UP Zoology doctoral candidate Tedson Nkoana chats to Tukkievaria about his twin passions and his hopes for the future.

In 2020, University of Pretoria (UP) Zoology doctoral candidate Tedson Nkoana saw his two passions – bats and education – merge when he started working for UP’s Centre for Viral Zoonoses and later joined the Future Africa Institute.

“I feel humbled and privileged to be doing what I love at the Future Africa Institute,” said Nkoana, who is a community engagement officer for the Research Chair on Health, People and Places (One Health). “I work with communities to create awareness and advocacy for zoonotic diseases in the context of One Health. One Health is a way to improve the connective health of animals, plants, people and the environment by bringing all relevant stakeholders together to come up with sustainable solutions.

“We do bat pathogen research in areas around Gauteng and rural parts of Limpopo. In addition to research, it is important to educate communities about the importance of bats and other wildlife, and how to avoid exposure to pathogens, which may cause harm.”

The awakening of his interests began in 2015.

“In 2015, I enrolled for an honours degree in Zoology at the University of Johannesburg and worked on a bat project,” Nkoana said. “A year later, I took an internship with an organisation that works with bats, and that is where I fell in love with these often-misunderstood animals.”

In 2017, he started a Master of Science degree in Wildlife Management, which again involved working on a bat project, but he had to extend his final year as he would not have been able to complete it – a move that bore unexpected fruits.

“I ended up taking an internship at the National Zoological Garden as an environmental educator to cover my fees,” he recalled. “Little did I know that I would fall in love with educating people about the environment, so I made sure to integrate my passion for bats into that.”

Nkoana and his team also work with schools to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, and encourage youth to enter science spaces because of the numerous work opportunities expected in the future. They demonstrate this with robotics and coding, skills that are critical in the fourth industrial revolution.

“The community needs are broad and we recognise that,” Nkoana said. “That is why we work with NGOs to address important gaps in food nutrition education and mother-to-child nutrition training, and offer outreach support to creches.”

As for the future, he has this to say: “I would like to complete my PhD, and grow in my position to start working on bigger projects that have more impact in communities. I am especially interested in assisting youth, in terms of access to knowledge and opportunities for empowerment and future work.”

He is grateful to everyone who helped him along his journey thus far.

“My boss, Prof Wanda Markotter, thank you for creating an environment that allowed me to progress in work and education. I am also grateful to my MSc supervisor, Dr Mark Keith, for pushing me to be the best I can be; my former boss at the National Zoological Garden, Ulrich Oberprieler, for allowing me to be creative in my job; and my friend Dr Low de Vries, just for being a wonderful person.