​​"Society is also looking at universities for solutions to global crises in such areas such as the environment, conflict management, health, water, food security, social cohesion and growing inequality," new Stellenbosch University Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers writes in an op-ed in Die Burger (1 April 2015).

"What we need now is innovation –new ways of thinking and doing. Society expects of universities to fulfil this role" he adds.

Read a translation of the text, as submitted, below, or follow this link to read the published article (in Afrikaans): http://www.netwerk24.com/stemme/2015-04-01-enjins-van-innovasie?vc=45bc16dfc53b1ed6e1dc8ae15b7f0216

• Read an article about Prof De Villiers' first day at the ​office here.
  
• ​​Visit his home page: http://www.sun.ac.za/english/management/wim-de-villiers/Pages/default.aspx
  
• Follow him on Twitter @WimdeVilliers: https://twitter.com/wimdevilliers
  
• Read an article about his appointment here.
  

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'Universities are engines of innovation' 

By Wim de Villiers

All eyes are on universities these days – not only in South Africa and not merely regarding institutional symbolism. Universities are in the spotlight the world over, especially in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2007-8.

Probing questions are being asked. Is a university degree still relevant? Will it get you a job? Why is higher education so expensive? Is it necessary to attend classes if the internet provides access to the world's best professors?

These concerns are indicative of a revolution that is unfolding in higher education. Continued transformation has become a necessity for any university that is worth its salt and wants to survive.

Society is also looking at universities for solutions to global crises in such areas such as the environment, conflict management, health, water, food security, social cohesion and growing inequality.

Humankind has always had problems, and have always made plans to address them. What we need now is innovation –new ways of thinking and doing. That is the only way we will achieve outcomes different from those in the past.

Society expects of universities to fulfil this role. Huge amounts of money are poured into higher education annually, and it is not too much to expect a decent return.

Innovation is born out of problem-setting, and therefore the university environment offers an excellent breeding ground for innovation because it puts forward critical questions. That is partly why universities are vital for innovation.

The other reason is that universities, particularly research-intensive institutions, are places of knowledge production – reliable knowledge resulting from the scientific method. Specialists in various subject fields are able, via multi- and interdisciplinary approaches, to come up with multi-faceted solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems.

If many experts are concentrated in a particular region, the area can become an innovation hub, for example Silicon Valley in the USA, Vancouver in Canada, Cambridge in the UK, and Leuven in the EU. The Western Cape is ideally suited to be an innovation hub, with its pivot in the greater Cape Town area, including Stellenbosch. An increasing number of technology companies, entrepreneurs and investors are setting up business here.

Initiatives such as Silicon Cape, the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative, and the Stellenbosch Innovation District offer exciting possibilities. Evidently, they all recognise the fact that we have four leading universities within a radius of 50 km – CPUT, SU, UCT and UWC.

Universities have a rich tradition that dates back a thousand years to the Middle Ages. Central to this, is the idea of academic freedom to perform fundamental research – the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. However, the idea of the ivory tower is outdated. Universities must be relevant, particularly in the light of dwindling government subsidies and difficult economic circumstances.

Are universities ready for these challenges? In their book, Engines of Innovation: The Entrepreneurial University in the Twenty-First Century, Holden Thorp and Buck Goldstein suggest that entrepreneurship is the key, as this supplies "the spark, the passion, and the commitment that inspire creative people to come together and achieve extraordinary things."

Entrepreneurial thinking can assist universities to be more innovative; and innovative universities, together with other role players, can assist society to turn problems into opportunities.

Commercialising the intellectual property produced at universities is of the greatest importance. For example, SU is Africa's research leader, with the highest research output per fulltime academic. However, what good would this knowledge be if it merely gathered dust on library shelves? What we need is patenting, licensing and spin-off companies, as well as the transfer of technology to entrepreneurs, in order to create feasible products and services.

At Maties, these functions are performed by Innovus, the company that mediates the SU's interaction with the industry and promotes innovation within and outside the University. Thanks to this system, SU registered 59 PCT patents (Patent Cooperation Treaty) from 2009 to 2014 – the most in the country, even more than the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research).

Overall, there were 314 patent applications in South Africa in 2012 – considerably less than the USA's 52 000 applications, Japan's 44 000 and Germany's 19 000. Naturally, we are a small, emerging economy compared to these giants.

However, it is also interesting to consider the relationship between education and innovation. In the USA and Japan, 1 out of every 3 people between the ages of 25 and 34 have a bachelor's degree. It shows that higher education is certainly one of the building blocks of innovation and development.

What is the situation in South Africa? In 2001, 1 out of 17 people had a university degree, but the goal set in the National Development Plan is 1 out of 6 by 2030. That should boost innovation.

In the past, students were prepared for a specific career and graduates would spend their entire working lives at one or two companies. These days, young people are being prepared for professions that do not even exist yet. Moreover, many people change careers through the course of their lives – often more than a few times.

Entrepreneurship training is part of the solution. There is an interesting initiative known as the LaunchLab at Maties. It functions as a business accelerator boosting entrepreneurship on the campus through network opportunities, mentorship and affordable rental rates for start-up companies by both students and staff, as well as external parties. In the meantime, the LaunchLab has also extended its activities to the other three universities in our province. This is in line with the global trend of campuses providing a platform for creating new companies.

Nowadays students have access to knowledge all the time, from every any place. They carry around entire libraries on their smart phones, they listen to podcasts and watch internet video clips to assist them with their studies, and they communicate instantly and continuously with each other – and with lecturers – via social media.

It is predicted that more than half of the world's traditional universities offering contact tuition may disappear as on-line education increases. However, it is also expected that given their reputation for excellence, universities such as Harvard will be adding hundreds of thousands of students to their numbers in cyberspace.

