The College is committed to the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s vision of being the premier university of African Scholarship. It strives to play a transformational role in the development of South Africa and the continent while providing a meaningful contribution to global knowledge production
This newsletter details activities, events and news from the college from the first semester of 2021.
The College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science still has places available in its first-year programmes for funded or self-funded students.
Researchers in the Umngeni Resilience Project (URP) are working with small-scale farmers in Swayimane and Nhlazuka, north of Pietermaritzburg, as well as retail outlets for agricultural produce to highlight some of the challenges and opportunities for marketing underutilised crops in KwaZulu-Natal. The URP is a partnership between the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), the South African National Biodiversity
Ms Naadira Ballim, a graduate of the School of Engineering and civil engineer at JG Afrika is the recipient of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Graduate Engineer of the Year Award for 2020.
UKZN is proud to have been part of Take a Girl Child to Work, an initiative facilitated by the Office of the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) on 15 June. Ten Grade 9-10 learners were invited to the Office of the Premier in Pietermaritzburg, where they received information on career choices and application processes from UKZN
‘Innovative scientists are key in building resilient communities,’ says Ms Tracy Vongai Mapfumo (29), a passion-driven entrepreneur, food innovator, crop scientist and the founder of Eny’s Treats Pty Ltd. Mapfumo graduated with a BSc honours degree in Agriculture (Plant Science) from UKZN in 2015. When she was unable to renew her study permit to pursue
With R1 200 in her pocket and loads of determination, PhD student in UKZN’s School of Chemistry and Physics, Ms Nomandla Ngcoya dreamt of opening her own detergent and cosmetics manufacturing plant. Now she has officially cut the ribbon to her facility, which has the capacity to produce 10 000 litres of products a day.
Master’s candidates in the School of Chemistry and Physics (SCP) Ms Tanita Permaul, Ms Amy Rouillard and Mr Brandon Willnecker took part in the 2021 PLANCKS online hackathon, which saw them compete against teams from 50 countries to answer challenging physics problems.
Dr Céline Hanzen, a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Life Sciences’ Centre for Functional Biodiversity (CFB) presented a talk at the international Fish Passage Conference on research on telemetry for management and conservation, waterway connectivity and fish passage. Hanzen was invited to discuss the development of fish behavioural research in South Africa for management and conservation at the online