The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Optentia research focus area recently hosted a webinar by Prof Ian Goldin, a world-renowned researcher.

Just as offices, shops, classrooms and lecture halls are embracing digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, so must the manufacturing industry. Known as Industry 4.0 or I4.0, the transformation is essential for the sustainability of local manufacturing. This prompted a PhD Engineering student at the North-West University (NWU) to help the South African industry develop the skills and competencies needed for a digital future.

Ever since the World Trade Organisation Chairs Programme (WCP) was launched at the North-West University (NWU) some years ago within the TRADE research focus area, Africa has remained a key focus area for the WCP’s research and outreach activities.

The fungus that spoils bread does not work alone. It has guests hidden deep within its cells – bacteria – with whom it has a mutually beneficial relationship that can be positive or negative for humans. Understanding and modifying this relationship can have a profound impact on the food, medical and agricultural industries.

This is the focus of a four-year international collaboration between the North-West University (NWU) and two universities in the United States.

It was 1975 and the concept of the “blockbuster film” was in its infancy. A young director named Steven Spielberg adapted Peter Benchley’s harrowing novel Jaws into the first bona fide summer spectacular that changed the face of modern cinema forever. What was once revered was now hated and feared.

While most people are aware of the health risks associated with children being overweight or obese, they do not know about the academic consequences that come with these conditions.

Deidré van Staden, a North-West University (NWU) master’s degree graduate, conducted a study in which she explored how child obesity, overweight, stunting and wasting affect academic performance in mathematics, language, reading and writing.

Prof Christo van der Westhuizen from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Self-Directed Learning (SDL) research unit has been awarded the Education Association of South Africa (EASA) Research Medal for 2020. 

Horrific scenes of migrants who have perished on the high seas while in search of a better life is a too-familiar sight on television screens, online and in newspaper pages. Extreme hunger, repressive governments and ethnic and religious conflicts are cited as among the contributory factors for the crises.

A North-West University (NWU) academic with research interests in the fields of migration and clinical psychology, Prof Erhabor Idemudia, has traversed six European countries to highlight the plight of this vulnerable group and to seek solutions.

When children are physically active, their brains and bodies benefit. This has again been demonstrated by an eight-country Brain Breaks ® study in which the North-West University (NWU) participated.

From the NWU’s side, Prof Dané Coetzee at the School of Human Movement Sciences led the charge.

Teaching is often seen as a calling rather than a career. But that calling quickly turns into a nightmare when teachers are attacked by the very people they are trying to educate.

Over the past few years, there have been numerous reports in the media of learners physically assaulting, stabbing and even shooting their teachers.

Dr Michael Nhambura, a North-West University (NWU) alumnus, conducted his PhD study on learner violence at schools.