College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences
Expanding Unisa's research and innovation collaboration footprint
A delegation of Unisa staff members from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) and College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) visited Michigan State University (MSU) and the University of California-Davis (UCDavis) in the United States of America (USA) to explore further research and innovation collaborations.
Front row: Dr Aluwani Tagwi (CAES), Dr Damaris Choti (MSU), Prof Khanyi Mbatha (CGS), Prof Ntanga Mapholi (CAES) and Dr Sandiswa Figlan (CAES)
Middle row: Dr Sanah Nkadimeng (CAES), Dr Amanda Sebola (CAES), Dr Amy Jamison (AAP), Dr Jose Jackson-Malete (AAP) and AV Noma (DITTC)
Back row: Prof Linda Sibali (CAES), Dr Sal Sarelwe (CAES), Dr Leo Zulu (MSU), Dr Isaac Kalumbu (MSU), Prof Gerhard Prinsloo (CAES), Dr Rob Glew (MSU), Dr Upenyo (MSU), Dr Shawren Singh (CSET), Harry Bopape (DRS) and Dr Steve Hanson (MSU)
The delegation was led by Prof Ntanganedzeni Mapholi, Deputy Executive Dean of CAES, Prof Khanyisile Mbatha from the College of Graduate Studies (CGS) and Prof Gerhard Prinsloo from CAES. Ayanda Noma, Director of the Directorate of Innovation, Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, coordinated the visit.
The visit focused on expanding the scope of research activities under the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two institutions to focus on additional areas, including establishing the Unisa Experimental Farm, joint research projects, curriculum development and exploration of collective qualifications, and commercialisation and innovation.
The Unisa delegation was hosted by the Alliance for African Partnerships (AAP) at MSU, coordinated by Dr Jose Jackson-Malete. The AAP has been hosting student exchange delegations from Unisa since 2018, and this year's visit follows a discussion in 2022 dealing with expanding the scope of the research collaboration captured in the current MOU between the two institutions.
The Unisa delegation was officially welcomed by a high-level delegation led by Dr Steven Hanson, Vice-Provost and Dean for International Studies and Programs at MSU; Dr Rob Glew, Associate Dean of Academic Programs; and co-directors of the AAP, Dr Jose Jackson-Malete and Dr Amy Jamison.
In his welcome address, Dr Hanson highlighted MSU's history of partnering with institutions globally in the areas mentioned above and assured MSU of sincere interest in furthering collaboration with Unisa in the identified areas. The Unisa delegation, in turn, gave an overview presentation and identified the areas of interest for cooperation, which include renewable energy, genomics, environmental pollution, biomedicine, nanotechnology, extension services, technology transfer and possible models for the establishment of the experimental farm as envisaged by Unisa.
In addition, the Unisa delegation met with the MSU's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), led by the dean of the college, Dr Kelly Medendorp. The college expressed a keen interest in partnering with Unisa in the areas mentioned above.
The delegation members held individual discussions with researchers they had identified based on areas of shared research interest. From the reports received from members of the delegation, the objective of the visit will undoubtedly be met and more. Most members reported that plans were underway to work on research proposals, staff and student exchanges, and the use of MSU experts as external supervisors.
Prof Linda Sibali, Director of the School of Ecological and Human Sustainability, aligned all 17 professors in the school with potential research collaborators at MSU, and reports that the process is going well so far. The participants found the process extremely beneficial. Prof Singh, Chair of the Department of Information Systems at CSET, said: "My academic visit to Michigan State University has been an incredibly enriching and positive experience. I am grateful for the warm hospitality and the opportunity to engage with a vibrant academic community. I believe that the connections and knowledge gained during this visit will have a lasting impact on our institution's academic pursuits. I look forward to future collaborations and continued exchange of ideas between our institutions."
Members of the Unisa delegation visited the MSU Graduate School: Prof Shawren Singh (CSET), Prof Alex Kuvarega (CSET), Dr Pero Dagbovie (MSU), Dr Sanah Nkadimeng (CAES), Dr Jose Jackson-Malete (AAP), Prof Ntanga Mapholi (CAES), Dr Aluwani Tagwi (CAES), Prof Khanyisile Mbatha (CGS), Prof Gerhard Prinsloo (CAES) and Harry Bopape (DRS)
All the delegation members have submitted their plans, which have been collated and shared with AAP, and this will serve as a basis for monitoring the status of the collaboration between the two institutions.
Some of the delegation members preparing to enjoy a football match (Hlumela Kunene , Prof Alex Kuvarega and Prof Gerhard Prinsloo)
Despite their hectic schedule, which involved a lot of walking to various appointments at different locations on campus, the delegation members had the opportunity to participate in some cultural activities, including being treated to a dinner prepared by the only black smallholder farmer in the state of Michigan and attending an American football match.
#Unisa150
* By Ayanda Noma, Director: Directorate of Innovation, Technology Transfer and Commercialisation
Publish date: 2023/10/02
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