To UM System President Mun Choi
Written by Rodney J. Uphoff
March 1, 2024

For the past five years, I have provided you a report summarizing the activities and outputs of the UMSAEP for the prior year. As in past years, I reached out to all 2023 UMSAEP awardees as well as past awardees and requested updates on 2023 activities with an UMSAEP collaborator. I reached out to 128 UMSAEP participants and received a response from 78. I would note that some of the people did not respond because they left the UM System or UWC, retired, or passed away. Indeed, I know that at least 11 of the 128 have retired or left either the UM System or UWC. So this report only reflects the significant outputs of those responders still working for UWC or the UM System. I suspect a few of the non-responders are still involved in an active collaboration, but I believe I have captured most but probably not all of the 2023 outputs. Moreover, a significant number of the respondent’s specifically mentioned that it had been many years since they received an UMSAEP grant and no longer are in any contact with their former collaborator. So it is not surprising that they had no outputs to report. 

Publications 

UM System and UWC faculty reported two book chapters published in 2023 and six more accepted for publication. Two books to be published in 2024. 22 manuscripts or articles were published during 2023. 11 additional articles have been submitted for publication and were under review or revision. In addition, UMSAEP participants reported six manuscripts were in progress. 

Conference papers/ presentations

UMSAEP participants reported 14 international or national conference presentations. 

Grants

UM and UWC faculty reported submitting several grant applications that were not funded and several more that have been submitted and are under review. The following grants were awarded in 2023 based on their UMSAEP funded work: 

  • Marshall Keyster (UWC) received a Centre of Excellence in Food Security grant for 2023 - ZAR 277 196. This work package is related to the UMSAEP collaboration with co-PIs Mendoza-Cozatl and Heese (both from MU) and is a continuation of the initial joint Centre of Excellence in Food Security grant.
  • Keyster (UWC) received an industry-linked grant from GrainSA for 2023 - ZAR 452 236. This work package is also related to the UMSAEP collaboration with co-PIs Mendoza-Cozatl and Heese (both from MU). 
  • Keyster (UWC) and Ashwil Klein (UWC) received an industry-linked grant from GrainSA for 2023 - ZAR 993 408. This work package is also related to the UMSAEP collaboration with co-PIs Mendoza-Cozatl and Heese (both from MU) as well as with another UMSAEP collaborator, co-PI Walter Gassman.
  • Takalani Mulaudzi-Masuku (UWC) received a grant of ZAR 1,200,000 from the Water Research Commission related to her published work with Abe Koo (MU). 
  • Natasha Ross (UWC) received a grant of ZAR 90,000 from the National Research Foundation to work on a project in which Josh Peng (UMKC) is co-PI.
  • Verona Mathews (UWC) received a grant of ZAR 181,070 from the National Research Foundation to work with Iris Zachery (MU) to develop a skills and competencies framework on health data analytics.

Creating student research opportunities/capacity building

The UM System has played a major role in helping to build capacity at UWC since the inception of this partnership. This continued in 2023. 

  • MU's Xiaoqin Zou hosted UWC Ph.D. student Luke Zondagh in her lab. The project they worked on significantly advanced Mr. Zondagh’s Ph.D thesis and he is expecting to submit his thesis this month. In addition, other work done under Zou’s guidance is now continuing back in UWC’s Jacques Jobert’s lab and one Ph.D. student and one master's student are currently working on that project.
  • MU's David Mendoza-Cozatl co-supervised two of Marshall ‘s Keyster students: Mr. Kudzanayi Charidza, who earned his MSc degree in September 2023, and Ms. Lee-Ann Niekerk, who earned her Ph.D. in December 2023. In addition, Mendoza-Cozatl hosted two other of Keyster’s graduate students in his lab in fall 2023. 
  • Along with UWC DVC Jose Frantz, MU’s Laura Shopp co-advised Levona Johnson, a Ph.D. student who earned her doctorate last year in physiotherapy.
  • UMKC's John Kevern recruited a third UWC student, Evral Ntsa, to enroll in a Ph.D. program at UMKC under his supervision.
  • UMSL's Haiyan Cai hosted Rucia November, a UWC Ph.D. student who is working on her doctorate in sports science. Cai and UWC's Lloyd Leach are co-supervising Ms. November and expect her to complete her Ph.D. in several months.
  • MU's Ellen Wan and her UWC collaborator Riaan den Haan each had a master's student work on aspects of their UMSAEP funded project. Each earned a MSc last year based on that work.
  • UMKC's Josh Peng is co-supervising one of UWC’s Natasha Ross’s Ph.D. students. 

Special projects

MU's Katina Bitsicas and her collaborators UWC’s Cherith Sanger and MU’s Abby Blenk produced a powerful documentary, “Aliens from the Sky,” on the decriminalization of sex work. MU's Michelle Teti developed a training program entitled Photovoice Training for Researchers in South Africa. 

Faculty promotion/awards

UWC’s Marshall Keyster received the best mid-career researcher award at the University of the Western Cape. UWC’s Takalani Mulaudzi-Masuku was promoted to associate professor and credited her experience at MU in achieving that goal.

Conclusion

This report highlights the major outputs of the UMSAEP in 2023. Find that describe the broad range of UMSAEP-funded projects across a variety of academic disciplines.