Our young visitors explaining what theyhave learnt after the Magic Show

The tribal challenges displayed the competitivenature of the various groups and tested their

general knowledge.

Newsletter incorporating Youth into Science, Science Festivals, Competitions & Olympiads

The African word, Khoroni, refers to a placewithin a chief’s kraal (a village of huts) where

Community discussions are held.

In this issue…

KhoroniKhoroniKhoroniKhoroniVolume 4 No. 19 Jan-March 2017

Supported by

Night at the museum………..…………………..….. 1

A kiss of death .…………………………………………. 2

Public library astronomy corner @ SAAO ….. 3

Intern contributes to STEM with robotics …. 4

DST recognises SALT’s excellence ……….…….. 5

Science Centre Kenya visuals ……….…………….6

Another eye in the sky …….….….…….…………… 7

Osizweni celebrates the class of 2017 ……… 8

Christoph Meyer Maths Science Centre ….. 9

students dive into Particle Physics….......….. 10

NAMES …….…….….….…….….….…….….… 11 & 12

Applications Olympiad ….….….…….…………… 12

SKA SA & Agri SA today ………….….…….……… 13

Tour by Torchlight - A magic show had themmesmerized and provided an opportunity for ourvisitors to learn key scientific concepts. This was

followed by a creative art session which aimed tostimulate cognition and imagination. .

Nightat the

MuseumEver wonder what it’s like to spendthe night at a Museum? The DurbanNatural Science Museum’s hostedthis popular event on the 15�� ofDecember 2016. The themecelebrated this holiday was to

‘Experience a Night Safari’.The event provides a unique

opportunity to children aged between7 and 12 years to experience theMuseum like they have never seen itbefore - when the visitors have left forthe day; they can come out and play!This event promotes to ignite theirinterest in science and the natural

environment through a fun-filled and engaging experience.The night began with our young visitors embarking on a tour by torchlight to discover our mostpriceless treasures which included our collection of small and large mammals, a diversecollection of African birds, including a fossilized egg of an Elephant Bird, the largest bird everto have graced the planet, and the 100-year-old near-complete Dodo skeleton. This wasfollowed by a Magicianinteracting with our avidvisitors, who then had toexplain what they had learntafter the magic show.Tribal Challenge betweengroups - At midnight, theultimate adventure beganwith a treasure huntthroughout the museum thatwas veiled in darkness. Amovie was enjoyed by all andwas topped off by our visitorssleeping under the mostprized spot – our T-Rexdinosaur!

Time for bed –under the Dinosaur

By Theshnie Naidoo

Dr. Julien Benoit with the skull of the Euchambersia fossil that was found near Colesberg,in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, in 1966.

Below: An artist’s impression of the Euchambersia.

CT scans of fossils of the pre-mammalian reptile,Euchambersia, shows anatomical features, designedfor venom production.Africa is a tough place. It always has been. Especially if you have tofend off gigantic predators like sabre toothed carnivores in orderto survive. And, when you’re a small, dog-sized pre-mammalianreptile, sometimes the only way to protect yourself against thesemonsters is to turn your saliva into a deadly venomous cocktail.

That is exactly what a distant, pre-mammalian reptile, the therapsid Euchambersia, did about 260 million years ago, in order to survive therough conditions offered by the deadly South African environment. Living in the Karoo, near Colesberg in South Africa, the Euchambersiadeveloped a deep and circular fossa, just behind its canine teeth in the upper jaw, in which a deadly venomous cocktail was produced, anddelivered directly into the mouth through a fine network of bony grooves and canals.

“This is the first evidence of the oldest venomous vertebrate ever found, and what is even more surprising is that it is not in a species thatwe expected it to be, ” says Dr Julien Benoit, researcher at the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research at the University ofthe Witwatersrand in South Africa.

“Today, snakes are notorious for their venomous bite, but their fossil record vanishes in the depth of geological times at about 167 millionyears ago, so, at 260 million years ago, the Euchambersia evolved venom more than a 100 million years before the very first snake waseven born. ”

As venom glands don’t fossilise, Benoit and his colleagues from at Wits University, in association with the Natural History Museum of Londonused cutting edge CT scanning and 3D imagery techniques to analyse the only two fossilised skulls of the Euchambersia ever found, anddiscovered stunning anatomical adaptions that are compatible with venom production. Their results were published in the open accessjournal, PlosOne, in February.

