Prof Ian Couper, an internationally renowned expert in rural health, had a healthcare leadership award bestowed on him at the 15th World Rural Health Conference.

Health professionals from around the world were honoured in New Delhi, India, for their significant contribution to the development of rural health care, with Couper being the only one from Africa.

"A complete surprise," is how this 56-year-old described his latest award. He is currently director of the Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and regards this as recognition for the work done there to make a difference in rural areas.

More than 1 000 people attended the conference. It is especially exciting that so many young doctors and students are starting to emerge and take on leadership roles in rural health around the world, says Couper.

He has been involved internationally in rural health for the past 22 years. He believes the nine years he had spent in a remote rural community in the north of KwaZulu-Natal, essentially defined his career. It was there that he had the opportunity to attend the first World Rural Health Conference in 1996. "It gave me an insight that the challenge of providing rural health care is not only a South African problem and that countries can learn from each other."

Following on this, in the ensuing year, he was a cofounder of the Rural Doctors Association of Southern Africa (RuDASA).

Before Couper took up the position at Ukwanda, he was attached to the University of the Witwatersrand for 13 years, amongst others being director of the Wits Centre for Rural Health. Over the years he built up strong international ties. Besides the fact that this has led to many foreign visits, he was also a visiting academic at a number of institutions around the world.

Looking at rural health care in general, a critical issue for health professionals is access to specialists and other colleagues, but also access to equipment, technology and transport of patients, says Couper. In addition, the availability of education for children and job opportunities for spouses play a role.

But of course, there are major rewards. "You do not only work with numbers. You get to know the people, you make a difference, and you can see that because you are so closely involved with the rural communities. There is also the satisfaction of a team of health professionals working closely together. "

His wish is that Ukwanda will continue to build on its international links and serve as an example and beacon in Africa for rural health care training and development.

Caption (top): Prof Ian Couper.

Caption (insert): Prof Ian Couper receives an award for leadership at the 15th World Rural Health conference.

Prospective Matie students only have until 30 June 2018 to get their applications in to study at Stellenbosch University (SU). 30 June is also the deadline for applying for accommodation in SU's residences.

Stellenbosch University is often rated as one of the top three universities in South Africa according to various international university rankings. The University also has one of the highest first-year throughput rates in South Africa.

“We are very excited about the number and quality of applications for 2019, proving that SU is a first choice university. We are, however, still concerned about the more than 8000 applications that are incomplete and as a result cannot be considered," says Dr Celeste Nel, Director: Centre for Admission and Residence Placement.

“Prospective students are requested to get their applications in rather sooner than later to give themselves some space and time to complete the application that includes uploading the necessary documents and to make changes if necessary."

Nel adds that it is important that applicants not only know what the minimum requirements for a programme are, but that they need to read the faculty selection guidelines, including selection mark requirements. These are often different to the minimum requirements.

Financial assistance
Applicants can also start to apply for financial assistance. Here the deadline is 31 August 2018. The University manages more than 19 000 under and postgraduate bursaries and loans on behalf of companies, individuals and institutions.

Help and assistance during application

Applications can be done online at www.maties.com.

Prospective students are invited to contact the University's consultants either by calling 021 808 9111, emailing info@sun.ac.za or doing a live chat at www.maties.com (click on the Let's Talk feature).

Over the years, Stellenbosch University (SU)'s technology transfer company Innovus has helped establish many spin-out companies. One such business is Stellenbosch Nanofiber Company (SNC) formed in 2011. Corporate Communication spoke to its founder and SU alumnus Dr Eugene Smit.

Can you tell us in short what SNC is all about?

SNC is a materials science company that was built around a patented technology for mass production of electrospun fibers. This technology was originally developed as part of my PhD studies at SU, and it allows production of very fine fibers (sometimes called nanofibers) on a commercial level.

Having a very high specific surface area and biomimicking (resembling something found in nature) capability, electrospun fibers are useful in many different areas including cosmetics, lightweight composite materials, energy materials like electrodes and catalysts for fuel cells and batteries, and various medical applications including scaffolds for tissue engineering, smart wound dressings, and drug delivery materials.

At SNC we unlock the enormous potential of electrospun fibers through the development and commercial scale manufacture of advanced materials in these different application areas. We help companies and research groups get to market faster by taking their electrospun fiber inventions from early stage concept, to fully scaled, technically validated, and commercially feasible status.

Why did you decide to start this company?

As an inventor-scientist, I have always been keen to develop useful products and technologies, and I feel that a good way to measure whether your technology is really beneficial to other people is to demonstrate that there are people out there willing to pay for what you invented. In this specific case, the technology for mass production of electrospun fibers has such a vast range of different potential applications and so the company was started to unlock this enormous potential and to make the world a better place. 

You specialise in the manufacturing of advanced biomedical nanofibers. Are there specific reasons for this?

Our ultimate goal is to manufacture products in many of the areas where electrospun fibers can be used. However, as a young company we had quite a challenge deciding where to start. After evaluating opportunities in various markets, we identified the biomedical space as one where the need was really strong for the unique capabilities that we bring with electrospinning at large scale.

Our electrospun fibers are structurally very similar to the extracellular matrix around the cells in our tissues, so when you take cells and put them on electrospun synthetic fibers, they sort of feel at home and therefore carry on more naturally, resulting among other things, in wounds and tissues that heal faster and with less scarring.

The way we spin these fibers offers the opportunity to design and manufacture the next generation smart wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds for artificial organs, and drug-device combination medical devices that simultaneously treat a medical condition physically and  pharmaceutically.

What are some of the products that you have developed since 2011?

We have worked on various medical products including an injectable controlled drug release material for reducing scarring in surgical wounds; and tissue engineering scaffolds for, among others, cartilage, skin, and bone repair. We're particularly proud of two specific products FiberScaff-RPE® and NanoTrix®:

• FiberScaff-RPE® is a tissue engineering scaffold for use in the culture of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which is the thin layer of cells behind the retina in the eye. These scaffolds are being used at the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health in the USA to develop a therapy for treating diseased RPE in which they use a patient's own blood cells to create stem cells that are then differentiated into replacement RPE tissue. FiberScaff‑RPE® acts as a scaffold for the culture of these cells and then allows the doctor to transplant the newly cultured RPE tissue into the eye. The scaffold then degrades and disappears completely, leaving behind only the new replacement tissue. The scaffolds will be used in Phase 1 clinical trials for this therapy later this year.

• NanoTrix® is a proudly South African product that we developed with, and now manufacture for, the Gauteng-based Southern Medical Group of Companies. It is a temporary skin substitute dressing for second degree burn wounds and the incredible results obtained using this product has led to it receiving strong support from key opinion leaders in the South African burn wound treatment space. It is being used at various hospitals in South Africa, including the Red Cross Children's Hospital (Burns Unit) in Cape Town. NanoTrix® is currently commercially available only in South Africa but we are working with our client, Southern Medical, and supporting them in the process for obtaining regulatory approval towards selling this product in other regions, including the European Union and the USA.

