EXPERT ASSISTANCE FOR BAFANA BAFANA FROM UKZN’S DISCIPLINE OF SPORTS SCIENCE

UKZN's Sports Science students perform fitness testing on soccer team, Golden Arrows.

Postgraduate students at UKZN’s Discipline of Sports Science under the supervision of Professor Andrew McKune, an Exercise Physiologist and Dr Terry Ellapen, the Head of the Biokinetics Laboratory, will offer their expertise to South Africa’s national soccer team, Bafana Bafana during the forthcoming Fifa 2010 World Cup in June.

An Exercise Testing Team, comprising Honours and Masters students within the discipline together with the two academics are expected to carry out performance exercise testing on Bafana Bafana while they attend training camps in Durban in the run up to the sporting event. Players will be tested for strength, endurance and recovery capacity, flexibility, speed, power, balance and core strength to determine their strengths and weaknesses and establish if they have accomplished the fitness goals drawn up by their Strength and Conditioning Specialist (SCS). Services rendered by the Discipline will serve as a guide to the SCS who in turn will modify each player’s training regimen to ensure that they maintain high fitness levels throughout the soccer spectacle.

MASTERS IN SPORTS MEDICINE A FIRST FOR UKZN

From left: Mr Navin Singh, Dr Rafiek Rodriques,
Dr Rentia Denissen, Dr Anton de Waard, Professor
Edith Peters, Professor Andrew Mckune
and Ms Jennifer O' Neil.

Sports Medicine education at UKZN took a new direction this year with the inception of a Masters in Sports Medicine degree focusing on the medical applications of exercise physiology.

The initative of Professor Edith Peters-Futre, the Programme Co-ordinator at the Discipline of Human Physiology, the new academic programme has attracted the attention of some of South Africa’s leading academics and practitioners of sports and exercise medicine. Work towards designing the new degree was achieved through the collaborative efforts of Professor Peters-Futre; Professor Andrew McKune, Associate Professor in Sports Science; Mr Mark Tufts, the Academic Programme Co-ordinator of Human Physiology and Professor Willam Daniels, the Head of the School of Medical Sciences.

While the previous three-year Masters Programme had a wider focus on exercise physiology and orthopaedic aspects, the new programme provides more specialised training in the medical application of exercise physiology. The two year academic programme combines course work (50 percent) and research (50 percent) aimed at applying the recent “Exercise is Medicine” theme of the American College of Sports Medicine.

CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR RECOGNISED FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP

Professor Fanie van Heerden.

Deputy Head of the School of Chemistry on UKZN’s Pietermaritzburg campus, Professor Fanie van Heerden, was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa.

The premier multidisciplinary scientific organisation in the country, the Royal Society was founded in 1908 to advance and foster all branches of science. “Ever since its inception the Society has maintained its intellectual integrity, independence and interdisciplinary perspective. Without discrimination, it has fostered a national culture of science excellence through funding, education and public outreach. It has rewarded eminent scientists with Fellowships and medals and facilitated a spirit of camaraderie among academics who are generous with their knowledge.”

On an annual basis a limited number of Fellowships are bestowed on individuals “who have done outstanding work in the furtherance of science as evidenced by original publications.” These individuals are usually nationally-recognised scientists who hold senior positions in universities, research institutions and industry.

COURSE ON SAS STATISTICAL PACKAGE PREPARES ACCI STUDENTS FOR RESEARCH

From left: Dr Henry Mwambi; Dr Pangirayi
Tongoona; Professor George Milliken;
and Dr John Derera.

Optimising the use of the SAS statistics programme concluded the Advanced Biometry Workshop for second-year African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI) students. Emeritus Professor of Statistics from Kansas State University (KSU), George Milliken, presented a five-day course on SAS related to advanced mixed linear models and messy data analysis.

Professor Milliken's invitation to UKZN was facilitated jointly by Dr Henry Mwambi from the School of Statistics and Actuarial Science and Dr John Derera from the ACCI. It forms part of the strategy to enhance capacity in biometry in UKZN and in the sub-Saharan region.

Recognised globally for his statistics prowess, Professor Milliken has published numerous articles and books, many of which are widely referenced by the statistical research community. Although he officially retired from KSU in 2007, Professor Milliken continues to run his consultancy, Milliken Associates, Inc.

