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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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Special feature
Beauty in the eye of the scientist
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“Science as Art” category winner |
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“Science in Action” category winner |
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“Science Close-up” category winner |
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“International Year of Chemistry” category winner |
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This year’s Southern African Science Lens Competition (SASL) encouraged science enthusiasts to share their view of the world through the medium of photography. The striking, spectacular and intriguing images offered a glance through the camera lens and provided a creative opportunity for communicating science.
The four main categories of this year’s competition were Science in Action, Science as Art, Science Close-up and International Year of Chemistry, and entries were judged by a panel of scientists, photographers and designers.
Professor Bruce Cairncross won the Science as Art category for his image titled “Arid landscape”, which depicts the striking patterns of red-brown iron oxides that precipitate from Namibian sandstone. Chris Oosthuizen and his image titled “Aurora australis”, won the Science in Action category. His beautiful image captures the scientific phenomenon of the Southern Lights framed in a setting that inspires awe and wonderment.
The Science Close-ups category was won by Miranda Waldron, whose image of “Sponges Galore” shows a close-up of the structural elements of sea sponge, detailing the fantastic and beautiful architecture of the tiny species. The winning photo of the International Year of Chemistry category was “Cave of Wonders” by Heinrich Badenhorst. The photograph was taken with a scanning electron microscope to a magnification of over 30 000 times. It depicts a natural graphite cave, formed when impurities in the graphite crystal burn in oxygen and cause the formation of stalagmites and stalactites.
Be sure to have a look at the gallery of the top and winning images on SAASTA’s website. The competition will only be run again in 2013, as 2012’s competition will award other methods and means of communicating science.