What have been some of your company's other successes over the last few years?

We took our ball electrospinning technology from a small lab bench proof-of-concept to an industrial pilot scale machine in a little more than 2.5 years, and also built and certified our quality management systems in line with the international standards for good manufacturing practices for medical devices. We've built an awesome all‑South African team that continues to show the world that South Africa can compete, and make significant contributions, at the cutting edge of material sciences.

Which industries benefit most from the work that you do?

Currently most of what we do is in the medical space, but we are also active in development of ceramic nanofibers for composite and catalytic applications and developing some novel products for the cosmetics industry.

• Photo: Dr Eugene Smit (middle row, first from left) with the rest of his team. Members in the front row are holding a sheet of electrospun nanofibers produced in only a few minutes.
  

The more you do, the more you can do. Just ask Annamart Laubscher, final-year medical student and top cross-country athlete.

Since 2013, when Annamart started participating in this sport, she has clocked up an impressive 21 wins in a variety of cross-country events across the country, one of which was the 2017 Ultra Trail Cape Town, a tough 35km-route over Table Mountain. “I did not expect to win. I just wanted to enjoy the environment," she says.

At school, Annamart was an accomplished biathlon and triathlon athlete and she represented South Africa several times internationally in these sporting categories. When she became a medical student in 2013 at the University of  Stellenbosch's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, she realised that it would be difficult to take part fully in all three these sporting activities (swimming, cycling and running). “Also, it is quite dangerous to cycle in Parow, so I decided to focus on my running." She loves nature and also previously did mountain biking, so it is no wonder that she eventually found herself doing cross-country running.

Unfortunately two injuries tripped up Laubscher's cross-country plans for 2018. “This sport is a bit dangerous. Sometimes you should rather be cautious instead of just rushing headlong down the mountain," she warns. She first fell on her knee, "which then needed quite a few stitches", and shortly after that she sprained her ankle. “That forced me onto the sidelines for a while."

According to Laubscher this sport has grown considerably over the last few years, especially among women. “It was reasonably small-scale when I started. Few people knew of it and there were just one or two events per month. There were also considerably more men taking part than women."

In the meantime, cross country races have started to attract more attention, and there are now events to choose from just about every weekend. “I think there are a few reasons for this," speculates Laubscher, “such as the desire to live a healthy lifestyle, a desire to discover new places, a need to meet people who also love nature and adventure, or maybe even just collecting fitness points for your medical scheme!"

She says the number of female participants has also increased. “Some of them are very strong and I have a lot of respect especially for those who take part in the longer items. I would like to run with them some day!"

Laubscher is one of 18 medical srudents who were chosen to do their practicals at the Worcester Provincial Hospital, instead of at the Tygerberg Academic Hospital. Apart from believing that there are more opportunities in Worcester as there are fewer students working on the clinical rotation, she also thinks it is important to support the training of doctors in rural areas. “One gets a greater insight into the overall health of a patient, and how treatment should be individualised for each patient in order for it to be successful," she explains. “I hope this also means that more doctors will return to areas such as these when they have completed their studies."

As with all medical students, her schedule is a busy one, and it is sometimes difficult to get round to everything. “I did, however, decide from the beginning that my studies and my career would always be my first priority." Her secret with regards to time management is to put together a programme containing everything that needs to be done that day. “Do the most important things first, and then take a look at whether there is time for the rest." Laubscher sees sport and other hobbies as things that help one with good time management, because it is easy to "waste" time. She says that it does require effort and energy, even though she sees her running as a source of relaxation. "After a long day in the hospital it is sometimes difficult to motivate yourself to go running." Her advice? Don't think about it too much and just take the first few steps. “After that it becomes easier to persuade your body to continue."

She still isn't sure what she would like to specialise in one day, but she says she would like to get a few years of experience overseas, maybe climb a few mountains there, and then return to work in a smaller hospital in South Africa. In terms of her running career a Comrades Ultra-marathon, an Iron Man triathlon and other cross-country races are on her list of milestones she would like to reach.

Laubscher encourages anyone who is interested in cross-country running to give it a try. “All it takes is a love for the outdoors, willpower and a general motivation to live a healthy life."

*Visit www.trailrunning.co.za for a complete list of cross-country running events.

The Tygerberg campus will shortly be able to use grey water for the flushing of toilets and for irrigation. This saving, together with other water-savvy initiatives, will ensure that the University of Stellenbosch (US) will not be caught unawares if Day Zero should arrive.​

Water saving has been high on the agenda of the university management's agenda since last year, and the installation of grey water systems at US residences is one of the initiatives that could possibly have the highest impact on the usage of drinking water. The university aims to be as independent as possible from municipal water sources.

As a result of an investigation by an engineering and environmental consultation company to determine the water balance on several US-campuses, it was decided to install grey water systems. “The plan is to make better use of the water, for instance by not using drinking water to flush the toilets," explains Mrs Charmaine Klein, Facility Manager at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), which is situated on the Tygerberg campus. “We plan to use a third of the grey water for the toilets, a third for  irrigation, and the last third for filling up the underground aquifer," says Klein. The project is managed by Mr John de Wet, Manager of Sustainability at the US.

The systems will entail the catching of shower water, which would be sent to a central filtration system for treatment. After that it will be redirected again to the various residences and administration buildings.

Klein says that it will be implemented at all the residences on the Stellenbosch and Tygerberg campus, with the exception of exception of Houses McDonald, Helderberg and Botmashoogte as they are situated too far away from the other residences.

The installation of the grey water systems require the piping needs to be adapted, and will therefore not happen overnight. “The management is currently busy preparing a tender document. We aim to start with the project by the end of May," says Klein. The timeline for the installation is approximately six months for the Tygerberg campus and nine months for the Stelenbosch residences.

It is estimated that that  the saving of drinking water could be as much as 30%. “By relying on changed human behaviour, we hope to save a further 20%. The remaining 50% of water on the Tygerberg Campus will be provided by boreholes."

According to Klein there are already savings initiatives put in place on the Tygerberg campus by means of taps with water-savings systems, and shortly also the catching of rainwater for re-use. “All these initiatives will therefore assist us to keep the campus going if Day Zero should dawn."

Stellenbosch University (SU) is one of the key partners in a project to establish South Africa's first solar-powered desalination plant at Witsand in the Southern Cape. The project was initiated by Prof Erwin Schwella from the School of Public Leadership at SU and Tilburg University in collaboration with the Hessequa Municipality with whom SU has a formal Memorandum of Understanding.

Co-funded by the Western Cape Government (through its drought relief fund) and the French Treasury, the plant is expected to come online by the end of October 2018 at Witsand which was selected as the site for the project as it often suffers from critical water shortages.

The plant will produce 100kl of fresh water per day to address the normal local water requirement and will only be powered by solar energy. It will also be able to supply drinking water outside of sunlight hours through a connection to the local electricity grid. The plant will be significantly cheaper to operate as plants that rely on electricity and could deliver drinking water to many households.

