​​This year marks 20 years since South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup (RWC) tournament in 1995. To critically review this event, the University Museum, in cooperation with the Department of Sport Science, will screen Injury Time – a documentary directed by Mark Fredericks.

Injury Time explores the question: Who benefitted most in South Africa from the 1995 RWC tournament? In this documentary, Mark Fredericks relates "a damning tale of betrayal and deceit as an entire history of non-racial sport is written out of history".

The screening of the film will be followed by a conversation facilitated by Dr Francois Cleophas of the Department of Sport Science at Stellenbosch University.

Please join us for a stimulating evening!

Date:   24 June 2015

Time:   18:00

Place:   University Museum (Sasol Art Museum), 52 Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch

RSVP:   Elvandre Galant, e-mail: elvandre@sun.ac.za

Recommendations on language of instruction and administration in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences were the focus of articles that appeared in the media yesterday (Sunday 14 June) and today (Monday, 15 June). For the sake of clarity Stellenbosch University shares the response that was given to the media below.

Stellenbosch University's (SU) Language Policy is determined by the University Council. Council approved the latest Language Policy in November 2014 and the University is currently implementing it.

The Language Plan offers faculties various options within the teaching and learning context as well as on how language can be used in official communication, in documents and in meetings within the relevant  environments. Since the Language Policy provides equal status to Afrikaans and English, English on its own cannot be the default language, just as Afrikaans cannot be the default language anymore. The latest SU Language Policy is specifically focused on promoting multilingualism and preventing one language from dominating the other. Furthermore, SU pays attention to the discerning advancement and application of isiXhosa as an academic language and as a language of social engagement. SU therefore follows a dynamic process to make the University more inclusive and diverse, which includes our language offer.

True to the nature of universities as dynamic academic environments, there are on a continuous basis in faculties discussions on a great number of issues such as transformation, teaching, research, community interaction, institutional culture, language, technology and student affairs. This is in line with what Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, called the "further development of a culture of courageous debate".

In the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, there are currently certain suggestions on the medium of instruction and administration that are discussed and investigated on an internal, faculty specific level.

Language planning and the implementation of the Language Policy in faculties, take place in accordance with each faculty's context specific language plans. These faculty specific language implementation plans must however still be aligned with the principles of the Language Policy and faculties don't have a mandate to make changes that are in conflict with the University's Language Policy and Language Plan.

​On 16 June South Africa celebrates the young people who helped to shape the history of our country. Three students and a staff member of Stellenbosch University each wrote an opinion article around this topic which were published in the media. 

Follow the links below to read what they had to say about this historical day in our country's history. 

More needed to unlock potential - Siviwe Feketha, Cape Times/ Mercury

Kan die Jeug asseblief opstaan - Hannes Kruger, ​Rapport

Dear Hector (and the youth of Soweto of 1976) - Simon Sonnekus, Cape Times/ Mercury

Quo vadis, Afrikaans? Van 1976 tot 2015​ - Michael le Cordeur, Die Burger

Photo: From left is Siviwe Feketha, Hannes Kruger, Simon Sonnekus and Michael le Cordeur.

​​On 16 June South Africa celebrates the young people who helped to shape the history of our country. Three journalism students of Stellenbosch University each wrote an opinion article around this topic which were published in the media. 

Follow the links below to read what they had to say about this historical day in our country's history. 

​Dear Hector (and the youth of Soweto of 1976) - Simon Sonnekus, Cape Times/ Mercury.

More needed to unlock potential - Siviwe Feketha, Cape Times/ Mercury.

Kan die Jeug asseblief opstaan - Hannes Kruger, Rapport.

Photo: From left is Simon Sonnekus, Siviwe Feketha and Hannes Kruger.

​When Cape Cobras batsman and Stellenbosch University (SU) student Omphile Ramela (27) talks about cricket, he describes it as a vehicle – the conveyor belt that has taken him places he might not have gone otherwise.

Very soon it will take him to India – where he will represent South Africa as part of the South African A team in a triangular limited-over series against India A and Australia A, as well as in two four-day unofficial test matches against India A.

This Soweto-born cricket player's talent was discovered through the Bakers Mini-cricket programme when he was in primary school and he was offered the opportunity to attend St Peter's Boys School in Johannesburg from Grade 5 to Grade 7. From there he went to St John's College, again thanks to cricket.