“First, a wide, deep and circular fossa (a space in the skull) to accommodate a venom gland was present on the upper jaw and was connectedto the canine and the mouth by a fine network of bony grooves and canals,” says Benoit. “Moreover, we discovered previously undescribedteeth hidden in the vicinity of the bones and rock: two incisors with preserved crowns and a pair of large canines, that all had a sharp ridge.Such a ridged dentition would have helped the injection of venom inside a prey. ”

Unlike snakes like vipers or cobras, which actively inject their prey with venom throughneedle-like grooves in their teeth, the Euchambersia’s venom flowed directly into its mouth, andthe venom was passively introduced into its victim through ridges on the outside of its canineteeth.

“Euchambersia could have used its venom for protection or hunting. Most venomous speciestoday use their venom for hunting, so I would rather go for this option. In addition, animals atthat time were not all insectivorous, particularly among therapsids, which were very diverse.”

The skull of the Euchambersia fossil shows the large space for thevenom glands, in the top jaw, right behind the front teeth (just to theright of Dr Julien Benoit’s index finger). Photo credits : Wits University

Dr Julien Benoitjulien.benoit@wits.ac.za+27 79 789 6503+27 11 717 6687

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2

The South Africa National Library week is an annual event spearheaded by Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA)with the aim of promoting access to public libraries, create awareness about libraries as well as to strengthen access to information.

This year, the celebrations commenced on 18 - 26 March 2017 with a theme “My library, your library”. South African AstronomicalObservatory (SAAO) librarians set out to establish an astronomy corner at the Sutherland Library to advance astronomy literacy, thiswas done in conjunction with Sutherland library in the Northern Cape. According to Zuthobeke Mvakade, the SAAO librarian, thisyear's theme, "means bringing libraries into the heart of communities which instills a sense of ownership in each and every communitymember".

In part, the library corner initiative seeks to strengthen the link between the Observatory and the Sutherland community throughscience awareness. As such, working together with the Sutherland public library to create a space that will be dedicated to hostingastronomy resources almost ensures a symbiotic relationship between us the community of Sutherland through education. Thereare many challenges faced by teachers when tackling the 'Earth and Beyond' theme, we therefore hope that the resources will atleast enhance the way learners and teachers engage with this topic.

The programme consisted of school visits, astronomy hands-on activities, access to astronomy information on computers - promotingInformation Communication Technology (ICT) and motivational talks about the benefits of using libraries. We are planning a follow-uplibrary week to hand-over a prize to a patron who has made the use of the library consistently since the launch in March.

The library corner was made possible by the generous funding from the Office Of Astronomy for Development (IAU/OAD). Anexpression of gratitude also goes to the UNAWE for the wonderful educational material in Dutch and in English. The Dutch bookswere especially handy since the community of Sutherland predominantly speak Afrikaans. Certainly, our community developmentand outreach link to the Sutherland community made it easy for schools to respond and come in numbers to the event.

Zuthobeke Mvakade says, "We is looking forward to expanding our reach to more libraries as well as more learners in future with thehope that all our stakeholders will be available to help us carry this dream forward".

Public Library Astronomy Corner @ SAAO~by Thembela Mantungwa

3

DST/SAASTA intern contributes to STEMEducation through Robotics

When Odwa Magabuko first visitedCarnarvon as part of the UNISA ISETprogramme, during the Department ofScience and Technology’s National Scienceweek in 2014, little did he know that hewould return to the Karoo working for SKASA‘s Schools Programme.

Odwa has a national diploma in InformationTechnology, from the University of SouthAfrica. He is originally from Port St Johns inthe Eastern Cape, and remembers how heused to visit Scifest in Grahamstown as alearner. He says Scifest helped him seescience beyond the text book, and it isthere that he fell in love with the subject. Asa student at Unisa, Odwa joined the I-SETteam under Patricia Gouws’s leadership.I-SET is a UNISA Community EngagementProject aimed at inspiring young people andtheir communities' interest in Science,Engineering and Technology through funactivities.  These activities are centred onLego-based robot building, and thenprogramming the to achieve certainoutcomes.

Odwa joined SKA SA’s schools programme as part of NRF/Saasta internship in May 2016. He says life in the Karoo was very lonely, buthe knew he was here for a purpose, and that helped him adjust to his new surroundings. Odwa working closely with Kabelo Pheega andestablished the robotics in education programme in Carnarvon, Williston and Van Wyksvlei. In 2017 the programme was extended toinclude Loxton, Vosburg and Brandvlei.

