Potchefstroom Campus News
Researchers demonstrate that conservation and development can go hand in hand
While cities in Africa expand rapidly and the pressure for economic growth is increasing, the protected areas on the continent face a complex challenge: how to conserve nature and empower people.
At the North-West University (NWU) the Protected Areas Research Group, led by Prof. Reece Alberts, Prof. François Retief, Prof. Claudine Roos and Prof. Dirk Cilliers, is working to find exactly that balance.
“Conservation areas are the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation,” says Prof. Alberts. “They are essential to prevent the loss in biodiversity. Yet, we have to admit that… Read more
FIH Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup a huge success
Bertie Jacobs
The Netherlands won, but hockey triumphed. When the final whistle blew on Tuesday, 12 April, it was the Dutch fans who cheered and the players clad in orange who celebrated as the Netherlands beat Germany conclusively 3–1 in the final of the FIH Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup at the Astroturf of…
Visually impaired Cornelle and her guide dog Vogue graduate
Bertie Jacobs
“‘Vogue’, as in the magazine,” is how Cornelle Leach describes the name of her pitch-black Labrador bitch. Vogue, who excitedly barked at her very first tortoise in the Botanical Gardens the other day. Five-year-old Vogue who recently grabbed a small boy’s ice cream from…
NWU academic says back to basics for TB programmes
Phenyo Mokgothu
Deaths from Tuberculosis (TB) have increased globally for the first time in over a decade. This is according to the World Health Organisation’s Global TB Report that was released in October 2021. The increase in deaths is due to “reduced access to TB diagnosis and…
NWU academic walks away with SAIEE President’s Award
Mafumane Thlapi
Prof Leenta Grobler, an academic in the North-West University (NWU) Business School, was announced the recipient of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers’ (SAIEE’s) President’s Award during the institute…
Covid-19 pandemic has further weakened South Africa’s fragile peace
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the exclusion of even more South African residents from economic activity has further weakened the country’s already fragile peace.
This is one of the conclusions drawn by North-West University (NWU) academic Dr Gideon van Riet, who recently published an article based on three years of research in…
Cyberattacks likely to increase as connectivity grows
Cyberattacks are occurring thick and fast as the world becomes more connected and the rewards greater. According to a North-West University (NWU) academic, the possible rewards for cyberattackers will continue to increase, as more aspects of our everyday lives become interwoven and reliant on online interaction.
Prof Wian Erlank from…
Conserving African biodiversity through genomics has a food security link
Using genomics to understand and protect the African continent’s biodiversity could improve the resilience of plants, animals and other life forms to climate change, with a knock-on effect on food security, says North-West University (NWU) researcher Dr Roksana Majewska.
She and fellow researchers at the African BioGenome Project (…
NWU researchers help map the way forward for hydrogen in South Africa
The Earth is in trouble. It is suffocating under clouds of carbon dioxide emissions from the use of coal and other environmentally damaging resources to generate energy. These emissions are the primary cause of global warming, and if humanity wants to avoid the worst consequences of global warming*, we have to find alternatives for our energy…
Anja sets her sights on early detection of kidney disease in young South Africans
The earlier kidney disease is detected, the more effectively it can be treated. Anja Degenaar, a master’s student in physiology at the North-West University (NWU), has set out to identify the biomarkers which will indicate deteriorating kidney function in young South Africans, ensuring early detection and treatment.
“The global…
NWU student rakes in awards nominations
Phenyo Mokgothu
North-West University (NWU) student and Setswana writer Lesego Motlhankana has taken the world by storm.
Not only has he been nominated for the 2022 Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) Multilingualism awards, but he has also been nominated for the National Institute for the…