In 2008 cricket brought Ramela to Stellenbosch, where he became a member and later captain of Maties Cricket's first team.

But his focus wasn't just on cricket. He obtained his BA degree and two honours degrees, one in Philosophy and one in Economics, from SU. In 2015 he registered for a master's degree in Economics with a focus on Economic history.

He is passionate about South Africa and its development and believes an understanding of the country's economic history is crucial for decision- and policy-making.

"We need to ask: Are we on the right path? What are our challenges? Are we moving forward?" he says. For his master's thesis he will research the long-term evolution of black inequality in South Africa.

His supervisor, Dr Johan Fourie, describes Ramela as a student who has had to work hard – on and off the field.

"But it was clear from the start that his studies were very important to him. He realised that despite his talent he wants to develop his academic abilities as well. He knows he can't play cricket forever and that is why it is important that he perseveres with his studies so that he can start his career when his cricketing days are over."

Unlike many of his peers, Ramela isn't satisfied by only being a professional sportsman – that is why he makes time for his academic responsibilities. Now, even a PhD is not beyond the realm of possibility, but he would like to see how it goes with his master's thesis first.

"I've been lucky that I've been able to sustain myself through cricket," he adds.

He made his debut for the Cape Cobras in 2009, but became a more permanent member of the team in 2014. He talks candidly about quotas and believes it offers Black African cricketers a chance to develop.

"It's very helpful to players who take the opportunity and make the most of it," says Ramela, who was the leading run-scorer of the Nashua Cape Cobras in die four-day competition and one of a handful of South Africans to complete a double century in the 2014/2015 season.

He regards his inclusion in the SA A team as a recognition for hard work and a great opportunity to show what he is made of. His main goals are to perform consistently and to represent South Africa as part of the Proteas team.

Dale Holroyd completed an MSc in Biochemistry (cum laude) in April 2002. Today he is the founder and director (communication) of ZapCarbon – a groundbreaking environmental sciences company based in London.

What did you study, when did you finish?

I completed my MSc in Biochemistry (cum laude) in April 2002

Describe your work experience prior to your official job search process.

While I was a student, I worked at restaurants which helped me develop good communication skills. I also tutored 2^nd and 3^rd year students, which really sharpened my base knowledge. I also started up a promotional clothing company during my Honours year. It was called CrazyFish and sold t-shirts and promotional clothing to "koshuis" groups and sports teams. This did really well, because I had four years' worth of student networks and friends in different committees to get business from. I stopped after I finished my MSc and moved to London.

What is your current employment?

In 2008, I started the company ZapCarbon.com with a friend who studied chemical engineering. We started part-time and after two years went full-time. Today ZapCarbon.com is a ground-breaking environmental sciences company based in London. I am also director for communication at the company.  

What is exciting about your work?

I am passionate about the positive impact we make on people, organisations and the environment. More importantly our whole business is driven by innovation and developing new products and programmes to solve specific problems, so no two days is ever the same!

Your advice to students entering the job market?

Networking and knowing the right people get you a job a lot faster than sending out a CV, even if you are in the top 3% of your academic class. I will highly recommend making a top 10 list of potential employees one to two years before you graduate and contacting those organisations for holiday internships. Focus on making contact with one important contact person in each of these organisations and try and either meet with them for coffee or request advice over the phone. This is the best investment you can ever make! Over 90% of the staff I have ever hired was through networks, not employment agencies.

What would you have done differently during your years at university?

We spend many years studying but often only spend a hand-full of days or weeks researching the outcomes of that three to seven year investment. So speak to as many people in your chosen industry as you can. Find out what their work day is like, what they like about their job, their career path and what your earning potential is. You also get a lot of job ideas you never would have thought of by speaking to people in your industry.

Read more about our BSc alumni in the work place:

	Biochemistry postgrad now manager at biomedical firm Chantelle Pretorius
	Going place with a BSc degree in Computer Science Carl Crous
	Any chemist's dream job James McCleary
	Dreamjobs: software developer at BlackGinger Morné Chamberlain

​The health industry is facing an uphill battle against disease-causing bacteria that have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics. And with very few new antibiotics making it through the discovery pipeline, the lives of millions around the world could be at stake.