In an interview on the Afrikaans-language radio station Radio Sonder Grense, Schwella said the project “forms part of an eco-innovation system that we're busy establishing to promote social innovation".

“Social innovation has to do with improving people's quality of living. We liaise with municipalities, the private sector and the province in different ways and out of this partnership we create new opportunities."

Schwella highlighted the role that Socionovus at US is playing in this regard.

He added that if the project is successful, the plan is to start similar projects in other parts of the country.

The technology for the project was developed by the French Company Mascara Renewable Water and brought to South Africa by their local partner TWS-Turnkey Water Solutions. It is the world's first reverse osmosis desalination technology coupled with photovoltaic solar energy without batteries, designed to supply coastal or borehole-dependent communities, with drinking water at a competitive price and without CO2 emissions.

Commenting on the project Hessequa Executive Mayor Grant Riddles said the partnerships between the different role-players “will ensure a green economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities".

There are also solar-powered desalination plants in Abu Dhabi and Mozambique.

​

“There is a place in the sun for us all to succeed and achieve our goals. We all have our own pace of success, so keep to yours."

This is the advice from Johané Nienkemper-Swanepoel to the youth of today. At only 28 years of age, Johané will be completing her PhD in Mathematical Statistics while also lecturing full time in the Genetics Department at Stellenbosch University (SU).

According to Johané, she has been able to achieve so much in a short span of time through her faith and the help and support of her husband, family and mentors.

“I think mentorship is very important. I am fortunate to have dedicated supervisors who mentor me through the obstacles and virtues of a research career. I also have an amazing support system within my family. My mother has always been passionate about research and completed her PhD when she was 50, therefore she understands the PhD track."

Johané comes from a family of clinical practitioners. Her father and sister are both medical doctors and her mother is an occupational therapist. When she was younger, Johané also thought of becoming a doctor but her love for numbers prevailed. “My true passion for mathematics grew in high school, greatly due to a brilliant teacher who challenged and motivated me. Teachers get to shape and inspire the minds of the future and play a vital role in creating stepping stones for opportunities."

Johané completed her undergraduate, honours and master's studies at the University of the Free State (UFS). While she was busy completing her studies in Mathematical Statistics at the UFS, she also managed to achieve many other academic and extra-curricular goals. In 2011, she was the youngest presenter at the South African Statistical Association's annual conference. She received the Senate Medal for the best honours degree student at the UFS in 2012. Most recently, the International Federation of Classification Societies also named her as an outstanding researcher younger than 30 years of age in 2017.

“I am so fortunate to have been able to attend a number of international conferences where I could meet leaders in my research field. Networking in academia is crucial to develop as a researcher." Johané stresses the importance of applying for financial support for academic activities. “Don't sell yourself short, don't be afraid to apply for opportunities. You never know what might happen and the exposure you will get from international conferences is invaluable."

Johané's PhD research focuses on visualising and handling incomplete multivariate data. Missing observations are prevalent in the majority of disciplines where data are collected. Her research helps reduce the loss of information, using her skills in statistics, applied mathematics and computer programming.

Apart from her academic achievements, Johané is also an accomplished performer. She won six medals at the World Championship of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, USA, for tap dancing in 2000. At the UFS, she was her residence's cultural representative and was part of the women's a cappella group Amaranth Echo. The group competed in the international Varsity Vocals competition in New York in 2009 and went on to launch a CD in 2011.

According to Johané, there seems to be a growing interest in the field of data analytics and statistics. “I think people are more aware of data and the importance of trustworthy statistics." Also, Data Science has been titled the sexiest job in 2012 by the Harvard Business Review, which placed a spotlight on this scarce skill. Johané notes that the proportion of female to male students with an interest in numbers, specifically analytics, has improved, with an equal representation of both genders compared to in her undergraduate years.

She quotes JW Tukey, and American mathematician, to end her interview: “The best thing about being a statistician is that you get to play in everyone else's backyard."

“I would like to get involved in more projects and establish my missing data techniques in different multidisciplinary fields in the future," she adds.

Johané Nienkemper-Swanepoel is completing her PhD under the supervision of Profs Niël le Roux and Sugnet Lubbe at the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at SU.

Photo by Stefan Els.

​

When you think of machine learning or artificial intelligence, as it is more popularly known, the image of killer robots and Arnold Schwarzenegger famously saying, "I'll be back" in the Terminator movie come more to mind. However, this is not the case with Maties Machine Learning (MML).

In fact, the lead organisers of MML, Willie Brink and Herman Kamper, want people to forego all their preconceived notions of artificial intelligence. "Machine learning is not machines killing everyone and becoming sentient. It is a form of intelligence but it is essentially artificial. Machine learning is a subfield of artificial intelligence, with the focus on machines that learn to build algorithms and so enable a computer to find patterns or structure in data, using what it has learned in order to make sense of new situations," says Kamper.

MML is a seminar series and discussion forum that Kamper and Brink spearheaded a year ago at Stellenbosch University (SU). The goal of MML is to bring together people working on machine learning at SU. The seminars are held every second week on campus and comprise short talks on people's current work or some machine learning-related topic, followed by open discussions. The idea is that it will also allow people to know what others are working on and to strengthen machine-learning research at Stellenbosch.

"We realised that there was a lot of interest scattered across campus and then we started this group, Maties Machine Learning that tries to bring together all these people. There are people in physics, statistics, biomedical engineering, applied maths, computer science and wine technology who are interested in machine learning," says Brink.

According to Brink and Kamper, any field that works with data and wants to make sense of data can make use of machine learning.

Kamper is a lecturer in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Brink is a senior lecturer of Applied Mathematics at SU. They both share a great enthusiasm for machine learning and want people to focus on machine learning as a great innovative technology that can help Africa and the rest of the world for good.

"The community that we are involved in has a very positive attitude towards machine learning. We really want to develop machine learning to make the world a better place or at least to make South Africa and Africa a better place," says Brink.

Apart from the MML seminars, Kamper and Brink are also involved in another initiative called the Deep Learning Indaba. This summer school initiative aims to strengthen machine learning in Africa. This year's Indaba will be the second of its kind in Africa and will be held in the Endler Hall at SU in September. The Indaba has an application process, which has closed for this year. Over 1 300 mainly postgraduate students from Africa, Germany, Asia and the USA applied to the Indaba but only around 500 could be selected to attend. The keynote speaker at this year's Indaba will be the head of Google's Artificial Intelligence Unit.

"The level of participation and excitement was beyond our expectation. This event is also the second one of its kind; last year it was at Wits. Next year it is going to be in Nairobi. We are really trying to make it a Pan-African event. We also want Stellenbosch University to benefit from this and make it the hub of machine learning in Africa," say Kamper and Brink.

For more information on MML and the Deep Learning Indaba, click here.

Alternatively, contact:

• Willie Brink at wbrink@sun.ac.za.
• Herman Kamper at kamperh@sun.ac.za.
  