Robotics is an excellent way to develop learners into future scientist because it provides them with important problem solving skills. Aspart of this programme, learners also learn to think logically, which is an important skill for subjects such as Mathematics. They alsodevelop their research and presentation skills, because they enter various robotics competitions.

The SKA SA robotics programme has grown significantly in a short space of time, thanks to Odwa’s commitment. He travels long distancesto ensure that every afternoon, and every Saturday morning; learners are engaged in the programme. SKA SA is grateful to the Departmentof Science‘s and Technology and SAASTA for managing programmes that give young professionals like Odwa the opportunity to contributeto the development of our communities.

Carnarvon High School learners won anaward at the FLL competition

Carnarvon High School learners that took firstplace at WRO reginal competition

104

The Department of Scienceand Technology recognises

SALT’s excellence andachievements at the

Science Forum

On December, 2016 at the ScienceForum held at CSIR InternationalConvention Centre in Pretoria, theSouthern African Large Telescope(SALT) was bestowed a ScienceDiplomacy Award acknowledging the

telescope's consistent contribution toglobally significant discoveries in

astronomy. Science diplomacy is the useof scientific collaborations among nations

to address common problems and buildconstructive international partnerships. The

Science Diplomacy Awards recogniseexcellence and achievements in international

scientific cooperation.“This award recognises the scientific success of SALT, which is obtaining high-quality observations of the cosmosevery night and distributing this information to partners around the world, expanding our understanding of theuniverse in which we live. This success is due to the ingenuity and dedication of a world-class team of South Africanand international scientists, engineers, and technicians who designed, built, and operate SALT. The telescopeinspires a generation of young South Africans to dare to dream big, and to have the confidence and skill to bringthose dreams into reality”, says Professor Ted Williams, the director of the South African Astronomical Observatory.Eleven years since construction and inaugurationThe Southern African Large Telescope has recently celebrated 11 years since its construction and inauguration in2005. SALT is a 10 metre class telescope located in Sutherland in the Northern Cape. It has been in full scienceoperations for 5 years, with its consortium of partners from South Africa, Poland, the United States, Germany, NewZealand, the United Kingdom and India who have made the building and operation of the telescope possible.There are more than 150 international peer-reviewed scientific papers published thus far based on SALT data.Recent contributions of SALT to science include the discovery of the brightest supernova ever found and the unveilingof a massive supercluster of galaxies. The trend of SALT’s science output parallels that of other large internationaltelescopes. However comparing operation costs, SALT produces science more cost-effectively than any other 10metre class telescope. Numerous students are getting trained locally and internationally.SALT continues to serve as an inspiration that our people have the potential to excel in science andtechnologySince the building of SALT, the South African Astronomical Observatory has been actively involved in astronomyoutreach by sharing scientific discoveries with the communities across South Africa with particular focus in Sutherlandand Cape Town which is where our operations are located. As such, both locations have a thriving communityengagement programme involving schools, teachers and society. Additionally, many visitors to Sutherland get anopportunity to see the telescope during the day.Mr. Sivuyile Manxoyi, who is the head of SALT Collateral Benefits Programme says, “The building of SALT has notonly contributed to science research advancement, but to socio-economic development in Sutherland and nearbytowns through tourism. The other major benefit is education and outreach in science, which we continue to implementnationally. SALT continues to serve as an inspiration and to instill confidence that our country and its people havethe potential to excel in science and technology.”Links

http://www.dst.gov.za/index.php/media-room/communiques/2032-science-forum-south-africa-science-diplomacy-awards-2016

Information about the Southern African Large Telescope: http://www.salt.ac.za/

~ by Thembela Mantungwa

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6

Going from strength to strength!

7

Another eye towards the sky - unveiling South Africa’s OpticalSpace Research Laboratory

SANSA’s robust endeavours to strengthen the country’s role in multinational space science research, this time specifically in upper-atmosphere studies, come to fruition with the unveiling of the Optical Space Research (OSR) Laboratory at the South African AstronomicalObservatory (SAAO) in Sutherland on 6 April this year.

This state-of-the-art facility will be used solely for research and to host space monitoring projects with national and international partners.

