The Rhodes University community is saddened by the news of the passing of one of its honorary doctorate recipients, Mama Latozi Madosini Mphahleni. Mama Madosini was one of South Africa’s most celebrated artists, teachers, composers and storytellers.

Rhodes University commerce alumna Taryn Woodbridge has recently been appointed the first-ever woman Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Director: Finance and Controlling of Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA).

Storytelling and science may, at first glance, seem like strange bedfellows. Scientists usually share their research through academic journals and books or at academic conferences.

Rhodes University recently bade farewell to one of its longest-serving staff members, outgoing Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation Professor Peter Clayton.

Over the past 30 years, the Rhodes University Environmental Learning and Research Centre (ELRC) has created a plethora of scholarship on social innovation, environmental education, and the transformative potential of university and civil society partnerships.

Rhodes University School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) wrapped up its 50th-anniversary celebrations and awards last week.

Last week, at the Barratt lecture theatre, Rhodes University hosted a two-day Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)-Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (NIC) annual workshop.

South Africa is famous for its amazingly rich and diverse fossil record. The country’s rocks document more than 3.5 billion years of life on Earth: ancient forms of bacterial life, the emergence of life onto land, the evolution of seed-producing plants, reptiles, dinosaurs and mammals – and humanity.

On 21 November 2022, Rhodes University said goodbye to its retirees at a special tree planting celebration event hosted on the Barratt Theatre Complex’s lawns.

South Africa’s population is urbanising at a rapid pace. The sheer rate of change poses challenges to planning for sustainable and liveable cities.

Many universities expend vast sums of money to improve their place on the rankings. And they make strategic decisions that favour rankings placement over transformation.

Drug-resistant infections caused by the misuse of antibiotic treatments killed over 1.2 million people worldwide in 2019. Without global action, this silent pandemic is projected to lead to 10 million deaths every year by 2050. People living in low-to-middle-income countries with limited access to new and effective antibiotics will be most affected.

Writing a thesis is tough, but as many students can attest to, explaining it to the world can be just as difficult. Last week, the Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) hosted an awards ceremony for its internal #3MinuteThesis (#3MT) competition.

The police-catch-punish approach neglects to address plagiarists’ misunderstanding of what higher education is all about, says Sioux McKenna.

Durban theatre company, Empatheatre, performed its play ‘Lalela Ulwandle’ at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh on 14 November. The intention of the cast and crew was to place an ‘acupuncture point’ within COP27 decision-making and spark deeper consideration of grassroots coastal realities of the climate crisis.

This week, Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, warmly welcomed 81 new staff members to Rhodes University. The 81 staff members started at the University from January until October 2022.

On Sunday, 13 November 2022, citizens of Makana filled the Cathedral of St Michael and St George to experience the newly-formed Makana Community Orchestra's inaugural concert.

Through his recently awarded PhD degree, Dr Angelius Kanyanga Liveve demonstrates how the indigenisation of the science curriculum through drums and dance can make for a more holistic understanding of the subject for African school-going children.

Dr Seeprarani Rath, who recently graduated with her PhD degree at Rhodes University, has been awarded a prestigious Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto, Canada, to the value of approximately R800 000. Dr Rath, who submitted her doctoral thesis in 2019, was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Rhodes University Biopharmaceutics Research Institute (BRI) until recently.

No matter the circumstances and challenges, informal traders were able to parlay the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant into supporting and even in some cases, growing their businesses, write Senzelwe Mthembu, Sophie Plagerson, Laura Alfers, Mike Rogan and Lauren Graham.