It is therefore imperative that we find alternatives to traditional antibiotics as soon as possible, says Dr Du Preez van Staden who recently obtained his doctorate in Microbiology from Stellenbosch University (SU). He conducted his research under the supervision of Prof Leon Dicks of SU's Department of Microbiology.

In his quest to discover new antibiotics, Van Staden dug through bacteria-rich Fynbos soils in search for antimicrobial-producing bacteria. He specifically focused on a group of peptide antibiotics, known as lantibiotics, which have a similar mode of action to that of a potent antibiotic, vancomycin, used to treat a number of bacterial infections.

Van Staden says of the two lantibiotic-producing bacteria found, one produces a new lantibiotic with two peptides that work together to kill disease-causing bacteria.

After having isolated the two lantibiotic-producing bacteria from Fynbos soil, Van Staden used different techniques to test their potential to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major bacteria involved in antibiotic resistant skin infections in hospitals. He also tested the effectiveness of lantibiotics in the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus induced skin infection in mice.

"Results showed that the bacteria from Fynbos soils produced lantibiotics that are active against a range of bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus."

"We also found that these lantibiotics were just as effective as a well-known commercially available product used for the treatment of skin infections and did not negatively affect wound healing.

"The role lantibiotics may play in wound healing is currently being investigated," adds Van Staden.

He says that apart from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, lantibiotics also have the potential to help fight bacteria that cause abdominal infections, crusting blisters on the skin, infections of medical implants and soft tissue under the skin, gastroenteritis, infection/inflammation of the back of the throat and scarlet fever.

"Lantibiotics could be an attractive alternative to traditional antibiotics/antimicrobial treatments and could also be used in conjunction with commercially available antimicrobial products for a more effective reduction in bacterial resistance."

He says his research could have a significant health impact because skin and soft tissue infections are the most common types of infections which are exacerbated by the increase in antibiotic resistance.

• ​Dr Du Preez van Staden is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physiological Sciences at Stellenbosch University.
  

Photo: Dr Du Preez van Staden in laboratory.

​A group of postgraduate students and researchers from the Faculties of Science and Engineering are on their way to Europe for two months as part of an international exchange scheme.

Prof. Ben Herbst, head of Applied Mathematics in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at SU, says during the visit they will meet with their counterparts to work on a project called QOSTREAM. Funded by the European Union, it involves researchers from eight universities in Europe, the USA, the UK, Brazil and Japan.

The aim of the project is to combine expertise from different fields to solve problems associated with high quality multimedia streaming applications across next-generation wireless networks. The project was initiated by Prof. Dibravko Culibrk and Prof. Vladimir Crnojevic from the Faculty of Technical Science at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia.

The group from Stellenbosch University will bring their expertise in machine learning, computer vision and signal processing to the table. The students will be accompanied by Prof. Herbst and Dr Riaan Wolhuter, senior researcher in the signal processing and machine learning research group​ in the Faculty of Engineering.  

"We are providing the more theoretical foundation on which many of these new technologies are based," Prof. Herbst explains.

In other words, your average handheld mobile device requires some cool algorithms to decode the information it receives via wireless networks. By exploring different approaches and techniques to optimise this process, the researchers hope to maximise the quality of images and videos received via mobile devices.

"We are nowhere near the type of technologies showed in popular television series like CSI. They are typically given a blurry photograph and then asked to extract additional, not visible, information from it. With some knowledge about the degradation, one could extract some information from the photograph. But what is shown in CSI cannot be done in reality, not now, not ever. 

"Reality is much more complicated. We are currently playing around with novel approaches such as layered media coding, deep learning and neural networks," he explains.

"Applied mathematicians like working with problems for which there are no answers yet," he adds.

The postgraduate students are all working on different aspects of this problem. They are Andrea Fourie and Marco Grond (applied mathematics), Jacques Marais (MIH Media Lab), S.P. le Roux, M.N. Struwig, W. Pretorius and J.P. Meijers (signal processing and machine learning research group).

Other SU researchers involved with the project are Prof. Johan du Preez, Dr Pieter Holtzhausen and Mr Willem Smit.

​It was with shock that we learned about the passing recently of Dr Simon Marais (50), founder and chairperson of Allan Gray (Australia). Hailed in business circles as a "contrarian and activist", but also as "a gentle giant … well-liked and hugely respected by everyone who knew him – including his enemies".