South African universities are beginning to test these new waters. Wits and UCT have already introduced MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses), while SU and other institutions have advanced plans in this regard. In the long run, blended learning will probably prevail. In this model, technology does not replace contact sessions; rather it is used to enrich learning and education.

Higher education used to be an extremely stable sector. Of the 85 institution in existence worldwide since 1522, 70 are universities, according to Clayton Christensen and Henry Eyring in their book, The Innovative University: Changing the DNA of Higher Education from the inside out. However, ancient stone foundations are beginning to crumble everywhere.

For a university to survive, it has to distinguish itself from other institutions. A university cannot be everything to everybody. Institutions must decide where they can have the greatest impact.

The challenge for universities is to be locally relevant, yet globally competitive. We can focus unique areas in which we have developed expertise over time. South Africa's medical schools are shining examples in this regard.

By joining hands with the private sector, higher education could be setting the pace, and at the same time assist the people of our country and the continent with proven expertise. In this way, universities can be the innovation engines that drive much-needed development.

• ​​Prof Wim de Villiers is the new rector and vice-chancellor of Stellenbosch University. This article is an edited version of his speech at the Kaapstad Sakekamer (Cape Town Chamber of Commerce) on 31 March 2015.​
  

Feeling hopeless, depressed, struggling against exhaustion, yet pushing yourself even harder, longing for the boundless energy you once took for granted? You might be heading for burn-out, says Dr Dorrian Aiken, part-time lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) in the field of coaching, organisational transformation and leadership development.

"It seems as if the phenomenon of burn-out is increasing, resulting in the modern-day psychological issues of being both stressed and also lacking vitality - a feeling of not being in touch with one's own life," says Dr Aiken.

According to a study conducted in August 2014 by the American Institute of Stress in New York City,  uncontrolled stress physically impairs more than 77% of people, and 73% suffer psychologically. Stress-related health care and lost working hours cost employers in the US more than $300 billion annually.

Dr Aiken says the deterioration from stress overload to burnout can dramatically reduce capacity for recovery.

"Stress in not necessarily a bad thing, and indeed gives many of us the focus we need to get an important job done. It is important to recognise that stress, per se, is not necessarily evil. As the pioneering endocrinologist Hans Selye, who first defined stress as a physical condition, observed: 'Without stress, there would be no life'. The challenge is to strike a balance, to have sufficient stress to perform optimally, with passion and energy, with time to rest and recover.

"However, unremitting stress releases unacceptably high levels of cortisol and adrenalin into our blood stream, and the impact over time is a reduced immune system.

"Neurobiological research reveals that under stress, our bodies stop the constant production and replenishment of new cells. Stress focuses our attention on fight or flight so our body's resources must be concentrated on the impending threat to our survival. Over time, the depletion of new and healthy cells erodes the efficiency of our immune system and this leads to the beginning of burn-out."

What should one look for? Dr Aiken points out that during the first stage of burn-out, individuals become anxious and struggle to control stress. "They find that they are unable to deal with issues on a day-to-day basis, and may even 'fall to pieces'. Sleeping problems, particularly early- morning waking, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating are also early warning signs."  

The symptoms become more pronounced during the second stage with warning signs that include absenteeism, lateness or a 'don't care attitude' coupled with constant complaints of being tired.  

"Procrastination, struggling to make decisions, becoming overwhelmed by their workload and starting to withdraw, are all indicators. There is a danger too of substance abuse, particularly the abuse of over-the counter medication such as sleeping tablets, followed by another tablet to help them wake up in the morning."

During the third stage of burn-out, the so-called classic burn-out, the individual appears to be in a state of deep depression.

"There is a chronic sense of sadness and fatigue. They may experience self-destructive thoughts, including suicide as there does not appear to be a way out. Things people used to enjoy will no longer give them any pleasure and they become increasingly withdrawn and isolated."

Dr Aiken says if you read any of these signs, especially the early warning-signs, there is help to lessen the load and improve one's well-being.

"It is very important to constantly evaluate your levels of stress to recognize the symptoms, and then to undo the damage by seeking support and finding ways to manage your stress, as well as taking care of yourself both physically and mentally.

 "Studies have found that the consistent practice of meditation can improve reduced immune function. Some of the symptoms of burn-out are increased muscular pain and joint inflammation, often resulting in broken sleep due to constant body discomfort.  Meditation has been shown to reduce levels of pro-inflammatory genes, resulting in faster physical recovery from stress-related conditions."

So what else can you do? Dr Aiken says one can start by tackling one problem at a time. "Choose the problem with the highest burn-out potential that could be solved with concrete solutions. If you take action on one level you might find an improvement in the others as well. Involve your family in your striving for balance and share the daily responsibility you might be carrying on your own; adopt healthy eating and exercise habits; and set boundaries both personally and in the workplace."

However, she warns that the problem with all the advice given is that it requires an ability of the person receiving it to be self-reflective.

"How well do you acknowledge the risk of your behavioural patterns and their possible consequences? Not only being self-aware enough to be able to change your patterns but also to engage with family and colleagues to help you do so? And how do you begin to give yourself permission to change? The patternsleading to burn-out may have become deeply ingrained over many years.

"Sadly, self-reflection and recognition often only follows a full-scale break-down which literally stops a person in his or her tracks with probably long-term consequences for regaining full health."

She says if you recognise that you are at risk, a good starting point is to find a mentor, a coach or a trusted confidant to help you begin to examine and reframe some of the - probably untrue - assumptions that cause you to drive yourself beyond a healthy level of endurance. 

​A three-day workshop focused on the "relative invisibility of slow violence" is being held at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) until 02 April. 

The workshop, which is organised by the Psychology Department, is based on author and academic Prof Rob Nixon's premise that in "a world permeated by insidious unspectacular violence…writing can make the unapparent appear, rendering it tangible by humanizing drawn out calamities inaccessible to the human senses."

