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Career dream achieved

FOR Valencia Jacobs having a fulfilling career in science while raising a family wasn't impossible - but it wasn't a walk in the park.

The tenacity of this working mother, who describes her schedule as incredibly tight, has finally paid off.

Though she had to juggle being a wife, student, career woman and mother to a 3-year-old, she managed to achieve one of the biggest accolades in science - become a recipient of the 2011 L'Oréal-Unesco Regional Fellowship For Women in Science in Sub-Saharan Africa.

She is among 10 talented women who were eagerly waiting for the tittle of the most worthy recipients of the 2011 L'Oréal-Unesco Regional Fellowships.

The L'Oréal Corporate Foundation developed the Women in Science partnership with Unesco in 1998. Since then more than 900 women scientists have been distinguished by the awards or supported in the pursuit of their career through the various fellowship programmes.

The national and regional fellowships are a natural extension of the international programme, aiming to broaden the reach of the foundation and support even more women in achieving their goals in the world of science.

The competition was open to all women scientists up to the age of 40 who are nationals or permanent residents of any country in sub-Saharan Africa, working towards their PhD in any field of science.

Jacobs hails from Port Elizabeth where she is now completing her PhD in textile science at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

She holds a BA in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Fort Hare; a BA of Science Honours in Chemistry from the University of Fort Hare and a Master's degree in Science (chemistry) from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

She says she was attracted to science because of the explorative nature of the subject.

"Science is a springboard for personal and societal development. It is an accommodative field for inquisitive minds and an enabling discipline to explore objects, materials and events around you," she says.

"These are just some of the things that make science such an interesting field of study."

Jacobs's current PhD research focuses on the production and applications of nanofibres - ultrathin fibres with at least one dimension in the nano range, 10-9nm, particularly in the field of wound dressing.

She hopes her research will contribute to the production of highly efficient but low cost bandages with improved functionalities.

She says the fellowship will not only help in furthering her research, but also the knowledge bank and development of skills in this area.

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