This is the accessibility version designed specifically for users needing extra accessibility features.
Feel free to check out the original experience here.
The experience descriptions and guides are currently being displayed in English.
Unit for Language and Literature in the South African context
Tour stop audio transcript
Our first stop is at the Research unit for Languages and Literature in the South African context.
The language diversity of South Africa provides a rich backdrop to the research focus of the unit. The research comprises of three main areas of expertise.
The first is linguistics and literature in Afrikaans and Dutch, English, German, French and Setswana.
The second is applied linguistics, incorporating activities of the Centre of Academic and Professional Practice.
The third area of expertise is language technology, which includes research and development within the Centre for Text Technology, also known as CTexT®.
Africa unit for Trans disciplinary Health Research
Tour stop audio transcript
We are at the Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR.)
Research activities within AUTHeR specifically focus on bio-psycho-social health in the context of preventing illness and restoring, maintaining, promoting health and facilitating quality health systems.
The unit supports the World Health Organization's definition of health which states that "Optimal health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".
The transdisciplinary research team takes a holistic approach to problems and opportunities specific to Africa and developing countries where health is affected by HIV/AIDS, rapid urbanisation and where the empowerment of people and the development of human capital is high priority.
Trade and Development
Tour stop audio transcript
Our next stop is the niche research entity TRADE one of the three research entities within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
TRADE's research activities are geared towards export promotion and development – from identifying new and high-potential export opportunities for South Africa as well as other countries, to uncovering the keys to greater competitiveness and inward investment flows.
TRADE has an experienced and committed team of researchers who are well connected in government and business circles, and continuously stay abreast of local and international developments in their particular research areas.
Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society
Tour stop audio transcript
We are now at TREES: the tourism research in Economic and Environs and Society, also within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
This entity has established itself as a national and internationally recognized research group with a clear focus on economic, environmental and community research, covering five areas of expertise: economic impact and forecasting; social impact; event management, marketing; community beneficiation, and environmental impact which include hunting, ecotourism and game farm management.
This entity currently boasts 50 PhD's and their work is widely publicised in printed and electronic media.
Economic Management Sciences trail
Unit for Economic & Management Sciences
Tour stop audio transcript
Our next stop is the Unit for Economic and Management Sciences, also known as Workwell, out last stop within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
The emphasis of WorkWell is on research and postgraduate education in the field of the economic and management challenges facing South Africa in particular, and Africa in general.
The focus is on identification and development of policies, measures and methods to optimise the use of organisational resources such as information, people, finances and management, while maintaining a focus on issues of diversity and a developing economy.
Part of the mission of WorkWell is to provide interesting and rigorous research aimed at a broader scientific understanding of the world of people's work.
Environmental Sciences trail
Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Tour stop audio transcript
The Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management value-driven research programme has the broad aim of developing expertise and a fundamental understanding of how our natural world functions.
The Unit functions as a recognised Centre within the Faculty of Natural Sciences that is accredited by the NWU as a decentralised short course provider of potentially credit-bearing learning programmes.
The Centre support optimal utilisation of natural resources within the limitations of the resilience of ecosystems, and takes into account the environmental and financial implications of restoring or remediating sites or waterways that have been disturbed.
To ensure long-term relevance, the unit balances fundamental academic research with applied, market-orientated research, enabling industry and communities to benefit.
Main Building trail
Unit for Development in the South African Constitutional State
Tour stop audio transcript
Our next stop is the Unit for Development in the South African Constitutional State.
This Research Unit, located in the Faculty of Law, addresses developmental and legal challenges in South Africa.
The various projects in the unit deal with cutting-edge and cross-cutting issues pertaining to both the public and private sector, such as trade and development, land issues, poverty alleviation, environmental governance, the realisation of socio-economic rights, religion and culture.
South Africa functions within the context of the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and international law, and therefore several of the projects investigate this relationship. What makes the research unit unique is that its research projects all relate to government's priority service delivery areas.
Quality in Nursing & Midwifery trail
Quality in Nursing & Midwifery
Tour stop audio transcript
Our next stop is one of the newest research focus areas on campus. This focus area is known as Quality in Nursing and Midwifery – or INSINQ for short.
The mission of INSINQ is to improve the quality of nursing and midwifery through focused research to improve the health outcomes for individuals, families and communities, locally, regionally and internationally.
Vision: INSINQ will be recognised as the most prominent research entity in Nursing and Midwifery in the African region.