"The emphasis in this workshop is firstly on what Nixon has called "slow violence", human calamities inaccessible to the human senses. In a country where we are bombarded, on a daily basis, with statistics and disturbing images of violence, we are accustomed to the conceiving of violence as immediate and explosive," says workshop organiser Prof Lou-Marie Kruger from the Psychology Department.

Nixon is the author of the 2011 award-winning book Slow violence and the environmentalism of the poor and has held the Rachel Carson Professorship of English Chair at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he teaches environmental humanities, creative nonfiction and English literature.

His keynote address at the opening of the workshop focused on Disturbing the 'normalized quiet of unseen power': Alternative ways of representing violence. During his talk he shared various images and video clips of slow violence in society.

One of the examples he used, was in reference to African American Eric Garner from Staten Island, New York City, who died after a police officer put him in a chokehold during arrest. In the altercation, which led to Garner's death, Garner kept on saying "I can't breathe". These words, says Nixon, highlights invisible forms of violence in Garner's life – like the fact that Garner, an asthma sufferer, lived in a poor inner-city community close to an industrial area.

​In his book, Nixon explains this in more detail: "We need to revisit our assumptions and consider the relative invisibility of slow violence. I mean a violence that is neither spectacular nor instantaneous but instead incremental, whose calamitous repercussions are postponed for years or decades or centuries."

 These drawn out calamities of which Nixon speak can include, but are not limited to, colonialism, slavery, institutionalised racism, class and sexual oppression, dispossession, unfair labour practices, compromised health care and education, crime, substance abuse, hunger, the intergenerational transmission of violence, the slow and vicarious impact of trauma. It is contended that it is these slow processes that are also the underlying reasons for the fact that the problem of violence is at a globally unprecedented level in South Africa.

The second emphasis in this workshop is on alternative ways of representation, providing intellectuals, academics and artists with an opportunity to "write" violence differently and thus to disturb "the normalized quiet of unseen power" (Said, 2011), says Kruger.

​"The need is to urgently rethink the concept of violence – politically, imaginatively, and theoretically, but, in doing so, to engage with the representational, narrative and strategic challenges posed by the relative invisibility of slow violence. We want to, with strong research as basis, show how creative non-fiction, literature, visual art, music and film can serve to make invisible violence visible and thus to move society out of its resigned paralysis."

Other presenters at the workshop will include academics from Stellenbosch University and other institutions such as Vasti Roodt, Aryan Kaganof, Steve Robins, Carina Truyts, Sally-Ann Murray, Sally Swartz, Stephanus Muller, Albert Grundlingh, Lwando Scott, Bronwyn Law-Viljoen, Imraan Coovadia, Hentie van der Merwe, Sandra Swart, Francois Knoetze, Thomas Cousins, Mathilda Slabbert, Megan Jones, Tertius Kapp, Andries Bezuidenhoudt, Pierre de Vos, Louise du Toit, Floretta Boonzaier, Shose Kessi, Despina Learmonth, Zethu Matebeni, Willem Anker, Irma du Plessis, Stephanus Naude, Kylie Thomas, Sherine van Wyk, Adrian van Wyk, Pieter Odendaal, Michiel Heyns, Murray la Vita, Nathan Trantraal, Carina Venter and Ingrid Winterbach.

Some of the topics to be covered will focus on time, water, waste, academia, labour, the school, the prison, the hospital, mothers, fathers, teachers, animals, childhood, whiteness, blackness, religion, rugby, language, the category, the canon, the colony,  the beach, the woods, the city, the dump site, the valley, joy, melancholy, intimacy, risk, desire, danger and death.

An art exhibition, curated by Mr Hentie van der Merwe, will form part of the workshop and will be held at the GUS gallery in Stellenbosch from the opening of the workshop on 30 March to 23 May 2015. The exhibition takes as formal motif the image of the animal in contemporary South African art to explore Nixon's notion of "slow violence". Artists participating in the exhibition include Liesl Brenzel, Jean Brundrit, Chelsea Christian, Wilma Cruise, Gavin Younge, Carol-Anne Gainer, Elizabeth Gunter, Friday Jibu, Francois Knoetze, Fritha Langerman, Ledelle Moe, Brett Murray, Luan Nel, Walter Oltmann, Lyn Smuts, Sohette Wait and Michael Yeltsin.

Photo: The keynote speaker at the Slow Violence workshop this week is Prof Rob Nixon. Here he is with Mr Hentie van der Merwe and Prof Lou-Marie Kruger at STIAS. (Anton Jordaan, SSFD)

​​​​​The South African Academy for Science and Arts once again honoured a number of Stellenbosch University (SU) experts for their contributions to their respective fields. These awards signify excellence, commitment and hard work – characteristics that are highly prized at SU.

The recipients are Prof. Johan de Villiers and the Libertas Choir, Prof Leon Dicks, extra-ordinary professor at the Department of Microbiology, Prof Lizette Rabe from the Department of Journalism, and Prof Leslie Swartz, from the Department of Psychology.

The prizes will be awarded at one of two gala-events in Stellenbosch (24 June) and Pretoria (2 October) respectively.

Prof Johan de Villiers, emeritus professor in Mathematics at Stellenbosch University, and the Libertas Choir, received a special medal of honour. Prof De Villiers found the choir and has been its conductor since 1989. The Libertas Choir was the first multi-cultural choir in South Africa and is still representative of the diverse South African community.

Prof De Villiers was recognised for his "inspiring leadership, unique characteristics and exceptional ability in the field of choir instruction and performance of choir music".

Prof De Villiers had the following to say about the award: "I dedicate it to every choir member over the years, and specifically to my wife, Louwina, without whose enormous contribution as choir manager there wouldn't have been a Libertas Choir. I am also greatly indebted to Stellenbosch University for promoting my parallel career in music, since my time as conductor of the University Choir."