When I first started working at the Advancement Office of a Johannesburg university, the possibility of the meaning of “advancement" excited me. The process of moving forward in a determined way sets the cadence of university life, as it breeds new ideas and nurtures talent.

The hope of young South Africans who come through the university gates and eventually graduate with a key to open new doors of opportunity is tangible and electrifying.

And it's an experience that was lost to me.

As a first-generation professional (the first in my immediate family to go into white-collar work), there was no money for me to take up the course that I'd been accepted for at university. Nothing was spoken about or discussed – after I got my matric, I knew I simply needed to start working.

I'd heard about bursaries but neither of my parents had finished matric and there was no one to guide me through the process of enquiry or application. If my boss's husband (in my first job as a journalist at age 17) hadn't told me about correspondence study, it might have taken me a long time to figure out what to do in terms of study.

Due to my turbulent home environment, I'd grown up to be a fear-filled, self-doubting adult.

Although the missed opportunity to get a full-time tertiary education still makes me sad, part of me also knows that I probably wouldn't have made it all the way through to the end given my lack of support structures.

Doing the work that I do now – enabling incredible young people to go the distance and run the race that I never could – feels like poetic justice. Every time that I see one of the bursary students or student interns whom I've worked with excel, it makes me feel like a proud big sister. These individuals hold a special place in my heart.

Behind the media curtain of #FeesMustFall, on the backstage of campuses around the country, are young people who just want to make something good of their lives. At the root of anger is fear, the fear of coming all that way, fighting through daunting personal challenges, only to have the possibility of crossing the threshold into new opportunity fall through your hands because of a lack of funding, is almost too much to bear.

The announcement of fee-free education provides a huge relief – but the battle is not over. The gaps in funding mean the danger of potentially running out of food due to the limits of food allowances. How do you go to class, stomach empty, mind trying to feed your dreams while your spirit feels crushed?

These are not students who are “too proud to ask for help". These are students who just want to be like everyone else – to have a normal day-to-day experience of where you eat, of going to class, of studying hard, of building relationships with your peers and of doing it all again the next day. Once that momentum is broken, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay on track, let alone keep up with the pack.

University spaces are nurturing grounds for the future workforce and their experience while studying unconsciously spaces their perception of the world. If the inner belief that “I am all alone, no one cares enough to help me" is seeded while in survival mode when studying, they will unconsciously carry that mindset into the workplace, hampering their transition into their professional lives.

So how do we create a new future?

The tomorrow that we are waiting for is not in some nebulous reality – it's within us to shape. The stature and academic rigour of Stellenbosch University (SU) draw some of the brightest young minds in the country, eager to develop their potential and be released to transform our world.

As we contemplate the Nelson Mandela Centennial celebrations and those of SU's own, we have a moral imperative to harness the spirit of youth, not hamper it. Why should students be ashamed of their hunger when they encounter a caring university that wants to provide a real solution to the problems that they're facing?

I've never gone hungry in my life – but I don't need that to be part of my story to get alongside someone who is. I know what isolation and shame feel like and that's enough for me.

What is going to move you to help us #Move4Food?

Cheryl Benadie

Manager: Donor Relations

​Dr Eileen Thomas (35),  a doctoral student in the Department of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, has been chosen to attend the 68th Nobel Prizewinners' Event.

She is one of only six young South African scientists – all women – who have been honoured in this manner. The event will take place from the 24th to the 29th of June in Lindau, Germany.

Participants from 84 different countries will be given the opportunity to interact with 43 Nobel Prizewinners in Physiology and Medicine. Among them are last year's winners of the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine, Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young, who were honoured for their discovery of the molecular mechanisms that control the circadian rhythm.

Approximately 600 scientists under 35 years of age are chosen annually to attend this event. Thomas applied after she was nominated by the Academy of Science of South Africa.

“I see myself as a clinician-researcher and can attest to how experience in one field can strengthen one's hand in another one," says Thomas, who completed her medical studies at the University of Pretoria. “During my year of community service at the Worcester Hospital, I fell in love with the beautiful Cape, and applied to specialise at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch."

She graduated in 2015 and since then she has divided her time between clinical work (she has two psychiatric practices) and a volunteer women's health clinic at Tygerberg Hospital, where, together with two gynecology-colleagues, she focuses on chronic pelvic pain, as well as research in this regard. During her stint as a clinical assistant, the Department of Psychiatry offered her excellent opportunities to learn more about research, says Thomas, who is also a member of the SARChi Research unit in post-traumatic stress disorder under the leadership of Prof Soraya Seedat. 

“My research interests are directly aligned to my clinical interests. My PhD project investigates biomarkers which could identify post-traumatic stress at an early stage. Furthermore, I am also very interested in women's health, traumatology, chronic pain and panic disorders."

She is very grateful for the Nobel opportunity, especially as a female researcher from South Africa, says Thomas. “I look forward to the lectures, the discussions, and the lunch with previous Nobel Prize winners, and also to the opportunity of meeting other young researchers, exchanging ideas, and doing some networking."

Her other achievements include, among others, the Discovery Foundation Bursary last year and the SAMA study bursary this year for her PhD-studies.

She foresees that she will always divide her time between clinical care and research, and would like to start her own  "pink" laboratory where young female researchers can be supported and encouraged.

In September Thomas will marry her American fiancé, Andy Vuong, who she calls her biggest supporter.

Two prominent female researchers at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) have been awarded Research Chairs in their respective fields.

This brings the total number of research chairs at the Faculty to 12.

The new SARChI chairs are Prof Xikombiso Mbhenyane, head of the Division of Human Nutrition, and Prof Quinette Louw, executive head of the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the Division of Physiotherapy. 

The Chair creates the platform to consolidate her research work in the areas of indigenous food and nutrition security, especially because it focuses on capacity development, says Mbhenyane. “Working with postgraduate students is my forte and what I have done with a passion." 

Her research focus will be nutrition, health and food environments in the context of their influence and impact on the triple burden of malnutrition, namely undernutrition (stunting, wasting and micronutrient deficiencies), over-nutrition and consequent non-communicable diseases (diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and cancer).  “Improving nutrition across the life course from conception to adulthood is essential for the long-term well-being of families and communities, and for successful economic and social advancement," she says. 

According to Mbhenyane, conclusive evidence is still lacking on how nutrition and health outcomes, such as the coexistence of the triple burden of diseases in the same household, manifest. “A thorough understanding of the drivers of food choices in the household will provide guidance for the development of more effective nutrition-sensitive programs. In this program, we will design and pilot impact evaluation tools that are culturally sensitive and applicable to local environments to assess nutrition and health outcomes." 

Mbhenyane, who was born and raised in Limpopo, holds a BSc from Medunsa (now Sefako Makgato Health Sciences University). She was awarded a Fullbright Scholarship and studied for a master's degree in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Illinois in Chicago, USA. She then obtained a PhD in nutrition at Potchefstroom University (now North-West). 

Mbhenyane previously worked as a dietitian in both the public and private sectors, and was also an academic at the Universities of the North (now Limpopo) and Venda. 