“Space science research is complex and requires significant multinational collaboration. The unique capabilities of this facility will providecrucial space science data to meet national and international obligations, as well as raise the standard of South African research and supplyinformation about unanswered scientific questions to enhance scientific development,” says SANSA CEO, Dr Val Munsami. Aligned withSANSA’s human capacity development imperative, the OSR Laboratory will also be used by space science students nationally andinternationally for research projects.

SANSA’s hosting agreement with the SAAO facilitated the construction of the OSR Laboratory in 2016. The unique location of the observatoryin Sutherland, which enables optical and radio research of the atmosphere, is radio quiet and offers the optically dark, clear seeing conditionsthat makes it an ideal location for the laboratory.

SANSA has a partnership agreement with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), to host a space debris tracking station within the OSRLaboratory. The facility will include a space debris tracking telescope as part of SMARTnet™ (Small Aperture Robotic Telescope Network),a dedicated sensory network based on telescope systems. “Satellite safety and reliability depend on identifying threats, such as collisions,and using countermeasures to deal with hazardous situations,” says Dr Hauke Fiedler, Team Leader of Space Situational Awareness at DLR.

The space debris tracking telescope will be operated remotely by the DLR German Space Operation Centre together with the AstronomicalInstitute of the University of Bern, according to a SMARTnet™ observation plan, to identify non-star objects that could pose a collisionhazard. “This will enable the research team to activate collision avoidance measures to ensure the safe operation of satellites,” says DrFiedler. The collaboration will also provide a knowledge exchange partnership that will initiate space debris tracking know-how in SouthAfrica.

"Research of the Earth’s atmosphere and ionosphere is crucial for understanding our near-Earth space and the interconnected processesthat govern our natural environment and impact the technology we rely on daily. We will use the OSR initially to study atmospheric gravitywaves to gain greater insight into the dynamics of the Earth's middle atmosphere," says Prof Kosch, Chief Scientist at SANSA's Hermanusfacility in the Western Cape. "Such knowledge is important because the middle atmosphere couples space weather from above withterrestrial weather below".

SANSA will also use the laboratory to record a phenomenon called “sprites”, following its recording of the first images of sprites over Africafrom Sutherland on 11 January 2016. Triggered by large cloud-to-ground lightning strikes during major thunderstorms, sprites are opticalgas discharges from the top of convective thunderstorm clouds that appear as brief flashes of very bright light, lasting between 1-10milliseconds, at an altitude of 50-100 km.

Given the millions of lightning strikes that occur annually, the rarity of the reported sightings is surprising. "Our observations of spritespave the way for more comprehensive observations at multiple wavelengths to improve our understanding of how sprites are triggered

and their effects on the upper atmosphere," says Kosch. The camera in theOSR Laboratory can detect sprites as far away as Bloemfontein, Lesotho andPort Elizabeth, covering a large section of the summer lightning activity area.It can also detect sprites over the ocean near Port Elizabeth and East London,where South Africa has the relatively rare feature of lightning over the ocean.This will enable the SANSA scientists to determine whether sprites also occurover the ocean.

The laboratory houses specialised research equipment, including an airglowimager to observe atmospheric gravity waves in the mesosphere through avariety of wavelengths; night-vision video cameras to observe sprites inwhite-light and multiple wavelengths; an ELF (extremely low frequency)receiver to observe lightning and sprites in the ELF spectrum; a mesospherictemperature mapper to estimate mesospheric temperature and a SBAS(satellite-based augmentation system) receiver for aircraft navigation.

“There is no doubt that this facility will add significantly to our knowledgeabout the Earth’s upper-atmosphere and further enable SANSA to leveragethe benefits of space science and technology for socio-economicdevelopment, environmental conservation and space asset management inservice of humanity,” says SANSA MD, Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell

SANSA CEO Dr Munsame and DrHauke Fiedler, Head of SpaceSituational Awareness at DLR

For more info contact:Catherine Webster, Communication Practitioner

+27 28 312 1196 or mobile +27 (0) 73 601 4488

cwebster@sansa.org.zawww.sansa.org.za

TOP: Osizweni, through our nursery programme, has contributedto 5 Teacher qualifications at Master's level.

MIDDLE: Osizweni and Sasol dignitaries award Mr Isaac Gwebu inthe Overall Best Performer for the completion of Masters

qualifications. Mr Gwebu qualified with distinction.

BOTTOM: Osizweni and Sasol dignitaries award Danelle Pentz inthe category “Overall Best Performer for the completed

undergraduate qualifications” She completed a total of 60modules in the qualification with a total of 32 distinctions.

