Honoured: Deputy vice-chancellor Prof Danie Visser will receive a Doctor of Laws from the University of Edinburgh on 3 July this year.

The University of Edinburgh will confer an honorary Doctor of Laws on UCT's deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Danie Visser, in July this year.

The honour recognises Visser "as a consummate scholar with a strong international reputation and as a leading figure in the transformation of higher education in South Africa in the post-apartheid years". The University of Edinburgh's statement also said that Visser had been singled out for "working tirelessly to promote academic co-operation between South Africa and Scotland, and in particular between the University of Cape Town and the University of Edinburgh". In a message to staff and students, Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price invited the campus community to join him in congratulating Visser for this recognition of his achievements.

The graduation ceremony will take place in the McEwan Hall at the University of Edinburgh on Wednesday 3 July 2013. On that date, at 15h00, members of the UCT community will be able to follow the ceremony on live webcast from the University of Edinburgh's main webpage at www.ed.ac.uk.

Basis of being: Dr Andrew Hamilton, pictured here at a 2012 public lecture about the possible sighting of the Higgs boson particle, was awarded a P-rating for his continuing insights into the understanding the Universe at its most fundamental level.

Despite the "long and often complicated path" it takes to uncover the laws of physics, UCT's latest P-rated scholar, Dr Andrew Hamilton, believes they are inherently simple. The National Research Foundation (NRF) bestows P-ratings on young researchers (usually younger than 35 years old) who have the potential to become world leaders in their field.

Hamilton's academic journey has spanned three continents and has seen him contribute to more than 200 peer-reviewed publications as a member of two large proton collider experiments, ATLAS and the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). He joined UCT's Department of Physics as a lecturer in July 2011, following a five-year stint at the ATLAS experiment, which he joined as a postdoc with the University of Geneva. The ATLAS project is one of two general-purpose detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN), the decades-long experiment to detect the Higgs boson particle. Here, the Canadian focused on helping to develop the ATLAS trigger system. "The trigger system is a vital component of the experiment, which selects which events to record for further analysis and which to discard," he explains.

His true interest, however, lies in analysing and interpreting the data collected by the trigger, specifically data related to the Higgs boson's decay into two photons, which is what the Higgs boson does in the Standard Model of the Universe. Hamilton's teaching career began at the University of Alberta as a teaching assistant in 2001, and evolved into the supervision of master's and doctoral students at the University of Geneva. He also co-ordinated the Swiss Institute of Particle Physics' (CHIPP) doctoral programme from 2010 through to 2011.

Currently teaching physics from first-year to honours level, Hamilton previously taught nuclear and particle physics and advanced nuclear physics to senior undergraduate students. By sharing his own excitement for explicating science's most fundamental understanding of the Universe, he helps encourage students' own enjoyment of physics, he says in summing up his teaching philosophy. His well-publicised public lecture at UCT in September 2011 followed the media hype around the first possible sighting of the Higgs boson particle. Asked what the Higgs Boson particle - if conclusively found - could be used for, Hamilton's frank response drew mirth from the large audience.

"I haven't the foggiest what we could possibly use the Higgs boson for," he admitted at the time. "But it is cool to know that the Standard Model works!" What inspires his curiosity about the smallest stuff that makes up our Universe? "The idea of breaking down our understanding of the Universe into its most fundamental pieces attracted me to particle physics," he says. "The ability to observe a physical phenomenon as profound as the Higgs boson has kept me interested." Hamilton's present research interests revolve around Standard Model direct photon production studies. He plans to continue research at the high-energy frontier of particle physics. "The discovery of the Standard Model Higgs boson would be a triumph for the Standard Model, but there remain fundamental questions that the Standard Model does not answer," he observes. "Perhaps the largest question in physics is how to realise a unified theory of gravitation and the forces of the Standard Model." Due to the fundamental nature of contemporary particle physics, Hamilton admits that the impact of his and his peers' research on society might not be immediately visible.

"Just like people doing fundamental research in the early 20th century could not have predicted that an understanding of quantum mechanics would lead to the development of the computer, we don't know where our current fundamental research will lead."

Earth mover: Dr Åke Fagereng has his new P-rating from the National Research Foundation for his research and studies in earthquake geology.

It's not hard to see where Dr Åke Fagereng's heart lies. In his workspace, geological maps hang like wallpaper, the floor home to hunks of rock - some nearly as old as time - and a scree-like jumble of snow skis and boots. At just 30, the earthquake geologist and lecturer in structural geology in the Department of Geological Sciences is five years inside the National Research Foundation's age limit for P-ratings. These can be awarded only once, but there is an expectation that the recognition and support (there's a grant attached to the P-rating) will grow not only his body of work, but a new generation of young geologists in his wake.

Fagereng (his first name is pronounced 'Oke') got his PhD only three years ago, but already has a sizeable publications list, mostly papers published in the past two years. He's recently back from Antarctica where he camped out "in surprisingly good weather", some 150 to 200km inland from the South African base, to collect rock samples in the Sverdrup Mountains. With funding from the South African National Antarctic Programme, the UCT alumnus is conducting a three-year project to study deep crustal processes recorded in the Antarctic rocks. That means looking for ancient, active fault lines that have been exposed to high temperatures and pressures from the Earth's shifting plates.

Studying the microscopic properties and formation of rocks, Fagereng unravels the age-old stories rocks tell about the geophysical processes that occur deep in the Earth's crust. His recent research is broadening understanding of subduction zone fault processes (where one tectonic plate is forced under another after colliding), particularly those factors that affect the 'seismic style' of the subduction megathrust interface. The latter occurs when the ocean floor is forced under a continent and slip occurs on this interface. How the interface responds (its 'seismic style') determines whether it produces large earthquakes like those in Japan and Sumatra, or creeps along slowly and silently, as is the case in the Philippines.

Fagereng also studies the physical processes behind the recently discovered seismic phenomena of episodic tremor. These are 'earthquakes' of very low frequency and slow slip, characterised by seismic rumbling, or tremor, and slow slip along the tectonic plates. Usually, these events are imperceptible to humans and are not destructive. In a couple of weeks he'll wing his way to New Zealand (he completed his PhD at the University of Otago, Dunedin, in 2010) to work with collaborators on the development of theoretical models for fault behaviour and conditions. They'll compare geological observations in well-studied exhumed fault zones; regions of rock showing significant displacement along the fractures as a result of movement in the Earth's crust.

"The aim is to recognise and understand fossil examples of observed active seismic processes." This involves mapping exhumed faults, analysing the microstructures of the deformed rocks found here and conducting laboratory analyses of these to understand the seismic activity and conditions that were present at the time. A large chunk of his work will also be done off-shore, drilling through a fault section between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, a major subduction or earthquake zone; down through 2km of water and 6km of rock.

Fagereng is renowned among the 'fault community' for his extraordinary integration of geological and geophysical data. His geological maps trace and document fault lines, those places where the rock formations and chemical compositions point to weaknesses in the Earth's crust. The field studies (those dusty boots in the corner have travelled!) are used to elucidate seismogenic behaviour.

In June he's taking a group of students to Damaraland, Namibia, where he's already worked for some time on the Naukluft Thrust. He also has students working in the Cape Fold Mountains on a project to monitor intraplate seismicity at a microseismic scale. This project is funded by the South African-German collaborative Inkaba ye Africa project.

On quarks and time: Professor Heribert Weigert's A-rating acknowledges his status as an international authority on matters of the Universe around the time of its 'birth'.

Looking back into the deepest recesses of time, into a Universe immeasurably different to the one we know today, has earned UCT's Professor Heribert Weigert an A-rating. He operates in a world of particle accelerators, quantum-chromodynamics, finite temperature, non-equilibrium field theory and resummation of density effects in high-energy collisions. To which you might well respond, "Pardon?"

