Indigenous technology developed partly at UCT is helping leprosy patients in India, where a new 'tactile' or smart glove is being tested. The technology tracks pressure points on the palms and fingers and helps prevent injuries to hands and digits as a result of nerve damage and sensory loss. It is being tested at the Leprosy Mission Hospital in New Delhi, India. Read more...

John Critien always went over and above what was asked of him as Executive Director (ED) of UCT’s Properties and Services, ensuring that not only his department, but the university ran well. Paying tribute to Critien, who goes on early retirement at the end of this month, the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Max Price, said that the Property and Services ED had been responsible for many important developments at the university during his 13-year tenure. Read more...

Young children participating in studies on childhood bacterial pneumonia in future can expect to suffer less discomfort and indignity. This after the World Health Organisation (WHO) decided to change its recommendation after a study was completed at UCT. The study looked at the type of swabs that are used in the detection of one of the main causes of childhood bacterial pneumonia. Read more...

The Centre for Open Learning is is hosting the 64th annual Summer School programme at the University of Cape Town from Monday 20 to Friday 31 January 2014. This two week long programme remains the only programme of its kind in Africa. During this Summer School programme the University makes it possible for the general public to attend lectures and courses and to engage with world class lecturers, scholarship and research on a wide range of topics. Read more...

Mymoena Abrahams* is a solitary figure in the front row of chairs at Groote Schuur Hospital's Smoking Cessation Clinic. Swathed in a black headscarf, she sits upright, gripping her handbag tightly. Abrahams started smoking at 17; and 40 years later, she says she's quitting. "It's bad for my health," says the 57-year old from the Cape Flats, where tobacco use among the coloured population is the highest in the country - and in the world. Read more...

When the Dean of Humanities post was advertised at UCT some 10 years ago, Paula Ensor was deeply ambivalent about applying. But in the end she decided to do so, as morale in the faculty was low and the faculty had been through “torrid times” since its formation in 1999. Read more...