Internationally renowned microbiologist Prof Olubukola Oluranti Babalola is in the spotlight again. The leader of the Microbial Biotechnology subject group at the North-West University (NWU) has been elected to two strategic committees of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), a global network of science, engineering and medical academies.

Prof Babalola has been elected to the IAP’s programme and development committees, as well as the policy advice committee. The appointment, published on the IAP website on 7 August 2025, is for a three-year term starting on 11 December 2025.

and by Oscar Mosiane

The ability to spell is alive and well, as 100 high school learners demonstrated when they participated in a spelling bee at the Mahikeng Campus of the North-West University (NWU).

The event, held on Saturday, 16 August 2025, was a partnership between the NWU and the North West Department of Education.

Feed animals in ways that also protect the planet. This was the central message of the inaugural lecture of Prof Kenny Mnisi from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences on 13 August.

During his lecture titled “Multipronged nutritional strategies for sustainable animal production and food security”, Prof Mnisi explored how locally sourced and underused materials can transform livestock and poultry production while reducing environmental pressures.

Extracting value from fruit peels and crop residues

Nine final-year nursing students from the North-West University's (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus recently participated in an international collaborative project aimed at developing innovative e-health solutions to address global healthcare challenges.

The initiative formed part of the university’s internationalisation efforts and was coordinated through the e-COIL project, an online, interdisciplinary programme designed to expose students to cross-cultural collaboration and digital healthcare practices.

Thanks to a decisive second-half header from captain Aphelele Sibisi, the North-West University (NWU) secured a hard-fought 1-0 win against Central University of Technology (CUT) in their second round Varsity Football clash on 14 August at the NWU Mahikeng Stadium.

Stepping out of the classroom and into the courtroom, final-year law students from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus gained first-hand experience of the South African justice system at work. This is one of the ways the university is exploring to integrate practical training into the curriculum.

Soccer balls rolled, whistles blew and chess pieces moved quietly as learners from five schools gathered at Maano Secondary School in Mmasutlhe Village for a day of sports organised by the North-West University (NWU) Mahikeng Campus Sports Department.

The community sports tournament on Friday, 25 July 2025, brought together Maano Secondary School, Sejankabo Secondary School, Mococoe Secondary School, Mailakgang Primary School and Mogakolodi School. The learners participated in soccer, netball, volleyball and chess.

Postgraduate students at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus were given a timely reminder to prioritise their mental health during a mental health awareness workshop.

The in-person session, which Student Counselling and Development hosted on 5 August 2025, was for postgraduate students from different faculties, creating a safe space to discuss the realities of academic life, the pressures of balancing multiple responsibilities and the importance of taking time to focus on well-being.

A tree long overlooked as goat feed could help farmers in the North West Province boost meat production and cut feed costs, new research from the North-West University (NWU) has found.

In a world where software runs hospitals, banks and transportation, who or what ensures it doesn’t fail?

This was the central question posed by Prof Bassey Isong from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences during his inaugural lecture on 7 August 2025 at North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus.

The lecture, titled “The silent sentinel: Machine learning’s role in securing and ensuring reliable software systems”, unpacked the potential of machine learning to strengthen the reliability and security of digital systems.