Lovers Lane trail
Centre for Human Metabonomics
Tour stop audio transcript
We are at the Centre for Human Metabonomics.
The mission of the Centre is to understand and improve, through our expertise in biochemistry, the quality of life in Africa. The CHM was established in 2007 as a centre of competence and is the only facility of its kind in Africa. At the CHM world class expertise and forefront technologies combine to challenge traditional research methodologies. Metabolomics is a holistic research approach that aims to characterize the global metabolic response in health and disease. Together with technologies like genomics and proteomics, it enables complete bio-analytical characterization of living organisms and helps to unlock disease mechanisms that have eluded scientists. This information drives new innovation and the CHM hasa proud history of commercialization of sophisticated diagnostic services.
Chemical Resource Benficiation
Tour stop audio transcript
We are now at the research Focus Area - Chemical Resource Benficiation in the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
The CRB focuses on adding sustainable value to the South African national mineral and chemical resource base and is geographically well positioned to do so, as the NWU is situated in two provinces (North-West and Gauteng) that are rich in metal and carbon-based resources.
The CRB entails the clustering of related chemical and chemical engineering disciplines to guarantee the competitive advantage of supplying the single largest South African business sector, namely the manufacturing industries, with research expertise and well-trained researchers.
Preclinical Platform trail
Pre Clinical Platform
Tour stop audio transcript
Welcome to the Pre-clinical platform.
The development of the pharmaceutical sector in South Africa forms part of the Bioeconomy Strategy of the Department of Science and Technology.
To promote drug development and manufacturing, a strong preclinical capability is required: both for development and registration of any therapeutic product.
This includes the production of pharmaceutical drugs, phyto-medicines and other botanically-derived medicines.
Because of existing research strategies, expertise and skills, infrastructure and its intention to comply with national and international standards, the Campus was selected to form part of the national Preclinical Drug Development Programme. The establishing of the DST National Preclinical Platform for small animals is also in process.
The Platform is meant to serve all researchers and companies involved in preclinical drug development in South Africa and hopefully internationally.
Centre of Excellence for Nutrition trail
Centre of Excellence for Nutrition
Tour stop audio transcript
We are now at the Centre of Excellence for Nutrition, or CEN as it is also known. This centre conducts training and research relevant to the prevailing nutritional problems in South Africa, the rest of Africa and also globally.
Their research approach "from molecules to society" enables them to contribute on all levels of nutrition-related health issues.
CEN has a diverse base of expertise, an extensive national and international network and a prominent international profile.
Medicine Usage in South Africa trail
Medicine Usage in South Africa
Tour stop audio transcript
We are now at Musa, or Medicine Usage in South Africa.
The Niche Area MUSA is located within the School of Pharmacy and developed out of the subject groups Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy.
MUSA's research and postgraduate training focus on the appropriate use of medicine by patients in the public and private health care sectors, including factors that may influence the usage of medicine positively and negatively. MUSA is the only research entity to focus on medicine usage and the financial aspects of medication treatment and health care delivery.
Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences trail
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Tour stop audio transcript
We are now at Pharmacen or the Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences
All aspects of the development of safe, efficacious and cost-effective drugs and dosage forms for the community are covered in the research of this unit.
Pharmacen has a vision that aspires to international eminence, while taking into account the goals of the North-west university, the country and important international bodies, such as the World Health Organization. Members in the unit serve on several International Expert Committees.
The work conducted by this unit spans all areas necessary for medicines development, including formulation, analytical science, product characterisation and product evaluation.
Center for Space Research trail
Centre for Space Research
Tour stop audio transcript
We are now at the Centre for Space Research, one of the three Centres for excellence on the Campus. The Centre operates in an environment that is growing in significance in South Africa.
The government has identified astronomy and its related observational infrastructure as of great importance to the country and has made several significant investments in the field like helping finance the Southern African Large Telescope, the H.E.S.S. gamma-ray telescope in Namibia and sucessfully bidding for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) was also established in 2010 with its mandate of deriving greater value from space science and technology for the benefit of South African society.
Physical Activity Sport and Recreation trail
Physical Activity Sport and Recreation
Tour stop audio transcript
We are at the research focus area: Physical Activity Sport and Recreation (PhASRec).
