Academy of Science of South Africa
The World Academy of Sciences - Regional Office for Sub-Saharan Africa (TWAS-ROSSA)Not a member yet
325 research outputs found
Sort by
Water Security Seminar: Sustainable Development Goal 6, Access to Water and Sanitation for all
Full text link14 pagesOn 14 March 2023 the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) hosted the Water Security Seminar to launch the ASSAf Statement on Water Security in South Africa, and engage across sectors on solutions to strengthen water sustainability. The crafting of the Statement was necessitated by the United Nations 2023 Water Conference and to highlight the socio-economic threat in the face of continuously declining water security in South Africa, thus a call for action.
The solution targeted Statement was crafted by a 20-member panel from various local institutions. The Statement was in sync with the discussion themes of the UN 2023 Water Conference, namely, (1) Water for Health, (2) Water for Development, (3) Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment, (4) Water for Cooperation, and (5) Water Action Decade. During the Seminar, the Statement was handed over to the water sector leader, the Department of Water and Sanitation represented by their Chief Engineer, Mr Mark Bannister. Mr Bannister additionally gave an overview of South Africa’s progress concerning Sustainable Development Goal 6.
Sectors that attended the Seminar include, government (national and local government), academia and research institutions, water boards, business, agriculture, energy generation, media, non-governmental organisations. Seminar attendance by youth was noteworthy as represented by: Jabulani Technical Secondary School (Soweto), South African Young Academy of Science, Sibayeni Metro Farming, Young Water Professionals, South Africa Youth Parliament for Water. During the Seminar, ASSAf additionally communicated endeavours to establish the ASSAf Water Security Forum as a multi-sectoral platform to engage on water issues concerning South Africa.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Scholarly Writing and Publishing
Full text linkMP4 video, Size: 1.30 GB, Duration: 1:56Artificial Intelligence is changing the world in ways never seen before, and it is impossible to let it go unnoticed. The webinar on “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Scholarly Writing & Publication” follows on the recent ASSAf Presidential Roundtable hosted on 22 Feb 2023 on “The implications of ChatGPT on Assessment in Higher Education”. The Scholarly Publishing Programme at the Academy of South Africa (ASSAf SPP) regards itself as a trendsetter but also an innovator, investigating and implementing new trends where it can benefit science and scholarly publishing in general. The focus of this webinar will be on AI tools such as ChatGPT (Microsoft), Bard (Google) and many more.
During this webinar panellists addressed questions such as: What are the challenges and the opportunities AI brings to scholarly writing and publishing? How should SA journals pro-actively address/accommodate this phenomenon and what more can we expect? Would it be ethical to use ChatGPT to write or review scientific articles for scholarly journals? How effective are applications used to track text prepared with the help of Bots and how can they be improved? Should Bots be listed as authors or acknowledged differently?
The above questions and many more were addressed by our expert speakers:- Emeritus Prof Mike Lambert (Session Moderator) (University of Cape Town)- Dr Burgert Swanepoel (University of the Free State)- Prof Tommie Meyer (University of Cape Town)- Prof Bhekisipho Twala (Tshwane University of Technology
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Other Disciplines
Full text link192 pagesThe peer review report entitled Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Other Disciplines is the 14th in a series of discipline-grouped evaluations of South African scholarly journals. This is part of a scholarly assurance process initiated by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). The process is centered on multi-perspective, discipline-based evaluation panels appointed by the Academy Council on the recommendation of the Academy’s Committee on Scholarly Publishing in South Africa (CSPiSA). This detailed report presents the peer review panel’s consolidated consensus reports on each journal and provides the panel’s recommendations in respect of DHET accreditation, inclusion on the SciELO SA platform and suggestions for improvement in general. The main purpose of the ASSAf review process for journals is to improve the scholarly publication in the country that is consonant with traditional scholarly practices.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
Researcher capacity building: supporting the career development of emerging research leaders in Africa
Full text link24 pagesIn November 2022, the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) held a half-day workshop on researcher capacity building, providing opportunities for participants to discuss ways to support the development of early-career researchers.
The workshop heard examples of mentoring schemes, leadership development and other career support programmes organised in the UK and Africa. In group sessions, participants reflected on these examples and the lessons they held for capacity development in the UK and countries across Africa. The role that international networks could play in capacity development was also discussed.
