Challenge accepted: bringing a science paper to life through video
- Wits University
Professor Lee Berger accepts a challenge in science communications to turn a science paper into an interesting video lecture.
One of the greatest challenges facing academics and students at this point in history is how to create interesting video content for classes, presentations and online teaching. As part of the series on palaeontology, Lee Berger accepted a challenge from Science Communication officers to create a video from a science paper that at first glance, did not seem to be easily translated into a video lecture and then to take us behind the scenes on this thought processes in the creation of such a video. Lee accepted the challenge and produce a useful video on how to translate any scientific paper into an interesting video lecture. Here he takes us behind the camera while he produces “The Killer Cats of Gladysvale”.
PhD student’s study on the state of magma in crustal reservoirs published in Nature Communications
- Wits University
The study challenges a recently-emerged paradigm that magma chambers are huge masses of crystals with just a very small amount of melt.
Working alongside his PhD supervisor, Professor Rais Latypov, from the Wits School of Geosciences, Kruger’s paper shows that basaltic magma chambers may develop as large bodies ofcrystal-free melts in the Earth’s crust. This study challenges a recently-emerged paradigm that magma chambers are huge masses of crystal-rich mush – in other words, crystals with just a very small amount of melt.
Attempts to understand the processes that operate in magma chambers in our planet’s crust is incredibly challenging as they are hidden from direct observations. Geologists must follow an indirect approach to study these features, such as examining their ancient fossilised remains that are exposed on Earth’s surface after millions of years of erosion.
To examine the state of magma within a chamber is very demanding, as it requires the study of the very contact between the crystallising margins of magma bodies (also called solidification fronts) and their liquid interiors.
Difficulties in understanding the behaviour of solidification fronts can fortunately be overcome by studying a particularly fascinating rock type, called massive magnetitite, from the Bushveld Complex in South Africa.
“Magnetitite contains chromium that is an extremely sensitive indicator of magma chamber processes and can be used to study solidification fronts in extreme detail,” says Kruger.
“By mapping the distribution of chromium in magnetitite in the field we can observe the two-dimensional propagation patterns of solidification fronts on a scale never done before.”
Kruger and Latypov found that all evolved liquid is effectively removed from the solidification front of magnetitite as it propagates towards the chamber interior. “This is because of extremely effective compositional convection that occurs during the crystallisation of magnetite. The process results in the solidification front to propagate as almost a completely solid surface.” says Latypov.
This research shows that such powerful compositional convection may inhibit the formation of crystal-rich mushes in basaltic magma chambers.
There are many reasons to believe that this process is not unique to magnetitite layers of the Bushveld Complex but will likely operate in other rock types as well, for instance, in the Bushveld’s economically important chromitite layers.
“Our results thus argue for the existence of large, liquid-dominated magma chambers hidden within the Earth’s crust,” says Kruger.
The first Covid-19 vaccine trial in South Africa begins
- Wits University
The first participants in South Africa's first clinical trial for a vaccine against Covid-19 will be vaccinated this week.
The first clinical trial in South Africa and on the continent for a Covid-19 vaccine was announced today, 23 June 2020, at a virtual press conference hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits).
To watch the full Zoom recording of the press conference, click here and enter the password: 5n?p3Z*?
In South Africa, at least 80,000 people have already been diagnosed with Covid-19 and more than 1,674 have died from Covid-19 since March, when the President declared a state of disaster and national lockdown.
By 17 June 2020, South Africa (population: 59 million) contributed to 30% of all diagnosed Covid-19 cases and 23% of all Covid-19 deaths on the African continent (population: 1.34 billion). These statistics emphasise the urgent need for prevention of Covid-19 on the continent.
Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology at Wits University and Director of the South Africa Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA), leads the South African Ox1Cov-19 Vaccine VIDA-Trial.
Wits University is collaborating with the University of Oxford and the Oxford Jenner Institute on the South African trial.
“This is a landmark moment for South Africa and Africa at this stage of the Covid-19 pandemic. As we enter winter in South Africa and pressure increases on public hospitals, now more than ever we need a vaccine to prevent infection by Covid-19,” said Madhi at the launch of the South African Ox1Cov-19 Vaccine VIDA-Trial, which is being run at multiple sites in South Africa.
“We began screening participants for the South African Oxford 1 Covid-19 vaccine trial last week and the first participants will be vaccinated this week,” says Madhi, who is also the National Research Foundation/Department of Science and Innovation SARChI (South African Research Chairs Initiative) Chair in Vaccine Preventable Diseases, based at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice Principal and Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research and Postgraduate Affairs at the Wits University, who facilitated the virtual press conference, said: “Wits University identified vaccinology as a key institutional flagship project in 2016. Vaccines are amongst the most powerful tools to mitigate life-threatening diseases. Without a vaccine against Covid-19, there will likely be ongoing contagion, causing severe illness and death. Wits is committed to developing a vaccine to save lives in collaboration with the University of Oxford.”
