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
Faculty of Engineering: Towards an integrated energy approach
Energy needs across the globe are rising while fossil fuels are being depleted. Since fossil fuels result in various detrimental emissions, new and renewable energy sources can alleviate the drain on our natural resources and help in the mitigation of the harmful emissions.
Viewed in isolation, neither of these energy sources…
Faculty of Engineering designing a better future
There is a shortage of special skills in the country and engineering is no exception. The Faculty of Engineering at the North-West University (NWU) is not only addressing this need, but is also ensuring that the seeds are planted for future growth in this all-important field.
“Our faculty is involved in the community in many ways,”…
Faculty of Engineering is bridging the gender gap
Innovation is blind to gender and special skills does not allow for prejudice. Nowhere was this more evident than at the third iteration of the Faculty of Engineering at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Femmegineering workshop.
Participants from North West, Gauteng and Free State was shown why a career in engineering might just…
Sunny academic skies for Roelof Burger
Dr Roelof Burger from the School of Geo and Spatial Sciences at Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences of the North-West University (NWU) has been awarded the Weather Modification Field Meteorologist Distinguished Service Award by the Weather Modification Association.
The award was given to Dr Burger in the United States of…
New challenge for Prof Christa Rautenbach
Prof Christa Rautenbach from the Faculty of Law at the North-West University (NWU) has been appointed by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Adv Michael Masutha, as an advisory committee member in the South African Law Reform Commission: Project 144. The project is titled “Single Marriage Statute Including Measures against…
Gauteng Biotech Fundi award goes to NWU researcher
Expert, past master, authority, professional, specialist and genius… these are all synonyms for the uniquely South African word “fundi”, which aptly describes the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Prof Anne Grobler, recipient of a 2018 Biotech Fundi Award from The Innovation Hub Management Company.
Prof Anne, director for the DST/NWU…
Pioneering electronic law journal in class of its own
Since its inception in 1998, the Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal (PELJ) has been a hallmark of the Faculty of Law’s continuous excellence. Every year the PEJL receives more than 100 submissions of which more than 60% are published.
“The journal is my baby and my baby has grown really big. It is bursting at the seams,” says Prof…
A new frontier: The Creative Arts and Law project
“All aspects of society are effected by law therefore we encourage interdisciplinary cooperation,” explains one of the most popular lecturers at the North-West University (NWU), René Koraan. That is why the Faculty of Law, in conjunction with the Faculty of Education, launched the Creative Arts and Law project.
The project is a…
Another feather in Louis Kotzé’s hat
Prestigious achievements are no longer uncommon for Prof Louis Kotzé, although this humble research professor in environmental law at the Faculty of Law at the North-West University (NWU) will differ from anyone who says so.
In January last year he was informed that his application for European Commission Horizon 2020 Marie Curie…
NWU academics motivated to find water crisis solutions
For the past few years a number of areas in South Africa have been battling with water crises. The Water Research Commission (WRC) recently visited the North-West University (NWU) as part of their roadshow campaign to address this issue.
The aim of the road show was to motivate academics to submit innovative water solution proposals…