For Louw, the SARChI chair in “Innovative Rehabilitation" is the realisation of a long-term goal and the pinnacle of her career path to date. “It is a wonderful acknowledgement of my research at institutional, national and government levels. This chair opens the door to many avenues and opportunities which could yield meaningful contributions to society. 

“At an institutional level, it means that the value and need for research into rehabilitation is now firmly recognised and supported as a key health strategy for health." 

Her research focuses on the scientific and clinical evidence in rehabilitation to improve human functionality and healthcare within a trans-disciplinary context. 

“There is an urgent need to rethink health and social strategies in South Africa to more efficiently address the rehabilitation needs of people living with chronic diseases and disability," says Louw. “This Chair's research plan will position SA as a world leader in delivering effective, cost-efficient rehabilitation services to address unmet needs of its people disadvantaged by chronic disease and disability. This places enormous long-term strain on individuals, families, communities and government resources. In lower-middle income countries, where health budgets are already inadequate, additional costs for chronic disease and disability management simply cannot be absorbed without innovations." 

Louw holds a BSc from the University of the Western Cape and a Masters and PhD from the University of South Australia. In 2008, she founded Stellenbosch University's Neuromechanical Central Analytical facility and this provided much-needed infrastructure for research in her field. 

Caption: Profs Xikombiso Mbhenyane and Quinette Louw.

​Photos: Damien Schumann

​Seventeen different workshops were offered at the annual Training Initiative of the Central Analytical Facilities (CAF) from 18-22 June. Participants received high quality, hands-on training on the use and functioning of a range of high-end analytical equipment not readily available at all universities in South Africa. Postgraduate students (MSc, PhD) and researchers, as well as university and industry technical staff attended the workshops. At the opening function on 19 June, Prof Gary Stevens, director of CAF, encouraged participants to pursue a career in the analytical field and said that there is a need for more equipped scientists. Leaders in serving science like Zeiss, Separations, ThermoFisher, LecoAfrica, Microsep and Perkin Elmer sponsored the workshops.

Ania Botha and Grant Martin from Zeiss with Prof Gary Stevens, director of CAF, at the Welcome Dinner.	Participants from all seventeen workshops joined together at the Welcome Dinner.​	​Sibylle von Boetticher from Separations at  their display at the Welcome Dinner.

​Participants at the CLEM workshop with Lize Engelbrecht and Prof Lydia-Marie Joubert.	Participants at the GC-MS workshop with Lucky Mokwena.	​Participants at the Neuromechanics Noraxon workshop.

The Solution State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy workshop covered sample preparation, the setup and acquisition of some ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra on their samples, practise using 1D and 2D NMR experiments to solve several different structures and several other aspects.

“I enjoyed the hands-on experience preparing samples and getting to work and learn the different types of software available for data analysis." (Participant)

The Practical XRF Spectrometry workshop started off with a theory session in the morning. Topics covered included the basic principles of XRF spectrometry, instrument components of a WDXRF, sample preparation and data acquisition. This was followed by a practical session of sample preparation where fused beads and press powder pellets were prepared. In the afternoon session the prepared samples were analysed with qualitative and quantitative analysis under different instrument conditions. The course was concluded with a discussion of the results.

“It was very good, I cannot think of anything that could have made it better." (Participant)

The theory of ICP-MS analysis as well as the importance of high quality sampling and sample preparation techniques were discussed, after which time was spent on the instrument to understand all the factors playing a role in accurately measuring trace elements in various sample matrices.

“The workshop was very good." (Participant)

The Introduction to U-(Th)-Pb Geochronology by LA ICP-MS workshop consisted of an initial theoretical introduction to radioactive decay, with particular reference to the spontaneous decay of U and Th isotopes to Pb isotopes in common accessory minerals of rocks and how this can be used to obtain age constraints on geological processes; how to plot U-Pb data; a schematic description of the LA ICP-MS instrumentation available at CAF; comparison to other dating U-(Th)-Pb methods (SIMS, TIMS), with mention to accuracy and precision. Thereafter they spent some time in the LA ICP-MS laboratory familiarising with the laser and mass spectrometer, their main hardware components, the software used to run the instruments and how to set-up an analytical sequence. This was followed by a discussion of the key aspects of data reduction, with a brief overview of the software application (Iolite) used at CAF and including examples of already processed data assessed against micro-textural evidence (CL images) from the same zircon samples. The final part of the workshop consisted in the presentation and discussion with the participants of U-(Th)-Pb dating applications from various published geological case studies. The participants were encouraged to engage in the discussion and asked several questions throughout the workshop.

“I enjoyed the presentation related to geological application." (Participant)

The Biological Electron Microscopy: Introduction and Advanced Applications workshop was attended by 6 postgraduate students, whose academic background varied from Engineering (MSc) to Biological Sciences (MSc, PhD and post-doctoral). The morning lecture focused on basic principles of Electron Microscopy design and operation, fundamentals in biological EM, and the development of novel 3D EM techniques. Demonstration of processing techniques included negative staining and sample prep of microorganisms, tissue prep for resin embedding, and 3D array tomography. The afternoon was spent at the Zeiss Merlin FESEM, where a variety of specimens and detectors were used to illustrate the principles taught in the morning session. A representative of Carl Zeiss Microscopy, who was the sponsor of bags and notebooks, also attended the morning workshop. The delightful group of students had various interesting suggestions for novel tools and development in electron microscopy. Zeiss displayed the Zeiss Digital Classroom at the welcome dinner. The foundation of microscopy starts at undergraduate level and thus Zeiss designed a system that not only is fun and interactive for students but can be used as a tool for lecturers to assure for successful students in their microscopy classrooms. Blended learning has become of utter importance in this growing digital world and gives students a glimpse into the world of microscopy in an interactive way. This solution is not limited to only for student microscopes but can be added to all light microscopes.

“The practical part was amazing. To see the images that the machine could capture had all of us awestruck." (participant)

Our CLEM workshop was hosted in collaboration with the Fluorescence Microscopy Unit, and presentations by unit managers Lize Engelbrecht and Lydia-Marie Joubert introduced the students to basic principles, novel concepts, tools and challenges in Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy. A practical session at the Zeiss confocal microscope, and an introduction to sectioning of biological material, was followed by an afternoon session in the Electron Microscopy Unit where Zeiss's Shuttle-and-Find navigation system and software for CLEM was demonstrated.

“The whole Correlative light and electron microscopy workshop was extremely interesting and useful." (Participant)

The Analytical Electron Microscopy workshop was hosted to an international group of postgraduate (PhD) Engineering students from Nelson Mandela University, and Geological Sciences (MSc) at Stellenbosch University. Morning lectures by unit manager Lydia-Marie Joubert and senior analysts Madelaine Frazenburg and Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius was followed by an afternoon session in the lab, where operation of analytical detectors and software applications on the Zeiss EVO and Zeiss MERLIN scanning electron Microscopes were demonstrated. We were entertained by an exciting group of students with a keen interest and applications for analytical EM in their research projects. Challenges in analytical EM, and the way forward to future collaboration, were discussed.

