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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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National Science Week kicked off at the end of the July to the applause of more than 4 500 dignitaries, educators, learners and science enthusiasts from around the country.
And it seems they all agreed with the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Ms Naledi Pandor, who opened the launch event at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape with the words “Science is ayoba!”.
Derived from other slang terms, like "Ayeye" or "Ayoyoyo", the word “Ayoba” is uniquely South African. It expresses delight, excitement, agreement and approval – everything science is and should be!
The theme for this year’s National Science Week was “The role of science in economic development”, and a number of companies, institutes and universities exhibited the ways in which their science makes a contribution to economic development.
The Makana district, for example, was well represented with six exhibitions including the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), SAIAB’s education outreach programme, Bright Sparks, Grahamstown’s official youth newspaper, Upstart, Rhodes University Pharmacy Department and the Albany Museum.
SAIAB’s flagship programme, the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP) and its model of the coelacanth never fail to amaze and spark interest in the public. This year it caught the eyes of Pandor and the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Derek Hanekom, who both expressed a particular interest in the coelacanth research in which SAIAB is engaged. Pandor was also pleased to discover that learners such as the Bright Sparks team are showing an interest in science and sharing that interest with others at exhibition.
SAIAB Bright Spark, Sanele Ntshingana, speaks to Minister of Science and Technology,
Naledi Pandor (right) about the Bright Sparks Programme and how it has shaped his academic goals.
“It is learners like you who are my favourites - one day you all must be ‘Dr Something’,” said Pandor, after visiting the Bright Sparks exhibition.
“We must continue to spread the message that science, engineering and technology are an essential and inescapable part of almost every aspect of modern life,” she added in her keynote speech. “If you find me on Facebook, let’s chat. If you find me on Twitter, let’s engage on the topic of science and if you find me on mxit … let's mxit about science.”
The National Science Week initiative continues to grow in leaps in bounds, taking place at some 88 sites around South Africa this year, compared to only 30 sites just five years ago.
See the next issue of GetS.E.T.Go! for more about the highlights from the biggest National Science Week ever.