For the laypeople among us, Weigert's research centres on matter as it occurred in the early Universe, very shortly after the Big Bang, when the Universe was immensely hot - more than 100,000 times hotter than the centre of the Sun. "This state of matter, the quark gluon plasma, is recreated today at the most powerful particle accelerators we have - the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland, and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island near New York," says Weigert. He describes himself as a theoretical physicist and was one of the driving forces in the formulation of what is known today as the Color Glass Condensate, another extreme state of matter that sets the initial conditions in the accelerator experiments at CERN and BNL. "I came to UCT to join a growing group of both theorists and experimentalists directly involved in this massive international effort to uncover the deepest secrets of our Universe," Weigert says. "To hint at the tremendous opportunities the existence of such a lively group opens up for young South African students and scientists, I need only point out that our group of likeminded researchers here at UCT is already about to organise the third international conference in a row in this field."

He says he feels honoured by the recognition of his scientific efforts that the A-rating brings. "My immediate goals focus on nurturing and expanding our research group at UCT and its ties to the national and international scientific community - it belongs on the map of major centres of international particle physics." Weigert's background in theoretical physics focuses on problems in quantum chromodynamics, the theory of strong interactions between particles, and their application to modern collider experiments. He has considerable international experience - having conducted research in Germany, the US, the UK and Denmark - and obtained his Habilitation at the University of Regensburg.

In addition, he spent a semester as a visiting full professor in Bielefeld, Germany, and served as a research associate professor at the University of Oulu, Finland for three years. Since April 2011, he has been an associate professor in the Department of Physics at UCT, and in September 2011 he became director of the university's Centre of Theoretical and Mathematical Physics (CTMP). Weigert says he was drawn to physics while still in high school, and has always loved popular science books. "I still grab hold of all archaeological material that comes my way."

He has tracked Celtic and ancient Roman sites all over Bavaria and says that, for him, physics is linked to "heroes" like Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr and Feynman, who introduced him to a unique intellectual adventure. "You want to be right in it, instead of seeing it happen to somebody else in a faraway place."

Talking about faraway places, Weigert plans to continue navigating the labyrinthine ways of the early Universe, in his quest to shed new light on its origins and, hopefully, take a calculated step towards answering the greatest question of them all: Why are we here, and how did it all begin?

Biology and emotion: Prof Jack van Honk of the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health is one of UCT's two new A-rated researchers and a world leader in the multidisciplinary field of hormones, the brain and human social-emotional behaviour.

A world leader and pioneer in the multidisciplinary field of hormones, the brain and human social-emotional behaviour, Professor Jack van Honk is UCT's newest A-rated scholar. Almost 15 years ago he became the world's first researcher to use both hormonal manipulation and brain stimulation techniques to gain direct insight into the psychobiological mechanisms underlying human social-emotional behaviour

The announcement of Van Honk's A-rating follows the National Research Foundation's latest announcement for the 2012 cycle (see story p1). An honorary professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health since 2010, Van Honk first came to work at UCT in 2008, and now spends ten months of each year here and two months teaching at his alma mater, Utrecht University, in social and affective neuroscience. He is the department's second A-rated scholar. Head of department Professor Dan Stein was first awarded an A-rating in 2008. Netherlands-born Van Honk leads several UCT research projects, funded by entities in South Africa, Holland and the US. His fields of specialisation are psychoneuroendocrinology, affective neuroscience and neuropsychology, on which he's published prolifically, with 75 research and theoretical papers in peer-reviewed journals in the past eight years alone.

This research has been funded by research grants from Utrecht University, the Netherlands Society of Scientific Research and the US Hope for Depression Research Foundation. It underpins the development of innovative treatment strategies, such as hormone manipulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation, to treat fear and aggression disorders like psychopathy, impulsive aggression, psychological trauma and human phobia. In many ways, Van Honk's core field of research, social neuroscience, has followed the trend predicted for science by Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist and author Edward Wilson in his visionary book, Consilience: The unity of knowledge. Here Wilson explores a unified theory of knowledge that spans disciplines from physics and biology to the social sciences and humanity.

"Social neuroscience," according to Van Honk, "provides an excellent foundation for the creation of a so-called common body of knowledge, as it combines techniques and insights gained from psychology, sociology, neuroscience, biology and economics." "My personal interest in this fascinating realm is not only to gain fundamental understandings of the psychology of human social behaviour, but also to understand and seek innovative treatments for the psychopathologies of fear and aggression." His interest in human emotion was piqued 16 years ago as a PhD student at Utrecht. He was among the first researchers to introduce multiple biological measures to research human emotion.

"By the end of the 20th century the biological approach to human emotion had received enormous impetus - and I profited, with many publications and prestigious research grants for innovative research in the areas of social and affective neuroscience." Over the years he's used a broad set of measures and techniques from the social, biological and neuroscience fields, ranging from simple reaction-time tasks to magnetic resonance imaging.

Although methodologically broad, his research through the years has been guided by his Triple Balance Hypothesis. "This is a biobehavioural heuristic which integrates several existing psychological, evolutionary and neurobiological emotion models and attempts to construct a comprehensive psychological model of human social-emotional behaviour, with clinical applicability." Within the Department of Psychiatry, Van Honk is building capacity in psychobiological research among psychiatric populations. This work won him a Mellon Award in 2008 and an honorary professorship at UCT in 2010.

He also supervises research in social phobia and psychological trauma. Another project he leads, together with colleague Barak Morgan (human biology department), is a new line of research on Urbach-Wiethe disease, an extremely rare genetic-developmental disorder, characterised by bilateral focal calcifications of the amygdala in the brain. Research has shown that the amygdala play an important role in the 'social brain', processing memory and emotional reactions, such as social threat processing, empathy and fear conditioning. The Northern Cape is home to almost 20% of the estimated 200 people worldwide to suffer from UWD.

The move to South Africa in 2008 with his family, his archaeologist wife Florentine and their children Bowi and Tygo, has cemented his long-standing relationship with Southern Africa. At the time, the trip coincided with a short research visit as part of a sabbatical. The months turned into years.

Prof Jeremy Seekings

UCT's Centre for Social Science Research (CSSR) has been given a R5-million grant by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the British government's Department for International Development (DfID) for a project on welfare policy reforms. The project is called 'Legislating and Implementing Welfare Policy Reforms: What Works Politically in Africa and Why' and is headed by CSSR director Jeremy Seekings.

The ESRC is the British government's funding agency for social science research, while the DfID administers Britain's overseas aid programme and commissions good research on development issues. Seekings says Africa - which is the region of the world where poverty is most resilient - includes some of the countries with the longest histories of social assistance in the global South (South Africa and Mauritius) and is the only region in the world where more is now spent on social assistance programmes than on social insurance programmes. "This research programme examines the politics of welfare programmes in Africa, i.e. what 'works' politically and why. The research will analyse the political conditions and factors that either favour or impede the enactment or implementation of social assistance programmes," he says.

The research will cover agenda-setting; elite and public opinion; electoral, inter- and intra-party competition; the roles of civil society, international organisations, and donors; and state institutions, technocrats and bureaucrats. "A crucially important question in the African context is how socio-economic inequalities and racial or ethnic diversity affect policy-making. Research will be conducted in mostly East and Southern African countries," says Seekings.

He says that over the past ten to fifteen years there has been an explosion of interest in addressing poverty in the short-term through cash transfers. These transfers come in three primary forms. Non-contributory 'social assistance', such as South Africa's old-age pensions and child support grants, are financed out of general taxation, and are often aimed at the poor. Contributory 'social insurance', such as unemployment insurance in South Africa, is funded out of contributions paid by working people in formal employment (and their employers).

"In practice, few poor people benefit from this, because few people in formal employment are poor," says Seekings. The third form, he explains, is workfare, including public works programmes, where people are paid cash in return for work. 'Developmental' initiatives - whether big infrastructural development, helping small farmers or improving health and education - are necessary in the medium and long-term, but in the short-term 'just giving money to the poor' has proved very effective at both mitigating poverty and at helping poor people stand on their own feet.

