The Centre for Business Mathematics and Informatics® (BMI) at the North-West University (NWU) and Absa recently celebrated their successful collaboration of more than 21 years.

Higher education institutions in South Africa have been confronted with various changes in recent years, urging them to keep up with the times, adapt and grow.

“A graduation ceremony is essentially a symbolic recognition of a new generation of leaders, opinion-makers, experts, artists, scientists and entrepreneurs. In short: a day when the doers of tomorrow step to the fore to be counted as proud stewards of sustainability, innovation and progress.”

In a country that is struggling with water supply, the North-West University (NWU) has found a cowpea plant that does not require a lot of water compared to other field crops.

Following the successful conclusion of Kgotla Katlego Masibi’s first research report into “Electrochemical properties of carbon nanotubes/PANI/metal oxide nanoparticle nanocomposites towards electrocatalysis of some organochlorine pesticides”, Kgotla is hard at work on a second paper after graduating with his MSc degree last year.

One would not usually associate high numbers of parasites with a healthy ecosystem, yet this is exactly what was shown by a study on frog ‘haemoparasites’ in KwaZulu-Natal.

Crammed into tiny rooms in same-sex hostels, away from their partners or families and without proper access to water, electricity or sanitation, South African miners used to live in appalling conditions. Today, the situation of miners at Impala Platinum in Rustenburg has improved markedly, although there are still challenges, as a North-West University (NWU) research study shows.

Water is vital for living organisms but the quality of water is changing due to population growth and environmental changes. Could a miracle plant be the answer?

Meet Faith Sibiya and Carl Thomson. They are two typical varsity students. Faith is an eccentric foot-dragger and always finds an excuse to do that really important assignment… tomorrow. Carl, on the other hand, is an inattentive fusspot. In less than six months’ time, both of them have to set foot in the world of work.

Are you dreaming of a career in science and technology? If so, GeeXpo 2018 is just for you! Diarise Saturday, 13 October and make sure you take part in the North-West University’s (NWU’s) largest annual science and information technology expo.