DEVELOPING EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT EDUCATORS

Dr Hasina Ebrahim.

The Faculty of Education at UKZN has played a pivotal role in increasing teacher numbers in the field of Early Childhood Development (ECD) - an area in dire need of new expertise - by admitting 200 students, 80 of whom are teachers, from both Limpopo Province and Mpumalanga.

One hundred matriculants from Mpumalanga were accepted to study for the Bachelor of Education degree, specialising in Early Childhood Foundation Phase Studies (ECFPS) for the 2010 academic year while UKZN has been home to Limopopo’s 80 teachers and 20 matriculants since 2009.

According to Dr Hasina Ebrahim, the Discipline Leader for the Early Childhood Foundation Phase Studies at the Faculty of Education, most teachers in ECD in South Africa are “an ageing population” who needed to develop both content and pedagogic knowledge particularly in literacy, numeracy and Grade R. ECD teachers are those trained to teach learners up to nine years old.

FORD FOUNDATION SCHOLAR WILL EXAMINE HEALTH OF THE INFORMAL WORKER IN AFRICA

Miss Laura Alfers (second from left) carrying out
research among informal workers in Ghana.

The prestigious Ford Foundation Scholarship awarded to Ms Laura Alfers, a UKZN student at the School of Development Studies will facilitate a three year study tracing the evolution of institutions governing the health of the informal worker in Africa and their lack of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) benefits.

Ms Alfer’s PhD research on The Political Economy of Occupational Health and Safety Institutions in Africa: An Historical Perspective will focus on how political, social and economic factors have shaped OHS systems at institutions around the continent. According to Ms Alfers, if informal workers are ever to enjoy the protection of the OHS legislation, organisations that govern OHS needed to be reformed.

LECTURE FOCUSES ON STRENGTHENING HEALTH SYSTEMS RESEARCH

From left: Dr Simon Lewin, Senior Researcher
at the South African Medical Research Council
and Dr Fatima Suleman, Head of the School
of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.

Academics and students at the Faculty of Health Sciences at UKZN were presented with an insightful lecture on alternatives available in strengthening health systems in Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) by Dr Simon Lewin, a Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services and the Medical Research Council of South Africa’s Health Systems Research Unit, on February 17.

An initiative of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology his presentation titled: Building an Evidence base for Health Systems Strengthening in LMICs detailed the importance of health systems strengthening, tools and resources needed to build health systems, the challenges facing this system and the range of strategies that could be utilised to assist policy makers interpret health systems research when creating health policies.

FOOD SECURITY COLLEAGUES MAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO AFRICA FORUM

Participants at the Forum on a field trip.

Dr Muthulisi Siwela, Lecturer in Dietetics and Human Nutrition and African Centre for Food Security Associate, PhD (Food Security) candidate Mr Mjabu Ngidi and Mr David Rogers played a key role in the 2009 Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP)’s Africa Forum that took place in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2009. The Forum is an annual event to share agricultural development best practices and support CAADP country-based agriculture development. The theme of the 2009 Forum was: The Bottom of the Pyramid - Agricultural Development for the Vulnerable.

Mr Ngidi presented the plenary theme address on bringing the very poor and vulnerable into the African growth agenda, arguing that agricultural growth does not necessarily benefit those at the “bottom of the pyramid” without concerted efforts to ensure broad-based, comprehensive development. Dr Siwela and Mr Ngidi shared a second plenary address on linking the poor into the growth agenda, representing the African Union/NEPAD CAADP Pillar III (Food Security).

UKZN HOSTS COLLOQUIUM ON OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY CREATIVE ABILITY MODEL

From left: Ms Lana van Niekerk, Mrs Dain van der
Reyden, Ms Carole Pretorius, Professor Robin
Joubert and Ms Judy Lingah.

Occupational Therapists (OTs) from institutions around South Africa and abroad converged at UKZN’s Westville campus on February 19-20 to re-ignite debate around a proudly South African Occupational Therapy Practice Model known as Creative Ability (CA).

