April 2022 EDITION

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LETTER FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR

In-between long weekends and public holidays, April was an exceptionally short academic month, and yet, there is so much that we have achieved. Foremost in my mind is the recently held World Intellectual Property Day which is aimed at raising awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact our daily lives, it also celebrates creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the world.



LEARNERS ENCOURAGED TO BE RESOURCEFUL AND INNOVATIVE

Learners who attended the World Intellectual Property Day at the University of Mpumalanga's Mbombela Campus on 26 April 2022 were encouraged to have the edge by developing new ideas that will solve today's problems while building a successful and sustainable future.



BOOK ADDRESSES LAND AND AGRARIAN QUESTIONS IN AFRICA

The University of Mpumalanga Research Division hosted the launch of Rethinking the Land and Agrarian Questions in Africa, a book edited by Prof Vusi Gumede, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Development and Business Sciences, and Dr Toendepi Shonhe, former Postdoctoral Fellow at the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute.



VOICES FROM UMP’S FIRST LAW STUDENTS

In 2022 the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) introduced the Bachelor of Laws Degree, which sets out to prepare students for entry into legal practice, into a wide range of other careers that require the application of law, and for postgraduate studies in law.



ACID MINE DRAINAGE CONTRIBUTES TO SCARCITY OF FISH SPECIES

In February this year, an old coal mine in Mpumalanga drained an enormous amount of acidic water into the Wilge River, leading to devastating consequences for the river system and some of the fish species found therein. Senior lecturer and leader of the Rivers of Life Programme at the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) School of Biology and Environmental Sciences and an NRF rated researcher, Dr Gordon O’Brien looks at the effects of acid mine drainage.



ENHANCING ACADEMICS WITH LEARNING AND TEACHING SKILLS

The latest student satisfaction survey has indicated that transformed teaching and learning cultures improve student learning, which is another area that the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) strongly puts focus on: capacitating its academics through various initiatives and models of professional development, so that they are able to excel in their teaching and learning roles and responsibilities.



UMP STUDENTS LEARN HEALTH TOURISM IN AUSTRIA

Learning to adopt innovative approaches and ideas in the fields of health, fitness and wellbeing, and to integrate them in the leisure and tourism culture, is what two University of Mpumalanga (UMP) postgraduate students, Tabile Sikatele, and Vuyelwa Carol Magagula are grasping at the University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM in Styria, Austria.



E-LEARNING PROGRAMMES WILL REVOLUTIONISE EDUCATION

OPINION: Senior lecturer at the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Dr Mncedisi Bembe, is of the view that the introduction of e-learning programmes for grade 12 learners by the Mpumalanga Department of Education is a step in the right direction towards improving the quality of education, and will in future benefit both learners and teachers in the province.