A giant Simon certainly was, but closer to home in Stellenbosch and at STIAS this was not in the first instance linked to his prowess in business and investment, nor his towering at two metres, but rather to his intellectual capacity and originality. Simon was a member of the remarkable 1986 Honours class in theoretical physics at Stellenbosch University, who have all since made their mark in South Africa and internationally, primarily in physics or related fields.

I had the privilege that year of teaching the course on quantum field theory and particle physics – Simon's grasp and originality of thought was in a class of its own. He continued to complete a master's degree in theoretical physics at Stellenbosch under the supervision of the late Professor Chris Engelbrecht, graduating cum laude with a thesis on A comparison of quark distributions in bound and free nucleons. Subsequently Simon completed a PhD in theoretical condensed matter physics at Cambridge University, and returned to South Africa in 1991, initially to take up a post-doctoral position in theoretical physics at Stellenbosch. At that time he met and joined founder Allan Gray and made a career choice – the rest is, well, history.

Simon was instrumental in establishing contact between the Stellenbosch Institute for Advance Study (STIAS)  and the Trellis Charitable Trust, procuring two major grants awarded by the Trust to STIAS, the first in 2010.  At a time when the STIAS programme was still rather precariously positioned, this made every difference.

Our thoughts are with Simon's wife Corena and their sons Martin, Wilhelm and Simon.

On the photo, Dr Simon Marais (front right) was part of the 1986 Honours class in theoretical physics at Stellenbosch University. He went on to become the founder and chair of Allan Gray in Australia and heralded as one of the country's best-known and respected investors. At the back, from left to right, Evan de Kock, Fritz Hahne, Jean Joubert, Frederik Scholtz, Hendrik Geyer, Chris Engelbrecht, Cecile Thom, Jan Engelbrecht and Jacqueline Marais. In the front, seated, Pierre Lacock and Simon Marais.

• In this YouTube video, Dr Marais explains to Theo Vorster from KykNet why physics is the ideal background for working in the financial sector. 
  

All the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science's top awards for 2014 were taken by female students, with the prestigious Merck Award for the best final-year chemistry student going to Ms Jean Lombard.

Ms Lombard also walked away with the award for the best performance in Analytical Chemistry in the second and third year. This is a new award, initiated by Prof Klaus Koch, to encourage the study of Analytical Chemistry.

The other prize winners were:

• Ms Roxine Staats – Merck award for the best final-year student in Biotechnology
• Ms Petronella Wessels – Element Six (Pty) Ltd DST/NRF Centre of Excellence award for the best third-year student in Chemistry, including Polymer Science
• Ms Sunel de Kock – SMM award for the best honours student in chemistry
• Ms Inge Weideman - Element Six (Pty) Ltd DST/NRF Centre of Excellence award for the best honours student in Polymer Science
• Ms Jana Botha – Book prize for the best second-year student

During a special award ceremony on Friday 24 April 2015, departmental head Prof. Peter Mallon said the department strives towards producing the best graduate students for South Africa's chemical industry.

"The chemical industry and chemists will be central to addressing many of the challenges South Africa faces. We are producing some of the best chemistry graduates in the country, students who will be able to go out and tackle those challenges. Many of our graduates have gone on to leading roles both nationally and internationally" he said.

Over the past 27 years winners of the Merck award, for example, have established a tradition of excellence. The 2009 winner of the Merck award, Sean Robertson, is busy with his doctorate at Oxford University, while other winners like Leigh-Anne Loots (2005), Carola Niesler (1994), Japie Goldie (1990), Lizl Simpson (now Cronjé) (1991), Stefan de Goede (1993) and André de Villiers (1997) are making their mark in academia and industry.

Prof. Louise Warnich, Dean of the Faculty of Science, congratulated the students on their achievements: "If one considers that we have thousands of students going through the system each year, ending up as the best is really special in more than one respect. And remember, we are now watching out for you!"

On the photo, from left to right: Sunel de Kock, Jana Botha, Petronella Wessels, Roxine Staats, Jean Lombard and Inge Weideman.

The Meiring Naudé medal for the top student in physics in the Faculty of Science at Stellenbosch University has been awarded to Zander Lee, a former pupil of Pearson High School in Port Elizabeth.

