NWU women are finalists for prestigious science awards

While celebrating Women’s Month and in particular South African women’s extraordinary achievements, two young women researchers of the North-West University (NWU) who, are excelling in their fields, have been announced finalists for the prestigious South African Women in Science Awards (SAWiSA).

A student of the NWU is also in the…

Xena and this fish parasite have much in common

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Xena the warrior princess dominated television screens all over the world. She was known for her strong personality and loved for her feistiness and fighting ability.

So when Serita van der Wal, a master’s student at the North-West University (NWU), named a fish parasitic cymothoid isopod after…

Global warming is fuelling global inequality

Poor countries are becoming poorer as a result of global warming and more intense heat waves in the future will widen the inequality gap.

These are some of the research findings of Namhla Mkiva, a technical support staff member in the subject group Geography and Environmental Studies at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of…

Inaugural lecture traces operational research back to World War II

Operational research (OR) is modern and highly sophisticated but its origins can be traced back to 1939 when the Royal Air Force began expanding the range of radar.

Prof Philip Pretorius recently took the audience on a bit of a history lesson on OR with his inaugural lecture on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark.…

Mahikeng Astronomical Observatory hosts NASSP Winter School

Mahikeng Astronomical Observatory (MAO) of the North-West University (NWU) is hosting the annual Winter school of the National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP) from 28 June to 6 July 2019.

The event brings together young South African final-year physics students from previously disadvantaged universities to experience…

Workshop teaches reliable data collection on land use

Accurate data collection is one of the most crucial elements of research and the North-West University (NWU) has always prided itself on the excellent quality of its research.

Fittingly, the NWU was chosen to host this year’s Collect Earth workshop, presented by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the European…

Major funding awarded to large-scale collaborative projects at NWU

“In this period of economic austerity, governments are forced to cut their spending and budgets in order to remain financially viable or sustainable. Universities are therefore more and more challenged to find alternative means to meet the growing demands of financial resources to fulfil the academic project.”

Prof Refilwe Phaswana…

Students represent NWU at meeting with Nobel Laureates

Few scientific gatherings are as prestigious as the famous annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Two students from the North-West University (NWU) have the honour of being chosen to attend the 2019 event.

In the wake of the Second World War, the science community was reunited by the efforts of Count Lennart Bernadotte, grandson of…

NWU’s astrophysicists help unlock secrets of the universe

The high-energy astrophysics group at the Centre for Space Research at the North-West University (NWU) is playing an important role in key science programmes at the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) that will be built in Chile.

The final agreements between the CTA Observatory and the European Southern Observatory were signed late last…

Student explores the rural economics of herbal cosmetics

Imagine having a skin problem – could be a blemish, rash or an unsightly pimple. Now, imagine walking to your garden or a nearby forest to find plants to prepare a lotion or ointment, rather than buying an expensive product.

As odd as this may sound, this is what many people have been doing for years, with some still doing it today.…