The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Computer Science and Information Systems secured third place in the Cyber Security Challenge finals hosted by the South African National Research Network (SANReN) during the Centre for High Performance Computing’s national meeting.

Students Heinke Lubbe, Nico kemp, and Aaryadev Ghosalkar took part in the challenge, with honours student Christo Croucamp as their mentor and Prof Lynette Drevin as facilitator.

One thousand-millionth of a metre. Or, to put it differently: one billionth of a metre. This unfathomably small number is called a nanometre and the world of nanotechnology operates at between 1 and 100 nanometres. This is also where the North-West University (NWU) is unearthing new ways to combat disease, to help protect the environment and to develop materials that will promote sustainability.

A delegation from Kogakkan University on the island of Mie, Japan, visited the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU) from 20 to 24 February 2023 to demonstrate their new team-teaching style – Lesson Study Approach (LSA).

This teaching style, developed by Kogakkan University, is aimed at preservice teachers as part of their work-integrated learning, and incorporates the advantages of both cooperative and individualised teaching.

The North-West University (NWU) Debating Union on the Mahikeng Campus is dedicated to maintaining the existing skills of public speaking, debating, and critical thinking, and cultivating and maturing these skills in those who would like to learn.

This is according to Kgopotso Sekgobela, chairperson of the union.

The union has consistently received positive reviews of the annual first-year debate tournaments they host to introduce first-year students to university debating.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Music is bringing top African music practitioners to share their knowledge and expertise as part of an African Music workshop series.

The first three workshops will be held during the first semester of 2023, and each of these will be open to all NWU staff and students, free of charge.

The first workshop – facilitated by Keitumetse Joyce Moholoagae – takes place on 4 March 2023 from 10:00 to 15:00 and will focus on vocals.

The Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research unit of the North-West University (NWU) wants to find out why businesses in African language media are unstable, and what can be done about it.

The research unit hosted an event on 23 February 2023 to engage with relevant stakeholders to discuss the survival, management and economics of African language media.

The director of the ILMA research unit, Prof Abiodun Salawu, says it is important that the university does research that betters the community and is meaningful to them.

If the elevated fiscal risks outlined in the Budget speech on 22 February 2023 were to materialise, the South African economy could well drift into a recession later this year, said a panel of experts in discussing the Budget in an NWU Business School Pitso today. Questions put to the panel were whether the 2023 Budget responded adequately to a highly unfavourable global and domestic economic environment, whether the Budget strategy could generate a fiscal offset to current economic challenges, and what fiscal risks still faced the economy and the country’s public finances.

South Africa’s heightened global risk status due to greylisting unfortunately dents an investment profile already grappling with factors such as the negative impact of aggressive load-shedding, lack of energy security, ongoing junk status and other uncertainties.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, in commenting on the decision by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to greylist South Africa, says although it has been widely expected for some months, it is bad news that South Africa’s present vulnerable economy can do without.

The North-West University (NWU) kicked off the student entrepreneurship season with bootcamps on the Vanderbijlpark and Potchefstroom campuses on 15 and 16 February.

Volunteers from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, NWU Business School, Technology Transfer and Innovation Support Office (TTIS), and bhive Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) presented the bootcamps, which were sponsored by the TTIS.

These bootcamps comprise a two-day programme on how to develop an idea or solution into a social or commercial business and pitch it to investors.

North-West University (NWU) academic Prof Sithandiwe Mazibuko-Mbeje was able to indulge in a number of her passions last year when she was awarded a University Capacity Development Grant to visit Università Politecnica delle Marche in Italy.

Since October 2022, Prof Mazibuko-Mbeje has been working under Prof Luca Tiano, who specialises in oxidative stress, inflammation, metabolic disease and skin aging. This is a perfect opportunity for Prof Mazibuko-Mbeje, who is researching on mycotoxins and oxidative stress in various cell lines.