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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 exciting world of DNA and crime-fighting - popularised through television programmes like “CSI” and “Medical Detectives” - will soon be brought into South African classrooms, thanks to three new multimedia projects from SAASTA’s PUB programme.
The first is a DVD being developed by the Foster Brothers Production Company, which delves into how biotechnology is applied in agriculture, bio fuels, medical research, DNA and forensics. Although still in its early stages, the project has enlisted the help of Virtual World Designers (the team that developed the virtual worlds for the SA soccer stadiums). They will create a virtual “biotechnology world” that can be implemented on the web and touch-screen platforms suitable for the public and learners alike.
The second project is a travelling theatre production in which actors replicate a crime scene and then use biotechnology and forensic evidence to solve the crime. Produced by the Provantage home media company, the theatre show aims to create a link between the images of scientists seen on television and scientists in real life, to boost learners’ interest in biotechnology. This project will initially be run as a pilot at 30 schools in the Eastern Cape.
The third initiative is being done in collaboration with the DNA Project, a non-government organisation that is committed to promoting the need to expand South Africa’s DNA database as a major crime-fighting tool. Workshops will be held at schools, science and community centres to create awareness on how not to contaminate crime scenes, and to explain some of the science behind using DNA in forensics.
Facilitators are being trained, and each workshop will be accompanied by a DVD and booklet that uses the acronym “DNA CSI”, to cleverly capture the essence of project:
D – Don’t touch
N – Note, record, observe
A – Assist police officers
C – Comfort and support victims
S – Secure the crime scene
I – Insist no-one interferes