The medal is awarded annually to the top student who obtained at least 80% in his or her BSc Honours programme as well as an average of at least 60% for each module in the programme.

Zander, who is currently busy with a MSc in particle physics, says he has always been interested in how the world works: "At school I wanted to become a programmer, but after talking to a physicist as part of a school project in Grade 11, I realised that I would rather study physics."

"Physics seek answers to how everything in this world works and ranges from the smallest of particles to the study of how the universe started."

On the difference between mathematics and physics, he says that physics is more rooted in the physical world: "In physics we use maths to build models to understand the world, but eventually the models need to give us the same results as our experiments, otherwise it does not really describe the natural world.

"Mathematics, on the other hand, is about logical reasoning. Mathematicians start with a set of axioms and from there they use pure logic to arrive at a conclusion. These axioms can be physical or abstract.

His advise to prospective students is to study physics if they want to know how the world works, but physics is also a good option if you are considering a career in science, but are not sure which direction to go in: "With physics you can easily move into other fields in science later on," he says.

Apart from academic research, there are also numerous career paths open to physicists: "With a degree in physics you can work at just about any technology company. These days one requires a strong physics background to understand most of the technologies. In physics you also acquire mathematical techniques and a way of thinking which is very relevant to the financial world.

"Theoretical physics also requires programme, as we have to do many numerical simulations," he adds.

Zander had to complete two projects during his Honnours programme: Under Prof Herbert Weigel he did a project about how to solve the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom using algebra. Under Prof Michael Kastner, chief researcher at the National Institute for Theoretical Physics, he did a project about the transition of quantum states to thermal equilibrium.

On the photo, Physics student Zander Lee (middle) with Prof Louise Warnich, Dean: Faculty of Science, and Prof Erich Rohwer, head of the Department of Physics at Stellenbosch University: Photo: Wiida Fourie-Basson

One is never too old to learn, goes the saying. The 61-year-old Jacobus Carnow and 70-year-old Penny Enarson is proof of this.

They were awarded their doctoral degrees on Wednesday (25 March) in respectively Practical Theology and Community Health at Stellenbosch University's (SU) March graduation ceremony.

Carnow and Enarson were among the 130 graduates who received doctoral degrees at two separate ceremonies in the Endler Hall of SU's Conservatoire.

A total of 234 doctorates were awarded for the academic year 2014 – at the March graduation ceremony as well as in December 2014. SU currently delivers the most doctoral graduates per capita of all South African universities.

Carnow said he had to face especially financial challenges in order to complete his studies. "It was a lonely road. In my study I wanted to focus the attention on the suffering of older black people whose human dignity is often infringed on."

Enarson, originally from Vancouver in Canada, is one of about 20 students and staff members of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences who received doctoral degrees.

For her PhD, Enarson developed a treatment management programme for childhood pneumonia in Malawi. She and her husband, also a medical doctor, worked for several years in Malawi.

In 2001, when Enarson started her research, the country was experiencing very high rates of in-hospital fatalities for childhood pneumonia.

The Faculty of Science awarded 26 doctorates, of which seven in Chemistry and Polymer Science and five in respectively Physics, and Botany and Zoology.

Among them were William Cloete from Steinkopf in the Northern Cape and Benedict Odhiambo of Kenya, who completed their studies in Polymer Sciences and Forestry.

Cloete investigated ways in which membranes used in the purification of water can be kept free of bacteria, while Odhiambo found that the thickness and structure of a tree's bark play the most important role in protecting the tree from fire damage.

 A total of 29 doctorates were awarded in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. A doctoral degree in Political Science was awarded posthumously to Marie Elizabeth van Zyl. She died shortly after having passed her degree.

Her life partner received the degree on her behalf.

• Photos 1 & 2: Jacobus Carnow and Penny Enarson
• Photos 3 & 4: Benedict Odhiambo and William Cloete
• Photographers: Anton Jordaan, Justin Alberts and Sonika Lampbrecht

The Management of Stellenbosch University wishes its Muslim staff, students, alumni and partners a blessed Ramadan.

This year Ramadan will start on Thursday 18 June​ and end around 17 July, depending on the new moon at the beginning of the tenth month. During this period Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, and the fast is broken after the evening prayer. It is a time of spiritual reflection and renewal, as well as generosity and kindness. Traditional foods and delicacies are shared with neighbours, friends and the poor.  

