NWU’s Prof Phaswana-Mafuya appointed to NRF board

The North-West University (NWU) prides itself on appointing academics that are not only the best in their fields, but are also dedicated to making a difference in society.

Proof positive of this, the Minister of Science and Technology recently appointed the NWU’s deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation, Prof Refilwe…

Xena and this fish parasite have much in common

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Xena the warrior princess dominated television screens all over the world. She was known for her strong personality and loved for her feistiness and fighting ability.

So when Serita van der Wal, a master’s student at the North-West University (NWU), named a fish parasitic cymothoid isopod after…

Global warming is fuelling global inequality

Poor countries are becoming poorer as a result of global warming and more intense heat waves in the future will widen the inequality gap.

These are some of the research findings of Namhla Mkiva, a technical support staff member in the subject group Geography and Environmental Studies at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of…

Inaugural lecture traces operational research back to World War II

Operational research (OR) is modern and highly sophisticated but its origins can be traced back to 1939 when the Royal Air Force began expanding the range of radar.

Prof Philip Pretorius recently took the audience on a bit of a history lesson on OR with his inaugural lecture on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark.…

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…