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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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The group of undergraduate science students at iThemba LABS with, on the |
Science is a field that continually offers cutting-edge discoveries and promotes the development of new and exciting ideas. There is never a dull day when it comes to science.
Completing a degree in science, however, may be a lonely road for a young girl to embark on and it is not always clear where this road will lead. iThemba LABS for Accelerator-based Sciences in conjunction with SAASTA decided to assist 30 female undergraduate students on their career paths by exposing them to cutting-edge research and development opportunities in the Western Cape.
The students from the Universities of the Western Cape, Cape Town, Venda, Wits, UNISA, Rhodes, KwaZulu-Natal, Pretoria and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan were treated to an inspiring six-day programme. They attended presentations by renowned scientists, which were kicked off by a presentation by Dr Christine Steenkamp of the Laser Research Institute at Stellenbosch University, and tours at research institutions such as the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory and the Institute for Maritime Technology in Simon’s Town. During these presentations and tours the students were able to interact with their role models and many new friendships were forged.
Researchers and staff of iThemba LABS gave short presentations and guided tours of the infrastructure, and researchers from the South African Astronomical Observatory and the National Institute for Theoretical Physics also presented their work to the students.
A highlight of the week was the interaction with talk-show host and science journalist, Christina Scott.