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?

The commitment of the North-West University (NWU) to helping ensure that all the citizens of the continent have access to safe water was again evident when the 24th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium was held in Zanzibar, in the United Republic of Tanzania, on 25 October. The NWU is home to the SADC WaterNet Secretariat.

The symposium was held under the theme of Accelerating Change: Fostering Innovation and Integration for Sustainable Water Resources Management in Eastern and Southern Africa.

The North-West University (NWU), in collaboration with AOSIS – an open access publishing platform – recently released two volumes in the Reformed Theology in Africa series.

The books titled Biblical Theology of Prayer in the Old Testament and Biblical Theology of Prayer in the New Testament, have diligently been crafted by co-editors Prof Albert Coetsee and Prof Francois Viljoen from the NWU’s Faculty of Theology.