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Meet science development champion Azwinndini Muronga
Azwinndini is the winner of this year's NSTF-BHP Billiton Award* for his outstanding contribution to science, engineering and technology innovation through science communication for public awareness over the last five years. This award, sponsored by SAASTA, is made annually to South African journalists, researchers, writers, educators, academics, specialist science communicators or science centre staff who excel in creating awareness of science, engineering, technology and innovation issues among the public. Azwinndini's introduction to formal education was modest - classes in the primary school in the rural villages of Lwamondo in Limpopo took place under trees. From these humble beginnings a life-long love of learning was born. Today he is the acknowledged voice of science in rural and disadvantaged areas. As a young herdboy looking after goats and cattle in the forest, Azwinndini fell in love with nature and started questioning things that were considered taboo. "Watching my mom make homemade beer made me curious about the processes involved," he says. "The night sky in the villages without street lights made me wonder about the heavens above." Inspired by his high school principal who later became his university physics lecturer, Azwinndini decided to pursue a career in physics. Today he holds two positions concurrently, namely that of lecturer and researcher at UJ and that of director of the Soweto Science Centre. Leading scientist He has made outstanding contributions to theoretical physics. His thesis work on causal second order viscous relativistic fluid dynamics was seminal and is now incorporated in large, state-of-the-art computer codes written around the world to model collisions between nuclei at high energy. Azwinndini is considered one of the leading scientists in the relativistic treatment of viscosity. Champion for science development As a champion for science development in South Africa, he has been involved in setting up the physics undergraduate research programme and in reshaping the graduate physics programme. He runs the internship programme for theoretical physics students from across the country. As the director of the Soweto Science Centre, Azwinndini has helped build the foundation for and establish scientific programmes that benefit students from previously disadvantaged communities. He also coordinates science awareness and outreach activities and engages personally with students from various communities. This dedicated physicist still somehow finds time in the day for telephonic interviews on a scientific topic with the Phalaphala FM radio station. Recognition In 2013 he was awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals by the University of Minnesota in the US, where he earned his doctorate. GetSETgo caught up with this top researcher to find out more about his future plans and the things in life that excite him most: Q: Where did you grow up? Q: What are your future plans? Q: What is your favourite dish? Q: Your favourite holiday destination? Q: What keeps you busy when you're not at work? Q: What excites you most about life? Q: Tell us about your family... Q: Hobbies? * Other finalists in this category were: |