​

Third year physiology students were treated to a surprise visit from the Chief Executive Officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa recently.

Dr Vash Mungal-Singh visited Stellenbosch University (SU) on invitation of Prof Faadiel Essop, head of the Department of Physiological Sciences at SU, to address students after a series of lectures on cardiovascular diseases.

Prof Essop says he wanted to expose students to the real-life issues faced by the foundation, but also to show them how an in depth understanding of the basic physiology of the heart can help to make a contribution towards combatting what is currently described as the world's biggest killer.

Dr Mungal-Singh noted that over the last 15 years non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and cancer have become the 'new global epidemic', killing around 36 million people per year.

"Of greater concern, however, is the fact that people in the age group 30 to 65 are starting to die from diseases that were previously associated with old age," she told the class.

South Africans are particularly at risk as more people are starting to consume fast foods, she says: "South Africans need to lose weight. We are eating way too much sugar and salt and we drink a third more than the world average. Up to 80% of all heart diseases and 40% of some cancers can be prevented if people cut out smoking and drinking, change their diets and become physically active."

She also stated that the Heart and Stroke Foundation works closely with researchers like Prof Essop to provide science-based evidence on which the foundation can base their recommendations. There is, however, a dearth of information about the South African population. 

Dr Munhgal-Singh also encouraged students to take the lead on the research front: "This is where future scientists like you can play a major role. We will always be in need of new data on which to base our recommendations, which are revised every five years and based on the latest research."

One of the students who attended the class, Ms Llelani Coetzer, says she is now more aware of the practical application and relevance of the physiological sciences in the real world: "The physiological sciences are important to foundations like the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and it was good to hear how we can help improve the longevity and life quality of the population."

 "I suggest having more seminars where researchers or other people can come and talk about their projects and new results. This can happen over lunch time, so that all students and lecturers can attend," she said.

On the photo, third year physiology students with Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa, and Prof Faadiel Essop, head of the Department of Physiological Sciences at SU, in the middle. Photo: Wiida Fourie-Basson

​The moment Sandy van Niekerk sent the tweet out on World Tuberculosis Day, she knew she was finally ready to face the world and tell her story.

The tweet, 'I survived #mdr  #Tuberculosis and finished my BSc at #Maties #WorldTBDay @scienceSUN' has been retweeted several times and so far some of the replies indicate that other students are facing a similar struggle.

Sandy was diagnosed with multiple drug resistant TB when she was a 19 year old BSc student at Stellenbosch University in 2007. Since then she has completed her MSc and an internship at the University of Cape Town.

Now, at 28, she is not only clean from the dreaded Mtb (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) infection, but also eager to add her voice to tell people to please test for TB and make use of the support structures available.

"Today I realise I should have listened to my body more. Please, be aware and go and test yourself," she pleads.

In Sandy's case she didn't experience any of the typical symptoms associated with the disease, only a consistent feeling of fatigue: "I thought feeling tired all the time had to with the stress of studying and attending classes."

It was only when she was visiting her parents in Swellendam during a holiday break that she suddenly coughed up blood. "I was in the mall with my mom and aunt. I was surprised and showed it to them. They immediately made me sit in a corner while they conferred at another table. My aunt then confronted me with the possibility that it may be TB and said we should visit the hospital the next day for tests."

Sandy's aunt is a matron at the Swellendam hospital and her mother is a biology teacher at a secondary school in the town. They also opted for tests at their house doctor.

A day later the first test came back negative. Three days later the second test came back positive for multiple drug resistant TB.

She can still remember the words with which the doctor broke the news: "Jy is ietwat bietjie siek," she said. You are like a little bit sick," she said.

She also remembers a beautiful map of Swellendam on the wall of the clinic with all the TB cases in the area indicated with a yellow pin. "For me they put up a purple pin, because I was a special case. I was terrified, especially about how other people were going to react to the news."

Together with her parents, they decided not to share the information with her three younger siblings. "I was very conscious of the stigma attached to people with TB and didn't want to burden them with that." She also didn't inform the university. "I didn't want to be treated special, or like someone who was sick."

The family immediately had everybody close to her tested, including her roommate at varsity. They all tested negative and to this day Sandy does not know how or where she picked up the TB bacterium.

