A UKZN alumnus was recently named a Fellow of the Royal Society, a prestigious award given annually to 44 British scientists, eight Foreign Members and up to one Honorary Fellow, elected from a group of over 700 candidates proposed by the existing Fellowship.

Professor Michele Karen Dougherty - a Professor of Space Physics at the Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College in London - was given the award for her work in scientific leadership on the international NASA-ESA-ASI Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and its moons.

Dougherty, said: ‘I'm delighted and privileged to have been elected to the Royal Society. It is wonderful and very exciting to have one's work honoured in such a way. 

Sixteen students have qualified as the first group of Occupational Therapy Technicians (OTTs) in KwaZulu-Natal after completing an 18-month programme which was the result of a partnership between UKZN and the provincial Department of Health (DoH).

The group, who qualified as OTTs when they passed the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) board exam in April 2011, were congratulated by the University, DoH, friends and family during an oath-taking ceremony on the Westville campus.

HPCSA is the regulating body for health professions in the country.

The latest in interventions for children’s speech sound disorders were explained at a course at UKZN run by Australian Speech-Language pathologist Dr Caroline Bowen who is  renowned within the profession and beyond for her website http://speech-language-therapy.com

The course was attended by staff, students and speech-language pathologists.

An enthusiastic ambassador and gifted teacher, Bowen is fascinated by child speech, family centred practice, clinical applications of information and communication technology, and continuing professional education.

In 1962 seven men and a woman graduated from the Pietermaritzburg campus of the then University of Natal with Bachelor of Agriculture degrees, majoring in animal husbandry.  Fifty years later, the same group reconvened to mark this historic milestone and share fond memories of their old stomping ground.  For as Class member Dr Jeremy (Jebs) Grant said: ‘Those were the times of our lives!’

Of the eight 1962 graduates, seven made the reunion, coming from as far afield as Tasmania and Zimbabwe for the special occasion. 

Second year media and psychology student Ms Divashni Reddy has shown she has what it takes to be a top model - she will be featured in the July issue of Sports Illustrated South Africa.

Reddy saw her chance to cement her career as a model by uploading a picture of herself online for the Sports Illustrated South Africa New Model Search 2012.

The public were asked to cast their votes and Reddy won a place among the top 15 finalists which involved going to Cape Town for the New Model Search photographic shoot.

‘I try my hand in everything I think is achievable. Sports Illustrated is an amazing magazine and I am a fan of their Swimwear Edition,’ she said.

Abafundi abenza unyaka wokugcina ezifundweni zobuhlengikazi e-UKZN bathole uqeqesho olucwaningiwe ngengculazi nesandulela ngculazi lwezinsuku ezinhlanu, benikezwa abase - Enhancing Care Initiative (ECI) Unit e-UKZN bexhaswe abakwaMedical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI).

Loluqeqesho olunzulu obelethulwa ngabafundisi nabezempilo abahamba phambili lujatshulelwe kakhulu abafundi abathe bathole ulwazi oluningi olubavule amehlo.

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Students from the College of Law and Management Studies recently participated in an intercampus contest in which they presented business proposals for small start-up businesses.

The event is held at the close of each semester and forms an important component of the Integrated Business Studies module.

The business proposal presentations make up a significant proportion of students’ final assessments in a module that contributes to the purpose of the BCom programme in terms of developing critical approaches, critical thinking, understanding of the South African business context, group work, and effective communication, research and presentation skills.

The College of Health Sciences (CHS) held a successful Information Day on the Westville campus.

Targeting top 10 mathematics, physical sciences and life sciences learners from various KwaZulu-Natal high schools, the event was attended by 450 Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners, parents, teachers and guidance counsellors who received adequate information to help learners make an informed career choice.

As the largest provider of health sciences professional programmes in the province, the College is committed to producing healthcare professionals equipped with the knowledge, skills and competencies to achieve affordable, accessible and optimal health for all.

From officiating in Varsity 3^rd team rugby matches to being in control of a SuperRugby game, UKZN alumnus Stuart Berry’s rise up the refereeing ranks has been spectacular.

Berry spent several happy years on the Pietermaritzburg campus accumulating degrees including a BSc Hons in Conservation Studies and more recently an MSc in Hydrology.

As a young undergraduate, Berry started refereeing Varsity 3^rd team matches, quickly graduating through the ranks to significant Moor Cup, Currie Cup and IRB Sevens assignments.

The Green Squad Alliance (GSA), a young people’s movement for a cleaner, better and brighter future, was launched recently on the Howard College campus.  The organisation has 30 members but according to its Chairman, Mr Delwyn Pillay, that’s not enough.

He urged both staff and students across all five UKZN campuses to get involved and become members of the organisation to collectively create and raise public awareness around environmental and social justice issues and to offer and mobilise support.

‘We recognised a need for the youth to get involved and to address environmental injustices as well as social issues such as climate change and to have the environment protected, purely for the benefit of present and future generations,’ said Pillay.

I recently travelled to Pietermaritzburg to attend the UKZN rugby day in aid of the Jes Foord Foundation and the Rugby against Rape project. The day was marked by a series of selfless gestures.

Firstly, the Varsity Third team fronted up for action against Cedara College, just a few hours after having played a league match. An amazing gesture by the ‘Thirsty Thirds’ and one which more serious teams would not dare contemplate.

Then the UKZN Howard College team forfeited their usual bright strip to play in the lime green colours of the Jes Foord Foundation. Jes herself was touched by this.

The Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine was a partner in the presentation of a Wellness Day held at the Emmanuel Cathedral in Durban.

The cathedral held a candle lighting ceremony in memory of all those who have died from HIV and AIDS and other diseases and encouraged people to get screened for chronic diseases.

The Wellness Day event was part of a Health Awareness Campaign initiated by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health (DoH) and the Usizo Lwethu Clinic run by the Cathedral’s Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) in partnership with the Medical School.

Project CARE, a study analysing risk and resilience among young people in Durban, is being conducted by a United States academic in partnership with a UKZN professor.

The six-year study by Professor Wendy Kliewer, Chair of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Professor Basil Pillay, Head of Behavioural Medicine at UKZN, is the result of a collaborative research project – the first of its kind in Africa – which received $64 509 in seed funding from VCU’s Global Education Office and the College of Humanities and Sciences.

Kliewer presented on the topic: Risk and Resilience in Urban Youth: Selected Findings from Project COPE, at a public lecture held by the College of Health Sciences.

The Black Management Forum (BMF) Student Chapter at Howard College recently hosted a three member panel discussion which featured academics Professor Pearl Sithole and Mr Tebello Thabane and Mr Menzi Mthethwa, a Masters student in Development Studies to discuss the future of South Africa.

 
The discussion forum was initiated in order to reflect on aspects of Vision 2030 proposed by the National Planning Commission (NPC). The theme of the discussion was Building a Capable State, Using Education as its Foundation.