Uncharted waters await two NWU researchers

Two North-West University (NWU) researchers will navigate uncharted waters with their research, using fourth-generation cultural-historical activity theories (CHAT) to find solutions to the complex educational problems confronting South Africa.

Prof Elsa Mentz and Prof Josef de Beer from the research focus area Self-directed Learning…

NWU academic walks away with a Science Oscar

Prof Elvis Fosso-Kankeu from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Chemical and Minerals Engineering walked away with the Engineering Research Capacity Development Award at the recent NSTF-South32 Awards.

The national NSTF-South32 Awards are the largest science, engineering, technology (SET) and innovation awards in South…

Major funding awarded to large-scale collaborative projects at NWU

“In this period of economic austerity, governments are forced to cut their spending and budgets in order to remain financially viable or sustainable. Universities are therefore more and more challenged to find alternative means to meet the growing demands of financial resources to fulfil the academic project.”

Prof Refilwe Phaswana…

2019 Research Day puts emerging researchers in the limelight

The importance of research and its application in the community is being thrust into the limelight, especially in the midst of global debates about the role of universities flaring up again.

Prof Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation, recently convened a series…

Hunting generates most profit for game farmers

When it comes to game farming, hunting and breeding yield the highest production output and highest capital layout, but also generate the most profit. This was the findings of a ground-breaking study that the North-West University’s (NWU) Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES) recently conducted on game farming.

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New drug discoveries are a triple offensive against malaria and TB

Researchers from three South African universities are unleashing the power of oxygen in a triple-drug treatment strategy against disease-causing parasites and bacteria.

Oxygen is the key to life – and that applies as much to parasites and bacteria that cause malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and certain other related diseases as it does to…

Students represent NWU at meeting with Nobel Laureates

Few scientific gatherings are as prestigious as the famous annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Two students from the North-West University (NWU) have the honour of being chosen to attend the 2019 event.

In the wake of the Second World War, the science community was reunited by the efforts of Count Lennart Bernadotte, grandson of…

NWU’s astrophysicists help unlock secrets of the universe

The high-energy astrophysics group at the Centre for Space Research at the North-West University (NWU) is playing an important role in key science programmes at the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) that will be built in Chile.

The final agreements between the CTA Observatory and the European Southern Observatory were signed late last…

Research explores the spread and prevention of HIV/Aids in Africa

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Prof Erhabor Idemudia recently broke ground on research that looks at African cultural practices that aid the spread of HIV/Aids and what can be done to curtail this. 

According to Prof Idemudia’s research, African culture is generally male-dominated, with women accorded a lower status than men.…

Water-friendly cowpea plant is packed with potential

In a country that is struggling with water supply, the North-West University (NWU) has found a cowpea plant that does not require a lot of water compared to other field crops.

This particular cowpea is indigenous to the Southern African region and the NWU will be the first institution in the world to introduce it to the scientific…