Prof Leon Dicks has been awarded the Havenga prize for life sciences. This is a prestigious prize awarded annually for original research in the natural sciences and/or technology and can be awarded only once to the same individual.

Prof Dicks says, as a scientist, the award serves as a wake-up call to tackle even more challenging issues: "It is always nice to receive recognition for one's work. I am deeply grateful towards the Academy for the award and that I have received so many blessings, but I also realise that there is still a lot to be done!"

He received the award for his research on antimicrobial peptides and the probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria.

Prof Lizette Rabe receives the Stals-prize for Communication and Journalism. In a media release the Academy says Rabe distinguished herself as a respected academic in a field of study where hands on experience, together with in depth knowledge, are prerequisites. Her career  getuig van 'n benadering om alle geleenthede te benut om joernalistiek as vakgebied te bevorder en uit te bou."

She was praised for her insight into the fast changing environment of electronic communication tools and how it enables her to study the application of these tools in journalism, and to train student accordingly.

Prof Rabe says the award is an honour "which I accept with great humility".

This year the Stals-prize for Psychology was awarded to Prof Leslie Swartz for the key role he played in the formation of the Centre for Public Mental Health, in cooperation with the University of Cape Town. "Prof Swartz serves as in inspirational example of a psychologist and academic who lives out his passion for renewal on the field of psychology as well as the acquisition of knowledge," said the release.

Read more about Prof Johan de Villiers and Prof Leon Dicks.​

​ Photo: From left is Proff Proff Johan de Villiers, Lizette Rabe, Leslie Swartz and Leon Dicks.​

"I am ready!" This is how Prof Wim de Villiers, new Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU) feels about his fist day in office. Prof De Villiers stepped into his office today (Wednesday 1 April) as the twelfth head of  this institution.

De Villiers (55), a former Matie and medical doctor who studied and worked in England and America for 21 years, succeeds Prof Russel Botman, who passed away unexpectedly in June last year.

He was born in Stellenbosch, matriculated from Paul Roos Gymnasium and passed his MBChB at SU cum laude.

He decided to "spread his wings" and obtained a DPhil in Immunology at Oxford University, England, in 1995. He then went to America to gain more experience – at the University of Kentucky Medical Centre in Lexington. He later also obtained a master's degree in health-care management from Harvard University.

In the USA De Villiers practised as a gastroenterologist and also established himself as a respected researcher in this field. He was included in the publication Best Doctors in America, and held a number of senior positions at the University of Kentucky, including Head of Gastroenterology, and Administrative Head of the Good Samaritan Hospital.

He became dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town in 2013.

​De Villiers said this morning he plans to say very little the first six months and to rather "get out on campus and​ listen to everyone". He added that there are two questions he would like to ask the university community: 'What makes you proud to be a Matie?' and 'What can management and I do to make the SU a better place?'

• ​Visit his home page: http://www.sun.ac.za/english/management/wim-de-villiers/Pages/default.aspx​
• Follow him on Twitter @WimdeVilliers: https://twitter.com/wimdevilliers​
• Read an article about Prof De Villiers' appointment here​.
• Read his op-ed about universities as engines of innovation here.

​​​​​​​Stellenbosch University's Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES) in partnership with AEE-INTEC and SESSA hosted a very successful launch of the South African​ Solar Thermal Technology Roadmap (SA-STTRM) on 19 March 2015 at Bytes Conference Centre in Midrand. 

The workshop was attended by delegates from industry, research institutions, government and government agencies.

The workshop report and news release as well as the latest version of the roadmap document is available online.

Photo captions:

Photo left: Professor Prof Wikus van Niekerk, Director of CRSES, (right) handing a copy of the SA Solar Thermal Technology Roadmap (SA-STTRM) to Katima Temba, Executive: Testing and Inspection at the SABS.

Photo right: Participants listening to Werner Weiss, Managing Director AEE - Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC), the Austrian implementing agent for Soltrain 2.​

Chirene Jelbert has been an insect researcher, a lecturer, a quality manager and a technical manager at a fruit packing business. As product manager of one of the world's largest food distributors, she negotiated world-wide to market South African stone and pome fruit. Currently she is the local manager of Bayer CropScience, and will complete her MBA later this year.

Not bad for someone whose school subjects, besides maths and physical science, also included arts and consumer science. After school Jelbert applied the creative and the analytical sides of her personality to qualify in horticulture and entomology at Stellenbosch University – and to go on to enjoy a successful, challenging career in the local agricultural industry.

"I was fortunate to be able to start in an industry where many opportunities for young people regularly arise, partly because many of our long-time experts are now retiring," says a passionate Jelbert, who also studied at Missouri State University in the US.

Jelbert was one of the speakers at an information session for career guidance counsellors and science and agri-science teachers, which formed part of the fourth annual Agri-Food Career and Bursary Exhibition in Stellenbosch. It highlighted the opportunities and increasing need for experts in the food production sector. The event was presented by the Foundation for Industry Talent initiative of the international Produce Marketing Association (PMA) in association with the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University.

It provide high school learners and undergraduate students with the opportunity to learn more about a wide range of career opportunities and internship and bursary programmes in the vegetable and fruit sector. Among the exhibitors were wholesalers, large commercial farming businesses, research and academic institutions, seed companies and food and beverage producers. More information was also provided on study options in the food and agriculture industries which can be undertaken at Stellenbosch University. It was also announced that new admission requirements to follow a programme in the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University are in place. Prospective students are now among others required to achieve at least 60% in maths in their final matric examinations.

Learners and teachers from Clanwilliam, Cape Town, Malmesbury, Somerset West and Stellenbosch were among those that attended the day.

Kobus Pienaar, technical manager of Woolworths' Farming for the Future division, was also among the speakers at the information session. He also emphasised the increasing age of the knowledge base in the local agricultural sector. "Ten years ago the average age of people in the industry was 57 years, but today is it 62 years," he quoted results of a recent survey. In America the comparative figure is 58 years, and in the European Union it is 54 years.