"Cash transfers were not included in the Millennium Development Goals, but now have strong support even within the World Bank and from major bilateral aid donors," says Seekings. "Africa has very limited social insurance systems - i.e. contributory systems of providing for old age, or insuring against the risk of illness or disability - but a growing number of African countries have major social assistance programmes," he explains. Seekings says while there has been a lot of good work on the benefits and design of cash transfers, there is very little work on what works politically, and why; i.e. on the political conditions that favour the introduction of cash transfer programmes.

"Here in South Africa we have the paradoxical situation that most government ministers and ANC leaders are ambivalent, if not hostile, about cash transfers, on the grounds that they encourage 'dependency'. The South African public is strongly supportive of cash transfers to the deserving poor, but critical of cash transfers to people deemed to be undeserving. Yet we have one of the most extensive and generous cash transfer systems in the world."

Long haul: Assoc Prof Azeem Khan, Emer Prof Luigi Nassimbeni, Emer Prof John de Gruchy and Dr Lyn Holness were there at the start of the ERP, either as participants (Khan) or staffers.

A flagship research development and support initiative, UCT's Emerging Researcher Programme (ERP), celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. A cross-faculty programme located in UCT's Research Office, the ERP strives to ensure the transfer of essential research skills from experienced researchers to those academics who have yet to establish a research career. Its establishment was in part a response to concern that a cohort of senior academics, mainly white and male, who had been responsible for most of the research output, were soon to retire.

SA's aging research profile
At the ERP's anniversary celebration in March, Emeritus Professor John de Gruchy, who has been involved with the ERP since the outset, recalled a conversation between himself and former deputy vice-chancellor Professor Cheryl de la Rey. En route from an NRF meeting in Pretoria to the airport in Johannesburg, they mulled over reports about the aging profile of the country's - including UCT's - top researchers, and the fact that nationally the next generation was not being groomed in any substantial numbers. It was at this time that a proposal for UCT's response to this crisis was being penned by the former director of the Research Office and now executive director of research, Dr Marilet Sienaert. This went on to secure the necessary funding from The Atlantic Philanthropies to launch the ERP in 2003.

National imperatives
The ERP's objectives were also aligned to national imperatives set by the National Plan for Higher Education of 2001 and the National Research and Development Strategy of 2002. The former warned of a decline in national research outputs and low enrolments in master's and doctoral programmes, and highlighted the need for the higher education system to improve both access and graduation rates, particularly for black and female students. It also prepared the way for a new funding formula which was to substantially increase rewards for research output. The National Research and Development Strategy addressed the challenges faced by 'national competitiveness in a rapidly changing and increasingly knowledge-dependent international environment' and called for an 'improved quality of life, especially the reduction of poverty, for South Africans'. UCT's research community - including ERP participants - has responded by increasing its focus on finding solutions to problems that affect Africa, and impact on the rest of the world.

Objectives achieved
At the function, De Gruchy recalled the ERP's early days. This involved setting up the initial seminars and sessions alongside Dr Lyn Holness, who became the ERP's first co-ordinator (and, as many academics from that period have noted, "the face of the ERP"), and recruiting retired researchers, such as Emeritus Professor Luigi Nassimbeni, who is still involved with the programme, to guide and mentor emerging scholars. It was also necessary to solicit funding from the likes of The Atlantic Philanthropies and the Carnegie Corporation and Mellon Foundation, to ensure further development of the programme.
Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price said at the event that it was difficult to measure the success - or failure - of such a programme. But there was ample data in the case of the ERP to conclude that the programme had more than achieved its objectives. By the end of 2012, 548 academics from all the faculties had received some form of support from the ERP, 56 signing up in that year alone. In 2012 alone, the programme, run from the Research Office, delivered 41 seminars to 765 participants, as well as 25 residential workshops attended by 326 researchers. Of the 58 academics who received ad hominem promotions in 2012, 34 had come through the ERP's ranks.

Leadership and guidance
Furthermore, the programme had changed the culture of academia, Price noted. In his time (an experience echoed by De Gruchy and Nassimbeni), emerging researchers had to thrive or fail against a backdrop of sink-or-swim "academic Darwinism". "Fortunately, the current approach is a different one," Price said. "We can provide leadership and guidance, we can provide support, we can provide training, we can have a much higher success rate, and people can enjoy their jobs more." Emeritus Professor Luigi Nassimbeni recalled his own experience of being supervised at UCT and noted how much things have improved since then. He praised the role that the ERP played in developing supervisory skills. "I tell emerging researchers not to take a laissez faire attitude to supervision. A student is an asset that must be used to the advantage of both the supervisor and the student." ERP alumni Dr Abongwe Bangeni (Centre for Higher Education Development) and Associate Professor Azeem Khan (Electrical Engineering), both among the original 2003 cohort, said the programme had helped them in many ways, from managing their time, planning sabbaticals, applying for research grants, and networking, to internalising institutional priorities such as supporting their own PhD students and applying for NRF ratings.

Hands-on support
Dr Mignonne Breier, research development manager at the Research Office, said there was a sense that the programme had been a resounding success, and that the hands-on support of deputy vice-chancellor for research Professor Danie Visser was a contributing factor. Its broad-based focus had even earned plaudits from counterparts at Australian universities, she reported. Breier confirmed that future plans for the ERP would see them establishing more formal links with faculties, trying to raise research funding for contract researchers (the main part of the programme is open only to permanent staff), doing more to promote the university's Afropolitan vision, and training researchers to write grant proposals.

Members of the Cape Town-based all-girl soul singing group 3 Tons of Fun are on an exercise regime based on research by the UCT MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. This is aimed at making sustainable lifestyle changes for the group. In February, 3 Tons of Fun underwent in-depth testing and are now on an eight-week programme that includes three exercise sessions a week. Their final testing takes place on 11 April. In picture are 3 Tons of Fun: Sthe Mfuphi, Bulelewa Sakayi and Michelle Thomas, at the Sports Science Institute.

UCT's Jameson Hall was packed with concerned citizens as the Campaign for Safe Communities launched on 27 March. The national campaign, inspired by the 2012 Commission of Inquiry into Policing in Khayelitsha, is a coalition of civilians, from NGOs and academics to community organisations. It aims to address the issues that contribute to a high crime rate in South Africa. "The objectives of the campaign speak directly to our vision of working towards a safe South Africa, where freedom and security are the norm, rather than the exception," said Guy Lamb, director of UCT's Safety and Violence Initiative. Treatment Action Campaign founder and chairperson Zachie Achmat (pictured above) directed proceedings.

The role and use of bionanoparticles and nanohybrids is revolutionising medical science, particularly tissue engineering and drug development. UCT hosted a timely symposium on nanotechnology in March, under the auspices of VAIKUTUS, a European Union FP7-PEOPLE-funded project of the International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES). "Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing area," said Professor Iqbal Parker, host and head of the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), South Africa's official partner in the project. In picture are (from left, back) Prof Markku Leskela (University of Helsinki), Dr Iryna Grafova (University of Helsinki), Prof Cosimo Carfagna (ICTP-CNR), Prof Andriy Grafov (University of Helsinki), and Prof Iqbal Parker (ICGEB, Cape Town component, UCT). (Front) Dr Maria Grazia Raucci, Dr Giovanna Gomez d'Ayala, Daniela Giugliano, and Dr Maria Luisa Pompili, all of the ICTP-CNR.

