An inaugural lecture is regarded as a significant milestone in the life and career of an academic. It is a chance for new professorial colleagues to directly showcase their innovative research.

Professor Charlene du Toit-Brits delivered her inaugural lecture titled Are we there yet? A sense of ownership: Empowering Self-Directed Students in Higher Education.

The word of welcome was expressed by Professor Erika Serfontein, acting school director of the School of Professional Studies in Education (SPSE).

The North-West University (NWU) would like to wish our NWU Eagles the best of luck during the Varsity Netball tournament. You have shown time and again what remarkable people and exceptional players you are. Your commitment, hard work and ethic of care has made us proud, and we know that you will give nothing but your best on the court.

Last year you were runners-up in the final, which is already a remarkable achievement, and you have all of the NWU family’s backing to go that one step further.

Player development: it is imbedded in the core of netball at the North-West University (NWU), and if there is a more enthusiastic proponent of this than Lucy Twani, this person will be hard to find.

Lucy is the high-performance netball coach for the junior teams at the Potchefstroom Campus, and it is because of this 27-year-old’s dedication to unearthing and developing netball talent that the NWU is one of the netball hubs in the country.

Young entrepreneurs from more than 70 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) benefitted from a SME Business Finance Clinic hosted by the North-West University (NWU).

The Small Business Advisory Bureau (SBAB) of the NWU’s Business School, in collaboration with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), recently hosted an SME Business Finance Clinic to empower young entrepreneurs and youth-owned cooperatives.

The primary goal of the clinic was to empower these young entrepreneurs by providing them with essential insights into SME financing and development support.

When Prof Louis Kotzé, research professor at the Faculty of Law of the North-West University (NWU) utters the words “planetary crisis”, it takes a moment to comprehend the magnitude of what he is talking about.

It took only a few seconds for her to lose weeks of her life. After her Toyota Yaris had crashed head-on into a bakkie, she was trapped in a cocoon of unconsciousness and when she awoke her world had irrevocably changed. Torturous years of rehabilitation were to follow. Initially she was forgetful, frightened, frantically searching and frequently failing to find a coherent memory.

Badminton boffin Jarred Elliott, a 23-year-old second-year student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), will represent the NWU and South Africa at the upcoming International University Sports Federation (FISU) Summer World University Games in China.

Recognising the immense responsibility that comes with this honour, Jarred, alongside the other members of the South African contingent, is diligently preparing for the upcoming games.

Why did some people experience more severe coronavirus symptoms than others during the Covid-19 pandemic? International researchers believe part of the answer may lie deep within human cells, specifically in the small circular chromosome inside each cell, called the mitochondrial DNA.

Genetic variations in mitochondrial DNA are considered the key to unlocking answers about the innermost workings of cells and mapping the way forward for more effective medical treatment.

Located on the roof of building G5 at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus, the solar telescope of the Centre for Space Research has garnered attention from organisations such as the BBC and the Royal Astronomical Society.

Dr Ruhann Steyn, senior lecturer and principal scientist involved in the project, recently attended the National Astronomy Meeting in Cardiff, Wales, where he was commended for the outstanding work done by the Centre for Space Research.

While debates about the quality of teacher education intensify, the North-West University (NWU) is exploring solutions, including mixed reality, that will ensure that well-prepared and effective teachers enter the country’s classrooms.

The recent findings of the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), indicating that 81% of South Africa’s Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning, have reignited the debate about the quality of pre-service teacher preparedness in the education sector.