Pienaar, who started his career as a soil scientist, highlighted the importance of sufficient expertise in various sectors of the agriculture and food production sectors. From seed growers, geneticists and water and energy specialists to policymakers and the developers of new packaging materials and cooling units are required to cater for the ever growing world population's need for nutritious food which is produced with sufficient sustainability and in an environmentally friendly way.

Pieter Smit, production manager: seed and biotechnology at Monsanto, in his turn, anticipates an increasing demand for, especially, engineers, GPS and information technology experts, so that production initiatives can become more technologically advanced and effective.

According  to Marianne van der Laarse, PMA representative for Southern Africa, similar sessions will also be presented at the University of Pretoria (21-22 May) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (26 August).

For more information about agriculture-oriented study options at Stellenbosch University, contact Monika Basson on (021) 808 2978 or mh@sun.ac.za. Also visit www.careerfair.co.za for more information about the next PMA Agri-Food Career and Bursary Exhibitions.

For media enquiries:

Ms Marianne van der Laarse
PMA Representative for Southern Africa
(012) 332 0696
082 388 1000
mvanderlaarse@pma.com
info@careerfair.co.za

Ms Monika Basson
Manager: Strategic Projects & Recruitment
Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University
mh@sun.ac.za
(021) 808 2978

The newly established East African ATLAS.ti Center will start training students at Makerere University and other universities in Uganda very soon. This exciting announcement made by Dr. Justus Twesigye from the Department of Social Work, Makerere University.

Dr Twesigye experienced significant infrastructural constraints that prevented training interested researchers, students and academic staff. “Although the head of the department, the dean and colleagues at Makerere University expressed a need for ATLAS.ti training, we were not able to find a suitable computer laboratory in the School of Social Sciences. While we could access a computer laboratory in the College of Computer Science at Makerere University, the leadership there was not able to purchase an institutional ATLAS.ti license,” Dr Twesigye explains.

To circumvent these infrastructural constraints, he assembled a team of 5 colleagues, of which four had participated in ATLAS.ti training offered by Dr Lauren Wildschut of the African Institute for ATLAS.ti (AIA) at Stellenbosch University and Dr Susanne Friese of ATLAS.ti, Berlin. They are: Elizabeth Nansubuga, who did the Introductory as well as the Advanced ATLAS.ti courses, John Mushomi and Ambrose Ruyooka who did the Introductory course and Grace Ssekakubo, who is presently learning to use ATLAS.ti. Dr Twesigye completed the Introductory as well the Advanced ATLAS.ti courses in January 2015 at the US.

Dr. Ssekakubo and Dr Twesigye hold doctorate degrees from Wits University and Stellenbosch University respectively and the rest of the team is finalising their doctorate degrees.

Mr Ruyooka and Dr Ssekakubo are Principal and Deputy Principal of Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology, which is a public institution of higher learning.  The institute is willing to house the East African ATLAS.ti Center, has the required computers and will be buying an institutional ATLAS.ti software license soon. There is ample training space at the Institute. 

“I have much hope that this incentive will meet the huge need for ATLAS.ti in Uganda,” an excited Dr Twesigye reported from Makerere University.

​One of first newly accredited ATLAS.ti trainers, Bronwyne Coetzee, recently offered ATLAS.ti training to staff members of Creative Consulting Development Works. Bronwyne's journey with ATLAS.ti started by doing the Introductory and Advanced ATLAS.ti courses offered by the African Doctoral Academy. She then proceeded and succeeded with the rigorous trainer accreditation process. 

Bronwyne is currently a PhD student at the department of Psychology (Stellenbosch University), and has offered a number of training opportunities to fellow and junior students within her department.

Interested parties can contact Bronwyne at bronwynecoetzee@gmail.com

Management of Stellenbosch University would like to wish its Christian students, staff and partners who will be celebrating Easter, a blessed weekend. 

To our Jewish staff, students and partners: may this Passover be blessed with peace and happiness.

Around the world Easter and Passover offer an opportunity for friends and families to gather and celebrate their religion.

For those of you who will be travelling, come back safely.

The Centre for Pedagogy (SUNCEP) in the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University (SU) will offer 15 different tuition sessions to nearly 900 teachers and learners during the April holidays. 

The centre focusses on Teachers Professional Learning (TPL), School-based interventions (SBI) (aimed at learners from Grades 7-11) and university preparation programmes (UPP) for Grade 12's and post matrics.

Research underpins all SUNCEP activities and research is undertaken in each of these components to ensure that its work is relevant and informed.

Six Hope@Maties sessions will be presented to almost 400 top-performing Grade 12 learners in the Southern, Northern and Western Cape. In the HOPE@Maties programme, one of the UPPs, Grades 12 have the opportunity to attend school holidays to improve their content knowledge and skills in Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Accounting. The Centre for Prospective students informs these learners about study opportunities at SU and will assist them to complete and submit their applications for studying at SU . Learners who maintain a high performance at the end of Grade 12 are eligible for SU recruitment bursaries when they enrol at SU. In 2014 and 2015, more than 300 Hope@Maties students enrolled at SU.

SUNCEP also provides opportunities for younger learners to improve their results in Mathematics and Sciences. Approximately 300 Grade 7-11 learners will be gathering in Malmesbury, Villiersdorp, Worcester, Atlantis and Mitchell's Plain to also attend holiday schools. As is the case with Hope@Maties, tutors identified by the different departments of education, alongside with SUNCEP staff members will present these teaching sessions. In the urban areas the learners will commute to the sessions daily; in the rural areas the learners will stay in school hostels for the week.

For about 280 teachers the rest will be short-lived too.