A workshop on fuel cell systems was co-hosted by UCT's HySA/Catalysis Competence Centre and Germany's Centre for Fuel Cell Technology (ZBT) in March, attended by representatives of South African and German industry, government and academia. The aim was to chart collaborations between the two countries in the field of hydrogen and fuel cell technology, which rely on platinum group metals. The HySA/Catalysis centre aspires to provide 25% of the world's fuel cell catalysts by 2020, preparing South Africa to be an exporter of value-added technologies that include platinum group metals to the world. In picture are (from left) Dr Peter Beckhaus (ZBT, Germany), Dr Sharon Blair (HySA/Catalysis), Muhamed Sayed (Technology Innovation Agency), Vinny Pillay (Department of Science and Technology), Maja Clausen (German Embassy) and Dr Olaf Conrad (HySA/Catalysis).

Executive director of UCT libraries Gwenda Thomas has been awarded UNISA's Department of Information Science 2011 Alumnus of the Year Award. The accolade recognises Thomas' professional contribution to library and information science. It was one of several awards made to UNISA information science alumni in Pretoria on 6 March. In her acceptance of the accolade, Thomas lauded UNISA's role in her personal growth and experience and in South African education over the decades. "[As] ...the original examining body of South Africa before universities became established, it's been such an important support for so many people." Thomas completed her honours and master's degrees in library and information science through UNISA.

UCT mourns the loss of acclaimed Nigerian author, dubbed the "grandfather of modern African literature", and international scholar Chinua Achebe, who died on 22 March, aged 82. UCT's chancellor, Graça Machel, conferred an honorary Doctor of Literature degree on Achebe at a special graduation ceremony in September 2002. This ceremony took place in conjunction with the third Steve Biko Memorial Lecture, which Achebe delivered on 12 September. The special graduation was attended by former President Nelson Mandela (above right, pictured with Achebe). Achebe is best known for his novel Things Fall Apart, which tells the story of European colonisation in Africa from an African perspective.

Comedian and actor Riaad Moosa visited his alma mater, UCT's Faculty of Health Sciences, to commemorate the donation of a car on 12 March. Moosa, who graduated as a medical doctor in 2001, used his comedic talents in his show Keeping You in Stitches to raise almost R200,000, which was donated to the faculty. A Toyota Avanza 1.5 was purchased from the proceeds and will be used for student transport to the faculty's Vredenburg training site. Rondebosch Medical Centre sponsored the fundraising drive and N1 City Toyota donated a significant discount to the car's purchase price. In picture are (from left) Dr Nisaar Moosa (Rondebosch Medical Centre), Riaad Moosa, Prof Sue Kidson (Interim Dean of Faculty) and Dr MI Shreef (director at RMC).

Christopher Price, a registrar in the Division of Plastic, Recon-structive & Maxillofacial Surgery, was awarded an international travel grant by the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery to attend their annual congress in Naples, Florida. This grant is awarded yearly to a deserving candidate from a developing country who has shown a commitment to further development of microsurgical skills, in an effort to train reconstructive microsurgeons from developing nations. The picture shows Price (middle) with the outgoing president, Dr Michael Neumeister (right) and Dr Wyndell Merritt, former president of the American Association of Hand Surgeons.

Dr Sarah Chapman is the School of Management Studies' first postdoctoral research fellow. Chapman develops methodologies for evaluating programmes and initiatives to reduce poverty, increase agricultural productivity and improve health and nutrition in rural Africa. Chapman's work will add significantly to the quality of monitoring and evaluation research done in the school. "In many cases, evaluation should not only assess whether an intervention works, but also why and how an intervention works," said Chapman.

A SASOL Safety Auditing team visited UCT to conduct a sample audit of its laboratories and workshops. This audit is the first step in the university's commitment to satisfying minimum legal requirements for safety certification for all its facilities. The audit, conducted pro bono by SASOL's Safety Auditing team, took place in laboratories in the Faculties of Science, Health Sciences and Engineering & the Built Environment. The exercise was managed by the Laboratory Audit Working Group (LAWG), established by DVC Prof Danie Visser. LAWG ensures that UCT's laboratories are compliant with best international practice for health and safety. In picture are (from left) Liesl Phigeland (Safety, Health and Environment representative for the Department of Biological Sciences), Chris Beytell (Safety Officer, R&D, Sasol), Brett Roden (UCT Environmental Risk Officer), and Madhu Chauhan (Safety, Health and Environment representative for the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology).

On 8 March, the African Gender Institute (AGI) celebrated International Women's Day by launching Feminist Africa 17, a journal capturing research about the sexuality of young women and written by academics from universities across Africa. The journal is spearheaded by the AGI's Associate Professor Jane Bennett, who explained that the idea behind the journal was to use university spaces as political spaces. Feminist Africa 17 contributor Peace Kiguwa, of the University of the Witwatersrand's Department of Psychology, was present at the launch, and spoke about her research in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities across the continent.

Dr Mamphela Ramphele at the opening plenary of the Land Divided conference at UCT last week. (Photograph courtesy of Trevor Samson.)

More than 180 papers were presented at the Land Divided conference, that opened at UCT last week, providing an opportunity for scores of researchers and government and civil society representatives to explore the legacy of the segregationist and far-reaching Land Act of 1913. The four-day conference marks the Land Act's centenary year and is being hosted by three of the province's four higher education institutions: UCT, and the Universities of Stellenbosch and the Western Cape, a collaboration deputy vice-chancellor professor Thandabantu Nhlapo said had "raised the flag" for academia and debate. Nhlapo officially welcomed delegates to the conference.

The Land Act of 1913 was the first major piece of legislation to dispossess most black South Africans of their land and livelihoods. In its wake came a long history of forced removals and evictions of Africans from their ancestral lands. It also took away Africans' right to own land. The fallout reverberates across South African society today, through economic disempowerment and the disintegration of community and social structures.

The conference will explore the intersections between these themes, and the need for fresh analyses and new ways of thinking. The first plenary, on 24 March, was addressed by the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Gugile Nkwinti; former UCT vice-chancellor and politician Dr Mamphela Ramphele; deputy vice-chancellor Professor Crain Soudien; and other high-profile speakers. Ramphele called for a more creative approach to the land issue, noting with concern that the country was losing farmers to neighbouring states, where they felt "safer and more appreciated". South Africans make up 50% of commercial farmers in Zimbabwe, and there are 800 South African commercial farmers in Mozambique.

"Fifteen years ago there were 100,000 commercial farmers in South Africa. Now there are 36,000 commercial farmers, who are required to feed the nation." She called for a plan to balance the needs of the small and commercial farming sectors in this country. UCT presenters include Professors Maano Ramutsindela and Prof Timm Hoffman, who - with Professor Phil Woodhouse of the University of Manchester - will consider how a human rights perspective and the need for redress can be incorporated alongside the urgent need to address the global environmental challenges confronting the country.

In addition, the largest ever photographic exhibition on the South African land issue opened on 26 March at the Iziko SA National Gallery, and runs until July 2013. The curators - David Goldblatt, Bongi Dhlomo, Pam Warne and Paul Weinberg, a senior curator at UCT Libraries - have developed a narrative about land that includes a thorough exploration of archival photographs and the work of committed photographers who have engaged with this issue for over a century.

Ratings have historically been awarded in six categories, targeting researchers with an established track record (categories A, B and C) or those who show promise of becoming established within a few years (categories P, Y and L, although the NRF is phasing out the L category).

UCT has passed the 400 landmark for its overall number of National Research Foundation-rated scholars, following the 2012 NRF ratings cycle.

Some 415 NRF-rated researchers hail from UCT, the highest number in South Africa, constituting 16% of the national total. This figure is well up from the 293 of just five years ago. In addition, 117 of the university's record number of 118 applications in the 2012 round were successful, the highest number by a single institution in the history of the rating system.

UCT's applications made up 17% of those received by the NRF in 2012, and included 45 new applications and 73 re-evaluations. Nationally, the NRF awarded 27 A-ratings (re-evaluations and new candidates), of whom 12 (44%) were from UCT; and three new P-ratings, two of whom work in UCT's Faculty of Science (66%).

