MAHLOGONOLO SELOI OBTAINS MASTER IN APPLIED CHEMISTRY
By Qhawekazi Memani 19 May 2022
Born in Mokopane, Limpopo, but raised in Atteridge, Pretoria, Mahlogonolo Mmaphuti Seloi on Monday, 16 May 2022, Seloi graduated with a master in applied chemistry from the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences.
The title of her thesis was “green synthesis of mixed amino acids capped TiS2 nanoparticles and their effect on antimicrobial activity”. The focus of the study was on using nanoparticles to inhibit the growth of bacteria. The proud Mokopane born graduate was supervised by: Professor Justice Moloto and co-supervisors: Dr Pierre Mubiayi & Dr Wesley Omwoya. “I am proud of myself for finishing my degree in record time despite the challenges endured during my studies and the global pandemic,” she said.
Ms Seloi shared that she struggled with funding in her first year of master’s even though she was a top student with a James Moir medal from the South Africa Chemical Institute and graduated cum laude for her B-Tech the previous year at VUT. She worked a part-time job to be able to pay for her fees for the first year and applied for National Research Funding (NRF) the following year. She only used NRF for her second and last year of her studies. “I was motivated to finish in record time to avoid struggling with funding again,” shared Ms Seloi.
Ms Seloi is currently working at BMI Coverland as a Central Quality Coordinator responsible for quality control in seven different plants across South Africa. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in business administration next and enrol for a PhD later in her life. Her words of encouragement to students are to work hard, never give up on their dreams and persevere through the hardships of being a student: “you shall reap the fruits of the seeds invested.”