It’s that time of the year again when the annual National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Awards will recognise the excellence and outstanding contributions to South African science, engineering and technology and innovation.
Wits University is proud to announce that 12 of their scientists were nominated for the awards widely regarded as the ‘Science Oscars’. The 12 were nominated in categories including lifetime achievement, researcher and emerging researcher, management, engineering research capacity development, water research, data for research, special annual theme, and communications.
The NSTF-South 32 Research Awards are the largest, most comprehensive and sought-after national awards of their kind in South Africa. The Wits scientists nominated represent schools and disciplines across the university including biomedical engineering, geosciences, chemical engineering, pharmaceutical chemistry, physiotherapy, analytical chemistry, public health, microbiology, and evolutionary studies.
Proffesors Rayond Durrheim (geosciences), Andrew Forbes (physics), Michèle Ramsay (human genetics and director of the Sidney Brenner Institute of Molecular Bioscience) and Chrissie Rey (microbiology) were nominated for the Lifetime Achievement category. Commenting on his nomination, Durrheim said, “The earth is my laboratory, it is an awesome and beautiful planet, and we need to work even harder to keep it so.” Forbes added, “For me, it is important to know that what you do makes a difference.”
Ramsay commented, “We did not dream 30 years ago that we would ever be able to sequence whole genomes and at an affordable price.” Rey, who is also nominated in the 2020 Special Annual Theme Award for research and development and innovation in plant health said, “I would like to thank the NSTF for the recognition of my contribution to plant pathology, in particular efforts to find solutions to combat plant virus diseases through applied biotechnology innovations.”The awards will take place online due to the Covid 19 pandemic, on 30 July this year.
The full list of nominees is as follows:
- Abdul-Khaaliq Mohammed
- Prof Mark Collinson
- Prof Benita Olivier
- Prof Chrissie Rey
- Prof Christopher Henshilwood
- Prof Judith Kinnaird
- Prof Luke Chimuka
- Prof Michèle Ramsay
- Prof Michael Olawale Daramola;
- Prof Lisa C Du Toi
- Prof Raymond Durrheim
- Prof Andrew Forbes.