Osizweni celebrates the Class of 2016~ by Angela Stratford

8

It takes a nation to build a country we can be proud of. The best manner to do thisis to have an impact on our children through our education system. This ensuresthat the future learners of this country are innovative, educated and ready to bringabout the change needed to take South Africa forward. “Education is the mostpowerful weapon we can use to change the world” Nelson Mandela.

Sasol established the Osizweni Education and Development Centre in 1991 in aneffort to change the lives of our learners by impacting on them directly throughthe education system. Osizweni specialises in the upliftment of Mathematics andScience education through various education programmes that focus on EarlyChildhood Development, STEM learner and teacher development.

In an attempt to achieve these aims the Centre has the following facilities, a ScienceCentre, a Model Lab, a Toy Library, a Career Guidance Centre and two Computerlaboratories.

Additionally to the above, schools in the Standerton Sub-Region: Govan Mbeki,Lekwa and Dipaleseng municipal areas, are supported through Saturday and holidayclasses. Teachers in the area attend curriculum aligned workshops and arefurthering their studies through assistance from Osizweni teaching bursaries.Learners are subject to closed programmes such a Project A and Project 2019. Thesetwo projects nurture a learner over a number of years in the fields of Mathematics,Natural; Physical and Life Sciences as well as Accounting. This ensures theperformance of schools and ensures that learners achieve quality results in linewith university entrance. The Sub-Region performed above national, provincial andregional averages in 2016. Five out of the six circuits in the Sub – Region improvedtheir performance with selected circuits registering a performance higher than thepast three years.

As part of motivation for our learners and teachers, awards are held where learnersreceive an amount towards their tertiary studies registration fees and teachersinvolved in our bursary programme are awarded for their performance on an annualbasis.

This year’s Sasol Grade 12 Merit Awards was held on 21 January 2017. Learnersfrom the sub-region were awarded for distinctions in selected subjects. 30 Learnersreceived R15  000 each towards their tertiary studies. Teachers from ThomasNhlabathi Secondary School and Secunda Hoërskool were awarded for both Mathsand Science in the Best Teacher category.

The top learner from quintile 1-3 in our focus area was Tshepo Nkambule fromThomas Nhlabathi Secondary School. He achieved 6 distinctions with an averagepercentage of 85.8%. Tshepo achieved 100% for Mathematics and was awarded atthe Mpumalanga Provincial and Gert Sibande District Awards accordingly.

Bhavik Bhaga from Hoërskool Hoogenout was awarded the Overall top learner inthe Sub-region, he achieved 7 distinctions with an average percentage of 91.5%.

Osizweni supported 32 teachers through our teacher bursary scheme in 2016. Ofthose teachers, three completed their Post Graduate Certificate in Education; threecompleted their Bachelors in Education Degree and another four completed theirMasters in Education. It is our belief that investing in the teacher is a sustainablemethod to improve the classroom environment and the teacher’s content knowledge.

For this reason the Osizweni hosted its first Teacher Bursary Awards Ceremony.Various categories were awarded for academic performance for full and part-timestudents.

Danelle Pentz completed he Bachelors in Education Degree in 2016, 18 modules were registered and passed, she achieved 8 distinctionsand an average of 74.3%. She completed 60 modules in her degree and achieved 32 Distinctions in total.

Overall Best Performer for the completion of Masters Degree was awarded to Isaac Gwebu who qualified with distinction.

We look forward to working with the class of 2017. “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people whoprepare for it today” Malcom X.Osizweni is an education initiative that invites corporate South Africa to come on board and assist in the effort to build a brighter education experience for our children. Weare specifically looking for partners who are interested in building a State of the Art Science Centre that is accessible to our children. “Alone we are smart, together we arebrilliant” Steven Anderson For further enquiries contact Angela Stratford, Marketing and PR Practitioner on 017 689 2005/6 or 071 687 9848.

Osizweni celebrates the Class of 2016

From Durban take N2road pass Richards Bayand Mtubatuba thenturn into R22, pass

Hluhluwe, Mduku andMbazwana then finally

Mseleni.

By Dorothy Mlambo

15

Maths & Science CentreMaths & Science Centre

Grade 11 Summer school 2016Christoph Meyer Maths & Science Centre promoting quality teaching of science and mathematics education with

Grade 11s currently in Grade 12 from different Schools

Christoph Meyer maths & scienceCentre started off with 56

learners at the tutorial centre thisyear and has been doingpracticals with grade 12.

