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DUT IMPACT

DUT IMPACT

As of 18 July 2022, the Durban University of Technology (DUT) staff and students have physically returned to campus after the relaxation of the public health mandates and the COVID-19 restrictions. To get insight on getting back to the “new” normal, DUT’s Communications team Khethukuthula Xulu spoke to Professor Megandhren Govender,  Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at DUT.

 

Q: Kindly tell me about your role and the duration you have been at DUT?  

A: “I have been employed as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Steve Biko campus since 01 September 2015. I was promoted to full professor a year later.”

Q: How has it been like to physically return to campus after the relaxation of the COVID-19 restrictions? 

A: “The transition has been seamless in so far as teaching and research goes. I love being in front of a class and teaching mathematics in a meaningful way, ie., showing the relevance of math in the real world. I accomplish this by using demonstrations and animations whenever possible. In terms of research, I pretty much collaborate via ZOOM and email so that has remained unchanged. I welcome the idea of research workshops and conferences now being face-to-face. That is the perfect setting for the exchange of ideas and makes for an excellent creative space.”

Q: What are some of your coping mechanisms, helping you adapt to working/studying on site? 

A: “Lecturing and research serve as motivation and inspiration for me. I love imparting knowledge to students and at the same time I love learning new things especially higher mathematics and physics. I also find myself attending a ridiculous number of face-to-face meetings. I am still trying to figure out how to cope with these and it is a mystery for me to observe how content most people are at these prolonged meetings as if their lifespan was infinite.”

Q: What do you miss the most about working/studying online? 

A: “Lt me tell you what I don’t miss. I don’t miss the excessive number of online meetings which used to labour on for hours on end with very little being achieved. I am not a fan of meetings and I firmly believe that most things can be resolved or communicated via an email. I am very much part of the online space in terms of my lecturing. I run a parallel Teams lecture while I am physically in the lecture venue. This works beautifully as I have a recorded lesson at the end of each lecture which I can post to my Moodle classroom. My students get the best of both universes.”

Q: What is one thing that people do not know about you? 

A: “I love dancing.”

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time? 

A: “I spend most of my time thinking of the many mysteries of the universe and how I can explain these in a simple, transparent manner. I also love listening to 80’s music.”

Q: How do you plan to impact lives at DUT and its surrounding? 

A: “Mathematics has got to be the most feared subject on earth. It all comes down to how one teaches it. There is an art to making mathematics more accessible and understandable. Unfortunately, there is a tiny fragment of math teachers and mathematicians who can do this. I am not a mathematician but a theoretical physicist who works largely in applied mathematics, both in teaching and research. I use this unique vantage point to make mathematics appealing and cool. I hope to spread the idea that math can be cool and hip at DUT and beyond.”

Q: What is your daily motivation?  

A: “Being an awesome dad to my two children and a unique husband whom my wife can count on for infinite support and love. I think sometimes as academics; we seem to be so far removed from reality that we lose the human side.”

Q: What are your future goals at DUT

A: “I want to establish a research group in astrophysics and nonlinear phenomena.

In the near future, I would love to do one of my science shows: ‘Riddles in my Soup Mug’ for DUT staff and students.”

Q: If you were granted one wish, what would it be? 

A: “I wish that every child could go to bed every night with a smile on their face. This would mean that every child feels protected, appreciated and loved.”

 

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