Network, Network, Network: Making professional friends is important for unlocking a world of opportunities for postgraduate students. It is like building a support network of experienced researchers, mentors and like-minded individuals – senior and fellow postgraduate students who can offer guidance, advice and connections. By expanding your professional circle, you are creating a powerful platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing and career advancement.

On 3 October, the North-West University (NWU) research support department and Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) hosted the postgraduate studies showcase (3MT and poster presentation finals) in Potchefstroom. The event brought together postgraduate students (MSc and PhD) from the NWU’s three campuses (Mafikeng, Vaal and Potchefstroom).

Judges and fellow postgraduate students who were not presenting went around engaging with those students presenting their posters. Judges were evaluating the ability to summarise one’s project in two minutes and one’s understanding of which sustainable development goals the project is addressing, and why. This experience encouraged clear understanding of the projects.

I presented a result chapter from my ongoing PhD project titled, Resilience of herbaceous community to disturbance: The importance of belowground bud bank and bud-bearing organs in an African savanna. This chapter is looking at the role of belowground bud bank traits in the ability of African savanna to absorb disturbance and remain functional.

The chapter aligns with SDG 15: Life on Land, which aims to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt biodiversity loss. By investigating the role of belowground bud banks in savanna resilience, this study contributes to understanding and addressing the challenges facing terrestrial ecosystems.