Prior to launch, the South African study was subject to rigorous review and has been approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of the Witwatersrand.
Furthermore, after eliciting and considering public comment, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) approved import of the investigational vaccine for use in the trial.
South African participation in international trials
The vaccine is already being evaluated in a large clinical trial in the UK where more than 4,000 participants have already been enrolled. In addition to the South African study, similar and related studies are about to start in Brazil. An even larger study of the same vaccine of up to 30,000 participants is planned in the USA.
“It is essential that vaccine studies are performed in southern hemisphere countries, including in the African region, concurrently with studies in northern hemisphere countries,” says Professor Helen Rees, Chair of SAHPRA and Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI).
“This allows evaluation of the efficacy and safety of candidate vaccines to be assessed in a global context, failing which the introduction of many life-saving vaccines into public immunization programmes for low-middle income countries frequently lags behind those in high-income countries.”
Rees also co-directs the Wits African Leadership in Vaccinology Excellence (ALIVE) flagship programme and is engaged in global discussions with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization to ensure equitable access for all countries, including those in Africa, should a successful vaccine be developed.
About the South African vaccine on trial
The technical name of the vaccine is ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, as it is made from a virus called ChAdOx1, which is a weakened and non-replicating version of a common cold virus (adenovirus). The vaccine has been engineered to express the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
The vaccine was developed at the Oxford Jenner Institute and is currently on trial in the UK, where over 4,000 participants are already enrolled into the clinical trial and enrolment of an additional 10, 000 participants is planned.
The vaccine being used in the South African trial is the same as that being used in the UK and Brazil.
The vaccine was made by adding genetic material – called spike glycoprotein – that is expressed on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 to the ChAdOx1 virus.
This spike glycoprotein is usually found on the surface of the novel coronavirus and is what gives the coronavirus its distinct spiky appearance.
These spikes play an essential role in laying a path for infection by the coronavirus. The virus that causes Covid-19 uses this spike protein to bind to ACE2 receptors on human cells.
ACE2 is a protein on the surface of many cell types. It is an enzyme that generates small proteins that then go on to regulate functions in the cell. In this way, the virus gains entry to the cells in the human body and causes Covid-19 infection.
Researchers have shown that antibodies produced against sections of the spike protein after natural infection are able to neutralize (kill) the virus when tested in the laboratory.
By vaccinating volunteers with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, scientists hope to make the human body recognise and develop an immune response (i.e., develop antibodies) to the spike glycoprotein that will help stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering human cells and causing Covid-19.
Local application of a global response
In addition to the more than 4,000 people already vaccinated in the UK with the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, other vaccines made from the ChAdOx1 virus have also been given to more than 320 people to date. These vaccines have been shown to be safe and well-tolerated, although they can cause temporary side effects, such as a temperature, headache or a sore arm.
There are currently over 100 candidate Covid vaccines in development around the world and many of South Africa’s best vaccine research institutions will soon be involved in a range of vaccine studies evaluating other types of potential Covid vaccines.
“As the world rallies to find health solutions, a South African endeavour for the development of an effective Covid-19 vaccine is testament to our commitment of supporting healthcare innovation to save lives,” says Professor Glenda Gray, President and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council.
Dr Sandile Buthelezi, the Director General of Health in the National Department of Health, said: “The National Department of Health is excited at the launch of this vaccine trial, which will go a long way to cement South Africa's leadership in the scientific space. With Covid-19 infections increasing every day, the development of the vaccine will be the last solution in the long term, and we are fully behind the team leading this trial.”
Top nuclear physicist to lead Wits
- Wits University
Professor Zeblon Vilakazi appointed as the Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal from 1 January 2021
The Council of the University of the Witwatersrand today announced the appointment of Professor Zeblon Vilakazi as the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University from 1 January 2021. He takes the reins from Professor Adam Habib who leaves Wits at the end of the year to lead the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
Professor Vilakazi is the current Vice-Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Postgraduate Studies at Wits. Under his leadership, Wits’ research output has more than doubled, with the University increasingly producing more research with impact. He is widely published (325 papers) and highly cited with an h-index of 70.
“Professor Zeblon Vilakazi is the epitome of a world-class researcher who is globally recognised for his scientific work, and for his contribution towards developing higher education in Africa. He is a truly talented individual who is an inspiring exemplar for all Africans,” says Mr Isaac Shongwe, Chairperson of the Wits Council, the highest decision-making body of the University. “We are confident that Professor Vilakazi will ably lead Wits to its centenary in 2022 and beyond, steward a new vision for the academy, and reinvigorate the academic project in a higher education context that is rapidly changing.”
