29 Jan 2025

This lecture is a brief introduction into the latest scientific research on ketamine’s therapeutic potential, focusing on its unique mechanism of action, which differentiates it from traditional antidepressants. Clinical trials and studies demonstrating ketamine’s antidepressant effects, sometimes seen within hours of administration, will be discussed.

he panel discussion will include experts with clinical experience, as well as patients with lived experience. The therapeutic potential as well as the possibility of harm will be explored, with plenty of time for questions from participants.

This lecture will profile the work of people who have turned the tide on grand corruption
and ask how they did it. The lecture will also look at how corruption sucks the life out of countries, and suggest what can be done to prevent grand corruption from continuing in South Africa.

Meshing cobots with human teams by having robots work alongside humans can bring automation to manual labour-intensive tasks. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, automation technologies which are in the form of robots present developing economies with trade-offs between productivity gains and adverse employment impacts. To work alongside humans, robots need to understand the context of the job the person is undertaking. Is there a world where robots could significantly understand this context to do the job better than humans, ultimately taking over from humans completely?

This course look. at book collecting, whether it be a mere sidelight on one’s reading choices or a focused and specialized gem. Modern book collecting need not be expensive, nor does one’s collection need to be vast. Today collectors curate their collections in unusual or neglected areas and become ‘hunter-gatherers’ of their field. In turn they can develop unique knowledge and create a collection that can have value – both scholarly and financially – for the future and for others to share.

This course explores the complexities of Africa-China relations, one of the most significant developments in global affairs of the twenty-first century. First, the development and advancement of political ties will be discussed, second, the economic dimension of Africa-China ties and lastly, China’s growing security footprint on the African continent will be examined. This course will especially appeal to those interested in international relations, global affairs, global political economy, China’s foreign policy, China in the Global South, South-South cooperation and African development.

Craig Ray will discuss parts of the journey of Springbok rugby leading up to the current wave of success. He will unpack what defines leadership and success in a high performance environment with the South African Rugby Union Director of Rugby, Dave Wessels, and the DHL Stormers coach, John Dobson. Being successful is not only defined by what happens on the field on a Saturday. That is a fraction of what makes an elite sports team operate. Months and years of effort and planning are required to achieve results.

This lecture, directed at those with pacemakers, those who may or may not need a pacemaker, and doctors who must recognise the lethal slow heart rhythms that require a pacemaker. It will alert people to the symptoms which indicate the need to seek medical help. It will cover the structure and insertion of a pacemaker and the implications for its use. We will talk about the origins of pacing, pacing as a barometer of health care in South Africa, living with a pacemaker and some of the developments of pacing.

Composer Grant McLachlan has earned a reputation for turning conventional history of music on its head and encouraging audiences to experience concert-going in new and exciting ways, as will be done in this lecture-recital. Composers performed will include J.S. Bach, Joseph Haydn, John Tavener, Steve Reich, Arco Pärt, and Grant McLachlan. VOX Cape Town, conducted by John Woodland, is well known for its innovative approach to choral music. They will be joined by Lucia Di Blasio Scott on violin, Neil Robertson on flute and organ, and Grant McLachlan on piano.