Potchefstroom Campus News

NWU School of Mines and Mining Engineering set for future success

The North West province of South Africa sits on a bedrock of riches. From platinum to chrome, vanadium to gold, the region is among the most mineral-endowed in the world. Yet its communities remain scarred by poverty and unemployment, relics of a resource economy too often divorced from local benefit. For a province where mines dominate both the landscape and livelihoods, the need to convert mineral wealth into long-term skills, jobs and technological leadership is a necessity. The North-West University (NWU) believes it has found part of the answer: a new… Read more

Another success for self-directed learning

With participants from as far as the United States, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) fourth International Self-Directed Learning (SDL) Conference was a great success.

Hosted by the NWU’s SDL research unit, the theme for this year’s conference was “Self-Directed Learning: An…

NWU academic selected to participate in prestigious programme

North-West University (NWU) academic Dr Aurelia Alvina Williams has been selected to participate in the Future Professors Programme (FPP).

Dr Williams, a senior lecturer in the subject group Biochemistry, is among 29 South African academics who have been selected as the first cohort to participate in the second phase of the programme.…

Faculty of Engineering’s ingenuity key to PhD successes

Ingenuity built the world, resourcefulness sustains it and our imaginations will take it forward. This is evident from some of the interesting and important PhDs that the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Engineering has delivered in 2021.

In the field of chemical engineering, Innocentia Erdogan received her PhD for her thesis…

Upcoming NWU webinar series will focus on caring for preterm infants

With 17 November being World Prematurity Day, Prof Welma Lubbe from the North-West University (NWU) is inviting all healthcare professionals to participate in a unique webinar series.

From 2 November to 7 December, Prof Lubbe, a neonatal nurse and midwife specialist, and Annelie van…

Three new extraordinary professors join NWU’s Self-Directed Learning research unit

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Education recently announced the appointment of three extraordinary professors who will be collaborating and doing research within the Self-Directed Learning research unit.

They are Prof Ann Haley MacKenzie (Miami University, USA), Prof…

Informal reclaimers make a huge contribution to recycling in South Africa

Informal waste reclaimers in South Africa play a key but often unrecognised role in the recycling value chain. Ways should be found to enable them to participate in decisions around waste management practices and community recycling programmes, says Prof Derick Blaauw from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Economics.

For the…

Sexism and sexual harassment are major challenges for women entrepreneurs

Although entrepreneurship has its own challenges, women face additional obstacles that are unique to them. On paper South Africa has some great opportunities for female entrepreneurs, but in reality numerous economic, social and cultural obstacles affect women and their businesses.

According to a study conducted by Refiloe Moetsi, a…

NWU graduate makes waves globally

Shaun Frazao, a North-West University (NWU) graduate and chief strategy officer of Wavemaker South Africa is heading to London as strategy partner at Wavemaker Worldwide.

Wavemaker is one of the five largest media agency networks in the world, with clients such as L'Oréal, Paramount Pictures, Xerox, Colgate-Palmolive, Netflix and…

Liezl is back and stronger than ever

She is back. But different. She is no longer the same Liezl Gouws. Japan has changed her. It happened about 100 km away from the shadow of Mount Fuji and its snow-capped crown. Every drop of sweat was exchanged for wisdom and experience.

Liezl (23) recently ended fifth in the T37…

Study into large-scale potential to store renewable hydrogen

Power fluctuations sometimes associated with renewable energy resources could become a thing of the past through research under way at the North-West University (NWU) on new and better ways to store hydrogen. The HySA Centre of Competence (Coc) at the NWU explains the storage problem as follows: Electrical energy produced from renewable…