Natural and Agricultural Sciences News

Traditional African astronomy opens up academic’s gaze

African people have been observing the stars and planets since ancient times and modern-day science is now paying close attention to the wealth of knowledge within traditional African astronomy.

Prof Thebe Medupe, an academic at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Mahikeng, uses his research to shed light on the ancient…

NWU academic to explore possible research collaboration

The Covenant University in Nigeria invited Prof Masood Khalique, an academic in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Mahikeng, to present a series of lectures and to explore the possibility of research collaboration.

Prof Khalique will visit the university’s Department of…

Physicist looks to the sun for stored power

Solar energy is an intermittent energy resource but can be stored for later use, says Prof Ashmore Mawire, principal researcher in the solar thermal energy group at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Mahikeng.

He is one of the very few applied physicists investigating solar thermal energy storage systems for domestic…

NWU students head for Russia after winning nuclear energy video competition

Two honours students at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Centre for Applied Radiation Science and Technology, Koketso Kgorinyane and Pinkie Mereyotlhe, have been selected to visit Rosatom Nuclear Power Company in Russia for a week from 11 December 2017.

They were among the top three African winners of the 2017 Rosatom student…

High school teacher is NWU's best science master’s student

High school teacher Mr Ofentse Porogo has been named the best science master’s student at the North-West University (NWU). At the university’s recent annual research awards ceremony, Ofentse received the coveted S2A3 bronze medal, presented to the best master's student in a scientific discipline.

In his MSc study, he studied the “…

TELIT-SA Showcase 2017 – inventive research for education and training in SA

The team from TELIT-SA is committed to innovation and with this in mind recently hosted their first Research Showcase.

The event took place on Friday, 10 November 2017, and saw several members of the interdisciplinary research team presenting their current research projects to members of the campus community.  

The…

Capacitating small-scale farmers is cattle project’s purpose

A 10-year-old partnership between the North-West University (NWU), Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is going strong, continuing to produce good results for small-scale farmers. Launched in 2007, the North West Nguni Cattle Development Project is the province’s contribution to…

NWU alumna jets off to China

Refilwe Basimane, an alumna of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Mahikeng, has recently been awarded an international scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in nuclear science and technology at the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

Refilwe is currently doing an internship awarded to her by the South African Agency…

Passion propels young researcher from C1 to B1

Passion is not bound by gravity. It makes you excel where others merely succeed, and passion is what propelled Prof Stefan Ferreira of the North-West University's (NWU's) Centre for Space Research from a C1 to a B1 NRF rating.

This new rating places him among researchers who enjoy considerable international recognition by their peers…

NWU PhD student receives prize for best research journal

Sidwell Sihlangu, a PhD student from the North-West University`s (NWU’s) campus in Mahikeng, received prize money to the value of R20 000 for the Best Researched Journal in Scientific Innovation at the recent Provincial Youth in Agriculture Awards (YAA) on 23 June 2017 in Wolmaranstad.

Sidwell received this prize for his master’s…