“The electron microscopy was especially interesting to learn of sampel preparation and to look at how much magnification can be achieved with the microscope." (Participant)

The 600bp genome sequencing workshop received a generous donation of two bark beetle species from Dr Francois Roets to sequence for the training initiative. This allowed us to maximise the value of the workshop, with the hope that the resulting data might be used for publication purposes.  On day one, the attendees extracted DNA from both the invading and indigenous bark beetle species. The extracted DNA was evaluated with quality control procedures to prioritise and select the best possible template for massively parallel sequencing.  On day two, the bark beetle DNA was fragmented and used for library construction.  In particular, the extended range templating chemistry was employed to generate 600bp reads for sequencing on the Ion Torrent S5 platform.  On the final workshop day, the data was evaluated with a preliminary analysis, to demonstrate possible avenues that might be pursued to compare DNA sequences that were obtained from these beetles. ThermoFisher was one of DNA's three sponsors and their mission is to enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. They help customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. Perkin Elmer (sponsor) imagines a world where people can detect health issues sooner to treat them more effectively, where food and water are always safe and where scientific and medical research are enhanced to solve the greatest challenges of our time. Separations (sponsor) is a laboratory, biopharmaceutical process and lab automation specialist company. They have highly specialist consultants like Sibylle von Boetticher who was excited to be part of this training initiative and meeting their users.

“The whole workshop was very interesting and useful as it directly spoke to my phd." (Participant)

The Introduction to X-ray Micro and nano-CT workshop was a great experience to meet and engage with students and researchers from different fields and other institutions.  “We received lots of interest and positive feedback. The training got us and the participants excited into thinking of different ways to use MicroCT in their fields of study" said Stephan le Roux, presenter.

“All aspects of the workshop were very interesting and useful to me." (Participant)

The super-resolution microscopy workshop included a short presentation on the different super-resolution microscopy techniques available at the CAF Fluorescence Microscopy Unit. With the PALM and STORM platforms participants samples of bacteria and fibroblast cells and learned of the many challenges that comes with high resolution microscopy. Participants were amazed at the quality of the images of epithelial cells stained with various colours when visualised using Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM).

“The background to the technique formed a good basis for understanding the technique specifics. This assisted us to form an idea of how we could apply the technique in our own work, how we could improve our samples to use the technique and what the technique is actually able to do." (Participant)

The Cell sorting course on the BD FACSMelody™ presented an introduction into flow cytometry and the principles of the technique and fluorescence, as well as the principle and theory of cell sorting. The participants were active in the course, enquiring about methods and also applications of the theory. For the practical session, we demonstrated the differences between the BD FACSMelody™ cell sorter and the BD FACSAria II cell sorter. The participants were able to see a demonstration on cell sorting. Overall, the feedback for the course was very positive and everyone gained a better understanding of the applications of flow cytometry.

“I enjoyed the practical session." (Participant)

The Flow Cytometry data analysis course was aimed at providing information to participants on flow cytometric gating, data analyses and interpretation of results, as well as a how-to on basic data analysis in FlowJo® software.  The participants thoroughly enjoyed the hands-on tutorial and the question and answer sessions. All in all, they feedback indicated that they gained new understanding and the course was able to address many of their questions.

“The data analysis was very interesting." (Participant)

Trainees attending the first workshop for the Hyperspectral imaging unit were welcomed at the Food Science department from the 19^th – 20^th of June 2018.  On the first day of training, the morning was dedicated to a basic introduction on NIR Spectroscopy and NIR hyperspectral imaging.  The lecture was followed by a practical demonstration of the hyperspectral imaging equipment in the CAF unit, to give participants an opportunity to get first-hand experience operating the instruments.  Participants could image samples such as coffee beans, leaves and maize kernels to obtain a representation of the images and data, which are collected with the SWIR and VNIR cameras.  The second day of training focused on the basics of Multivariate data analysis.  The theoretical part was completed in the morning, after which participants moved to the lab to practice their chemometrics skills using the Evince software and tutorials provided by Prediktera.  Interested users can also download a free 30 day trail of this software to practice their skills at home.  The intention of this course was to provide new users with a basic introduction to this equipment and data processing software. 

“I enjoyed the practical experience using Evince software." (Participant)

The GC-MS workshop was held over 3 days. Day 1 was dedicated to the theory, day 2 was the practical session and day 3 the data interpretation. For the practical and data presentation, the participants were divided into 2 groups for the morning and afternoon sessions. The practical and data interpretations sessions were conducted in the CAF lab at the JH Neethling Building under the supervision of Mr Mokwena with the assistance of Mr William Arries (CAF GC-MS Units). On completion of the workshop, all the participating candidates were issued with attendance certificates. LecoAfrica sponsored the GC-MS workshop. LECO Corporation has for over 75 years remained a worldwide leader in the development of top quality analytical instrumentation, mass spectrometers, metallography, optical equipment and related consumables. Leco serves life sciencies, environmental and agriculture, food, energy and fuels, and the mined materials and metals markets.

I found the troubleshooting of the GCMS machine very interesting." (Participant)

Several students from various academic institutions throughout South Africa as well as from industry, took part in the LCMS workshop. They were trained in the basic theory and practical usage of LC Triple Quadrupole or Tandem Mass Spectometry (LC-MSMS) and LC Time of Flight (LC-qTOF) techniques. Microsep who sponsored this workshop distributes and supports internationally recognised market-leading brands in Southern Africa. Their goal is to provide high quality products and innovative solutions to satisfy the needs of their customers. The company's focus is in the laboratory, industrial and retail market segments, providing systems and solutions to the separations science, water purification, analytical instrumentation, microporous membrane filtration, high precision weighing, metal detection, dimensioning, logistics and retail automation industries.

“Lectures explaining the LCMS were of a high standard. The hands on preparations were of great value." (Participant)

The Neuromechanics Unit hosted a two-day Noraxon mobile neuromechanical analysis workshop on advanced technologies for measuring and analyzing human movement. The instruments included a Noraxon wearable sensor system that wirelessly tracks skeletal motion (kinematics) using inertial sensors and the electrical activity of the muscles (EMG) using surface electrodes placed on the skin. A Bertec instrumented treadmill was also used to measure the ground reaction forces produced during certain movements (e.g. walking, running, jumping, etc.). Attendees were instructed on how to operate the Noraxon MyoResearch software platform to capture and analyse the kinematic, EMG and force data. There was a strong focus on test participant preparation and the sensor placement required to obtain high quality, accurate data. During the practical session on the second day, attendees completed the entire workflow from participant preparation through to data analysis indepedently. During this process attendees were encouraged to generate hypotheses around certain movements and then practically test and evaluate these using the available technologies and the data they captured.

“The EMG analysis was very good." (Participant)

Over the course of three days participants at the Proteomics workshop were introduced to proteomics in general and the techniques employed in particular. Everyday consisted of both theoretical sessions followed by practical sessions where the theory discussed were applied. During the practical sessions participants prepared their own samples for analysis and were showed what the sample should – and should not – look like.