The new ratings will be recognised by the NRF at their September awards ceremony.
Paying tribute to the newly rated researchers, deputy vice-chancellor responsible for research Professor Danie Visser also lauded the efforts of the Research Office, particularly the support provided by Professor Robert Morrell and Christina Pather in the form of workshops, one-on-one consultations, hands-on support and assistance with the online application process, and written narratives required as part of the lengthy application process.

The above is complemented by a formal review of applications by an internal panel, chaired by Visser, which includes seasoned academics from faculties - who are also rated, and have served on the NRF's assessments panels.
The sterling results are important to UCT's research endeavour, says Visser, because the NRF ratings focus primarily on the quality rather than the quantity of the applicant's research.
"The NRF likes to say 'we don't count, we weigh'. Important too, is the fact that an NRF rating gives access to funding, which in these times of diminishing resources is a considerable factor."
Visser also commended other support programmes such as the Emerging Researcher Programme (ERP), which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

"There is no doubt that there is a correlation between our growing numbers of NRF-rated researchers in recent years and the enabling environment we have been building at UCT, in which the ERP plays a vital role by supporting and nurturing academics to become leaders in their fields, nationally and internationally."

Problem solver: Chris Tobler, IT liaison and principle technical officer for the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, Biological Sciences department.

MP: What is an average day like for you?
Every department on campus should have an individual who carries the IT Liaison (ITL) role, to act as a point of contact between their department and ICTS - especially during a crisis. I act as first point of call when there's an IT problem in the Percy FitzPatrick institute. I then diagnose whether the problem is user-related, a hardware or software problem, or a broader, more systemic issue. I deal with any immediate IT problems, fixing any issues that fall within the scope of my skills. I find that as an ITL, I often act as the 'canary in the coal mine', providing early reporting of system errors to ICTS.

MP: What are the biggest challenges?
Having patience; for example, a staff member calls me because they have no internet connection, and I see that they forgot to plug in their network cable to their laptop - again. Or trying to get users to understand that when a printer fails to print, for any number of reasons, that sending the document again and again doesn't push the print jobs out by the sheer weight of the documents accumulating in the queue! Where issues fall outside my skill level or access authority, I log a call with the IT Helpdesk. Once an issue has been logged, I follow up with ICTS and report back on issues once they've been resolved. Another one of my roles is to act as a communicator between ICTS and my department. I receive information from ICTS and then decide whether this information needs to be passed on to the students and staff in the rest of the institute and larger department. For example, I'll inform my users about upgrades and building-wide projects that may affect them.

MP: What are some of your job highlights?
I enjoy the problem-solving aspect of the job, and the fact that I have a solid network of contacts within ICTS to call on for urgent issues. For this reason, the ICTS departmental move from Upper Campus to Mowbray was challenging, because I can no longer simply pop next door for advice when I need it.

MP: What advice would you offer other IT liaisons?
A capable IT liaison needs good communication skills, a thorough understanding of their own skill set and a willingness to improve if necessary. An ITL should be patient, remain calm under pressure, not panic when things go wrong; and must be willing to hand over problems that exceed their own expertise promptly in order to ensure complaints are dealt with timeously. I would advise departments without IT Liaisons to consider appointing one in order to boost productivity and to improve on issue resolution times. Nominees for the role should have experience and knowledge of a wide range of hardware, software and operating systems as well as a thorough knowledge of the ICTS procedures and policies at UCT, but this isn't always possible in all departments; but anyone with an understanding of technology and a natural curiosity can take on the role and learn on the way.

Crime fighters: As part of its commitment to setting a new standard of professionalism and visibility in promoting safety and security on campus, UCT and security contractor GS4 are introducing four new security vehicles, all fitted with strobe lights for emergencies, spot lights for night patrols, and radio links to all GSCID and CPS patrols on campus. Bicycle patrols will also be launched to increase response speed. Here, crime prevention officers Lindelani Tyhilana and Sherryle Cupido are seen with one of the new security vehicles.

Team talk: (From left, back) Drs Lauren Watson, Melissa Nel, and Robyn Rautenbach. (Middle) Dennis Lin, Prof Jeanine Heckmann, Dr Robea Ballo, Danielle Smith, Dr Liz van der Merwe, and Esther van Heerden. (Front) Profs Jacquie Greenberg and Sue Kidson.

The use of stem cells to develop 'disease-in-a-dish' models, for studying disease aetiology and for drug screening, is gaining popularity worldwide.

The UCT Stem Cell Initiative, headed by Professors Sue Kidson and Jacquie Greenberg and comprising scientists and students from the departments of cell biology, human genetics, neurology and other departments, is using a groundbreaking new technology, pioneered by 2012 Nobel prize winner Shinya Yamanaka, to turn cultured skin cells into stem cells.

Theoretically, these cells, termed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), can be differentiated into any cell type in the body, making them an ideal source of cells for the study of diseases affecting inaccessible tissues, such as the eyes and brain. "Since these iPSCs are derived from adult skin, they also bypass many ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cell research," said Kidson.

In collaboration with researchers in Oxford and Japan, scientists from the UCT Stem Cell Initiative have established the first iPSCs from South African patients suffering from the inherited neurodegenerative disease spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7). This is one type of ataxia among a group of inherited diseases of the central nervous system. Like many other inherited ataxias, SCA7 stems from genetic defects that lead to the impairment of specific nerve fibres carrying messages to and from the brain. The result is a degeneration of the brain's co-ordination centre, the cerebellum. SCA7 differs from most other forms of spinocerebellar ataxia in that the earliest signs are usually visual problems, rather than poor co-ordination.

The group is also in the process of deriving cells from patients with the neuromuscular disorder myasthenia gravis. Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterised by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal muscles. The SCA7 patient cells have been successfully differentiated into neurons and retinal cells, which are now being used to investigate disease mechanisms in the laboratory.

The stem cell group is in the process of generating stem cell lines for a number of other conditions, which will be used for future investigations into disease modelling and possible therapeutic screening.

Finding solutions: (From left) Deputy Minister of Public Works, Jeremy Cronin; Dinesh Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, India; and, Berhanu Washie Director, Productive Safety Nets Programme, Ethiopia during the session: Lessons from development policy and praxis: South Africa, India and Ethiopia. (Picture by Liam Cornell)

Public employment programmes (PEPs) have been widely used for many years to help mitigate the temporary effects of natural disasters and economic downturns, while stimulating employment and inclusive growth. Such programmes are well understood and documented. However, there is also a wider case for public employment programmes beyond times of crisis, as part of longer-term employment policies, says Professor Alan Hirsch, head of the Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice (GSDPP).

In response to the need to expand the scope for PEPs, the GSDPP held its fourth executive course in mid-March, titled Innovations in Public Employment Programmes. Run in collaboration with the International Labour Office's International Training Centre (based in Turin), the course was very well received, with nearly 50 policymakers and practitioners attending. "Public Employment Programmes require policy debate as well as significant innovation, in relation to the types and quality of work, working conditions and the right to work," says Hirsch. "There is a need to significantly expand the range and scope of policy choices, including opportunities for public employment programmes, to address structural unemployment or serve as a component of a wider social protection scheme."

The GSDPP's latest executive course aimed to do exactly that, and resulted in lively debate on tough issues, with participants expressing their appreciation for the opportunity to engage in stimulating discussion and to network with colleagues. Deputy Minister of Public Works Jeremy Cronin presented an argument for PEPs' contribution to transformative development, raising thought-provoking issues, especially around the structural nature of unemployment in South Africa.

"If South Africa is to address this problem," he said, "our PEP initiatives cannot just be temporary placeholders [and] gap-fillers; they need to be integrated into a long-range, systemic [and] transformational response." Presentations on innovative approaches to public employment programmes in India and Ethiopia were among the highlights of the week-long course. Berhanu Washie, director of the Ethiopian Productive Safety Nets Programme, highlighted innovative approaches to securing water resources in a country often beset by drought, while Dinesh Jain, joint secretary of the Indian Ministry of Rural Development, explained the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

As the name suggests, this Act guarantees rural people 100 days of work per annum, on demand, enabling them to plan and slowly develop their livelihoods to the point at which they are no longer dependent on the programme. So far, this programme has benefited in excess of 66 million people. The programme is absolutely transparent, with all details - including all expenses and payments - catalogued on their website, open to everyone.

