Prof M Van Gent

Maya van Gent (PhD in Sport Science). Other qualifications: ISAK Level 3 Anthropometrist; Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education Teaching. Maya was appointed at the University of Fort Hare in 2007.  Since then she completed 4 research projects, two funded by NRF Thuthuka fund “The implementation of Long term athlete - and gross motor skills development programs on the social development of 7-10 year old rural Eastern Cape children” and “An investigation of anthropometrical- and physical fitness characteristics among children in the Eastern Cape”.  She was  also part of the Centre for Social Development in Africa at University of Johannesburg, with a project titled “Evaluation of the national school nutrition programme and the Tiger Brands Foundation in-school breakfast programme in the Lady Frere and Qumbu district of the Eastern Cape, South Africa” funded by Tiger Brands Foundation.  Her current research project is funded by the SAMRC and focuses on “An intervention to combat the physical, physiological and psychological risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases among adolescents in the Eastern Cape, South Africa”. She has also assisted in conducting anthropometrical measurements of 1500 SANDF men and women for ERGOnomics TECHnologies (ERGOTECH), a division of Armscor SOC LTD, in recent years. Her research and teaching are mostly anthropometrics (body composition); sport conditioning and physical activity, exercise physiology and science at undergraduate and postgraduate level. She has supervised several post graduate students and serves regularly as external examiner for Master and PhD.