7th Annual DST/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (NIC) Workshop

This year the NIC Workshop took place at the Medical Research Council of South Africa
(MRC) in Cape Town from 25-26 January.

Delegates from Rhodes included Distinguished Professor Tebello Nyokong and Dr Sam
Khene (staff members);  Ms Muthumuni Managa, Ms Refilwe Matshitshe and Mr Marcell
Louzado (Doctoral students);  Ms Azole Sindelo and Ms Sivuyisiwe Mapukata (Masters
students);  Mr Yogesh Maurya and Mr Yuto Kage (exchange students from Japan).

All students from Rhodes presented at the Workshop and Doctoral student, Ms Muthumuni
Managa won 2nd prize for her oral presentation entitled “Development of Nanoconjugates of
Pluronic Silica Nanoparticles with Porphyrins for Photocatalysis”.

The DST/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (NIC) is a national facility. The facility was established in 2007 with the goals of undertaking and coordinating research activities.  DST/Mintek NIC, collaborative includes Rhodes University, University of Western Cape and the University of Johannesburg undertaking and coordinating research activities in sensors, biolabels and water respectively.
DST/Mintek NIC holds annual workshops where students from the three universities converge to present their current research work.