Dr Ezette du Rand and PhD student Agil Katumanyane have earned awards from the L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science awards.
Pretoria, South Africa (17 December 2021) – Two women from the University of Pretoria (UP) have been awarded for their work at the L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science awards. The awards support young female scientists and reward scientific excellence.
The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programmes supports more than 250 talented young women researchers every year.
The two women representing UP are postdoctoral research fellow Dr Ezette du Rand from the university’s Department of Zoology and Entomology and PhD student Agil Katumanyane from the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI).
Dr Ezette du Rand
Dr Ezette du Rand won the Postdoctoral category in the L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science South African National Young Talents Programme 2021.
Dr du Rand’s research focuses on honeybees, specifically working with male honeybees. Her research looks at the molecules of honeybee seminal fluid. With that information, bee breeding can be improved. She shares details about her studies.
“We know very little about the molecules and the molecular-level mechanisms that govern the mating behaviour in honeybees,” Dr Du Rand explains. “My study is zooming in on the molecules in the male’s seminal fluid and their role in mating behaviour. By understanding the role of these molecular-level mechanisms, bee breeding practices can be improved, leading to healthier colonies that provide higher quality pollination services for both our natural ecosystem and global agriculture.”
Dr du Rand found her love of science when she was 18-years-old, but had no idea that she would end up working in the biochemistry field, even more so specialising in bees.
“As a student, I had rather narrow ideas about career paths in science, but I continued studying and followed the advice of career advisors. It was only after I had completed my honours degree that I started experiencing the freedom of thought that science brings.”
As part of winning the Postdoctoral award, Dr Du Rand will receive a research grant of R160 000. She plans to use it to visit the lab of Professor Boris Baer at the Centre for Integrated Bee Research in California, US. There Dr du Rand will be able to learn the techniques that they have fine-tuned for working with honeybee seminal fluid. These techniques are key to the successful completion of her project.
Dr du Rand hopes that her win will inspire other South African women in the sciences to reach for their dreams.
Agil Karumanyane
Agil Katumanyane received the Women in Science award for Sub-Saharan Africa Young Talents. She is a rising star in academia. She is a PhD student from Uganda who won the regional sub-Saharan award. Agil specialises in agricultural entomology and nematology. She recently defended her PhD project at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute.
“My research focused on the potential for the biological control of white grubs in South Africa, using locally isolated entomopathogenic nematodes [EPNs] – a group of nematodes also known as roundworms that cause the death of insects,” she explains.
“White grubs are the major insect pests of sugar cane, and are important establishment pests in wattle plantations in South Africa and Eswatini. I am looking at the mortality potential of different nematodes towards the different species of the most dominant white grubs in South Africa. Specific aspects that have been evaluated include the mortality potential of the nematodes, the lethal dosages required and the defence mechanisms that the white grubs have against the nematodes. Using EPNs to control insect pests will help to reduce the use of pesticides, which will positively contribute to environmental conservation. I have also described a new EPN from South Africa, which is the 12th one to be described from the country,” she said, adding that South African species make up to 12% of the described world species of the genus Steinernema, which highlights the diversity of EPNs in South Africa.
Agil took to science from a young age. She credits her curiosity and growing up on a farm that led her to the sciences.
“I am humbled to receive this award,” she says. “It does not only help to highlight the research that I am doing and its importance, but I believe it will also encourage other young women to get involved in science.”
Agil plans to use her award to help other young women in science. She hopes to mentor the next generation of scientific minds. She urges young female scientists to believe in themselves, seek out good mentors and have the confidence to participate in opportunities that present themselves.
Agil hopes to visit more laboratories in Africa that specialise in the biological control of insects and pests so she can bring some knowledge back to improve the current research in entomopathogenic nematodes at the University.
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