Staff Members
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Head of Department: Chemical Engineering Technology
Name: Tebogo Mashifana
Location: JOB 4142 Doornfontein Campus
Department of Chemical Engineering Technology Staff, FEBE Heads of Departments Staff Members
Contact Details:
Tel: 011 559 6527
Email: tmashifana@uj.ac.za
About Prof Tebogo Mashifana
If promising teachers are recognised as being passionate, lively, insightful, willing to experiment and to risk then there can be no doubt that Prof Tebogo Mashifana perfectly encapsulates all these attributes. As a well-loved and highly respected teacher of Chemical Engineering Technology, she sums up her philosophy with the belief that “if we are reluctant to change, being irrelevant is inevitable”, so it comes as no surprise that, unlike many others, she views the Covid-19 pandemic as a unique opportunity, a transformational experience for both teachers and students. It is a disruption of unprecedented proportions that, in her words, “called for urgent adaption, transformation” and “for ways to improve our practices” and means that we can “never ever be … comfortable with … old ways of conducting teaching … Now more than ever, a student-centred approach to teaching based on care, must be applied in our virtual classrooms”. Tebogo’s classroom practice, especially in virtual classrooms, illustrates this belief in action. Therefore, in all her interactions with students, she is always mindful of students’ lived experience and the centrality of an empathetic yet critical approach. She takes care to validate their diverse experiences, exposes them to real world problems and offers a wide range of industry-linked opportunities for solving complex problems. Crucially, she makes extensive and innovative use of a range of technological tools and platforms including Zoom and WhatsApp, which ensures that her students are always active and engaged with materials and one another and that they have opportunities where interrogation and critique are encouraged. Tebogo also works hard to create inclusive learning opportunities where all voices are respected and heard. Congratulations, Tebogo and thank you for the contribution you have made to both your colleagues and your students so far. We are delighted to be giving you this award − you have already gained the respect and admiration of all who know and work with you and we have no doubt that this can only grow as you follow your transformational teaching path in future.
Research Interests
Circular Economy, solid waste beneficiation, wastewater treatment, waste to resource, resource recovery. Dr Mashifana’s research area is in solids wastes beneficiation to convert waste materials to value-added products and wastewater treatment. She has a great interest in developing sustainable, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and suitable solutions to convert waste materials to useful and value-added products. Prof Mashifana’s research also focuses on resource recovery from wastes, using waste to treat wastewater, and the application of 4IR technologies to solve environmental pollution problems. Prof Mashifana is working towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals 6, 12 and 13. She is registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa as a Professional Technologist
Biography
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57204640499 Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6129-8013 GoogleScholar: https://scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=fmxEoekAAAAJ&hl=en