In Pacaltsdorp in the Southern Cape, 120 teachers will be the first group to attend a blended learning SU accredited Mathematics short course. During the past months, SUNCEP worked hard to develop interactive Mathematics and Science modules for Windows tablets. Teachers will be empowered during this tuition session to include this technology device in their teaching. This is in line with the broad-band strategy of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to equip all schools and teachers for e-learning.

In De Aar and Calvinia in the Northern Cape and at CTLI (Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute) in Kuils River in the Western Cape, approximately 120 school and district leaders will be attending a contact session as part of the two year SU accredited Advanced Certificate in Education course in Leadership and Management.

Two school principals who completed this course in 2012 and 2014 respectively received awards for the best primary and high school principals at the 15th annual education awards ceremony of the WCED in 2014.

When Mirac Rasch, a final-year BA International Studies student, entered a writing competition for an international publication named The Culture Trip, he had one thing in mind "to go all the way and win it". And with your help, his dream could soon become a reality.

Mirac wrote his way into the final round and if all goes to plan he could be a winner. "There is a first, second and third place each with a substantial cash prize - but to be entirely honest a position at The Culture Trip is more enticing. However, that is not included in the prize," he explains.

"I almost didn't make the submission deadline, but luck was on my side. My mom brought this competition to my attention, but I never really gave it any thought until I realised the doors it could open just by taking part. Unfortunately procrastination got the better of me and I almost didn't even enter. However, lady luck intervened and The Culture Trip randomly extended their submission date to which I responded and worked my fingers to the bone," he says.

According to Mirac, the first article was a trial piece and he was assigned a topic on the French-based photographer Denis Darzacq, "which was actually quite interesting".

For the final article he reworked a previously commissioned article. The article, commissioned by the South African National Association for the Visuals Arts section, SANAVA Matters, was on remaining relevant as an artist and how to attract a younger audience. "I edited the initial piece into a point-based list and contacted the editor of SANAVA Matters to get permission to submit it for the competition."

For now, Mirac is concentrating on this competition, his final-year studies and making plans for the future. "I want to do my postgrad in journalism or international studies (but leaning more towards journalism) and do freelance writing, working my way up. Alternatively I would like to intern in Germany or anywhere abroad for experience."   

The final leg of the competition is judged on the amount of online traffic the article generates so to help him end up on top click here to read it.  

The winner will be announced in September 2015.

​A group of 30 members and honorary members of Canticum Novum, the Stellenbosch Student Church Choir, left for New York today (7 April) to perform in Carnegie Hall on 12 April.

Canticum Novum's repertoire is dedicated primarily to sacred music. While being part of the Dutch Reformed Church of Stellenbosch on a full time basis, the choir is also a concert choir.

​​​​A YouTube video originally led to this invitation. One of the choir members placed clips of the choir's performance of the Mozart Requiem on YouTube where it was noticed by Mr Jeffery R Thyer, Director of Program Development at Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY).

He contacted Louis van der Watt, the choir's conductor and a lecturer at SU's Department of Music, with an invitation to perform in Carnegie Hall. Canticum Novum was originally invited to perform Mozart's Requiem but will now perform Mozart's Coronation Mass. The choir will join other choristers to form the Distinguished Concert Singers International choir.

Dr Jonathan Griffith, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for DCINY stated in a press release last year: "The Canticum Novum received this invitation because of the quality and high level of musicianship demonstrated by the singers as well as the exceptional quality of their audition recording."

Van der Watt said it was wonderful to receive such acknowledgement after years of hard and good work.

"I'm overjoyed that the choir is finally getting wings. I hope that each and every member will return with renewed confidence in his/her ability."

​​An extended paid working holiday to Argentina or Brazil is on the cards for Stellenbosch University animal science student Leanne Pickering.  This is after she came up trumps in an essay competition hosted as part of the 6^th annual Braford World Conference, which was held in South Africa in March.

Her exemplary work had already earned Pickering the opportunity to attend the world conference along with the other essay finalists. The essay competition was open to students in animal science from Southern Africa and focused on the congress theme of improving beef production efficiency.

Pickering's essay discussed the future of synthetic cattle breeds in South Africa such as the Braford. A synthetically bred animal is one in which two or more breeds are crossbred to produce a new breed combining genes from available breeds. The Bradford, for instance, is a mix between Hereford and Brahman cattle.

"The Braford breed has been produced to thrive in hot, humid conditions and is therefore becoming more popular in South Africa. Its meat is quite tender and it is also quite tick resistant," says Pickering.

Pickering is working towards her MSc under the guidance of Prof. Kennedy Dzama of the Stellenbosch University Department of Animal Sciences. Her research will focus on associating genes with adaptive traits in Nguni cattle. "Leanne has worked so hard on this competition, and we were therefore not surprised when she won it," says Prof. Dzama. "She has made the department proud."

​The first publication by students and former students attached to the Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Institute for Student Leadership Development has just been published.

In #DiscourseCafé – Thought Leadership for the Future / #Diskoerskafee – Denkleierskap vir die toekoms the writers enter into conversation with thought leaders who have spoken at the Institute's Discourse Cafés.

The book consists of 19 essays by 17 students. They were asked to deconstruct something that resonated with them during the conversations by among others Max du Preez, Moeletsi Mbeki, Helen Zille, and Breyten Breytenbach.

The book will be launched on Wednesday 15 April 2015 at 17:30 in the Stellenbosch University Museum. 

The aims of the Discourse Cafés are to promote dialogue and critical debate by bringing students in contact with leaders from diverse fields (business, politics, arts etc) in an informal setting.

From the essays it is clear that the young writers are positive about the future and their place in South Africa. They are prepared to face the challenges of this country head on and to help find solutions. However, they also realise it is often difficult to do the "right thing".

For example, following a lecture by Jay Naidoo, Wayde Groep writes: "Often good people find themselves in compromised situations." He ends his essay: "However, it will always be the right time to do the right thing."

