A Fulbright scholar from the United States is joining the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management for 10 months to do research in a field where many stones are still unturned.

There are gaps in knowledge that scientists have about plant and insect species living on serpentinite rocks and filling in some of these could prove useful in understanding the effects of climate change and consequently contribute to conservation.

“My passion for rural development started when I realised that there are families who go to bed without food. I became more interested through my research on key strategies and interventions that can assist the country on how rural development can be best implemented to ensure that food is secure and rural areas are developed,” says Dr Maria Mphahlele, North-West University (NWU) PhD graduate.

Africa is and will be the continent with the youngest population globally for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, many more people in Africa are living increasingly longer.
 
This finding is based on demographic trends on the continent and raises a host of complex issues for policymakers, according to Prof Jaco Hoffman, a professor of Socio-Gerontology in the Optentia research unit at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus.

The latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking has placed the North-West University (NWU) among the top eight South African universities in the QS World University Rankings, which were released on 8 June.

Globally, the NWU has been placed in the 1 001 to 1 200 ranking category for the 2022/2023 QS World University Rankings – the same as last year. The NWU’s performance has been consistent in this ranking category for the past four years.

Better technology tools are on the way for South Africa’s four Nguni languages. Research being done at the Centre for Text Technology (CTexT®) at the North-West University (NWU) is helping to fill in the missing links about how these languages are being used, which will in turn lead to the development of language tools based on the latest technologies, notably artificial intelligence (AI).

Just as vastness induces awe, so there is wonder to be found in the miniscule. For Dr Roksana Majewska from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), this is an absolute truth.

The North-West University (NWU), in partnership with Van Schaik Publishers, recently launched the book Community engagement research in South Africa - Methods, Theories, Histories and Practice. This book is a collaborative effort by three editors, well versed in community engaged research.

The three scholars, representing various disciplines, are Prof Elize van Eeden from the NWU, Prof Irma Eloff and Prof Hanlie Dippenaar.

At the tender age of 25, Phemelo Theophilus Magau has completed a daunting challenge: he finished his Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree in just two years.

He was awarded his LLD in mercantile law during an autumn graduation ceremony at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus on 25 May 2022.

Phemelo’s PhD thesis was “A comparative legal analysis of the promotion of financial education for low-income earners in South Africa”.

It has been a year in which highlight has succeeded highlight, in which one honour bestowed succeeded another. Christa Ramasimong is experiencing a time that will not only shape her future, but her very being. The character of the young woman is being moulded in a furnace fired by her resolve to succeed.  

Prof Doris Bohman, a registered nurse, nurse tutor and associate professor at the Department of Health, Blekinge Institute of Technology, in Sweden, was recently appointed as an extraordinary professor at the North-West University's (NWU’s) Optentia research unit. 

Dr Bohman holds a PhD in medical science and has extensive experience working with ethnographic methods focusing on gerontological care.