The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently hosted a meeting with the executive mayor of the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM), Cllr Sipho Radebe, to strengthen their partnership and to further explore possible opportunities that would positively impact the surrounding communities.

Winning an award once is admirable. Winning it twice is even better. Winning it again and again is a feat.

Students and graduates of the North-West University’s (NWU) Graphic Design subject group shine in national and international awards competitions year after year. Showing incredible consistency, they have been bagging awards through their distinctive creativity and skills.

This year, true to their tradition, NWU designers again excelled at the international Loerie Awards and the Student Gold Pack Awards.

On Friday, 3 November, the three campuses of the North-West University (NWU) each hosted their annual memorial service in honour of all the staff and students who had sadly passed away during the past year.

Thirty-two students and eight personnel had passed away – a figure the NWU could never have anticipated.

“These individuals are not just a number or a statistic; they are people who touched our lives and we are thankful that in their lives our paths crossed,” said Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for Planning and Campus Operations (Vanderbijlpark Campus).

Elvis Moyo, a PhD candidate in the Centre for Applied Radiation and Technology (CARST) at the North-West University (NWU), represented the institution and South Africa at the Morganti Ju-Jitsu World Championships from 14 to 15 October in Recife, Brazil.

Elvis's dedication and determination bore fruit as he secured a bronze medal in the stand-up fighting category. In addition, he came close to clinching another medal in the grappling category, finishing in fourth place.

Prof Marianne van Woerkom examined the importance of identifying and utilising the strengths and talents of employees in the workplace during a recent public lecture hosted by the Optentia research unit on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus.

Prof Van Woerkom, a professor of positive psychology and human resource studies at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, explained that harnessing employees’ strengths not only can help them to cope with work pressure, but it can also add value in their personal and professional development.

University curricula must incite difficult conversations to meet today's challenges, and in recent years there has been a growing movement towards decolonising the education curriculum in South Africa. The question of “what knowledge is of most worth”, or “whose knowledge is of most worth” has been at the heart of this debate.

They thrive on adrenaline, excitement and energy, but it is particularly sleep or the lack of it that can impact the performance of athletes. A researcher from the North-West University (NWU) says her research has shown that ensuring good sleeping habits, or sleep hygiene as it is known, not only improves athletic performance and endurance capabilities, but also athletes’ overall well-being.

By Mbali Skosana

A second chance to achieve better matric results may just be the key to a thriving career in engineering. Through the innovative Xcel programme, the North-West University (NWU) is giving talented matrics whose final results stand in the way of their dream to become engineers the opportunity to pursue their passion.

As the debate on the effect of fossil fuels on climate change rages on, questions regarding the use of fossils fuels as a major part of the country’s energy-producing package are hotly disputed. Now, Prof Marco le Roux of the Faculty of Engineering at the North-West University (NWU) asks: Is it still ethical to conduct coal research in South Africa?