And in her essay, inspired by a conversation with Shaun Johnson, CEO of the Mandela-Rhodes Foundation, Lize-Mari Doubell writes that Nelson Mandela, a man of peace, was willing to act in a reconciliatory way across ideological chasms by linking his name to that of a colonialist.

The essays are in Afrikaans and English. This publication has been made possible thanks to the support of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (South Africa).

#DiscourseCafé / #Diskoerskafee is published by Rapid Access Publishers, an imprint of  AFRICAN SUN MeDIA and is edited by Stephanie Nieuwoudt. It can be ordered online at: http://bit.ly/diskoerskafee.

• Those who want to attend the launch on 15 April can RSVP by contacting Sanet van Zyl on 021 808-2312.

​​The Sunday paper City Press has just started in its Business section a regular series of articles on small businesses. The University of Stellenbosch Business School's Small Business Academy Development Programme (SBA) will be used as the focus of these articles. In last Sunday's edition, last year's top student Gail Small appeared.

Gail is the owner of Angel's Steel Fabrication, a steel manufacturing company in Mitchell's Plain. Gail started the company in 2009 with her husband. She enrolled in the SBA programme because she thought she knew too little of the management and marketing of a business.

In the City Press article, Piet Briel, a mentor for the SBA participants, said the mistake many entrepreneurs make is that they think there is a quick solution to a problem. He said the first thing that entrepreneurs need to learn is that things never go according to plan. "You should regularly review and rework your business plan. If something does not work, find out why and make adjustments where necessary."

DeWet Schoeman, director of the Centre for Applied Entrepreneurship, says successful entrepreneurs share the following values:

• Enthusiasm for what they do
• Customer-oriented
• Hard work
• Networking
• Business-management skills
• Attitude to want to learn more

USB MBA students recently visited Stepping Stones Educare in Khayelitsha where they handed out food, matrasses, blankets and diapers which the collected as part of their Random Act of Kindness (#RAK2015) nomination.

Stepping Stones Educare has almost 70 children and they provide breakfast, lunch and snacks, transport, nap time and a graduation ceremony at the end of each year.  

Werner Hoppe, one of the MBA students, says he hopes they can find others interested in contributing to the cause. "I hope we can make a lasting impact in helping build something sustainable at that place, like help financially to complete an unfinished classroom," he said.

The USB MBA students have nominated Lagos Business School and GIBS to do their #RAK2015.

Keep an eye on USB's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USBMBA for when the video of the day will be aired. 

​Challenges to the preservation of the Cape's unique floral kingdom for the next 100 years will be top of the agenda when several of South Africa's foremost conservation scientists converge in the scenic Jonkershoek Valley on Monday 13 April 2015.

The colloquium on management challenges in the Cape Floristic Region, hosted by the Royal Society of South Africa (RSSAf) and Stellenbosch University (SU), will commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the 1945 landmark publication on the preservation of the vegetation of the south western Cape by prof Christiaan Wicht, also published by the RSSAf. The 1945 publication made the first proposals for protected areas, identified the threats posed by invasive alien plants, and also made the first serious suggestion that fire could be used to manage fynbos.

Prof Brian van Wilgen, from the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (C•I•B) at SU and convenor of the meeting, says much has happened since 1945: "During the colloquium we will review the history that led to our current situation, as well as the management challenges we will face in the future. While Prof Wicht's insights have guided us for more than half a century, there are many challenges now that he could not have foreseen, so it is necessary to take stock of the situation again. This promises to be a landmark event, involving the leading conservationists and researchers from the region"

The meeting will start with a historical perspective on the importance of Wicht's publication for the management and protection of Cape vegetation, presented by Jane Carruthers, professor emeritus in the Department of History at Unisa and one of South Africa's first environmental historians.

Dr Fred Kruger, former director of the Institute for Forestry Research in South Africa, will review the extensive research programs that led to significant advances in our understanding of Fynbos ecology and management. Prof Richard Cowling of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University will provide an overview of the historical development of a protected area network in the region, including the proclamation of several Fynbos reserves as World Heritage Sites.

Contentious issues such as fire management, the management of invasive aliens and the threatened status of endemic plants in the region are also on the agenda. These topics will be tackled by Prof Brian van Wilgen, Prof Dave Richardson (director: C•I•B) and Domitilla Raimondo (South African National Biodiversity Institute).

The colloquium ends with a perspective on the future, with prof Guy Midgley from SU and Dr Nicola van Wilgen from South African National Parks discussing the potential implications of global change for the conservation of the Cape Floristic Region's ecosystems. Other speakers are Genevieve Pence and Guy Palmer from Cape Nature and Prof John Donaldson from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). The proceedings will be published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa as a comprehensive report on the conservation status and future challenges in the region.

Date: Monday 13 April 2015

Time: 08:30 – 16:30

Venue: Lanzerac Hotel

Contact details

Prof. Brian van Wilgen

Tel: 082 454 9726

E-mail: bvanwilgen@sun.ac.za

Picture credit: Brian van Wilgen

Media release issued by Wiida Fourie-Basson, media: Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, 021 808 2684, science@sun.ac.za, 071 099 5721

Dr Danie Joubert, the oldest alumnus of Stellenbosch University's Faculty of AgriSciences, is celebrating his 100^th birthday on Thursday, 9 April.

In 2013 Dr Joubert still attended a gathering of alumni of the Faculty of AgriSciences in Stellenbosch at the age of 98. He was hands down the oldest attendee at the occasion.

In 2010 he was acknowledged by the South African National Wine Show Association as one of the wine legends of the last 300 years. He was honoured as a man with passion for his students, a beloved lecturer and an outstanding role model.

"On behalf of the Faculty of AgriSciences we congratulate Dr Danie Joubert on this exceptional milestone and we thank him for the role he played in numerous fields of agriculture over the years," said Prof Danie Brink, acting dean of the SU Faculty of AgriSciences.

