A delegation of scientists from the Republic of South Africa visited the Marie Curie-Skłodowska University on 12-13 September.Representatives from the University of Zululand were Vice- Chancellor Prof Nokuthula Kunene, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering Prof Khoboso Lehloenya and Prof Jili Thulani. Nelson Mandela University was represented by the Director of the Centre for High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy Prof Jaco Oliver and Dr Zikhona Tywabi-Ngeva from the Faculty of Chemistry. The delegation also included Dr Sithole Makgamathe from the University of South Africa and Dr Mlungisi Nkosi - Head of the Tandetron Laboratory from iThemba LABs in Cape Town.
The programme of the visit included a meeting with the authorities of the UMCS represented by the Rector Prof. Radosław Dobrowolski, the Vice- Rector for Science and International Cooperation Prof. Wiesław I. Gruszecki and the Vice- Rector for Students and Quality of Education, Prof. Dorota Kolodyńska. During the meeting, opportunities for scientific cooperation in the field of new technologies and renewable energy sources were discussed. Joint research projects were also discussed. The cooperation with the Cape Town laboratory looks particularly promising. iThemba Labs is producing isotopic sources (22Na) used for materials research by positron annihilation at the UMCS Institute of Physics.
The talks also focused on cooperation in doctoral studies and on the possibilities and conditions for South African students to study in master's and bachelor's degree programmes at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. The teaching offer presented by Vice-Rector Prof. Dorota Kolodyńska aroused great interest among representatives of South African universities. Vice-Chancellor Prof Nokuthula Kunene and Dean of the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering Prof Khoboso Lehloenya made a presentation of the University of Zululand and outlined the scientific potential of the University.
The guests visited the Analytical and Programme Centre for Advanced Environmentally Friendly Technologies ECOTECH-COMPLEX. The centre's director, Prof Ryszard Naskręcki, gave a presentation of the centre. He pointed out possible areas of cooperation between science and business. A representative of Integrale IT, Mr Julian Kujawski, and scientists from the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Chemical Sciences of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University were present at the meeting. The discussion at ECOTECH-COMPLEX enabled the exchange of scientific experiences in the extraction, storage and use of hydrogen. Prof. Mariusz Krawiec - Head of the Department of Surface and Nanostructure Physics, Dr. Konrad Terpiłowski, Prof. UMCS - Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Prof. Wojciech Gac and Prof. Jaco Oliver shared their experiences.
On the following day, researchers from South Africa and the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Chemical Sciences participated in a Workshop where they were able to exchange scientific experiences in the field of nuclear solid-state research methods, materials research or accelerator techniques. The South African researchers also had the opportunity to visit the IF's scientific laboratories: the positron annihilation laboratory, the ARPES and the STM laboratory. The Institute of Chemical Sciences provided visitors with access to the microscopy labs and the Fibre Optics Technology Laboratory. A nice addition to the visit was the participation of the South African guests in the annual physics shows.
Author: Dr. Zbigniew Surowiec, Institute of Physics, UMCS
Photo: Bartosz Proll