Both case studies demonstrated the ability of PEPs to support vast numbers of people by drawing them into participatory processes and helping them determine their own development planning. They also had significant impacts in terms of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, especially related to water resources.

There was also considerable interest in and appreciation for South Africa's own public employment programmes, Working for Water being the best known. Christo Marais, chief director of the Department of Environmental Affairs, spoke passionately about PEPs and the restoration of natural capital, highlighting the important work being done to secure South Africa's water resources. The course drew participants from Malawi, Zambia, Namibia and many corners of South Africa.

"A number of national government departments (such as Public Works and Social Development) sent strong delegations, and the demand both before and after the course has ensured that another course will be run next year," Hirsch added.

To the top: Three Windermere students achieved top results in 2012, thanks to SHAWCO's after-school projects. Shamielah Reid, Aaliyah Agouhaar and Lindani 'Theo' Luningo were photographed with centre manager Karen Damon (left) and Principal Craig Leetz (right).

The community of Windermere, in Kensington, has been through some trying times, affected by socio-economic challenges which have resulted in - among other things - a police presence at the local high school, Windermere High, where pupils are searched for weapons on a daily basis.

But despite all this, a ray of hope shines through. Three pupils have decided to succeed in the face of these and other challenges, and they are being aided in their quest by SHAWCO.

SHAWCO and Windermere High have a partnership that spans over 20 years. Initially Windermere High and Kensington High Schools were involved with after-school SHAWCO activities such as netball and art. Early in the 2000s UCT student Anwar Parker was part of a team who created the KenSTEP, So Live and Learn and KenSMART projects, which focused more on education, by offering extra lessons in Science, Mathematics, English and Life Skills.

The three pupils who are reaching new heights despite adversity are participants in SHAWCO's education project. Shamielah Reid (Grade 12), Lindani 'Theo' Luningo (Grade 11) and Aaliyah Agouhaar (Grade 9) saw major improvements in their results last year, after joining the SHAWCO programme.

"SHAWCO taught me maths and helped me understand what they were saying in class," says Agouhaar. "I can't wait to go back this year." Last year this quietly-spoken teen achieved four As and two Bs, and she hopes to improve on this. Reid says being part of the SHAWCO programme made a significant difference to her marks too. "SHAWCO helped me focus on areas where I was battling," she says. Luningo's marks have also improved, and he says attending SHAWCO's lessons is far better than studying alone. He wants to be a doctor when he leaves school, and is determined to stay in the programme until the end of Grade 12. Asked what facilities they would like to see at Windermere, all three agree that a bigger library is essential. They would also love to have a hall for assemblies, rather than having to stand outside in the hot sun.

Teacher Sadia Bester, who also acts as the link between SHAWCO and the school, says she is very grateful for the help her pupils are receiving. "There are lots of challenges at Windermere, but the hard work and commitment of the students involved in the SHAWCO programme is wonderful to see."

Headmaster Craig Leetz says when a school like Windermere is offered help by an organisation like SHAWCO, "we have to grasp it with both hands". He has been at the school only since the start of the year, but believes SHAWCO's contribution will have lasting benefits for the learners involved.

New findings: In the laboratory, Prof Valerie Mizrahi (right) with Drs Digby Warner (middle) and Krishnamoorthy Gopinath, postdoctoral research fellow.

A paper published recently in Open Biology, a new journal of the Royal Society, has pinpointed a particular protein as the transporter of vitamin B12 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium which causes tuberculosis (TB). The finding represents an important contribution to understanding the ability of the TB bacterium to cause disease - in particular, the possibility that it has the capacity to scavenge vitamin B12 from its human host.

This research, which was led by a team of scientists from the Molecular Mycobacteriology Research Unit at UCT's Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IIDMM), will also shape thinking in related areas of microbiological research: it turns out that the system used by the TB bacterium is quite distinct from previously known bacterial B12 transporters. Humans and plants don't make their own supplies of vitamin B12. It comes from a diet or food chain that includes 'contaminating micro-organisms'; in other words, bacteria that can manufacture the vitamin.

But not all bacteria make B12. Surprisingly, the TB bacterium is among those that can; yet it also comes armed with the ability to take it up from its host, possibly indicating the importance of vitamin B12 to the lifestyle of this major human pathogen. Plotting this pathway should have been easy for the scientists. However, the TB bacterium's transport mechanism is nothing like those found in common bacteria such as Escherichia coli, or salmonella. Instead, it is genetically related to human B12 transporters.

The uptake of vitamin B12 in the TB bacterium has long puzzled researchers working to prise open its defences. The protein, designated Rv1819c, provides new possibilities for interventions. The paper caps a four-year project that harnessed a multi-disciplinary team from research institutions in South Africa, Switzerland, Lithuania, and the US. A collaboration between UCT and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne lay at the core of the work, and was funded by the Switzerland-South Africa Joint Research Programme, as part of a bilateral agreement between the Swiss and South African governments.

With IIDMM director Professor Valerie Mizrahi serving as the South African principal investigator on this Swiss-South Africa collaboration, it's another plaudit for the IIDMM, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. The UCT team of Dr Digby Warner and postdoctoral research fellow Dr Krishnamoorthy Gopinath led the project, applying a combination of innovative genetic and molecular tools to identify the protein that transports vitamin B12 in the TB bacterium. Gopinath has a PhD in microbiology from the All India Institute of Medical Science in New Delhi - sister city of Johannesburg, where he first came to work as a postdoctoral research fellow in Mizrahi's previous research team at Wits University.

Warner followed an unlikely path to medical microbiology. He was an accountant at a paint and chemical factory, until one day he took a call on the helpline. The customer complained of peeling paint. The factory's chemist provided a simple answer: incompatible surface chemistry. This sparked a continuing fascination with science that saw Warner return to university, initially to study chemistry, and later, molecular biology.

At the IIDMM, the team does long-term work, trying to understand what makes the TB organism work at molecular and microbiological levels. In previous experiments, a US research group had tested a mutant strain lacking the Rv1819c protein in a mouse model of TB. They found that the mice became infected, but did not die as quickly. But they couldn't work out why.

"They didn't know what the protein did. We've shown that it's critically important for B12 uptake," said Warner. The findings are significant. TB is remarkably efficient; passing from one infected human to infect another, surviving and growing rapidly, primarily in the lungs. South Africa bears a huge TB burden, with approximately one per cent of the population affected by the disease. "In South Africa we are in the eye of the storm, as HIV provides fertile soil for TB and other opportunistic pathogens," said Warner. However, there's a twist to this microbiological tale. The fact that the TB bacterium is able to take up a huge molecule like B12 is a big surprise. It is renowned for its tough, almost impenetrable cell wall, which resists most molecules, frustrating those who work in drug development.

It's this question that will determine the future of Gopinath's research: does the TB bacterium also take up other forms of B12, perhaps in the form of B12 precursor molecules? If so, is the TB bacterium an opportunist rather than a scavenger? "The finding may not lead to a drug candidate, but it will provide some clues into how the TB bacillus takes up some very large molecules, and could shape thinking in other areas of microbiological research too," he said. The results also present a theoretical possibility: that biochemists can design TB drugs as conjugate molecules; in other words, antibiotics piggybacking on the B12 molecule - a chemical Trojan Horse, as it were. While there is always a translational component required in this kind of research (new drugs, etc), the excitement is that they are on the threshold of new knowledge.

"We don't know yet, but we're revealing new capacity of this organism that we're hoping will take us somewhere," says Gopinath. "It's about understanding the enemy," adds Warner.