What followed was a daily regime of taking six different pills every day for seven months and thereafter four different pills for the rest of the time, as well as a host of other pills for dealing with side-effects like nausea and vitamin supplements to keep her immune system healthy.

From the start, she says, her parents motivated her to take the disease in her stride and not allow it to disrupt her studies or her life. It wasn't easy.

"It was a team effort. My partner was with me every step of the way. I participated in all the family activities, like hiking. My brother and sisters thought I was lazy or not feeling well. They only learned I had TB the day I took my medication for the very last time.

"Of course they were furious with me," she laughs. "But it was for their own good. They were just too young to deal with something like this."

But, she admits, "I don't think I will be able to go through it again. It made me grow up quickly. It also made me realise that one cannot be judgmental."

Sandy has nothing but praise for the support she received from the people at the Swellendam clinic and other institutions.

"The people at the clinic explained everything to me, how TB works and what the different pills are for and what side-effects I will experience and what I can do about it."

She also singles out the DOTS group in Swellendam, a group of volunteers whose aim it is to ensure that TB patients take their medication on a daily basis. DOTS stands for Directly Observed Therapy Strategy, and is recommended by the World Health Organisation.

And then, of course, her parents. Without whom she would not have been able to overcome this obstacle.

Sandy will continue with yearly checkups probably for the rest of her life. For now she is completing her work on the mammalMAP project at UCT, and then she will start looking out for an opportunity where she can combine her love of science with her newly discovered love for writing and translating science to something everyone can understand and enjoy.

For interviews, contact Wiida Fourie-Basson, media: Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, science@sun.ac.za, 021 808 2684, 071 099 5721

​​

​On Thursday 26 May Prof Eddie Cole and six PhD students of the Higher Education Programme of  William and Mary College in the United States visited the Center for Higher and Adult Education.  They met with Prof Eli Bitzer and Prof Magda Fourie-Malherbe and five of their PhD students. 

William and Mary College is the second oldest higher education institution in the US (after Harvard) and was chartered in 1693.  It has just over 6 000 undergraduate and 2 000 postgraduate students and its main campus is in Williamsburg, Virginia. 

Prof Cole previously worked with the well-known scholar George Kuh at Indiana University.  He gave an interesting presentation on the main considerations for Higher Education Studies in the US, whereas Prof Fourie-Malherbe informed the visitors about the state of Higher Education Studies in South Africa, and Prof Bitzer highlighted the work of the Centre.

Over an informal light lunch the students used the opportunity to discuss matters of mutual interest and exchanged contact particulars with a view to future collaboration.

​

Prof Erwin Schwella has been invited by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to participate on their External Advisory Committee (EAC) for a two-year project titled: Connecting Science to Policy Around the World: Landscape Analysis and Feasibility Assessment for International Science & Technology Policy Fellowships.

Motivated by growing international interest and demand for mechanisms geared toward strengthening the connections between science and policy, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is funding this initiative to map and analyse initiatives that link scientists with policy and decision-making; inform the design and implementation of new mechanisms to help bridge the gap between science, policy and society; and promote science diplomacy around the world.

The role of the EAC will be to provide input to the research and outreach strategies; facilitate access to key data and influential decision makers and networks; and provide broad international political, geographic and cultural perspectives. 

​​An ongoing international research study on the origins of dogs worldwide set out to examine if there's a genetic connection between dogs in Madagascar and the pets of ancient settlers from Indonesia. The international team, which included Stellenbosch University geneticist Dr Barbara van Asch, was taken by surprise. No trace of Indonesian ancestry was found among the island nation's dogs, as the scientists assumed would be the case. Instead, Madagascan dogs all appear to trace their heritage entirely from Africa.

"It's a mystery," the authors say of the study in the journal Royal Society Open Science. It sampled DNA of 145 dogs from Madagascar and 184 from the African mainland. "We were surprised when we saw the results. We expected 100 percent or 50 percent ancestry from Indonesia—but it was zero percent".

The international research project into Madagascar's dogs was led by Prof Peter Savolainen of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. The current study also included other colleagues from KTH, as well as Université d'Antananarivo in Madagascar and the National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Iran.