Research within PhASRec focus on the role of physical activity, sport and recreation in the improvement of motor development and health, prevention and treatment of chronic diseases and orthopaedic injuries, as well as the optimisation of high performance in sport. The results obtained from the research are applied in the training of Biokineticists, Kinderkineticists, Sport Scientists and Recreational managers.
PhASRec also trains local and international students for Master's and PhD degrees in Human Movements Sciences and related areas. Relations with international researchers are well established. PhASRec co-hosted the first Life Through Movement International Conference in 2012.
Musical Arts in SA trail
Musical Arts in SA: Resources & Application
Tour stop audio transcript
Our next stop is the research entity Musical Arts in South Africa: resources and Applications or MASARA, which is a Swahili female name meaning Joy.
This entity was founded in 2008 in the Faculty of Arts on the Potchefstroom Campus.
MASARA conducts socially and scientifically relevant research which addresses contemporary needs.
This entity focuses on selected music cultures in South Africa, with particular reference to Tswana and other local music cultures. The reason is a national awareness of the urgent need to integrate local cultures with education through music.
Consequently there is national and international interest in MASARA's agenda and output.
Unit for Energy Systems trail
Unit for Energy System
Tour stop audio transcript
We are now at the Unit for Energy Systems located…
The Faculty of Engineering seeks to be recognised as a centre of expertise and excellence for research in and development of energy systems to meet actual industry needs, while working towards maintaining a balance between basic and applied.
The research of The Unit for Energy Systems covers a strategically relevant spectrum of energy-related research in support of current global energy challenges.
One of the research projects that has recently made the headlines, is the solar energy project
Unit for Reformed Theology trail
Unit for Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Tour stop audio transcript
The Unit's mission is to make a Theological-scientific contribution to important debates in South Africa, especially those that relate to the explication of the Bible and its use in the development of the South African society. In this regard the aim is to contribute to and provide guidelines for a healthy and responsible society, and for the efficient functioning of Christians within the current South African society.
From a Reformed Theological perspective, the Unit strives towards impacting on the discourse of international theological matters and aspects that relate to the South African society.
Teaching Learning Organizations trail
Tour stop audio transcript
We are at the Research Unit for Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight) and the research focus area Self-Directed Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning for Higher Education. The Unit aims to bridge theory and practice and address and reflect with collective action on the challenges, effectiveness and productivity of transformation in education for democracy. Edu-HRight is involved in human rights in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious groups in different education levels The research encompasses the realisation and internationalisation of social justice and values in a diverse educational contexts.
The main focus of the focus area is the interplay between learning activities and respective technologies.
Tour stop audio transcript
We are at the Research Unit for Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight) and the research focus area Self-Directed Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning for Higher Education. The Unit aims to bridge theory and practice and address and reflect with collective action on the challenges, effectiveness and productivity of transformation in education for democracy. Edu-HRight is involved in human rights in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious groups in different education levels The research encompasses the realisation and internationalisation of social justice and values in a diverse educational contexts.
The main focus of the focus area is the interplay between learning activities and respective technologies.
Tour stop audio transcript
We are at the Research Unit for Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight) and the research focus area Self-Directed Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning for Higher Education. The Unit aims to bridge theory and practice and address and reflect with collective action on the challenges, effectiveness and productivity of transformation in education for democracy. Edu-HRight is involved in human rights in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious groups in different education levels The research encompasses the realisation and internationalisation of social justice and values in a diverse educational contexts.
The main focus of the focus area is the interplay between learning activities and respective technologies.
Tour stop audio transcript
We are at the Research Unit for Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight) and the research focus area Self-Directed Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning for Higher Education. The Unit aims to bridge theory and practice and address and reflect with collective action on the challenges, effectiveness and productivity of transformation in education for democracy. Edu-HRight is involved in human rights in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious groups in different education levels The research encompasses the realisation and internationalisation of social justice and values in a diverse educational contexts.
The main focus of the focus area is the interplay between learning activities and respective technologies.
Teaching Learning Organizations
Tour stop audio transcript
We are at the Research Unit for Education and Human Rights in Diversity (Edu-HRight) and the research focus area Self-Directed Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning for Higher Education. The Unit aims to bridge theory and practice and address and reflect with collective action on the challenges, effectiveness and productivity of transformation in education for democracy. Edu-HRight is involved in human rights in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious groups in different education levels The research encompasses the realisation and internationalisation of social justice and values in a diverse educational contexts.
The main focus of the focus area is the interplay between learning activities and respective technologies.