Organised by the Discipline of Occupational Therapy the purpose behind the Creative Ability Colloquium was twofold: to pay tribute to Mrs Dain van der Reyden, one of the architects of the CA model who had dedicated 45 years to the profession, and to map out a plan of action to further develop the model created by Mrs Vona du Toit 43 years ago. According to Mrs van der Reyden the CA model is of a developmental nature and focuses on defining motivation as a measure that inspires and guides a person’s actions among people. It provides OTs with a comprehensive set of guidelines to test the strength of motivation that elicits action, and to plan and provide intervention at the appropriate level of the individual’s performance.

RESEARCH REVEALS NATURE’S UNIQUE STRATEGIES FOR REPOPULATING FIRE-RAVAGED ENVIRONMENTS

Professor Johannes van Staden in
UKZN's Research Centre for Plant
Growth and Development.

Ground-breaking research led by Professor Johannes van Staden and UKZN’s Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development may have important ecological implications, resulting in an understanding of the events involved in breaking seed dormancy and promoting seed germination.

In partnership with researchers from the University of Stellenbosch, the University of Copenhagen and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the UKZN scientists have identified a highly active plant growth promoter and inhibitor in smoke.

Previous research by the UKZN scientists revealed that smoke plays an intriguing role in promoting the germination of seeds following a fire. The scientists discovered a chemical compound in smoke from burning vegetation that improves germination and seedling vigour, thereby contributing to the rapid re-growth of fire-ravaged environments that occurs after fires.

HORTICULTURE STUDENTS SHINE AT ANNUAL CONGRESS

From left: Professor John Bower; Mr Xolani Siboza;
Mr Samson Tesfay; and Dr Isa Bertling.

Postgraduate UKZN Horticulture students, Mr Samson Tesfay and Mr Xolani Siboza, were amongst the prize-winners at the recent Combined Congress of the Southern African Horticultural Science, Crop Science and Soil Science Societies held in Bloemfontein.

Mr Tesfay, a PhD student, excelled by claiming two awards: the Best Horticultural Science PhD Presentation and the Best Horticultural Science Student of the Southern African Horticultural Science Society. His prizes included a book and R10 000 towards the cost of attending an international conference. Mr Tesfay plans to travel to Lisbon in August to participate in the 28th International Horticultural Science Congress.

PHD RESEARCH LEADS TO PHYSICAL AND NUTRITIONAL HEALTH PROGRAMME AT SCHOOLS

Ms Rowena Naidoo.

When Ms Rowena Naidoo began studying for her PhD in Sports Science three years ago she wanted to produce research that would have a positive outcome for society. And she will soon realise her goal when the KwaZulu-Natal Departments of Health and Education roll out the Nutrition and Physical Activity Programme (NAP) at schools around the province in March. The Programme is based on her research aimed at steering learners and teachers away from a sedentary lifestyle.

Ms Naidoo, a Lecturer in Sports Science and Life Orientation at the Faculties of Education and Health Science and the only graduate expected to be conferred with a PhD in Sports Science this April, began her intervention study for her research dissertation titled: Monitoring the Change of the Health Behaviour of Learners in Selected Health Promoting Schools in KwaZulu-Natal in 2008, to improve the nutritional habits of learners and increase their physical activity during lessons.

GSB WORKSHOP FOR ADDINGTON HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT

Addington Hospital staff with GSB staff, from left: Mr
Francis Zuma; Mr Martin Challenor (GSB); Mrs Poppie
Mfeka; Mrs Asotha Chinniah; Ms Maureen Mabaso; Ms
Krishnee Naidoo and Professor Anesh Singh (GSB).

The senior management of Addington Hospital attended a workshop at the Graduate School of Business (GSB) recently. The workshop explored issues of Personal Branding; Good Governance; and New Thoughts on Old Management Problems.

Mrs Poppie Mfeka, Head of Radiography at Addington Hospital said, “In the public sector staff often perceive their work as merely a job. This workshop reminded me of the importance of valuing myself and the role of motivation in the work place. I am looking forward to sharing the new ideas that I have learned with my staff.”

The relationship between the GSB and Addington Hospital began when Mrs Asotha Chinniah, Nursing Manager at Addington Hospital, attended a course taught by a GSB academic. The GSB was then invited to Addington Hospital to present on Corporate Governance, which then led to the development of the management workshop.