“It is an honour for me to have been appointed to this prestigious position,” says Professor Vilakazi. “I am committed to working with my esteemed colleagues, fellow academics and smart, savvy students to create new knowledge, and to develop the high level skills required to move South Africa, and our economy forward. We also need to continue to develop the originators, innovators and critical thinkers who can help us solve the problems of the 21st Century.”
Professor Zeblon Zenzele Vilakazi joined Wits in January 2014 as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Postgraduate Affairs and was promoted to the position of Vice-Principal in April 2020.
He has served as the Group Executive for Research and Development at the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA) and as the Director of iThemba LABS.
Born in Katlehong, a township located on the East Rand, Professor Vilakazi obtained his PhD from Wits 1998.
He was one of the first students from Africa to conduct PhD research at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. This was followed by a National Research Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at CERN.
Upon his return to South Africa he lectured at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where he was instrumental in establishing South Africa’s first experimental high-energy physics research group focusing on the development of the High-level Trigger for the CERN-ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider.
Under his leadership, Vilakazi enabled the University to achieve its strategic objective of creating an enabling environment for a research-intensive and postgraduate-oriented university. This includes achieving one of the fastest growth rates in subsidy research outputs and the doubling of research income. He increased the number of postgraduate students to realise the University’s vision of becoming a research-intensive African university.
His international profile opened opportunities to serve as a visiting scientist at the Atomic Energy Commission and Alternative Energy in Saclay, France. Professor Vilakazi served as chairperson of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Standing Advisory Committee on Nuclear Applications from 2009 to 2011.
He also served as a member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics’ Working Group for Nuclear Physics.
In 2010, Professor Vilakazi was nominated by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader.
He is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.
Professor Vilakazi is currently a member of the Programme Advisory Committee for Nuclear Physics at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia.
Wits students showcase South African electronics research at top international workshop
- Wits University
ACES 2020 ATLAS CMS Electronics is the state-of-the-art international electronics conference for Large Hadron Collider LHC upgrades at CERN.
ACES 2020 (ATLAS CMS Electronics) is the state-of-the-art international electronics conference for Large Hadron Collider (LHC) upgrades at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), where the LHC – the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator – is housed.
The conference was scheduled to take place at CERN on March 17, 2020 – March 19, 2020. Due to the safety restrictions linked to the COVID-19 virus spread, the scheduled dates was postponed to May 26, 2020 – May 28, 2020. Despite these challenges, the three students from Wits University continued to work during the pandemic period to present their work to the conference.
The ACES conference is dedicated to electronic issues for upgrades, focusing on subjects where common features or developments are taking place. The three Wits students are doing their research work for the upgrade of the Tile Calorimeter of the ATLAS Detector at CERN.
Edward Nkadimeng (PhD) and Ryan McKenzie (MSc) presented their work about the reliability testing and the upgrade of Low Voltage Power Supplies (LVPS), which is used to power the future on-detector electronics of the Tile Hadronic Calorimeter.
“We present two test-station designs for testing the latest version of a switch-mode power supply for the front-end electronics of the ATLAS TileCal,” says Nkadimeng.
“The new test station significantly improves fault detection and reliability. We further discuss the steps taken to test the new Tile-LVPS, using a custom-based software to perform tests and graphically display and record all performance metrics.”
Ryan McKenzie says these bricks function to step-down bulk 200V DC current to the 10V DC current required by the front-end electronics of a TileCal module and are exposed to high levels of radiation as well as a strong magnetic field due to the operating environment within the ATLAS detector.
Mpho Gift Doctor Gololo (PhD) presented about the Tile PreProcessor (Tile PPr) for the Phase-II Upgrade of the readout electronics, which is part of the off-detector electronics of the Tile Hadronic Calorimeter and it is used to process data at a throughput of 40 Tbps.
“The Tile Computer on Module (TileCoM) mezzanine board is an FPGA board that is used to remotely configure the on and off-detector electronics as well as to interface ATLAS DCS data to the Tile PreProcessor. This contribution presents the deployment of an embedded Linux, development of firmware and software on the ZYNQ System-on-Chip (SoC),” says Gololo.
“We are proud that our students were able to continue performing at the highest, world-class level, during these trying times,” says Professor Bruce Mellado, Director of the ICPP.
The SA-CERN program is supported by the Department of Science and Innovation and it is hosted by iThemba LABS of the National Research Foundation.
Kruger and Latypov found that all evolved liquid is effectively removed from the solidification front of magnetitite as it propagates towards the chamber interior. “This is because of extremely effective compositional convection that occurs during the crystallisation of magnetite. The process results in the solidification front to propagate as almost a completely solid surface.” says Latypov.
ACES 2020
Edward Nkadimeng (PhD) and Ryan McKenzie (MSc) presented their work about the 
Mpho Gift Doctor Gololo (PhD) presented about the