By Menziwa Msibi
North-West University (NWU) experimental duo project Goldfox – featuring southern African instrument player Dr Cara Stacey and cellist Nicola du Toit (cello) – joined forces with jazz guitarist Keen Ahrends in a sound exploration performance.
In November, citizens of Hyderabad in India are given a little bit of a respite from the stifling heat that so often engulfs the capital of southern India's Telangana state.
However, this will not be the case on 5 November, when the red-hot superstar of ultramarathons from the North-West University (NWU), Dr Adele Broodryk, will be competing as part of the Athletics South Africa team at the 2023 IAU 50 km World Championships.
Holistic wellness entails achieving a sense of well-being by balancing the physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of life. It is about recognising that these different areas are interconnected and that neglecting one can impact the others.
For high school learners, holistic wellness is crucial as it provides a foundation for healthy growth and development. When students are supported in all these areas, they are better equipped to navigate the challenges and pressures they face.
On Wednesday, 6 September the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds welcomed staff and students of the North-West University (NWU) at the run-with-colour-fun event that was hosted jointly by the Faculty of Health Sciences, the School of Human Movement Sciences and the Centre of Health and Human Performance (CHHP).
The event was about more than just running in an array of colours. Its purpose was to raise awareness of gender and identity issues in diverse contexts, as well as to encourage diversity and inclusion among students and staff.
Prof LJ Grobler, a professor in mechanical engineering at the North-West University (NWU), is a man with determination. His CV and numerous engineering accomplishments reveal his dynamism.
He has come a long way – from growing up in the beautiful farmlands of Ermelo in Mpumalanga – to sitting in international boardrooms and sharing his expertise to make an impact in the field of renewable energy.
“What is in a name?” William Shakespeare wanted to know. A young researcher from the North-West University (NWU) knows exactly how important a name is. She is currently believed to be the youngest gnathiid taxonomist in the world, at the forefront of describing these parasites and identifying their names – or the lack thereof.
Dr Anja Erasmus thrives on recording the tiny sea species and listing important information used to identify them. She is one of only a few active gnathiid taxonomists in the world ― the others being in the Philippines, Japan, Australia and Europe.
Without quality oversight, output suffers. Without transparency, deception thrives. Misinformation and misinterpretation are propagated to become the norm as fiction becomes indistinguishable from fact. In a developing country such as South Africa that faces a multitude of challenges, this cannot be allowed.
An example of this is an economy that is increasingly struggling to awake from a prolonged slumber caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, rolling blackouts and widespread corruption in institutions fundamental to the health of the country.
In an intriguing joint announcement, the Walter Sisulu and North-West universities unveiled the astounding results of their preclinical trials for a groundbreaking combination vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) and Covid-19. The universities reported an unprecedented 100% protection in vaccinated animals – a significant step forwards in the unrelenting battle against tuberculosis, one of the world's most devastating diseases.
Good economic news is that the consumer price index (CPI) (headline inflation) for July has again shown a welcome declining tendency, reaching 4,7% from 5,4% in June.
Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU), says this is not only a two-year low for the CPI but is also much better than market expectations.
“Core inflation further moderated to a ten-month low of 4,7% from 5,0% in June. The omens for the inflation outlook in South Africa look promising.”
There are too many misconceptions about the role that gender plays in society. This is the opinion expressed by the Honourable Ambassador Maria Del Rosario Mina Rojas of Colombia during her visit to the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU) on 18 August.
In an interactive session the Honourable Ambassador Mina Rojas delivered an address titled “The role that gender plays in society and the impact it has on traditional gender norms”, which elicited not only acclaim, but also interest from staff and students alike.