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90% of readers believe that mobile technology and increasing online access make social media an ideal platform for attracting younger generations of South Africans to SET fields of study. |
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5% of readers say they are not sure. |
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5% of readers say that this time and money could be better spent on outreach projects. |
Exoplanet extraordinaire… Only a few weeks into the new year and already four new exoplanets have been discovered. An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star in a solar system other than that of the earth. It looks as though 2012 is going to be a year filled with discovery.
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OUT AND ABOUT
Science on the move
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Learners from Cosmo City Primary School were the first to sample the 12 mini exhibits contained in Sci-Bono Discovery Centre’s mobile laboratory. |
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Now more than ever, science in South Africa is going places. Thanks to the Department of Science and Technology (DST), several science centres have recently launched mobile laboratories and exhibitions that take science to where it is needed most.
The DST recently awarded grants to 28 local science centres as well as the South African Association of Science and Technology Centres (SAASTEC). Managed by SAASTA, the DST’s Programmatic Support Grant Intervention Programme funded the grants aimed at enhancing the programmes that science centres have planned for the next year.
This includes learner, educator and/or public activities, the acquisition of mobile laboratories and infrastructure development, and the purchase of exhibitions.
The mobile laboratory at the Old Mutual MTN Science Centre was launched by the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, in July last year. Since then, two more mobile laboratories and science exhibitions have been launched, at the Soweto Science Centre and Sci-Bono Discovery Centre respectively.
The mobile labs are built to suit the needs of the specific communities. The Sci-Bono Discovery Centre’s mobile laboratory consists of 12 mini exhibits built by Techniquest. Under the Emasondosondo Project, the Sci-Bono's team of science and mathematics teachers visit schools and present lessons and practical demonstrations on various curriculum topics.
The Soweto Science Centre’s mobile laboratory consists of a large caravan on a double-wheel trailer that takes science to the schools in Soweto.
“The mobile exhibits and laboratories incorporate fun and enjoyment into science subjects, in order to sustain the interest of learners in the mathematics and science fields,” says Fannie Matumba, coordinator of the project at Sci-Bono.