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41% of getS.E.T.go! readers think that the most important benefit of hosting the Square Kilometre Array telescope, would be the boost it gives our international reputation as experts in this field. |
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37% opted for “attracting more young people into science and engineering”; and 22% for “foreign investment for local technology projects”. |
Scientists at Stellenbosch University have developed a high-tech "tea bag" filter that fits into the neck of a bottle and turns polluted water into clean water as you drink from it.
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The type of research that SAASTA conducts contributes valuable insight into the field of Higher Education and Science Studies - an “under-developed” area of social sciences and one that is crucial for understanding where South Africa is heading in developmental terms.
This transpired at the South African Sociological Association (SASA), following the annual congress that was hosted in June by the University of Fort Hare at the East London International Convention Centre.
For the first time, SASA introduced the category of Higher Education and Science Studies into its presentation timetable, and SAASTA was invited to present four research papers on the following:
- Biotechnology in the South African media.
- Human capital needs in the South African biotechnology sector.
- The use of comics as a science communication tool for tertiary students.
- Perceptions and attitudes of tertiary students towards science, engineering and technology and the associated drivers and barriers related to students’ study choices.
These papers were based on research commissioned by SAASTA’s science communication unit, and they touched on some of the difficulties of conducting social scientific studies relating to science, the public and society. Feedback from the social scientific community was very constructive and helpful in conceptualising the way forward.
The presentations highlighted the need to delve deeper to find the root causes of poor engagement with and knowledge around SET in certain communities. They also pinpointed the need to come up with different ways of interacting with, and promoting SET within poor and marginalised, disrupted and “dysfunctional” communities.
Subsequent presentations and discussions highlighted the vast social, economic, educational and other inequalities within South Africa, confirming that “one-size-fits-all” approaches (including SET advancement implementations) are unlikely to filter down to those who need these interventions most.
ABOUT SASA: SASA specifically aims to promote the discipline and profession of sociology as well as research, teaching, debate and cooperation within the field. The annual congress brings together established and emerging sociologists in a variety of fields, this year including representatives from higher education institutions in South Africa as well as from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Cyprus, New Zealand and the United States, among others.