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27/01/2025

Reasons to be Proud: #R2bP - Doctoral student in Chemistry Olwethu Poswayo has won the 2023 Global Challenges University Alliance (GCUA) 2030 award.

Nelson Mandela University’s news site (www.mandela.mandela.ac.za) featured more than 350 articles in 2024 with a total of more than 60 000 views worldwide of this site during the year. These include our very popular Reasons to be Proud for national and international achievements of our students and staff and opinion pieces. We feature some of our most popular stories with the highest number of views.

18/01/2024

First prize winner Olwethu Poswayo,  together with second and third prize winners Shaik Abdullah, and Michael Gräf.

Her project titled, “Optimization of utilization of biomass for production of bio-oil and its hydro-processing to produce quality biofuel” scooped the first prize of 3500 Euro.

She also won an all-expenses paid trip to Sweden to present a seminar on her research during the GCUA’s meeting from 30 January to 1 February at Haga Slott, Enköping, Sweden. To watch her video submission, click here.

The adjudicators commented the following about her research, “This high-quality research focuses on the important topic of combining algae and coal into coalgae composites, which can be a part of meeting the energy demand, protect the environment and can be further optimised to reduce the greenhouse gases.

“Ms Poswayo succeeds to effectively communicate the results in a clear way and explains very well how her research contributes to global sustainable development with a focus on SDG 7 –“Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” and SDG 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”.

The second prize went to Shaid Abdullah Nawabjan, from Hong Kong University and third prize to, Michael Gräf of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna.

Nelson Mandela University is an member of GCUA and encourages staff and students to participate in different GCUA activities.

To read more about the GCUA 2030 award 2023 follow this link.