused place serving a new generation of library users with the latest technology and opportunities for interactive, collaborative learning and research," De Villiers reiterated.

According to him this is in line with international trends and contemporary thinking about the place of the library in the 21st century. “Jeffrey Schnapp of Harvard says: 'We tend to think of libraries as collections, but the libraries of the future will be more about connections'. Connecting people to the great cloud of information enveloping us in the digital age, but also connecting people to each other," De Villiers said.

This feature of the new Medicine and Health Sciences library is aligned with the one of the themes of the University's new Strategic Framework, namely, networked and collaborative teaching and learning, De Villiers said. “The aim of the collaborative approach is to create learning communities where students, staff, and alumni can experience meaningful learning."

A yellow wood tree was planted in a courtyard in the centre of the library, and conceptualizes the philosophy of a library being symbolically and physically the heartbeat of a university. It symbolizes the seed of knowledge and creative thinking that is planted in the library, and precipitates growth of the campus community.

Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, congratulated the Roelof Rabe Architects on the successful design and development of the new library, and thanked Linda Bellairs and Yusuf Ras (the former and current heads of the Medicine and Health Sciences Library respectively) for seeing this ambitious project through to completion. He also commended the Rector's Management Team and the University Council for being future focused in terms of providing financial support for the project.

Caption: Mr Yusuf Ras, Eben Mouton, Profs Eugene Cloete, Wim de Villiers and Jimmy Volmink, and Ms Ellen Tise and Mr Roelof Rabe.

“So what do you actually DO during all the hours when you're not lecturing? Surely you have a nice easy job? If I had a penny for each time that somebody asked me this question, I wouldn't be worried about the need for a job," says Dr Neill Goosen, lecturer and researcher at the Department of Process Engineering.  "So let me try to explain what it is that I do.

"These are the hours during which I work to change the world. I spend the time working alongside the brightest postgraduate students in the country to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing humanity, and I spend it slaving away alone at night, writing the grant proposals to find the money to fund the work. I meet with industry partners to help develop more efficient and environmentally friendly production processes, and I work with colleagues in other universities and faculties to develop holistic and interdisciplinary approaches to solve stubborn problems. I sometimes get up excitedly in the middle of the night to write down a great new idea, just to be brought down to earth the next day by a grumpy reviewer who rejected my most recent paper. I travel to conferences to meet the greatest minds in the world in a particular field, and I return to Stellenbosch University to bring my students new ideas. I grumble about experiments taking longer than I want them to and celebrate the breakthroughs that my group achieves.  As I learn more, I get reminded of how little I actually know about my field and how much there is still to discover. 

"In short: during the hours that I don't lecture, I DO RESEARCH. 

"And what do you research?", you may very well ask. The short answer would be that my work involves finding methods to extract value from biological raw materials by using clever tricks, and that most of my research time is spent on making these tricks even cleverer. Examples would be how to use enzymes to extract high-value proteins and oils from the inedible parts of fish that are left over after being processed in a fish factory, or how to extract compounds which are used in the animal feed, food or nutraceutical sectors from seaweeds. My work doesn't stop with the recovery of the different materials, but goes further to evaluate these in different animal and plant model systems, and for this reason I regularly work with colleagues in disciplines like Aquaculture, Animal Science, Food Science and Microbiology. 

"The more I do research, the more I realise that disciplines will increasingly have to work closer together, and that my role as a researcher is to act as a facilitator of knowledge generation across these disciplinary boundaries."​

​​The aim is to address the growing need in the tertiary sport environment to find innovative ways to maximise the training potential of student-athletes who are students first and athletes second.

Grant van Velden, who has been working with Maties teams as a sport scientist and technologist for the past 10 years, was appointed in this position.

“I'm passionate about Maties Sport and I like to see our teams do well and our athletes prosper, on and off the field," says Grant.

“The university sport training environment is very unique and we need to find innovative ways to maximise the training potential of our student-athletes. We have limited time with them due to their academic commitments and therefore the time that we do get to train them has to be effective and efficient. The aim is to utilise technology that can help our student-athletes improve their performances within the time we have available.

“We also don't have an unlimited budget. My responsibility is to look at creative ways to use the technology we have and investigate how we can use it even more efficiently, so that it is used by more teams or used more often.

“It is also necessary to stay in touch with what is happening internationally and locally on the sport technology front," adds Grant.

The most popular technology support options used by Maties Sport athletes at the moment are:

1. The VX Sport GPS system (with heart rate monitors) used to measure how hard student athletes play or train, which enables coaches to manage student-athletes' training load effectively;
2. The Fusion Sport Smart Speed System used for reactive agility and decision-making training, as well as speed testing;
3. The GymAware system which provides accurate measurement of how hard athletes train in the gym and makes it possible to adjust the load according to the athlete's training potential on the day.

“The feedback and buy-in from the coaches, trainers and student-athletes has been amazing," says Grant.

“We have an important role to educate student-athletes about why we use a piece of technology. We are actively using and interpreting the data to maximise their training potential. It helps us to make informed decisions."

The innovative use of technology is just one of the aspects that forms part of the Maties HP programme. Other elements include the PACER programme (an acronym for Persistence, Authenticity, Commitment, Empathy and Resilience), the Injury Clinic at the SU Campus Health Services and access to the Maties HP Gymnasium.