“It was a well presented workshop and the fact that it was hands-on made it to be of great value. Only when you do the work do you really understand all the concepts." (Participant)

www.sun.ac.za/caf

​A group of Matie Community Service (MCS) student volunteers from the Stellenbosch University Primary Health Care Programme hosted a health promotion day at the Kalkfontein Community Hall on Saturday 26 May.

The day was aimed at identifying the symptoms of health issues such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, and providing advice to local residents on health issues.

TygerBurger, a weekly community newspaper, published this article covering the event.

The event, which was led and co-ordinated by Mrs Avril Whate, a senior project manager at Primary Health Care at Tygerberg, is part of the MCS Primary Health Care programme. This programme provides a holistic after-hour and primary healthcare service to certain communities of the Western Cape who have limited access to healthcare.

The goals of the programme are to:

• promote holistic and integrative management;
• provide health promotion and health education to clients;
• promote the prevention of diseases through appropriate screening;
• provide training to student volunteers;
• create a platform for academic support and development;
• provide a platform for student and student leadership development; and
• promote the development of community volunteers.

“Our mission is to interact with communities in their specific context through the provision of our services and healthcare education in order to empower these communities to improve and maintain their own development and well-being, thereby creating the hope of a sustainable future," said Mrs Whate.  

The initiative also contributes towards the professional development of students and improves their clinical skills by providing additional training. The students also have the opportunity to spend time with patients and listen to their stories, which contributes positively to the training of undergraduate health professionals.

For more information regarding the programme and clinic dates, please contact Mrs Whate at acw@sun.ac.za.

​Two eminent researchers at Stellenbosch University (SU) won prestigious National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)/South32 Awards on Thursday (28 June 2018). These annual awards recognise, celebrate and reward outstanding excellence in Science, Engineering, Technology (SET) and Innovation in South Africa.

Prof Resia Pretorius from the Department of Physiological Sciences won the TW Kambule Award Award for researchers who contributed to research and its outputs over a period of up to six years. Prof Coenrad Fourie from the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering walked away with an award in the category: Innovation Award (Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise) for innovations and their research and/or development by teams, individuals or organisations.

Pretorius, a winner of the Department of Science and Technology's Women in Science Award in 2017, was honoured for her discovery of the link between inflammation and non-infection disease like type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease as well as Alzheimer's disease. She showed that tiny amounts of bacterial cell wall molecules, which are shed by (dormant) bacteria in blood entering the body can cause blood to form clots that can cause diseases. This contributes to chronic inflammation that is part of many supposedly non-infectious diseases.  

Rated as an internationally acclaimed researcher by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Pretorius has published 247 articles in high-impact accredited international journals like Lancet and New Scientist and has contributed 8 chapters to books. IN 2017, five patents were registered that resulted from her research. Pretorius has also supervised many young MSc and PhD candidates, among them several young female African students.

Prof Coenrad Fourie received an innovation award in recognition of the pioneering work that his company SUN Magnetics (Pty) Ltd is doing in the area of integrated superconducting circuits in supercomputers. Fourie is the director and founder of the company. His team, consisting of engineers and postgraduate students, have developed engineering methods and software tools that enable the design and verification of very large scale integrated superconducting circuits.  Integrated superconducting circuits are used in energy-efficient supercomputers, quantum computing systems and quantum sensors. 

Before he started SUN Magnetics, Fourie developed software called “InductEx" that verifies the correct layout of integrated circuits. This software is used by physicists and engineers around the world and SUN Magnetics now counts among its clients the computing giant IBM and the world's leading metrology institute: the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado in the USA. Through its dividends, SUN Magnetics contributes to the finances of SU.

Also rated by the NRF, Fourie has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals and supervised a number of postgraduate students.

He is associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, and a member of the International Advisory Board of the International Superconducting Electronics Conference.

• ​​Photo: Profs Resia Pretorius (first row, second from left) and Coenrad Fourie (first row, third from left) with other staff (including finalists) from SU at the award ceremony.
  

The internationally celebrated SU Choir embarks on a concert tour on the 29^th of June which will take them via London and Wales to the 2018 World Choir Games in Tshwane.

The tour kicks off on the 1^st of July with a concert in the newly refurbished Purcell Room in the London Southbank Centre – Europe's largest centre of the arts.

From London, the choir travels via Bath to Wales where they will take part in the prestigious Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod from 5 to 8 July. This festival yearly attracts around 50 000 visitors and 4 000 participants, including 150 choirs, from across the world. The SU Choir is one of only four choirs invited to perform in the International Celebration Concert in front of an audience of 2 000. This concert is the official opening of the Llangollen Eisteddfod and is broadcast on British TV.

Cell phone users can click here to watch the video.

The SU Choir will also take part in the colourful International Parade through Llangollen which sees the participating choirs walk through the city as representatives of their countries. The highlight of the Llangollen Eisteddfod is the Choir of the World competition concerts. The SU Choir will compete in three categories – Youth Choirs, Mixed Choirs and Open Choirs.

The choir will then return to South Africa for the 2018 World Choir Games in Tshwane in which more than 300 choirs from across the world will participate. Because André van der Merwe, the conductor of the SU Choir, is chairperson of the artistic committee of the Choir Games, the choir is not allowed to participate in the competition. It has, however, been invited to perform as demonstration choir at the Choir Games. Tickets for the SU Choir's Celebration Concert at the Choir Games in the Universiteitsoord on 12 July is available through Nutickets: http://wcg.nutickets.co.za/2018SA

The SU Choir has been number one on the Interkultur ranking list of a 1 000 international choirs for the past five years, but André van der Merwe emphasises that it is never about winning or losing:

“For me and the choir, there is nothing 'at stake' on this tour. My choir members know the result of a competition – win or lose – must never be allowed to determine who you are. We are here for the music. We take part in a competition to challenge our own standards and to perform the music as beautifully as possible. Everything else is a bonus."

A choir tour like this one is a great opportunity, says Van der Merwe:

“For every artist, it is important to test his work on the international stage. It is a wonderful opportunity for growth to see how your own culturally specific repertoire is received in an international context. We perform interesting music, and I am curious to see how audiences respond.

“The SU Choir will be exposed to international choirs at the top of their game. We will share ánd learn! And I am excited to show how choirs make an important contribution to nation building in our country."

Van der Merwe says he is very much looking forward to the concert in the Purcell Room of the Southbank Centre in London on the 1^st of July: “It promises to be a special experience attended by many Matie alumni."

• Tickets for the London concert is available on Computicket: https://online.computicket.com/web/event/stellenbosch_university_choir/1208860493/0/87565108. More than half the tickets have already been sold.
• Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOjYbS3aCak to see the Stellenbosch University Choir performing John Legend's “All of Me". Legend was so taken with their version of his song that he tweeted about it earlier this year. Since then the video has been viewed more than 889 000 times on YouTube.  
  

