Heidemann lecture presenter named
Keynote speaker Professor Yujia Xu is an expert on collagen.
The XXXVII IULTCS Congress Organizing Committee is extremely pleased to announce that Professor Yujia Xu will be the Heidemann Lecture Presenter at the XXXVII IULTCS Congress.
The Heidemann Lecture is a keynote presentation that is held in memory of Professor Dr. Eckhardt Heidemann (1925-1999). He made significant practical contributions to the science of leather manufacture and he held a lifelong interest in the structure and properties of the collagen molecule. It is typical for the Host Society to invite a high-profile guest lecturer to make this keynote presentation of 30 – 45 minutes, as the opening lecture of the Scientific Programme.
Professor Yujia Xu received her doctorate degree in Biophysics from the University of Connecticut, and conducted her postdoctoral research in the field of protein folding in the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She started her collagen-related research as a research associate with Prof. Barbara Brodsky and Prof. Jean Baum at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and Rutgers university. She is currently an Associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at Hunter college of the City University of New York.
Prof. Xu’s main research interest has been the molecular mechanisms of the biological functions of collagen. Using protein design and recombinant technology her lab pioneered the strategy to develop triple helical peptides that can further self-assemble into collagen-like fibrils using modular amino acid sequences. These fibril-forming collagen mimetic peptides (FCMPs) are effective molecular tools for collagen research including the investigation of molecular interactions that stabilize collagen fibrils, which is among one of the fundamental research projects pioneered by Prof. Heidemann several decades ago. The FCMPs are also being used to develop novel biomaterials for biomedical applications.
The organising committee is delighted that Professor Yujia has accepted the invitation to present the 2023 Heidemann Lecture.
Footwear Industry Articles
- Stokies: New owner plans to resurrect a homegrown brandScottburgh, KZN, SA – Trendy Shoes, a KZN South Coast retailer which also has its own footwear factory producing footwear for its own 3 stores, bought the long-established but run-down brand, Stokies, from Faulks Footwear, which has now closed. Hussain Khan answers our questions.What attracted you to Stokies?What attracted us to Sto ...moreHow FootJoy’s superbly crafted shoes influenced my life
An Informative & Nostalgic Letter written in April 2025 to two executives at Acushnet (USA) – A leading golf corporation which includes FootJoy Shoes.RE: FootJoy & II recall the very first pair of FootJoy golf shoes my late father bought for me in July 1976. This wasn’t my first interaction with the brand that I had al ...morePlastics SA ‘celebrates 30 years of inspiring South Africans to take action against litter’ – but so much more is needed
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Plastics SA, the umbrella body which represents all sectors of the SA plastics industry, will hold its 30th annual ‘Clean-Up and Recycle Week’ from 14-20 September.In a release, Plastics SA said the annual event “has grown into one of South Africa’s largest collaborative environmen ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Beyond the data trap: Why better decisions matter more than just more data
On 1st July 2026 I presented at the FILK Leather Days conference and asked the delegates to consider “Sustainability through a new lens: resetting how we view impacts in the leather value chain”. This month’s article therefore explores this idea a little more with a focus on how we view data and whether it can blind us t ...moreNigeria’s Leather Industry: Not a clear picture
Nigeria is widely accepted as having a very large livestock population, but a relatively small tanning industry, much of it concentrated in Kano, producing high grade goat- and sheepskin crust which is exported for finishing elsewhere for use in garments.Recent articles cast some doubt on this, so are Nigeria’s hides and skins: M ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Protecting the workforce: The critical role of PPE
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is utilised in a work-environment as part of a larger prevention plan, because on its own protection is limited and may even provide a false sense of protection.An occupational disease prevention plan must be an actionable approach that identifies workplace health hazards, evaluates exposure, and i ...morePremier Workwear: Engineered protection for Africa’s industrial workforce
In high-risk industrial environments, protective clothing is far more than a uniform requirement — it is a critical component of workplace safety, operational reliability and regulatory compliance. For procurement professionals, safety managers and operational leaders, selecting the right supplier means finding a partner capable of ...moreGlobal stage for occupational safety innovations: exhibitor registration for A+A 2027 has begun
Düsseldorf, Germany – The next A+A fair will be held from 19 to 22 October 2027.Since 16 June 2026 exhibitors have been able to register for A+A 2027. Companies and organisations from around the world are invited to introduce their innovations and solutions for safety and health at work and sustainable prevention to an int ...more
