Parasites. Just uttering the word may send shivers down the spine, conjuring up images of rapidly proliferating organisms devouring or destroying other species. A celebrated researcher from the North-West University (NWU) hopes to change those perceptions.

Credited with playing a crucial role in global conservation efforts to protect parasites, Prof Nico Smit is from the NWU’s Water Research Group in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. He aims to ensure that some of the parasites found on endangered species do not end up like their hosts – facing extinction.

Prof Elias Munapo from the North-West University (NWU) is a National Research Foundation- (NRF-) rated researcher – not a simple achievement for academics with major teaching and supervisory obligations.

His research interests are the use of mathematics and statistics in business. In 2022 he obtained his first C3 rating as a researcher. He joined the NWU in 2016 and feels that the path to an NRF rating is a contentious subject that is determined by an academic's preferences.

Bush encroachment is a global challenge, but through the multi-million rand RIBS project, this major contributor to land degradation is being tackled with renewed vigour.

RIBS is an acronym for “Rangeland Improvement through Bush Control and Sustainable Intensification to mitigate Climate Change and improve Livelihoods and Food Security in Southern Africa”.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany, through the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL 2.0) programme.

Elvis Moyo, North-West University (NWU) final-year PhD candidate in applied radiation sciences, has been selected as part of the Ju-Jitsu national team that is set to participate in the World Morganti Ju-Jitsu championship. The championship will take place in Brazil on 23 October 2023.

Elvis earned his place in the national team after competing in the South African national championships earlier this year. He competed in the higher division, which was open only to black and brown belts. Despite facing stiff competition, Elvis emerged victorious and won a gold medal.

By Menziwa Msibi

The subject group Chemistry at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus hosted the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Sasol Foundation during a visit on 2 June 2023.

The purpose of this visit was to reinforce the visiting parties’ commitment to support and enhance research capabilities by providing scholarships for honours, master’s, and PhD students.

The recent autumn graduations at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus brought a momentous achievement for one employee in particular – Dr Bonelwa Sidumo.

Dr Sidumo, a statistics lecturer and emerging researcher, received her PhD in operational research.

The 33-year-old was born and bred in Centane, a rural town in the Eastern Cape, to a self-employed taxi driver and housewife. However, even when faced with limited resources and opportunities, her drive and determination helped her overcome obstacles and to achieve her dreams.

Prof Rojanette Coetzee, an academic at the North-West University’s (NWU's) Faculty of Engineering, recently established a research forum that will use industrial engineering methods to help farmers.

Assisted by research assistants Herme Nel and Jorinda Marais, the Industrial Engineering in Agriculture (IE@Agri) Forum aims to apply industrial engineering techniques to address the everyday challenges faced by farmers, organisations, and the agricultural value chain.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (SMSTE) will soon host a series of mathematics workshops for students and teachers on Vedic Mathematics, an ancient Indian technique that has been used for centuries to solve complex mathematical problems quickly and efficiently.

The series will kick off on 10 June with an online event, hosted by the Institute for the Advancement of Vedic Mathematics (IAVM).

For centuries small-scale livestock farmers have been relying on plants to ensure the health of their animals, knowledge which could benefit veterinary science.

The North-West University (NWU) Water Research Group (WRG) and the University of Limpopo (UL) recently hosted a Snail Day community workshop, sponsored by the Water Research Commission (WRC).

According to Dr Lizaan de Necker, principal investigator from the NWU, this formed part of their project that focuses on the distribution of schistosomiasis in South Africa, how it may have changed over the past 40 years, and to model how the distribution may change in the future because of climate change.