B360 Experts Share Knowledge and Experience with NUST Students

Six Swiss-based industry experts undertook volunteer guest lecturing assignments at NUST during the first semester of 2023, as the B360 Sending South Programme continued its legacy of sharing know-how and skills transfer between European professionals and undergraduate students in Namibia.

Jeffrey Matthews and Marc Buser arrived in Namibia in February 2023, kicking off the volunteer lecturing assignments organized by B360 Education Partnerships for the year. Matthews and Buser, both employees of Swiss multinational healthcare company, Roche, visited NUST’s Faculty of Health, Natural Resources and Applied Sciences, where they taught senior Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) students.

Matthews and Buser delivered B360’s Career Starter Week during the first week of their assignment to experience at NUST, the two B360 experts pointed to the connections they formed with Namibian students and seeing these very individuals grow and development over a very short period of time as the highlight of their trip. “It was amazing to see how quickly they grasped new concepts and applied them in creative ways,” Buser said.

Next to arrive on Namibian shores from central Europe were Prof Corrinne Gantenbein and Dr Susanne Pfenninger. Dr Gantenbein, a Food Microbiologist at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, lead microbiology laboratory practicals for 3rd year students. Dr Pfenninger is the Head of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance at Emmi Schwiez AG, the leading manufacturer of dairy products in Switzerland. Dr Pfenninger also taught Health Sciences students in NUST’s Faculty of Health, Natural Resources and Applied Sciences.

Both Prof Gantenbeing and Dr Pfenninger have visited NUST before and had become well acquainted with the staff in the Department of Health Sciences and the International Relations Unit at the institution. They have also had previous exposure to Namibian students, and the lure of working with eager, intelligent and inquisitive African youth proved irresistible. “It was very enriching to have the opportunity to pass on a small portion of my professional experience to young people who have the future ahead of them,” Dr Pfenninger said. Prof Gantenbein shared similar sentiments when asked about her visit to NUST. “I was impressed by their passion for education and their determination to succeed. It was inspiring to see how much they valued educations as a means to improve their lives and the lives of their families,” she said.

Mirembe Izagiire-Waccholz visited NUST from late February 2023 through to the middle of March 2023. Being the Head of Roche’s Diabetes Care Global Supply Chain Improvement Programme, Izagiire-Waccholz visited NUST’s Faculty of Commerce, Human Sciences and Education. She taught students enrolled in the Logistics and Supply Chain Management programmes at the institution. Amongst other topics, she taught Procurement Management and Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management. During her first week at NUST she also assisted Matthews and Buser on the delivery of the Career Starter Week.

“I have had an incredibly enriching experience in Namibia in general and in particular at NUST,” Izagiire-Waccholz said of her trip. She added that the engagement with students and lecturers created for a new dimension in work-related travel that she had not experienced previously. “The staff in the Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management programme are excellent, I think the students are lucky to have such knowledgeable and dedicated individuals at their disposal,” she said.

The last B360 Expert to arrive at NUST for the 2023 first semester was Dr Marcus Schuppler, who taught Medical Microbiology to students in the Health Sciences Department. A lecturer in Microbiology at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), Dr Schuppler had visited NUST on numerous occaisaions in the past. In fact, Dr Schuppler delivered remote, online lectures to NUST students during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when international travel was restricted. “It was very exciting to have another in-person teaching assignment at NUST, following the virtual teaching during the Covid pandemic,” Dr Schuppler said.

Noting the growth student enrolment in the Medical Laboratory Science programme at NUST, Dr Schuppler emphasized the support, commitment and dedication of the academic and administrative staff in that Department to ensuring the success of his lecturing assignment. “The positive feedback form the local staff on the impact of my assignment has been very rewarding and hugely encouraging, and I am happy that my efforts will positively impact the education of their students,” he said.

The six B360 experts taught for a total of 15 weeks at NUST and reached well over 300 students during this time. To date well over 120 Swiss-based industry experts have undertaken volunteer lecturing assignments to NUST under the B360 Sending South Programme since its inceptionin 2009. This initiative is therefore a significant contributor to the skills and knowledge transfer between experienced industry professionals and academics and university students in Namibia. NUST and B360 Education Partnerships have been in partnership for 15 years.