Huawei held a road show – hosted by the Discipline of Computer Science – on the Westville campus to showcase its ICT skills competition. Huawei provided information on the competition, helped students register for it and gave away prizes. The competition is a global contest aimed at fostering a closer working relationship with academic institutions
The College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, with the assistance of Mr Vassan Bensingh of the Department of Education, organised the donation of 54 microscopes from the Discipline of Geology to three under-resourced high schools near Durban. When the University of Natal’s Pietermaritzburg and Howard College Geology Departments merged in 1996 (joining the Geology Department at the new
Ms Maureen Nkhathutsheleni Tshikunde graduated with a Master of Science in Agriculture in Crop Science after evaluating elite heat and drought tolerant wheat genotypes based on drought tolerance and water-use efficiency parameters. Tshikunde, who completed her undergraduate and honours degrees at the University of Venda, chose to study at UKZN because of its sterling reputation
Dr Mthokozisi Kwazi Zuma received a PhD in Crop Science for his research on farmer perceptions and the agronomic potential of Provitamin A-biofortified maize (PVABM) for smallholder farming systems in KwaZulu-Natal. Zuma explored the potential of PVABM for smallholder farming systems, looking specifically at smallholder farmers’ perceptions of maize production and the factors that might
Mr Zawadi Angomwile Mwaikonyole, a crop production officer in Tanzania’s Mafia District Council, graduated with his Master’s degree in Plant Breeding through the Improved Masters in Cultivar Development for Africa (IMCDA) programme at UKZN. His research focused on the genetic diversity of maize inbred lines and evaluated early maturing hybrids under low and optimum nitrogen. Using molecular
Mr Sibusiso Lucky Zulu earned his Master’s in Crop Science for calculating the best age at which to harvest sugarcane, an important management factor that determines the economic returns for cane growers. While sugarcane production is widespread in South Africa, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, there is still uncertainty about and limited information available on the optimal
Ms Jelila Blalogoe has graduated with her Master’s in Plant Breeding cum laude through a MoBreed project funded by the EU Intra Africa Academic Mobility Scheme programme. Her research explored the factors that influence the germination and dormancy of seeds of the “spider plant”, an underutilised, traditional leafy vegetable. The “spider plant”, or Gynandropsis gynandra L. Briq, is indigenous to many parts of
Mr Chimwemwe Josia, a Technology Transfer Specialist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Malawi, graduated with his Masters in Plant Breeding through the Improved Masters in Cultivar Development for Africa (IMCDA) programme at UKZN. Josia evaluated maize hybrids for low-nitrogen tolerance, yield stability and genetic purity. He tested the yield performance and stability of
Senior scientist at the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), Dr Bronwyn Goble graduated with her PhD in Environmental Science for her study on alternative approaches to knowledge sharing and information storage for integrated coastal management (ICM) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Goble has spent the past 10 years working closely with the coastal management authorities through her work at ORI,
Research conducted by Dr Justin du Toit for his PhD in Grassland Science shows that as the climate changes, grassiness in the semi-arid Karoo is on the rise. His study investigated factors influencing the botanical composition of the eastern Karoo, including rainfall, grazing by livestock, and the impact of minimum temperatures on shifts in vegetation,