“I believe Maties Sport offers the best all-round HP sport programme in the tertiary education sphere in South Africa.  We are setting standards that possibly haven't been set before.

“I'm very excited about this opportunity and I'm looking forward to playing a role in taking our HP teams and student-athletes forward," concludes Grant.

Dr Bernard Bekker, holder of the Eskom Chair in Power System Simul​​ation at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, states that the coordinated research on the modelling of future power systems, within the context of increasing renewable energy penetration, is critically important.  Reason being is that very large investment decisions are based on the future scenarios resulting from these modelling activities.

For this reason, a workshop on Modelling South Africa's Future Power System was held at Lanzerac Wine Estate on 16 and 17 May 2018. The general aim of this workshop was to survey and coordinate the research activities of the research partners associated with the Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (EPPEI) Power System Simulation programme, hosted within the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES).

Day one of the workshop focussed on high-level information sharing by the research partners associated with the EPPEI Power System Simulation programme, feedback from industry on this information, and shared perspectives on future priority research areas.  Technical sessions were held on day two of the workshop, where the research partners presented their models, datasets and methodologies in more detail. 

Representatives from electrical engineering departments at Stellenbosch University (SU), University of Cape Town (UCT), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), and Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), as well as the Energy Group at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), shared current research activities, models and skill sets. Industry was represented by Eskom's Network Planning-, System Operations- and Energy Planning & Market Development departments, as well as the City of Cape Town's Electricity Services, International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE), and the South African Institute for Electrical Engineers (SAIEE).

Dr Ndaona Chokani, an expert in the field of future power system modelling at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), also provided an international perspective of the field. Dr Chokani has been with ETH Zurich since 2006, where he currently leads the energy, economics & policy program in the Laboratory for Energy Conversion. Since 2009, the program has been developing EnerPol – a novel, bottom-up, integrated simulation framework that is used to provide holistic scenario assessments of energy, transport, urban infrastructures, and population dynamics.

The workshop was successful in several aspects, in that it informed industry on the expertise and capabilities of each research partner; it improved the understanding of the support that academia could provide to industry; and it gave both industry and the research partners the opportunity to share perspectives on future priority research areas.

A new diploma in sustainable development aims to address one of our great challenges: the creation of a new generation of responsible entrepreneurs who understands the world we live in, and have the skills and values to equip them for action in a complex world.

Introduced in January this year, this first-ever undergraduate programme in Sustainable Development at Stellenbosch University is offered by the School of Public Leadership in collaboration with the Sustainability Institute.

“Increasing opportunities will arise from the need to invest substantially in repairing the future. This is clearly evident in the fact that investments in renewable energy have exceeded investments in fossil fuels every year since 2009," said Mr Phumlani Nkontwana, Diploma Programme Coordinator.

“There is, therefore, a greater need than ever before to prepare capable young people for futures that are dependent on their own abilities to inspire, network, create and efficiently organise across sectors."

According to Nkontwana, the workplace-based diploma programme is rooted in a mature, socially integrated and ecologically designed community. “To make it possible for capable young people who are starting out in the world of work to not depend solely on others to create opportunities for them, students are exposed to a wide range of social enterprises in the farm, energy, craft, education, tourism and service provision sectors." Students will also play an integral role in helping to shape the further development of the programme.

Of the more than 100 applications received, 33 students were selected and 24 subsequently enrolled for the programme.

The class of 2018 is a predominantly female class, with student ages ranging from 18 to 25. Although the majority of the students come from the Western Cape and Gauteng, students hail from all over the country.

More than 50% of the students took either a gap year or switched courses, and joined the diploma programme after searching for an interdisciplinary programme of this nature. According to their feedback, students gain more from their exposure to a diversity of fields and industries, and enjoy the practical component attached to the programme.

• For more information on the programme, please click here. (The closing date for applications for next year is 30 June 2018.)

​The first industrial-grade gantry type 3D concrete printer in Africa produced its first 3D printed object last month. Jacques Kruger, who recently upgraded to PhD in structural engineering, designed and manufactured the printer. The laboratory size printer with outer dimensions 1.3 x 1.3 x 1.67 m (w x l x h) has a build volume of roughly 1m³. Paired with a powerful 3-phase pump, the printer is capable of extruding a vast range of materials with varying rheology. This enables the research team to produce large structural specimens (walls, beams and columns) for testing, ultimately contributing towards fundamental research in the 3D printing of concrete (3DPC) industry. 

The research team's current main focus is on the development and characterisation of advanced cement-based materials suitable for 3D printing. In particular, lightweight foam concrete (LWFC) and nano-concrete (concrete infused with nanomaterials) are envisaged to yield the desired mechanical and durability characteristics. In the long term, the team aims to develop guidelines for the standardisation of structural design for 3DPC structures to ensure safe and durable 3D printed structures. Early reports indicate that 3DPC can significantly reduce construction times and waste, while also increasing architectural freedom and aesthetics through its ability to produce geometrically-complex structural elements. Through this project, the team endeavours to contribute to industrialisation and growth of the construction industry towards sustainable careers in the sector. 

The 3DPC team at the Centre for Development of Sustainable Infrastructure (CDSI) under team leader Prof Gideon van Zijl, is Dr Stephan Zeranka (co-leader), Jacques Kruger, and Seung Cho (MEng student at the Department of Civil Engineering). Follow their progress on YouTube by clicking on THIS link. ​