Hero: Professor Francis Nyamnjoh, seen here at UCT, was named African Hero of the Year 2013 by the African Student Union of Ohio University in the US.

UCT's internationally-recognised anthropologist, Professor Francis Nyamnjoh was named African Hero of the Year for 2013 by the African Student Union of Ohio University, US, in March. The student union's annual African Hero Day celebration honours one person from the continent who has made a significant contribution to improving the lives of its inhabitants.

Anthropologist Nyamnjoh follows a long line of distinguished African Heroes, the first of whom was formera South African President Nelson Mandela, in 1993. Nyamnjoh's honour recognises his "outstanding contribution to the advancement of Africa through your scholarship as well as teaching practice", as the winner's plaque reads.

"The award means a lot to me, for the simple fact that it comes from students who have followed my work from a distance and are able to appreciate it," says Nyamnjoh. "This is most humbling and encouraging. I hope I am able to live up to the challenge they have thrown my way." Nyamnjoh chairs the Social Anthropology section of UCT's School of African and Gender Studies, Anthropology and Linguistics, and boasts a prolific publications profile. His impressive bibliography includes work on media and democracy; mobility and citizenship; and the social shaping of information and communications technologies.

Rated as B2 by the National Research Foundation, the scholar's career began at the University of Yaounde, Cameroon, where he earned a BA (1984) and MA (1985) before completing his PhD at the University of Leicester in the UK in 1990. Prior to joining UCT in 2009, Nyamnjoh served as head of publications at the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa from 2003 to 2009. In October 2012 he received a University of Cape Town Excellence Award for "Exceptional Contribution as a Professor in the Faculty of the Humanities" after being inducted as a fellow of the Cameroon Academy of Science in August 2011.

Nyamnjoh declined offers of permanent teaching posts at American and European universities, maintaining that he would rather plough his expertise directly back into Africa, and taught at various universities around the continent. Nyamnjoh was awarded the Senior Arts Researcher of the Year prize in Botswana. He displays great confidence in Africa's continuing contribution to academia.

"There are African scholars and scholarship of global stature in all disciplines, and Africa is increasingly the continent to turn to for new ways of theorising and understanding our world. It offers fascinating everyday examples of the complex, nuanced and accommodating negotiation and navigation of myriad influences by ordinary people."

A commitment to use his "academic and enquiring skills" to contribute to society beyond the perceived confines of the laboratory and surgical theatre bagged UCT's Professor Eric Bateman the prestigious Alan Pifer Award for 2012.

Community spirited: Prof Eric Bateman was honoured with the Alan Pifer Award for 2012 for his pioneering clinical research.	Centre stage: Professor Bongani Mayosi (left) and UCT Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price (right) were on hand to congratulate Professor Eric Bateman, the winner of the Alan Pifer Award for 2012.

This commitment was eloquently demonstrated by a lecture Bateman gave recently to the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, which he called The Public Health Clinician.

"The public health clinician is more than just a good doctor; he or she is someone who accepts the responsibility for taking their skills into the community and making a difference," explained Bateman, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at UCT.
The award, which Bateman received on 9 April, is bestowed annually on one or more UCT researchers whose work has - as Professor Danie Visser (deputy vice-chancellor responsible for research) noted - demonstrated relevance to the advancement and welfare of South Africa's disadvantaged people. Bateman received the award for the "impressive impact that his research has achieved, particularly in combating tuberculosis and improving primary healthcare".

Bateman was appointed head of the Respiratory Clinic in the Department of Medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital in 1989, and established the UCT Lung Institute in 2000, pioneering crucial health science research, said Professor Bongani Mayosi, head of UCT's Department of Medicine, who nominated Bateman for the award. The UCT Lung Institute has become an international beacon of innovative research, from new tuberculosis (TB) drug development to unique community-based, directly-observed therapy studies, and involvement in building and establishing infrastructure in clinics such as those in Langa and Chapel Street in District Six.

Bateman's fundamental contribution has been to improve primary healthcare, added Mayosi. "We are often accused of being elitist here at UCT, [of being] in our 'ivory tower', of not being relevant to people in the community, and I think the work that Eric has done has shown that in fact, the opposite is true," he said. Bateman was quick to pay tribute to those who instilled his sense of responsibility to society: his mentors. He credits one of those, Emeritus Professor Solly Benatar, with "having taught me, as a pulmonologist-in-training, that there was something better and even more important, perhaps, than being a good clinician, and that is to contribute as a member of society".

The ground-breaking research he was able to lead, says Bateman, owes much to his "terrific" team. "I see this very much as a team award." The veteran clinical scientist said he hoped that the award would further convince his colleagues (who already share his vision, he reports) that it was rewarding to do research that "makes a difference".

"I was able to say recently at this lecture that the rewards of working in Africa and South Africa are tremendous. Whatever you put your hand to, there's an opportunity to make a substantial difference. It's exciting work. It's the reason for getting up in the morning. Our researchers need to realise that they are in the golden age, the ideal place to make a difference."

A Biokinetic Humanitarian Project (BHP) initiative at UCT's Obz Square residence on 16 and 17 March saw participants being screened, tested, educated and given exercise programmes to do at home. BHP is a non-profit, community-based organisation that fosters physical activity and exercise education in underprivileged communities around South Africa. This is achieved through fundamental exercise testing and screening, patient education and exercise programmes. The initiative is open to interested students, communities and health professionals who would like to volunteer their assistance and support. In the picture, senior secretary Lance Walbrugh assists two of the roughly 250 participants at the event.

In partnership with the provincial Department of Health's West Coast District, UCT's Faculty of Health Sciences recently transformed a disused building at the Hanna Coetzee Clinic in Vredenburg into a student learning centre. Originally occupied by LoveLife, it now comprises two consulting rooms, a multi-purpose room for providing rehabilitation services, a patient waiting area and toilets. Students have been using this new facility since the beginning of 2013 to supplement the services already provided by the Hanna Coetzee Clinic to the community of Louw-ville, a socio-economically stressed township on the outskirts of Vredenburg. Seen at a gathering to mark the official opening of the Hanna Coetzee Clinic Student Learning Centre on 19 March are (from left) Carine Bester, Western Cape Government; Prof Steve Reid, Faculty of Health Sciences; students Ose Okharedia, Edwill Plaatjies, Mark Jali and Quentin Isaacs; and Sr Samantha Coraizin, Hanna Coetzee Clinic.

Back in time: UCT archivist Lionel Smidt with the first book of UCT Senate minutes, from 1829. The university's Senate is officially 175 years old this year, although it was actually constituted 184 years ago. The first meeting of Senate was held on 21 August 1829, but a new Senate was formally constituted by the ordinance of 1837, which came into effect in 1838 - hence the 175-year landmark. Until 1838 the College Senate consisted of equal numbers of Council members and academic staff (professors) and was chaired by a member of the Council. The 1837 Ordinance provided for a Senate of two directors, together with the professors (to this day Senate includes two Council members), and its role was set down in the ordinance.

Three UCT students wowed Paris judges of the Pernod Ricard International Business Game where their digital marketing strategy tied for first place with a team from Russia. (Left to right) Business Science students Tetlanyo Lekalake and Thembeka Setlogile from the Faculty of Commerce, who teamed up with computer science student Sizwe Ndlovu, represented South Africa at the finals in snow-laden Paris recently, winning internships in Europe as their prize. Their storytelling technique and passion for the African market helped to secure them the top slot. The UCT team beat competitors from Europe, Turkey and Russia. Dean of the Commerce Faculty, Prof Don Ross expressed his congratulations to the team.

