Take a tour through science with the Department of Science and Technology as it hosts the annual National Science Week in in Nelson Mandela Bay this August.
National Science Week 2017 (NSW2017), which will be hosted at Nelson Mandela University’s Missionvale Campus, will this year take on the theme “Advancing Science Tourism” – in recognition of the United Nation’s International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor will kick off NSW 2017 at the University, which officially relaunches as Nelson Mandela University on 20 July, with a launch event on 5 August at Missionvale.
The University, through the Faculty of Science, has organized an array of exciting events in the run up to the national launch that include maths and science conferences, lectures and talks and seminars.
Take a virtual tour of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and find more about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC); get a hitch-hikers’ guide to the universe; alternatively find out more about climate change and how it will impact SA; or participate in discussion on the science and diversity issues.
These are only some of the many activities the university has planned to explore the NSW2017 sub-themes which include Discoveries at the Frontiers of Science, Ocean Science, Earth Stewardship, Diversity and Inclusion in Science, Indigenous Knowledge Systems & History of Science and Touring the Human Body.
The last sub-theme will see a fun-run on the 29 July that will kick-start the annual science, technology and innovation extravaganza.
The countdown to the countrywide celebration of science has begun, with less than a month before the launch. From the urban city centers of Port Elizabeth, Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg to the remote areas of the Vhembe district of Limpopo, this Department of Science and Technology initiative is an exciting STI event.
With its main aim to popularize science among the young and the old, the NSW sees all nine provinces simultaneously hosting activities at multiple sites. The public is able to select from a range of activities depending on their interest from astronomy to zoology, paleantology to natural sciences, or even participate in talks ranging from the social sciences to the intricacies of astrophysics.
The South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) has been appointed by the DST as the implementing agency, and coordinates the countrywide celebration of science involving various stakeholders and/or role players conducting science-based activities during the week.
This year’s launch event at the University is expected to attract 3500 learners, 600 students and academics and a further 1000 participants that include teachers, local community members and policy makers.
About 100 regional and national exhibitors are expected to showcase their Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics Innovation (STEMI) products and initiatives and engage with the participants.
Alan Straton
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