Dr Joubert is celebrating his birthday with friends and family at home in his hometown, Rawsonville. He continues to enjoy good health and only retired to the local home for the aged, Lafras Moolman Home, eight months ago. Every Saturday he still enjoys spending time in his extensive garden along with his loyal gardeners.

Since he was practically raised "under the vine" in Rawsonville, it followed naturally that he proceeded to study agriculture at Stellenbosch University (SU) after matriculating from Boys' High School in Paarl. He completed his BSc degree in Agriculture in 1937. In 1948 he obtained his masters degree about eight South African wine yeast strains. Dr Joubert earned his doctoral degree later in 1971 on root-knot nematodes that cause damage to vine roots.

During his career he served as an agricultural extension officer and a fruit inspector, trained sultana farmers at the Karos-Boegoeberg Irrigation Scheme, and was member of the wine export advice council. Dr Joubert was for many years a lecturer and head of the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at Elsenburg, where he designed the well-known course in wine cellar technology.

When the British monarch and his family toured South Africa in 1947 on the specially furnished White Train, it was Dr Joubert's honour to assist in selecting the wines to be served to the royal family.

Dr Joubert also farmed in the Caledon district. He eventually retired to Rawsonville where he applied himself to, amongst other things, researching his family history, exceptional woodcraft, photography, and ensuring that his jam and pickled fruit jars remained full.

He married Kotie Moolman on 18 December 1943. She passed away in 1982. Dr Joubert has three daughters (Chrisna, Ina and Riana), six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Dr Joubert counts his blessings and thanks his Creator for his good health and all his many other graces. He attributes his longevity amongst other things to good genes and the regular consumption of grape juice and full cream milk. His mother lived to reach 105 years and two months of age before she passed away.

Contact details:

Dr Danie Joubert
023 349 1085

Dr Chrisna Joubert (daughter)
021 913 0647 or 072 566 5154

​Sometimes all you need is a helping hand on your way to success. And just because you weren't successful on your very first try, does not mean you're a failure. Just ask former SciMathUS students Matlakala Claudia Ntsapi and Luxolo Dywili. They were among the more than 2 700 Maties who received their well-earned degrees and diplomas at Stellenbosch University's (SU) March 2015 graduation ceremonies.

Ntsapi, who obtained her MSc degree in Science and Dywili, who received his B Accounting degree, also count among 17 SciMathUS (Science and Mathematics at Stellenbosch University) alumni who graduated at SU this year.

The year-long SciMathUS bridging programme helps students from educationally disadvantaged communities to gain access to higher education and also prepares them for success in their tertiary studies. Students follow one of two curricula: Mathematics and Physical Sciences and rewrite the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination in both subjects; or Mathematics and Introduction into Financial Accounting and Introduction in Economics and rewrite the NSC examination in Mathematics. The other two subjects are offered and assessed by SU.

"I am proud to say that SciMathUS was well-represented at this year's graduation ceremonies. Of the 17 graduates, one received a PhD degree, three got their Masters' degrees, two Honours degrees and several graduated with B degrees," says the programme's Anneke Müller.

Students may apply for SciMathUS if they have passed Grade 12 with a minimum of 50% in Afrikaans or English, a minimum of 45% in Mathematics and 45% in Physical Sciences, or 80% in Mathematical Literacy and 50% in any four of the subjects designated for university admission. The programme follows a hybrid problem-based learning model of teaching. Students receive instruction in not only core subjects but also in language, computer and thinking skills.

Ntsapi, who is currently busy with her PhD, says the unlimited support and motivation she received on an educational and personal level during the year-long programme, contributed to her success. "SciMathUS has given me a second chance to get the Maths and Science marks I needed to be accepted into the study programme of my choice, and ultimately, it opened the door to a world I never knew outside of the community I lived in, where my future prospects were bleak at best." 

Her advice to learners who do not get accepted for tertiary studies the first time around is also clear. "Do not dwell on your past failure in your matric year. As time passes, you will soon come to realise that failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for an even greater journey of success. We all ultimately reach our goals, but how we go about reaching those goals may not be the same, nor will it take the same time."

For Dywili, the SciMathUS programme proved that there's always hope in the face of adversity. "I have seen how I can rise above my circumstances and I have also observed some of my peers who probably had it harder than me, succeed. SciMathUS students personify resilience. I have learned never to be satisfied with mediocrity and to always strive to be the best that I can be."

Dywili plans on tackling an Honours degree next year and says he wants other students to realise that "all you ever need is within you. I heard those words for the first time at SciMathUS and they still guide me up to this day".

"SciMathUS students who succeed in this programme and then in higher education, should all be commended. A programme can offer the best opportunities but if the students do not make the most if it, it is offered in vain," says Müller.

According to Müller, SciMathUS has helped more than 1 100 students since 2001 to complete the programme successfully. On average, 75% of each cohort enrols at SU for their first year. So far, 139 students have completed their degrees here in disciplines ranging from medicine, engineering, agriculture, as well as various programmes in natural sciences and economic and management sciences. Almost a third of these students have also completed their postgraduate studies.

"The SciMathUS class of 2014 earned 11 A symbols in Mathematics and 6 in Physical Sciences. The subject average was 66% for Mathematics and 65% for Physical Sciences. And 51 out of 71 students did the same in Physical Sciences (22 students took Accounting rather than Physical Sciences). The group's average increased with 15 percentage points in each of the subjects. The biggest individual improvement in Mathematics was 39 percentage points while the biggest improvement in Physical Science is 38 percentage points. The top achiever in Mathematics achieved 87% while the top achiever in Physical Sciences got 95%. Of this class, 83% enrolled at SU in 2015," Müller adds.

• ​Photo 1: Luxolo Dywili
  

For more information on the SciMathUS programme:

• Visit their website​ or Facebook page.