By Michelle Hammann

The 70th annual South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) awards ceremony took place at the University of the Western Cape from 6 to 10 July 2026. The North-West University (NWU) took home seven out of 13 prestigious student awards for presentations in the fields of space science and astrophysics. 

Award recipients included Christo Pretorius for the best MSc oral presentation, Goratamang Ann Gaedi for the best PhD poster presentation on astrophysics, Thembalethu Zulu for the best MSc oral presentation on space science, Johan Joubert for the second runner-up PhD oral presentation on space science, Calmay Lee for the best PhD oral presentation on space science, Unathi Tshabalala for the best BScHons poster presentation on astrophysics, and Aimee Dumont for the best poster presentation on space science.

Prof. Amare Abebe, NWU research director at the Centre for Space Research (CSR), said that this achievement reflects the quality of the research environment of the university and the calibre of NWU students. 

“Receiving seven of the 13 student awards presented in the space science and astrophysics categories at the 2026 SAIP conference is a significant achievement for the NWU. These awards are particularly meaningful because they recognise work presented in front of peers and experts from across the physics community of South Africa,” he said.

He explained that the NWU secured a sweeping majority at the awards because its students compete successfully at national level.

“Our postgraduate training equips students to not only conduct high-quality research, but to also communicate their science effectively. This honour is a product of committed students, dedicated supervisors, strong mentorship, collaboration within the CSR, as well as sustained institutional support from the university,” Prof. Abebe said.

Students submitted their presentations and abstracts for the awards in April with the assistance of their supervisors and lecturers. Nonky Ramohoeba, NWU junior lecturer in physics, was also awarded the prize for the best MSc oral presentation on physics education at the 2026 SAIP conference. This year, the competition focused on physics in the Fourth Industrial Revolution towards a sustainable and inclusive future. 

Unathi Tshabalala’s BScHons poster presentation on astrophysics focused on analysing the variability in blueberry galaxies in search of AGN activity. Goratamang Ann Gaedi’s PhD poster presentation on astrophysics centred on confronting the accelerating expansion of the universe with insights from a hybrid scale factor, with Prof. Abebe as one of the co-authors. Thembalethu Zulu’s MSc oral presentation on space science linked coronal structures to L1 solar wind disturbances over three solar minima, with the NWU senior lecturer in physics, Dr Ruhann Steyn, as co-author. The PowerPoint slides for this winning presentation are available via the link provided. 

Johan Joubert’s PhD oral presentation on space science was about simulating the field-line random walk process, co-authored by Prof. Du Toit Strauss and Prof. Jaundre Light from the NWU. Calmay Lee’s PhD oral presentation on space science focused on a numerical investigation of a pulse propagating through the stratified solar atmosphere, with Dr Steyn as one of the co-authors. Aimee Dumont’s poster presentation on space science explained field calibration of cosmic-ray neutron sensors for accurate soil moisture monitoring, with NWU lecturers Prof. Strauss, Dr Henno Havenga and Dr Willie Cloete as co-authors.

Dr Steyn is also the chairperson of the space science division of the SAIP, and he stated that the NWU supported these students by providing opportunities for them to present their research to faculty members and postgraduate students before the SAIP competition. 

“By the time our students present their research at the SAIP, they are confident and can answer any questions. The students that we send are well-prepared and above average,” he said.

All the physicists in South Africa are invited to compete and the NWU students went up against peers from universities nationwide with space science programmes. At the awards, participants presented their research to a panel of qualified judges, and they were evaluated on the quality of their research and presentation.

“Research excellence is built over many years through sustained investment in people, collaboration and a supportive academic environment. We are grateful to the SAIP for providing an excellent platform on which young researchers can present their work, engage with the broader scientific community and be recognised for their achievements,” Prof. Abebe said.

A defining characteristic of the research at the NWU in the CSR is that it combines fundamental science with practical applications. Researchers at the university collaborate extensively with national and international partners, while the students gain experience working on globally relevant scientific questions using modern computational methods, observational data and advanced instrumentation.

Prof. Abebe specialises in gravitation and cosmology and noted that the NWU researchers investigate various topics, including cosmology, galaxy evolution, high-energy astrophysics, gravitational physics and the nature of dark matter and dark energy. The emerging CSR programme on radio astronomy will be part of the Square Kilometre Array, an international initiative to build the largest radio telescope in the world.

Unathi Tshabalala won with the best BScHons poster presentation on astrophysics at the 2026 SAIP awards.

Goratamang Ann Gaedi won with the best PhD poster presentation on astrophysics at the 2026 SAIP awards.

Calmay Lee achieved the best PhD oral presentation on space science at the 2026 SAIP conference.

Christo Pretorius received the award for the best MSc oral presentation at the 2026 SAIP conference.

Aimee Dumont won with the best poster presentation on space science at the 2026 SAIP awards.

Seaelo Nonky Ramohoeba received the award for the best MSc oral presentation title at the 2026 SAIP awards.

Thembalethu Zulu won the award for the best MSc oral presentation on space science at the 2026 SAIP awards ceremony.

Johan Joubert was the second runner-up with the PhD oral presentation on space science at the 2026 SAIP awards.