We are currently looking forinterns and sponsorship to

pay the interns(The centre only managed to get

one intern to continue.)We are also appealing for well

wishers to help with MOBILEDISPLAYS and chemicals.

HANDS

ON!

9

High-school students dive into Particle PhysicsWorldwide program opens the window of cutting-edge physics to young investigators

During the coming weeks, high-school students around the world are invited to nearby research institutes anduniversities for a day-long programme to experience life at the forefront of basic research. These InternationalMasterclasses give students the opportunity to become particle physicists for a day. During a Masterclass,participants work with data from experiments at CERN´s Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, under the supervision ofphysicists. The Masterclasses this year are organized for March 1 through April 11 and will attract students from52 countries worldwide.Particle physics is one of the most important emerging fields in science. The discovery of the Higgs boson at the LHC in summer 2012 ledto a huge media echo and large public interest. International Masterclasses meet this interest and offer high-school students the chanceto explore this field of cutting-edge physics by working with recent, authentic data from experiments at the LHC. The basic idea of theannual program is to let students work as much as possible like real scientists. “Students get a taste of how modern physics research worksby working directly with particle physicists and using real LHC data,” says Michael Kobel, physics professor from Technical UniversityDresden and head of the program.

Four experiments - ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb - have made data available for educational use within the program. “During the daystudents understand how a scientific discovery can be claimed,” Kobel points out.

Scientists at about 210 universities and laboratories in 52 countries worldwide host International Masterclasses at their home institutions.New participants in the program come from Bangladesh, Georgia, Montenegro, Russia, and Rwanda. The worldwide participation reflectsthe international collaboration in particle physics. To simulate a real scientific working environment, each Masterclass ends with a videoconference, where student groups from different countries connect with two moderators at CERN or Fermilab (Batavia, Illinois, U.S.) tocombine and discuss their results. They can also pick their moderators’ brains in a Q&A section. Most video conferences end with a multiplechoice quiz on particle physics. More than 60 physicists have volunteered to moderate the video conferences at CERN or Fermilab.

In participating in and hosting this event on 1 April 2017 iThemba LABS has invited 48 learners from various high schools around the Cityof Cape Town.

Dr Zinhle Buthelezi, a particle physicist working on ALICE at iThemba LABS, is looking forward to the event: “The students love the program.They are excited to work with real data from the LHC and to talk to physicists at CERN.”

International Masterclasses are led by Technical University Dresden and QuarkNet, in close cooperation with the International ParticlePhysics Outreach Group (IPPOG). IPPOG is an independent group of outreach representatives from countries involved in the research atCERN and other leading research laboratories. The group’s goal is to make particle physics more accessible to the public.

For further information:International Masterclasses: www.physicsmasterclasses.orgSchedule (videoconferences with CERN): www.physicsmasterclasses.org/index.php?cat=scheduleSchedule (videoconferences with Fermilab): https://quarknet.i2u2.org/page/videoconferences-2017#fnal

Contact:Local contact:Mr Hilton Tobias,iThemba LABS, Tel.: 021843 1000,htobias@tlabs.ac.za

Head of InternationalMasterclasses:Prof. Dr. Michael Kobel,Tel.: +49 351 463 39880,michael.kobel@tu-dresden.de

Coordination CERN VideoConferences:Dr. Uta Bilow, Tel.: +49351 463 32956,uta.bilow@tu-dresden.de

Coordination FermilabVideo Conferences:Ken Cecire, Tel.: +1 574631 3343,kcecire@nd.edu

10

The Euro-Mediterranean andMiddle East (EMME) Summer

School for Science CommunicationOne exciting project of NAMES is the EMME Summer School. Thiswas established to reinforce a stronger partnership between thecountries of the Euro-Mediterranean and Middle East and tosupport democratic transformation and institution-building, withthe aim of delivering sustainable and inclusive growth and jobcreation.

The EMME Summer School takes place every second year inSeptember for one week and represents both a place of debatewhere professionals meet to discuss common challenges, as wellas a “starting event” for planning programs at the beginning ofthe new scholar/academic year.

The EMME Summer School is addressed to middle profile staff ofexisting science centres and to newcomers from otherorganizations who want to establish new activities in the field ofscience communication or to develop new science centres.

