Unfortunately this year’s Coschem students prize giving dinner was cancelled due to COVID-19. The Society did however celebrate the efforts of the students enrolled in its cosmetic science training course and made special mention of the various award winners during the online AGM.

The recipients of the 2020 special awards are:

• Top Module 1 is shared between Michelle Nott and Serisha Naidoo
• Top Module 2 – the Jill Gardiner Award 2020 – is shared between Yanishka Francis and Ronè Rudman
• Sensient Technologies Creativity Award – Best Module 2 Project Presentation – went to Renè van der Westhuizen
• Norman Sanan Award for the Best Mod 2 Project went to Marike Kotzè
• P&C Review/Coschem essay award went to Michelle Nott

Coschem’s education officer, Kudzai Gwazira hands Michelle Nott her awards for the top Module 1 student and the P&C Review essay prize

Renè van der Westhuizen, winner of the Sensient Technologies Creativity Award

It was a challenging year for Coschem’s education committee and and the students. Everyone had to adapt to the ‘new normal’, with lectures hosted virtually on Teams and Zoom, and the deadline for the second-year project and the 2020 exam dates were postponed to later dates. But the education committee and students persevered to mark another successful year for cosmetic scientific training at the Society. In fact the 2020 group of Module 1 students was Coschem’s best to date with a 72% pass rate.

This article was originally published in the March edition of SA Pharmaceutical & Cosmetic Review.