Dr van Asch, who joined Stellenbosch University's Department of Genetics as senior lecturer earlier this year, has been part of the research team since 2010. Part of her PhD in Biology from the University of Porto in Portugal focused on the origin of domestic animals. In 2013 she was the lead author of a paper about the lineages and history of North American dogs, and their clear links with Asia.

"I'm fascinated by the history of dogs, as the first domesticated animals, and how their relationship with people sheds light on how humans migrated," she explains in her office in the SU Department of Genetics.

She is now finalising the results of the research team's study on the origins of African dogs. It seems that very exclusive and ancient dog lineages are to be found in Africa and nowhere else. "The presence of dogs in Africa might be older than previously thought," she hints. The final study is expected at the end of the year.

She is one of the co-authors on the Malagasy paper.

Man's best friend in Madagascar

Settlers from Indonesia sailed to Madagascar between 1500 and 2000 years ago.

In ancient times, the expeditions of Indonesians typically included domestic animals, such as pigs, chickens, and of course, man's best friend. Along with their Austronesian culture and DNA, the Indonesians introduced their dogs' genes into populations wherever they settled. This canine DNA can still be found in Hawaii, Southeast Asia, the Cook Islands and New Zealand, among other places.

"Dogs, together with pigs and chicken, were important domestic animals in the Austronesian culture," says Prof Peter Savolainen. "So it would be expected that dogs were brought in the colonization of major new areas, and a seemingly total absence in Madagascar of dogs with Austronesian heritage is surprising."

One possible explanation doesn't quite hold up, Savolainen says. If the migration from Indonesia to Madagascar was "a limited event" which brought only a small number of colonizers in a few voyages, then why does the human population of the island have such a high diversity of maternal and paternal lineages with Indonesian origin?

"This indicates that there was an introduction of large numbers of people, possibly in several successive waves rather, than a severe genetic bottleneck in the founder population," he says.

Savolainen offers a more likely, if unappealing scenario. "It is possible that if the dogs were brought along on these long journeys, they died from the hardship, or were used as a food source."

Indonesian dog DNA isn't the only missing trace of the Indonesian diaspora in Madagascar. As Savolainen points out, the Madagascan culture is mainly influenced by Africa and, except for the language, few clear contributions remain from the initial Indonesian culture."

• This article is based in part on a press release by the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. For the original, visit https://www.kth.se/en/aktuellt/nyheter/who-left-the-dogs-out-1.567708
• For a link to the open access journal article, visit http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/5/140552

Media enquiries:

Dr Barbara van Asch

Department of Genetics, Stellenbosch University

 +27 21 808 5888

bva@sun.ac.za

A two day, high-level workshop, the Resources and Urban Africa Workshop, is taking place at the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosch this week. 

AUMRN is a collaboration between the Urban Metabolism Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), directed by Professor John E. Fernández, researchers at Stellenbosch University led by Dr Josephine K. Musango of the School of Public Leadership and multiple local partners from several major African cities.

Professor Cloete indicated the value of such collaborative networks for the purpose of exchanging ideas and knowledge in relation to aspects of water, energy, agriculture, land, technology and health. He further pointed to the need for universities and research institutions to address related issues pertaining to women empowerment, access to energy, the economy, employment and basic services as well as a focus on leadership, transformation and housing.

The workshop participants were selectively invited key individuals who are researchers, independent consultants, academics, government representatives at various levels, and representatives of International Organisations (UNDP and UNESCO). They hail from different cities in Africa including Cairo in Egypt, Lagos in Nigeria; Kinshasa in the DRC, Nairobi in Kenya, Luanda in Angola, and Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria in South Africa. In addition, researchers and students from MIT and Stellenbosch University were part of the workshop.

Having delved into the current and future state of African cities, Professor Fernández introduced the workshop goals as enhancing the research agenda, establishing long-term partnerships and creating research networks around urban metabolism and resource use, especially in the context of the global South.

The workshop will conclude with a public presentation on the main conclusions and results. This session will take place at the Sustainability Institute from 17.00 to 19.00, and all interested parties are invited to attend.

• For more information on the AUMRN visit http://www.urbanmetabolism.org/projects/resources-and-urban-africa/ and on Twitter follow #RAUA15.

Caption: Prof John Fernandez of the Urban Metabolism Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Dr Josephine Musango of the School of Public Leadership and Prof Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector: Research and Innovation at Stellenbosch University (Photo: Anton Jordaan)