NWU's Intelligent Systems Research Group is developing intelligence to solve transportation problems

Computers are becoming essential in modern society with a tremendous influence on how humans create and solve problems. The North-West University's (NWU’s) Intelligent Systems research group is on a mission to develop next-generation solutions that will help solve transportation problems using technology.

Within the School of Electrical…

Hospital knocks on NWU’s door for better care for breast cancer patients

Researchers of the North-West University (NWU) regularly work in communities to improve lives and find solutions to pressing issues. In the fight against breast cancer, a hospital in Potchefstroom has called on the expertise of the Medicine Usage in South Africa (MUSA) research entity in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Prof Johanita…

Municipalities must acknowledge the importance of waste pickers

More than 100 000 people in South Africa have turned to the waste-picking sector as a source of employment. This is according to Nonhlanhla Ngcobo, a PhD student and a researcher at the South African Chair in Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability in the Faculty of Law at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus.

“…

On the quest to save our freshwater sources

South Africa’s freshwater sources are under pressure from various kinds of contaminants, and North-West University (NWU) researchers are searching for ways to keep track of some of the more elusive pollutants.

Prof Rialet Pieters, a researcher in the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, is an ecotoxicologist whose interests…

NWU makes a clean sweep at international parasitology congress

Parasites may be viewed by many as pesky organisms,but understanding them and their impact on ecological systems is crucial in nature studies. The researchers and students at the North-West University (NWU) excel as experts in this field.

The NWU made history during the recent International Congress of Parasites of Wildlife by not only…

NWU experts share their journeys with breast cancer

It is the diagnosis dreaded by most: cancer. Two professors at the North-West University (NWU) who were both affected in different ways by this life-threatening disease, say the emotional toll it takes can be just as detrimental as the physical havoc it causes. They offer expert advice on how to deal with it when cancer becomes a personal…

NWU Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences recognises its top achievers

By Oldrin Masowa

The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (FNAS) on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus recently hosted an awards ceremony in recognition of top student achievers.

During the event students were rewarded for achieving top academic results in their various…

Shaun Bownes is now leaving tracks at the NWU

He is a legend who rewrote the record books. A diehard speed glutton who exhibited his talent on the global stage until he was in his late 30s. Shaun Bownes, the former hurdles champion of the African continent, is carved from granite.

He may not have been able to escape the injuries or stay ahead of Father Time, but heaven knows, he…

Solar training a priority at the NWU

Renewable energy constitutes an increasingly important part of our country’s energy package while we move away from fossil fuels. This, together with an attitude of becoming more environmentally friendly, means that renewable energy like solar and wind power will definitely continue to play a bigger role in power generation.  

That…

Branded, stigmatised and deprived: NWU expert says this is why some parolees reoffend

I paid the debt I owed them, but they’re still not satisfied; now I am a branded man out in the cold.”

These words of singer Merle Haggard ring true for many ex-offenders when they try to reintegrate into society.

South Africa’s harsh “stigmatising shaming culture” perpetuates discrimination against ex-offenders when they are…