The faculties at the North-West University (NWU) are doing exciting work on the research front.

Prof Philimon Modisha is an associate professor in the Faculty of Engineering and his research is centred on liquid organic hydrogen storage. His research is mostly at the Department of Science and Innovation Hydrogen South Africa Infrastructure Centre of Competence, co-hosted by the NWU and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

A researcher in the School of Communication at the North-West University (NWU), Dr Quatro Mgogo, has embarked on a study to explore how Facebook emojis are being employed to shape the meanings of izaci namaqhalo esiXhosa (isiXhosa proverbs and idioms).

The study also delves into how isiXhosa-speaking Facebook users are harnessing emojis to breathe fresh life into isiXhosa expressions. This study, rooted in interpretivist research philosophy, seeks to decode the cultural values of the Xhosa community through their use of emojis in digital communication.

Maricélle Botes’s long journey with the North-West University (NWU) has paid off. This final-year PhD student at the research unit for Law, Justice and Sustainability has been honoured with the Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Law category by the National Research Foundation (NRF).

This is in recognition of her outstanding academic performance and demonstrated potential for contributing significantly to innovation.

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.

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.

-NWU and IAEA collaborate to train students in nuclear forensic science

-The partnership will develop a Nuclear Crime Scene Management Laboratory

-The IAEA has recommended that each of its member states establish a national nuclear forensic library

In a significant step toward enhancing nuclear forensic science capabilities, the North-West University (NWU) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have entered into a ground-breaking partnership.

“The dislocation of our languages is perpetuated by not having pride to speak one’s own mother tongue. We can only say a language is developed when it has doctors, professors, writers and artists who write down their work, poems and songs in isiNdebele. I am grateful for the support and efforts to develop our language to be an equal to others.”

Cooperation is key if Africa is to reach her potential. On 19 October, at the OR Tambo Premier Hotel in Johannesburg, the Research Output, Outcomes and Impact Community of Practice (Cop-ROOI) was launched by the North-West University (NWU) in conjunction with the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) to help achieve this goal.