Lectures

Molecular techniques have revolutionised horse management and health and have provided practical solutions to complex problems in the various horse disciplines internationally. Molecular-based parentage verification systems were standardised internationally in the 1990s and are now widely applied in most horse breeds. These systems now include tests for genetic diseases and performance traits. More recently, molecular-based tests have been developed and internationally standardised through the World Organisation for Animal Health for certification of horses as free of various high-impact infectious diseases. The diagnostic accuracy and short processing time associated with these techniques has resulted in a significant reduction in quarantine periods required for international movement of horses, thereby facilitating international trade and competitions. Rapid implementation of appropriate molecular diagnostic testing systems has also contributed to increased efficiency in diagnosing and controlling high-impact transboundary horse diseases. This presentation provides an overview of molecular techniques routinely applied in horse health and management, focusing on South African issues, and highlights the benefits to the respective horse disciplines. The presentation further highlights how modern molecular techniques can provide solutions to develop next-generation vaccines for controlling devastating horse diseases.

Artificial Intelligence has had a major impact in the fourth industrial revolution and has been instrumental in finding scalable solutions to complex problems posed by the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. However, this has not been without challenges. As the adoption of artificial intelligence has grown, we find ourselves in the situation where artificial intelligence has moved out of computer science laboratories and is being used by non-experts. One of the challenges that has emerged as a result of this is the need of expert knowledge when designing artificial intelligence approaches to solve a problem. This has led to computer scientists working in artificial intelligence turning to artificial intelligence as a means of automating this design process in an attempt to make artificial intelligence more accessible to non-experts. The talk firstly provides an overview of artificial intelligence for sustainable development with a focus on innovation in industry, health and well-being and life-long learning. An overview of the design process involved in using artificial intelligence for sustainable development is then presented. The talk then looks at how artificial intelligence can be used to design artificial intelligence for sustainable development. Finally, we answer the question, can artificial intelligence create itself?

Child activists have moved themselves to the front of the environmental protection agenda, and through this they have made the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment a children’s rights issue. The arguments advanced by them (and by adults assisting them) is that they are more impacted by environmental harms and are also closer to (or part of) future generations. This lecture will explore the right and obligation to preserve the environment for future generations, within a broader framing of inter-generational equity.

Microbes (bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses) are the most diverse and numerically abundant entities on our planet. However, we know surprisingly little regarding the vast microbial universe within and beyond us. The past two decades of sequencing-enabled research have revealed remarkable insights regarding the diversity and functional attributes of microbial communities, yet we lack comparative insights regarding African microbiomes. This talk will explore the importance of microbiomes in maintaining human health, as well as the challenges of studying these invisible organisms. I will highlight the unique potential of Africa’s rich biodiversity for “unlocking the secrets of microbiomes” and understanding their roles in shaping our world. I will also discuss the urgent need for increased investment in microbiome research and technology development in Africa, to ensure that the continent remains at the forefront of scientific discovery in this rapidly evolving field.

Low-resourced languages pose an interesting challenge for machine learning algorithms, representation, data collection and accessibility of machine learning in general. For African languages this challenge is even more consequential as it also coincides with the challenges of shaping the current revolution in artificial intelligence with the global landscape. In this talk I present our research work over the past few years, on working to make sure that African-language as well as local-language tasks count when we talk about the fourth industrial revolution. The work covers new approaches in modelling, data collection and community building in order to create the perfect environment for creativity, innovation and archiving across South African languages and beyond.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) identified disease X as the next pandemic threat, a year before the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, which sparked the COVID-19 pandemic. The true impact of the pandemic over the past two years far exceeded our expectations, with >18 million excess deaths worldwide, as well as extensive pressure on healthcare systems and the global economy. Although the world is finally opening up again, the pandemic is not yet over, and further variants and waves can likely be expected. This will also not be the last pandemic that we experience in our lifetime. In this Expert Lecture we will delve into how novel viruses with pandemic potential emerge, the evolution of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic, and look at the potential causes of emergence of new variants. We argue that a One Health approach of genomic surveillance in humans and animals is needed, to detect novel viruses and variants, and to allow us to be more prepared for future events.