Page 18 - Thetha Issue 6
P. 18

GRADUATION


            Maritime master’s a rich reward for successful

            juggling act


                 alancing work and academics     New Business Development       Economics), a BCom Economics
                 paid off for Mandela         Manager at the Transnet National   Honours in Financial Markets
            B University’s first graduate     Ports Authority, Nozipho Booi,    (University of Fort Hare) and a MA in
            in the newly introduced master’s   was not only the inaugural MPhil   Development Studies from Mandela
            degree in Maritime Studies.       in Maritime Studies recipient, but   Uni.
                                              managed to complete the two-year    “I am currently working within my
                                              programme in just one year!       dream area of focus, namely Business
                                                 Programme coordinator Roshin   Development in the Ports Authority
                                              Petersen says most of the students   space. The most exciting part is that I
                                              are permanently employed and      am continuously learning new things
                                              the pandemic placed enormous      and my leaders are some of the best
                                              psychological pressures on them.   sector specialists, who contribute
                                              In addition, many people lost their   to my knowledge and future growth
                                              loved ones and jobs during the    opportunities,” she says.
                                              pandemic.                           The programme is packed
                            Nozipho Booi         But Nozipho, 34, was determined   with relevant modules covering
                                              to explore the theory side of the   key maritime sub-sectors, and
                                              maritime sector, and forged ahead   students, many of whom are already
                                              with her studies. Her desire to expand   working in the sector, could engage
                                              a fundamental understanding of the   meaningfully on topics and foster
                                              different functions within the sector –   networking platforms for the future,
                 “I am currently              and how these could be harmonised   says Nozipho.
                 working within               – bore fruit.                     was introduced in 2020 and currently
                                                                                  The Maritime Studies programme
                                                 The hard-working academic
                  my dream ... “              holds a BCom (Management and      has 18 registered students.





            ADHD expert promotes PhDs in Pharmacy




                  ITAL research on Attention-  department, as co-promoter of
                  Deficit/Hyperactivity       Corné, a senior pharmacy lecturer
            V Disorder (ADHD) will            at the University of Limpopo, and
            expand knowledge on this          promoter of Judith’s studies.
            challenging condition, thanks to     ADHD is prevalent among two
            the tireless efforts of veteran   to four percent of young adults.
            academic Anneke Meyer.            Corné’s study on the prevalence and
               The 84-year-old Research       effect of past pharmacotherapy in
            Associate in Mandela Uni’s Drug   young adults indicated that ADHD
            Utilisation Research Unit (DURU) is   occurs in 30% of young adults treated
            Africa’s ADHD expert, and promoter   for substance abuse. Nicotine and
            and co-promoter of Corné Coetzee   cannabis use are significantly more
            and Judith Regnart.               prevalent among adults with ADHD.
               Prof Meyer specialises in      Persons with ADHD experimented          Prof Anneke Meyer
            neuropsychology and is a former   with and used a variety of substances.
            University of Port Elizabeth staff   Prof Meyer was an invited speaker   Prof Meyer holds a PhD in
            member.                           and Corné presented a paper on    psychology, and a combination
               ADHD and substance abuse       her research results at ICASA (The   of her background in biological
            was the research topic of both PhDs   International Collaboration on ADHD   sciences and psychology resulted in
            in Pharmacy, with the University’s   and Substance Abuse) in Sweden in   neuropsychology becoming her field
            Professor Ilse Truter, of the pharmacy   2017.                      of specialisation.


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