The first school, EMME 2013, was hosted by Parque de lasCiencias  in  Granada,  Spain,  followed  by  the  2ⁿ�, EMME 2015,hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Planetarium ScienceCentre in Alexandria, Egypt. In light of the success of the first twoschools, a new four-year Partnership Agreement has been signedduring the Ecsite Annual Conference 2016 in Graz, Austria, andthe 3��  school, EMME 2017, is scheduled to be hosted by Cittàdella Scienza, Naples, Italy, 10–15 September 2017

In a previous issue of Khoroni International, we mourned the loss of Mijbil Almutawa, whohad extensive contact with SAASTEC. NAMES gave the following tribute in ALMANARA:

RIP Mijbil AlmutawaWith a heavy heart, NAMES Family mourns the loss of Mr. MijbilAlmutawa, Vice-Chairman and CEO of The Scientific Center ofKuwait (TSCK). Mr. Almutawa is one of NAMES Founding Member,NAMES Board Member since 2006, and NAMES Past-President(2010–2014). He was a true source of inspiration and a tremendoussupport to both his TSCK Team since before the Center opened tothe public in the year 2000 and to NAMES Family throughout its10 years of existence.

In addition to the unequivocal role he played in founding NAMES,his presidency between 2010 and 2014 cemented NAMES positionon the international arena, laying the foundation for its significantgrowth in the ensuing years. His presence in NAMES ExecutiveTeam will be profoundly missed and we will beworking hard to maintain his legacy.

The North Africa and Middle EastScience centres network (NAMES) waslaunched on 30 January 2006 to fostercooperation between existing science centres and museumsin North Africa and the Middle East with the aim of benefitingfrom all available resources and experiences within the region.Since then the network has grown greatly. NAMES currentlyhas nine full members, four sustaining members (serviceproviders) and a number of individual and honorary members.NAMES organises a conference every two years and has heldfive conferences from 2008 to 2016, the last one hosted bythe Children’s Museum in Amman, Jordan, which celebratedNAMES 10�� anniversary. A record 230 delegates (the samenumber as our SAASTEC Conference!) attended the 2016conference, representing more than 25 countries. In addition,there was representation from the European Network ofScience Centres and Museums (Ecsite) by Kim Herlev, CEO ofExperimentarium; and the Association of Science-TechnologyCentres (ASTC); by Bud Rock, President and CEO. Sawsan Dalaq,Director of The Children’s Museum, was re-elected presidentof NAMES for a second term (2016/2018).

In a nutshell, NAMES has the goal of popularising sciencethroughout the region by enhancing the public understandingand involvement in science and scientific culture among anincreasingly diverse audience. This goal is to be achievedthrough excellence and innovation in informal education andby offering hands-on activities where the audience can indulgein participatory learning. The network also aims to helpestablish new science centres and museums in all countriesof the region.

Networking and collaboration within the region, and with therest of the world, enhances the knowledge of the dynamicand ever-changing pace of science and technology necessaryfor achieving the common goal of science democratisation.

Like SAASTEC, NAMES has anewsletter which is

distributed electronically:ALMANARA. Find it at:

http://www.namesnetwork.org/en/NewsLetter/List.aspx

11

~ by Derek Fish

Kayseri Science Centre, Turkey

2017 Computer Applications Olympiad sees the introduction of a SecondRound.  The Olympiad is for CAT learners, ICDL candidates and otherswho are computer literate.

Being able to use computer applications is fast becoming essential forstudy and work. Applications help learners to make sense of data and tostrengthen insight. The Computer Applications Olympiad encourageslearners to see the bigger picture where: Data à Information à Knowledgeà Insight.

This is why the SA Computer Olympiad has made Round 1 of theApplications Olympiad more accessible and interesting around the themeof popular music. The one-hour Olympiad runs at participating schoolsfrom 8 to 12 May at any convenient time. It costs nothing to enter. Thequestions test learners’ skills to make sense of data in different formats:word processing, spreadsheets, databases and presentations. TheApplications Olympiad is for learners who have a working knowledge ofthese common applications, including those who take CAT or IT at school.

The Solutions Booklet with its detailed explanations is popular withteachers. It is emailed to schools immediately after the contest. The offline

marking remains quick and simple; one word or one numberanswers – either right or wrong. Where learners write thecontest online, there is no marking at all for the teacher. Bronze,silver and gold certificates are awarded to the top 50% oflearners across the country.