Opportunistic behaviour in business reduces trust, commitment, cooperation, relational ties and knowledge sharing, and also increases conflict and transaction cost.

This was one of the viewpoints of Prof Gert Human from the Department of Business Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at Stellenbosch University on Thursday (14 June 2018). He delivered his inaugural lecture on the topic The dark side of business interdependence and the collaboration-opportunism paradox.

Human said opportunistic behaviour  ̶  the deliberate seeking of self-interest  ̶  in business relationships is a key consequence of a negative (dark) unhealthy business relationship. “Dependence, asymmetry, uncertainty, conflict and power drive opportunistic behaviour in interdependent business relationships."

“Competitive intensity in the industry, market turbulence and organisational culture are contextual influencers of dark opportunism."

According to Human, the dark side of interdependence is not new.

“However, today the exponential growth in the sophistication and complexity of our business relationships, networks and ecosystems demands a better understanding of this phenomenon."

He said managers who understand this proactively mobilise resources to produce successful outcomes.

“Firms can employ bonding, bridging and linking types of social capital to moderate the effect of dark side of opportunistic behaviour."

Human said attention should be given to the importance of the collaboration-opportunism paradox in business relationships.

“The collaboration-opportunism paradox is here to stay. In a world where interdependence is a defining characteristic of business interaction, firms and individuals will continue to collaborate and forge business relationships to unlock new value."

“Therefore collaboration is not discouraged. In fact it is promoted, but needs to be accompanied by a clearer picture of the risks associated with the dark side of interdependence."

Human said as long as we have business collaboration the possibility of opportunistic behaviour will remain.

“It would be naïve to think that opportunistic behaviour can be completely governed by more sophisticated legal and other structural apparatus that firms, governments and individuals can reasonable design and implement."

Human said because opportunism in business relationships is alleged to always be present to some degree, ridding the business environment of it is near impossible and may even not be desirable.

“However, understanding its bright and dark side should, in theory at least, facilitate its management," he adds.

• Main photo: Pixabay
  
• Photo 1: Proff Gert Human (middle), Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, and Ingrid Woolard, Dean of EMS, at the inaugural lecture. Photographer: Anton Jordaan.
  

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“Uhuru" means liberation in kiSwahili. It's also a befitting name for Dr Uhuru Phalafala, who is playing a key role in helping to free the minds of young students at Stellenbosch University (SU). Dr Phalafala is only 34 years old and has already achieved a lot in her academic career, while also lecturing in the English Department at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of SU.

She is a fellow of the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (2018), a recipient of the African Humanities Program Postdoctoral Award (2019) from the American Council of Learned Societies and the principal investigator of an inter-institutional Andrew Mellon-funded five-year project geared towards decolonising the curricula in higher education in South Africa.

“I've always been passionate about curriculum development since I was significantly traumatised by both primary and high school learning. In university, the South African literary history taught to me also heightened my calling to address overt biases and blind spots in our education system," says Dr Phalafala.

Growing up in Polokwane, Limpopo, Dr Phalafala learned from an early age that she could shape the world through her imagination, which ultimately led her into the literary field. “I am in awe of the sheer force of the imagination in moulding alternative realities, which in turn has visceral and very real consequences in the 'real' world. It is the power of imagination that has always pushed me to question everything. This has had tremendous effects on my development, until today."

Since her undergraduate years, Dr Phalafala has always been interested in uncovering unknown South African literature exiled by the spectre of apartheid. She believes that the process of repatriating South African literature from exile will be key to decolonising the curricula in higher education, addressing the gaps in our knowledge system and repatriating African literature that has been lost in academia.

“In my training as a literary scholar and, in particular, in South African literary history, I often came across a certain narrative of our cultural production that presented a robust productivity by black artists since the beginning of the 20th century. However, I was made to believe that the decade of the 1960s was a 'silent decade' for black literary production. I found that of course, it is not sufficient to label the 1960s a silent era of black literary production only because our national literature at the time was deterritorialised. I started to search for that literature outside of its national borders and that is how I came across the important work of Keorapetse Kgositsile, amongst other notable figures."

Dr Phalafala has been awarded the National Research Foundation Sabbatical Grant to relieve her of teaching duties for two years in order to write a book on the recently deceased South African National Poet Laureate Keorapetse Kgositsile. “I feel privileged to have been awarded research leave – time that will allow me to consolidate my personal research on Kgositsile, work on the larger project of recovering exile texts and invest time in the digital project that is tied to the project of South African culture in exile."

Dr Phalafala hopes that her teaching and research of African literature and passion for curricula development will inspire her students to follow the calling of their hearts as well, identify their own struggles and have enough courage to confront them squarely.

Photo supplied by Uhuru Phalafala.

The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences learnt with sadness of the passing yesterday of Prof Johan Matthee, Dean of this faculty from 1996 to 2001.

Prof Matthee joined the (then) Department of Accountancy in 1966 and made a substantial contribution to the development of both the Department and the Faculty.

We pay homage to his memory.

• Photo (f.l.t.r.): Former deans of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Proff Stan du Plessis, Johan Matthee, Estian Calitz and Johan de Villiers, with Ms Marie Malherbe at a function in celebration of the Faculty's 90th anniversay in 2015. As the Dean's secretary, Marie worked closely with all these deans.

​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.
  
• Photos supplied by the Sustainability Institute: Main photo: Students busy with practical work. Photo below: Students at the Launch Lab.

 

 

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A team of six senior Department of Forest and Wood Science students once again represented Stellenbosch University at the 2018 International Wood Supply Game. Despite tough competition from very experienced teams across the world, the Maties managed a very credible third place out of seven teams.  In fact, they only missed the second spot by two points out of roughly 500.

The Game was created in 2000 to simulate the operations in the forest product supply chain.  In the forest industry, the value creation cycle from forest to end customer is long and complex. Each enterprise in the value creation network is an independent decision making unit and this can result in a lack of synchronization of operations. Information is an important tool when managing the value creation network. Incomplete and incorrect information causes delivery problems and customer dissatisfaction. The Game simulates operations in the forest product supply chain in order to demonstrate the dynamics at work in the value creation network and shows the importance of information sharing.

Each game is played with a maximum of seven people, each responsible for the management of one enterprise in the network. Each round in the game represents one week and each game is between 25 and 50 weeks long. The supply chain is represented by different downstream business units of the end customer and the divergent nature of the forest products industry supply chain is simulated in the game with players trying to minimize inventory and backorder costs.

Universities represented at this year's game were Sweden Agricultural University, University of Laval (x2), Stellenbosch University, the University of Helsinki and the University of Zayed, UAE.  Thanks to Prof. Ackerman and the organizing committee for the opportunity, as well as Jacques Malan for being instrumental in developing the team strategy.

Image: All Eyes on the Screen - The Maties Team: (FLTR) Zimbili Sibiya, Ashlee Prins, Jacques Malan (captain), Marius Terblanche, Hugo Lambrecht, Prof. Pierre Ackerman and Mr Simon Ackerman. Missing: Trevor van Groeningen and Ben van Heerden