By Andrea Lucinda Cole

The Rhodes University Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) held an invaluable two-day conference titled Building Bridges: Unleashing the Potential of Scholarship on September 13th and 14th. Hosted across various Barratt Lecture Hall venues, the event provided postgraduate students a platform to present and showcase their research abstracts — from Honours to Postdoctoral. The event also hosted the prestigious 3 Minute Thesis competition (3MT), where the top ten finalists competed for prizes, and the five most outstanding presenters were awarded for their concise and impactful research summaries.

The postgraduate conference has been a longstanding annual event since 2017. Opening the conference, Dr Nomakwezi Mzilikazi, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, Innovation, and Strategic Partnerships, stated, “The annual postgraduate conference has become a flagship event in the postgraduate calendar because it helps us to strengthen and to give meaning to our intention of being a postgraduate centric university.”

This year’s theme, Building Bridges, drew inspiration from the South African national elections held in May. “In light of the recent general election, which resulted in no clear winner and the subsequent formation of unity governments at both national and provincial levels, the postgraduate liaison committee chose a theme that emphasises the importance of building bridges, not only across political divides but also in various social and economic spheres where such unity is crucial,” said Professor Sybert Mutereko, the Director of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies.

He further states, “Academically, the theme underscores the need for collaboration across departments and faculties, fostering well-rounded researchers capable of addressing complex, global challenges.” Dr Mzilikazi emphasised the sentiment: “Rhodes University is trying to curate opportunities so that we can say that our way of doing research is the collaborative way.”

Dr. Boudina McConnachie, an Ethnomusicologist and Head of the Department of Music and Musicology at Rhodes University, delivered the keynote address. She emphasised the need to change how we approach research. “Traditionally, relationships between researchers and communities have been defined by a top-down approach, where communities are viewed as subjects and are studied rather than [viewed as] active partners of the research process,” she says. With a specific focus on science researchers, she reflected on how awareness and understanding of communities during fieldwork can be enhanced. Thus, she emphasised the importance of community-engaged research practices.

She continued to impart knowledge on the lessons she learnt throughout her research endeavours. “Transgressive learning involves moving beyond and questioning research boundaries. The goal is to empower communities and remember the significance of indigenous ways of knowing, creating, and existing in the world,” she affirms. In concluding remarks, she reiterates that all disciplines should embrace breaking [research] rules.

The afternoon continued with a packed schedule as students from all six faculties presented insightful research across various fields. Each student had 15 minutes to present their study and five minutes to answer questions. Professor Mutereko underscored the importance of the event, “Through this conference, we aim to provide our postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows with a platform to share their research and receive constructive feedback at various stages, from proposal to findings.” After presenting, students received a certificate for participation.

Delight Chaka, a Master’s student in Pharmacy, discussed the importance of CPGS events and noted that they have benefitted her postgraduate studies. “An event like this allows us to practise and stretch ourselves to the limits we want to reach,” she explains.

The conference was a space for imparting research wisdom and curated to offer students insight into the various resources Rhodes University provides. “We invited all departments that work closely with the postgraduate student body to showcase information that will make the life of a postgrad easier,” said Ms Siphokazi Mankayi, the Assistant to the Director of CPGS. The exhibitions on show were from the Health Care Centre, Postgraduate Funding, Global Engagement division, Rhodes University Community Engagement, and the Library, which contained information on research support, reference management software, and research data management.

Saturday kicked off bright and early with an opening speech from Professor Enocent Msindo, the Dean of the Humanities Faculty. He encouraged students to dream big, be consistent, stand up, and be counted. “We will learn from a variety or diversity of disciplines. Take advantage of it to broaden our knowledge and perspective. Take all the offers that CPGS gives us and maximise them.” he ended off.

A keynote address by Dr. Yusuf Motara, the Deputy Dean of Science, further developed the message introduced by Dr. McConnachie. Emphasising the theme again, he stated, “Building internal bridges for yourself should be a focus. It is complementary to the thought my colleague Dr McConnachie posed yesterday. One has internal thoughts and collaborates externally.” Furthermore, he discussed what makes excellent research. To aid students in building internal bridges, he shared common characteristics and behaviours with all great researchers: "Have a vision, copy a style, then read widely, learn everything, and observe reality.”

After a day filled with presentations, the top ten students from the 3MT competition were announced. They were:

• Munyaradzi Chiwundura
• Stacey Kundiona
• Lian May
• Tressia Chikodza
• Bridgette McMillan
• Mmaphefo Thwala
• Verona Davids
• Abongile Gotyana
• Anele Makhanjana Sibanda
• Emma Wasonga

“I have always been curious about the 3MT, but I never had the confidence,” Lian said enthusiastically. “But I challenged myself to do it, and when I submitted the video, I was not happy with it, but I went with it because I thought it was now or never. And to my surprise, I made the top 10.”

The students had to compete for a spot in the top three to get prizes. After deliberation, the judges, Dr Nkululeko Sibanda, Dr C  Simuja, and Ms Sisonke  Mawonga, announced the top five.

This year was the first time a social media award was given to students with the most engagement through their posts of their 3MT entry. In fifth place was Delight Chaka, with 328 likes and 167 comments. In fourth place, discounting her second-place ranking in the actual competition after the judges deliberated, was Verona Davids, with 485 likes and 64 comments.

The top three finalists (for the actual competition) were:

• 1st: Stacey Kundiona (Master’s in Pharmacy)
• 2nd: Verona Davids (Master’s in Education)
• 3rd: Lian May (Master’s in Political and International Studies)

The conference ended with a cocktail party celebrating the postgraduate community’s achievements. Professor Mutereko concluded, “This conference reinforces our status as a research-intensive university with a solid postgraduate trajectory and a thriving research culture.