UCT creative writing master's student Hennie Nortjé has just been awarded the Eugène Marais Prize for Debut or Early Work for his anthology of Afrikaans poetry, In die Skadu van Soveel Bome. The anthology is a collection of poetry that tells stories about indigenous trees, a deep love of Nortjé's. "In writing, you have to go for where your passion lies, and I found inspiration in indigenous trees and a deep longing to be immersed in nature," he said. Nortjé finished his master's at UCT at the end of 2011. He started writing the anthology soon after the course was completed, and the book was published in November last year by NB publishers (Queillerie). Last week he received the exciting news of his prize. "Eugène Marais is an iconic figure of the highest order when it comes to Afrikaans poetry. To receive this prize is such an honour for me," he said.

Wood you believe it: Professor Robert Cameron, of UCT's Department of Political Studies, was surprised to discover recently that the high-quality wood panelling in Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price's office in Bremner Building, as well as in the lobby, was installed by none other than his late father, John (Jock) Cameron, in 1963. "I checked with the Registrar, Hugh Amoore, and he said as far as he was aware it is still the original panelling that had been put in place by my dad," says Cameron. His father was a shop fitter/carpenter who did his trade in the Clyde shipyard in the UK in the 1930s. He fought for the British army in World War II, and emigrated to South Africa shortly afterwards. He worked for chartered architects Brimble and Briggs, who had the contract for the UCT panelling work, and Cameron Jr found a reference from the company commending his father for the skill and expertise with which the panelling was installed.

Jazz tenor saxophonist, Blue Note recording artist and winner of several Grammy Awards Joe Lovano presented a workshop at the SA College of Music in April. The 90-minute workshop, organised by Professor Mike Rossi for SACM, was presented to jazz studies students and staff. Lovano was a guest artist of the recent 14th Cape Town International Jazz Festival, performing with the Jack DeJohnette Trio. He began playing the alto saxophone at five, and switched to the tenor a few years later. By the time he turned 16, Lovano was a member of the Musician's Union, Local 4, and working professionally. He now travels the globe teaching and playing.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price welcomed over 200 alumni from the US and Canada to the Faculty of Health Sciences centenary gala dinner in New York on 31 March. The dinner capped a year-long programme of activities that commemorated the birth of Sub-Saharan Africa's first medical school on 6 June 1912. Price, who hosted the event, said the occasion was also an opportunity to laud the achievements of alumni who had "spread our reputation far and wide". Guest speakers included former vice-chancellor and Head of Medicine at UCT, Emeritus Professor Stuart Saunders, and 2011 MBChB graduate Dr Vuyane Mhlomi. The incumbent Dean, Professor Wim de Villiers, who is concluding his work in the US till he takes up his position at UCT in July, was introduced to guests.

Chris de Beer, a UCT electrical engineering doctoral student, has won the best paper award at a major international energy research conference. De Beer's research into the condition monitoring of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells won top honours at the annual IEEE International Conference on Industrial Technology in February. The paper, titled Degradation of High Temperature PEM Fuel Cells and the Impact on Electrical Performance, was authored by De Beer, and co-authored by his supervisors at UCT's Department of Electrical Engineering, Dr Paul Barendse and Professor Pragasen Pillay, and collaborators Brian Bullecks and Professor Ragunathan Rengaswamy of Texas Tech University, where De Beer spent seven months doing research and prototyping new test stations.

Source to sea: (From left) UCT's James Puttick, Sam Jack and Ian Durbach celebrate at the Orange River mouth, Atlantic Ocean, having completed their Senqu2Sea expedition, the first full-length ecological census of the river's vegetation and ecosystems. (Photo by Peter Jack.)

Researchers wrap up the first full-length ecological census of the !Gariep - also known as the Orange River, South Africa's longest waterway.

It was under cover of fog at 05h30 on 16 March, that three kayaks slipped quietly under the border control bridge linking Alexander Bay to Oranjemund, towards the roar of the Atlantic; 61 days and 2 125 km after embarking from Qacha's Nek in Lesotho, just downstream from the source of the !Gariep River - or the Senqu, as it's known in these parts. The UCT trio had finally completed the last chapter of their Senqu2Sea expedition, the first mega-transect of South Africa's longest waterway, an artery that weaves through Lesotho, forms the border with Namibia, and provides vital water for irrigation and hydro-electric power. On a sandspit at the mouth, the trio of Ian Durbach, Sam Jack and James Puttick were met by Jack's girlfriend and his father - with a magnum of champagne to cap their achievement, the first full-length ecological census of the river's vegetation and ecosystems. "And all that we'd grown so accustomed to had now come to an end," Jack noted in their blog.

Abundant data
A couple of weeks later, PhD student Puttick, recent MSc graduate Jack, and Durbach, a statistical sciences lecturer, are back on campus, slowly reintegrating into a society with "too many people and too many cars", as Puttick puts it, sporting some "pretty weird calluses" - and even more data. These will take some months to process: 61 diatom and water samples, one collected every 40km along the river; 53 isotope samples from the tributaries of the Senqu and !Gariep rivers; over 1 200 GPS locations of interest, including 500 water abstraction points - places where water is extracted for irrigation, mining or human consumption. The expedition was supported by UCT's Plant Conservation Unit, the Mazda Wildlife Vehicle Fund, and the National Research Foundation's South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON). The diatom samples are for a SAEON project led by Dr Jonathan Taylor at North West University. Roger Diamond, who leads an oxygen isotope project in UCT's Department of Geology, will study the water samples to get a picture of the different conditions in the tributaries' watersheds during rainfall events. The UCT trio also collected ornithological data from a host of sightings: Goliath Heron and Giant Kingfisher, and some 500 African Fish Eagle sightings. The water quality changed markedly along the length of the river, starting with opaque water, dense with silt, streaming in from scores of rivulets and tributaries in Lesotho - evidence of unchecked erosion. Numerous weirs along the South African stretch have their own effects on alien plant growth, as well as on fish populations and migrations. Closer to the Atlantic, diamond mining ramps up significantly, and mounds of stone, sand and debris were visible from the banks, prompting Jack's observation in their blog: "As ever, the search for balance between human and ecological needs goes on."

Photographic treasure chest
Puttick, who studies vegetation and climate change, has returned with a storehouse of photographs. They painstakingly document the river at two-kilometre intervals and from various elevations along its banks, capturing the surrounding landscape and its geology and flora. Each has a GPS position and will provide a good visual baseline for the effects of climate change. With little paddling experience before they set out (Jack had done some river guiding "years ago"), the journey was not without minor mishaps, the result of beguilingly-named rapids (Sjambok, Gamkab, Rollercoaster, Rocky Horror). But they met disaster only once, at a weir upstream of Orania, where Jack and Puttick's kayaks both sustained tail damage. As luck would have it, a local manufacturer of plastic water tanks sorted out the problem in his workshop and put the two back on the water. It was not the first or last time local hospitality helped them on their way. Paddling from the cooler highlands of Lesotho, temperatures soared to over 40°C at Augrabies, where their blog entry was headed: Hot Like Vindaloo. But the riverscape dictated the pace, and the simple life inventive (though Spartan) cuisine.

Naked nature
The trio were also privy to unusual sightings. Late one night they woke to thrashing sounds from the river. Torchlight revealed the heads of dozens of huge barbel, bunched together, mouths gaping open at the surface. "We'd seen this phenomenon at our camp below the Kum-Kum Falls, and had debated whether it might be some form of migration, perhaps to deeper water," said Durbach. "However, the aggressive splashing and herding formation in the direction of the shallows suggested some kind of pack-hunting strategy. Indeed, closer inspection revealed numerous smaller fish hiding in the shallowest water between rocks and pebbles." On another occasion they paddled up to a herd of gemsbok swimming across a channel in the river, only their heads and horns exposed. Unforgettable, too, was the guided tour of the Gariep Dam wall, by safety manager Joseph Alexander. After the trio had explained their mission to paddle the entire river, Alexander's entreaty was to become a mantra on long days of hard paddling into headwinds and other discomforts: "Guys, please - you must enjoy!" (Read more about their adventure at www.senqu2sea.wordpress.com.).