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50% of you think that the South African Government has the potential to make the biggest impact on reducing carbon emissions in South Africa; |
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8% opted for the technology sector; and |
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42% opted for private industry. |
Shuttle Discovery landed for the last time at Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre on 9 March 2011. Discovery has completed 39 space voyages (its first being on 30 August 1984), has spent a total of 365 days in space and travelled more than 238 million kilometres during it’s lifetime.
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As the new Director of the International Astronomical Union’s Global Office of Astronomy for Development, Kevindran’s main duties include coordinating a global effort to stimulate astronomy in developing regions so as to reap the developmental benefits from the field. The aim is to make sure that astronomy’s benefits are felt by everyone on earth regardless of where they live. Get.S.E.T.go chatted to Kevindran about his studies, future plans and wonderful new wife.
When did you join the NRF family? And what did you do before then?
I joined the NRF in 2006. Before that I was a Fast Neutron Scientist at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA).
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on a sugar cane farm in rural KwaZulu-Natal. We later moved to a small town called Tongaat when I was about 10 years old and I completed the rest of my schooling there.
Did you study after school? What, where and why?
Yes, I completed a BSc (Honours) in Physics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Once I realised that I could have a future with a physics degree, I just had to study it. I’ve always seen physics as a fundamental science, which helps explain just about everything in nature.
What are your future plans?
I’m going to continue to try and make the world a better place, using whatever skills and resources I have at my disposal.
What do you do in your spare time?
These days I spend what little spare time I have with my new wife Carolina. We both have extremely busy jobs and any spare time spent together is most welcome – regardless of the activity.
What is your favourite dish?
Anything my mother cooks!
What excites you most about life?
The ability of human beings to think!
Tell us more about your family…
I’m married (for about a month now) to a wonderful woman, Carolina, who is the Director of Academic Development at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Next Einstein Initiative. My parents live in Tongaat, my father is a retired motor mechanic and my mother a retired teacher. They keep themselves busy nowadays with a small furniture business. My brother is a software architect and an exceptional entrepreneur. He lives in Oxford, UK, where he is busy completing a PhD degree.