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“Wake up with determination every day and sleep with satisfaction, “advised Lebo: Masters in Chemistry Graduate
By Qhawekazi Memani 14 December 2021
Lebogang Mogole was born and bred in a township, of the West Rand called Munsieville.
She came to the Vaal University of Technology to study for BTech: Chemistry in 2017. A journey she narrates as positive, overall. “Even though things were tough at times, overwhelming and frustrating. I will forever be grateful for the experience, the wonderful and knowledgeable people that I met and lastly the conducive environment that promoted learning and prepared me for life.”
Lebogang graduated with a master’s degree in chemistry under the dissertation: ‘the incorporation of silver nanoparticles and eucalyptus oil onto electrospun hemp/PVA nanofibers and their antibacterial activity.’
The main aim of her research project was to develop antibacterial polymer fibres incorporated with silver nanoparticles and eucalyptus oil under the supervision of Prof M.J. Moloto, co-supervised by Dr. E.L Viljoen and Dr W.N Omwoyo.
“The world is continuously losing the battle against superbugs, bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Infectious diseases are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity, claiming about 15 million deaths per year worldwide. The antibiotic resistance crisis has been attributed to the overuse and misuse of these medications,” said Lebogang. The main aim of the project was to develop bio-degradable polymer fibres incorporated with silver nanoparticles and eucalyptus oil that can act as potential antibacterial agents using the electrospinning technique.
Feeling overwhelmed with excitement and joy, Lebogang shared that fear is starting to creep in as she is about to enter the job search market while South Africa’s unemployment rate is high.
With no kids as yet and not married, she was accompanied by her mom, dad and uncle who all expressed a feeling of excitement and Joy. “Everyone in my family is proud of me, as I am the first masters graduate in the family.”
“To everyone that aspires to be like me, please take this as a sign to follow your dreams no matter how difficult or challenging the journey might seem. Wake up with determination every day and sleep with satisfaction, “advised Lebo.
Lebogang plans to enrol for a Post Graduate Certification in Education (PGCE) next year to pursue her passion for teaching science as I would like to contribute positively to our Country’s education system.
Lebogang’s studies were funded by DAAD-NRF in country scholarship.
PUBLISHED ARTICLES
During her journey as a master’s student, Lebogang managed to publish two articles in peer reviewed journals. The first one was titled: Phytochemical screening, anti-oxidant activity and α-amylase inhibition study using different extracts of Eriobotrya japonica (HELIYON-D-20-02672R1). The second article was titled: Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using aqueous extract of Citrus sinensis peels and evaluation of their antibacterial efficacy, Journal of: Green Processing and Synthesis (doi.org/10.1515/gps-2021-0061).