Those learners who qualify for the new Round 2 (on 7 June)will stand a chance to earn Provincial Certificates and to beinvited to the Finals in July where medals and cash prizes willbe awarded to the winners and to their schools. While Round1 is easier than in the past, Round 2 has more higher-orderquestions. Round 2 also has fewer word processing questionsand more spreadsheet and database questions. It also has acouple of web design questions.

For more information and to register, go towww.olympiad.org.za and click on Applications Olympiad.

Media release by Michael Cameron.Further Information:       Michael Cameron Manager: Computer Olympiadinfo@olympiad.org.za www.olympiad.org.za

APPLICATIONS OLYMPIAD: INTRODUCTION OF A SECOND ROUND

Bahrain Science Centre, run for a few year’s by Mike Bruton

BA Planaterium Science Centre

The Children’s Museum in Jordan

Kuwait Science Centre

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Welcome to the incomingSAASTEC BoardMondli Mnguni (Chair)

Tebogo Gule (Deputy Chair)Mike Bruton

Phumezo KwinanaJeff Makopole

Desampras MathebeThami Mphokela

Puleng Tsie

If you would like the Walking Tall team fromPAST to perform at your science centre …

Contact: 082 921 3155 / 011 717 6668Email: andrea@pastafrica.co.za

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Please click on the link below and complete the conferencefeedback form (will only take 5 minutes). Thanks very much.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W9GQ623

Editor : Ginny Stone Email: squigglez@telkomsa.net Fax 086 242 2187 Website: http://www.saastec.co.za Please send articles by 23rd January 2017.

SKA South Africa and Agri SA today signed an agreement that commits both organisationsto jointly ensure that local communities of the Karoo benefit from the SKA project.

In anticipation of the impacts that the construction of the SKA radio telescope will have on the environment and local communities inthe Karoo, SKA SA is partnering with civil society organisations to ensure that these impacts remain positive. Today an agreement wasentered into between SKA SA and Agri SA.

Currently SKA SA is negotiating with landowners to buy 32 portions of land or a total of 118,000 hectares to build the core of the SKA.This will be sufficient land to build the entire core of the SKA radio telescope. Antennas will also be built across three spiral arms thatwill stretch out from the core. Use of the land for the purpose of establishing the spiral arms will be negotiated by establishing servitudeagreements with landowners.

Through this agreement between Agri SA and SKA SA, both organisations commit to continuously explore ways where affected agriculturalland is optimised to accommodate ongoing farming activities where possible, as long as the functioning of the radio observatory is notcompromised.

Through its affiliated membership, Agri SA represents the interests of farmers in South Africa. The expertise of this farming communitywill assist SKA SA to deal with land management challenges such as predator control and the control of alien invasive plants.

The local farming community, including farmworkers, will be affected by the restrictions placed on the use of modern telecommunicationdevices. The SKA SA commits itself to invest in the development of alternate technology that will ensure that the impact is minimised.Through this agreement, frequent needs assessments will be conducted to ensure that these alternative solutions meet thecommunication needs of the affected communities.

Johannes Möller, the President of Agri SA says: "Agri SA is keen to develop partnerships and this one represents a partnership to developrelations and solutions to farmers and communities in the area."

The Managing Director of SKA SA, Dr Rob Adam says of this agreement: "My vision for the SKA in South Africa is to continue building ourrelationship with the people living on and close to the SKA site in the Karoo. Various socio-economic studies point to the needs of localpeople with regard to education, employment and quality of life. It is theresponsibility of both SKA SA and local farmers to work together to build asustainable future for this part of the Karoo that we are privileged to work andlive in. Through this agreement with Agri SA, the SKA SA expresses its commitmentto work in partnership with the organised farming sector to ensure that maximumbenefit is derived from hosting the SKA radio telescope in the Karoo."

Dr Adam concludes: "Over the course of the following weeks we also seek toconclude an agreement with the SAN Council which represents the interests of thedescendents of the earliest inhabitants of the Karoo."

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CONTACTSJohannes Möller, Agri SA president

Mobile: +27 (0)82 647 8481Henk van Wyk, president Agri Northern Cape

Mobile: +27 (0)71 606 4461Lorenzo Raynard, SKA SA Head: Communication

and Stakeholder RelationsE-mail: lraynard@ska.ac.zaMobile: +27 (0)71 454 0658