Through shared access to advanced cyber infrastructure, South African universities and research and innovation agencies would be in a position to contribute exponentially to the country’s scientific, economic and industrial development. This is the aim of the National Integrated Cyber Infrastructure System (NICIS), which is spearheading efforts in South Africa to develop world-class cyber infrastructure that is locally and globally connected.

Three students from the North-West University’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences received awards for their outstanding presentations and posters during this year’s symposium of the WaterNet/Water Research Fund for Southern Africa (WARFSA)/Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP-SA).

Recent graduate Dr Luvhimba Tlhoaele and PhD students Keaobaka Precious Mahoko and Lawrence Sawunyama were honoured with awards during the event that took place in Maseru, Lesotho from 30 October to 1 November.

In a much-needed boost for food safety monitoring in South Africa, sophisticated sensors are being developed at the North-West University (NWU) to detect vitamins, harmful chemicals and contaminants at microscopic levels.

Prof Omolola Esther Fayemi of the subject group Chemistry is leading a research group working on innovative ways to detect important substances in food, water and the environment, using advanced sensors.

The Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) team from the North-West University (NWU) participated in the prestigious Cape Town Tech Transfer Week from 23 to 25 October 2024. The event was held at the Graduate School of Business Conference Centre at the University of Cape Town.

Since the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), accounting students have been worried about their future in the profession. Kurt Naicker CA(SA), a senior lecturer at the School of Accounting Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), recently shared his insights on how to keep students motivated and inspired in the age of AI in the ASA Magazine.

On Tuesday 5 November, Americans will cast their votes to elect the 47th president of the United States of America. The latest polls show that the current vice president and Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, has a slight, one point lead, with Republican and former president, Donald Trump, a very close second. This is a neck and neck race with no certain outcome, and the world waits to see who will lead the last global superpower from 2025 to 2029.

Mental health in the healthcare system is beginning to receive the attention it deserves. Prof Leepile Sehularo, a professor of psychiatry and mental health nursing at the North-West University (NWU), has been nominated for the Nurse Researcher Award at the South African Nursing Council (SANC) Nursing Excellence Awards.

The SANC is an independent regulatory body that oversees standards in nursing education and practice throughout South Africa. It was established by the Nursing Act of 1944 and now operates under the Nursing Act of 2005.

In an outstanding achievement, two students from the North-West University (NWU) claimed victory for the second consecutive year in a national telecommunications industry competition.

Karabo Makau, a third-year BCom information systems student, and Ferdi Steyn, a BSc honours student in computer science, won first place in the 2024 Industry Solutions Challenge of the South African Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC).

Given the fine budgetary line that still had to be walked by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, the first Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) of the Government of National Unity (GNU) comes across as a pragmatic, realistic and credible strategy to tackle South Africa’s challenges of low economic growth and high public debt again.

Seeking to reinvigorate partnerships with universities and explore collaborative opportunities with students, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) visited the Mahikeng Campus of the North-West University (NWU) on 30 October 2024.

“This is not a one-time event; we plan to hold similar outreach programmes more frequently in the future,” said Mr Rowan Walter, the Divisional Head of SARB’s Modelling Development within its Economic Research Department.