The discussions highlighted the multiple approaches available to support the personal and professional development of researchers, including different types of mentoring (developmental mentoring, peer mentoring), technical training, leadership development, and coaching. Individuals will have different needs, based on their background, career stage and personal preferences, emphasising the importance of adopting a researcher-centred approach to development programmes, with bespoke features according to requirements.UK Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS
Humanities Annual Lecture on “The Role of the Humanities in a Time of Displacement”
Full text linkMP4 Video, Duration: 1:38:45TheHumanitiesLectureisaprestigiouseventoftheAcademyandseekstopromotetheHumanitiesinSouthAfricaandtodrawattentiontotheimportanceoftheHumanitiesamongst learners,university students,scholars,and the broader South African society.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
5th Annual ASSAf Science-Business Leadership Forum titled “Unmasking the Enigma called FinTech”
Full text linkMP4 Video; Size: 419MB; Duration: 1:09The concept of ‘money’ and the world of financial services and products have undergone a remarkable transformative evolution since the Global Financial Crisis, propelled by technological advancements and the global shift towards the digital economy. These financial technology (FinTech) developments range from rapid payment systems, mobile money, digital banking (including central bank digital currencies, CBDCs), cryptocurrencies, blockchains etc. FinTech promises to not only shape the future of transactions but also redefine the fundamental tenets of monetary value and exchange. Between 2010 and 2019, the global FinTech sector witnessed a significant surge in investments, totalling over US1.5 trillion by 2030. While promising transformative solutions, FinTech industry is not without its challenges, ranging from regulatory and policy hurdles; security concerns; customer trust; data protection, inclusion of and the impact on previously overlooked demographics. Understanding the broader FinTech environment can help shed light and shape FinTech today and in the decades to come, particularly in Africa.
In light of this, the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) hosted the 5th Annual ASSAf Science-Business Leadership Forum on the 3 November 2023 titled “Unmasking the Enigma called FinTech” on 3 November 2023, 09h00 SAT, Virtually. The aim of this dialogues was to stimulate conversations on what FinTech is; its adoption on the African Continent; the regulatory conundrum associated with FinTech; while exploring the use of technology such as AI in addressing money laundering, fraud, identity theft, combatting financing of terrorism and proliferation financing and delving into questions of whether South Africa should introduce a "digital Rand", i.e. a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC); the benefits and risks of such a currency. Panellists included: Prof Vivienne Lawack (DVC: Academic, University of the Western Cape); Prof Co-Pierre Georg (SARChI Chair: Blockchain Technology, University of Cape Town) and Prof Louis de Koker (Professor of Law, La Trobe University, Australia). The full recording is accessible on ASSAf_YouTube.
The forum is hosted annually by the Academy and moderated by ASSAf’s President, Prof Jonathan Jansen and the focus is to engage prominent scientists/scholars and leading experts from the business community to deliberate on matters of shared significance.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
ASSAf Webinar for New Editors – DHET Research Output Policy Implementation
Full text linkMP4 video, Size: 7:05MB, Duration: 2:17ASSAf webinar hosted by the Scholarly Publishing Programme staff for new journal editors on 14 February 2023. The aim was to make them aware of the DHET Research Output Policy and to answer questions related to the implementation of the policy
The implications of ChatGPT for assessment in higher education
Full text linkMP4 Video, Size: 1.6GB; Duration: 1:14:14ChatGPT is a new language-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology developed by OpenAI, that can understand and communicate in human language. ChatGPT has gained a lot of attention since its release in November 2022 and is already being integrated into various industries. Many in the field of higher education are curious to know how ChatGPT could be used to create authentic assessments to measure students’ knowledge and skills. On the other hand, students could also use ChatGPT to write assignments etc., making it difficult for educators to detect cheating.
In response, the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) hosted the 11th ASSAf Presidential Roundtable Discussion titled “The Implications of ChatGPT for Assessment in Higher Education”. The panellists included: Dr Franci Cronjé (Research Associate, The IIE Vega School), Dr Roze Phillips (Founder and CEO, Abundance at Work) and Prof Johannes Cronjé (Professor, Digital Teaching and Learning, Cape Peninsula University of Technology). The overall sentiment is that ChatGPT is a useful tool that should be used with some element of caution. We must consider the ethics, the learning process for the student and move our thinking about assessment from assessing the product, to assessing the process, amongst other things. There were close to 1400 participants in attendance.
The ASSAf Presidential Roundtables on Science, Scholarship and Society, which are hosted by ASSAf and moderated by ASSAf’s President, Prof Jonathan Jansen, are an evidence-based dialogue that brings together experts and stakeholders to address critical issues affecting society at large and are of interest to a broad audience.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
10th ASSAf Presidential Roundtable on The Threat to Leadership in South African Universities
No full textMP4 video, Size: 1.6GB; Duration: 1:34The 10th ASSAf Presidential Roundtable Discussion and the first in 2023, titled “The threat to leadership in South African universities” was presented on 27 January 2023. In recent times university staff have been assaulted and killed on and around campuses across the country, for instance, the killing of Prof Gregory Kamwendo, former Dean of Arts at the University of Zululand, Prof Mohammed Saber Tayob, a CA associate professor at the University of Limpopo, then, Peet Roets, who was the head of Fleet management at the University of Fort Hare, to name but a few. Now this year, the attempted assassination of the Vice-Chancellor of Fort Hare University and the tragic murder of his bodyguard, Mr Mbonelli Vesele, has generated intense public reaction against the perceived lack of response from government, whether it be in bringing the criminals to justice or providing adequate support to university leadership when their very lives are at stake.
Prof Jonathan Jansen, ASSAf’s President, moderated the dialogue to get a deeper understanding of why this is happening; if government is doing enough to support university staff; and what these attacks mean for the future of South African universities in general and university leadership in particular. The discussions were led by Prof Nomalanga Mkhize (HoD: History and Political Studies, Nelson Mandela University), Prof Mohamed Saleem Badat (Research Professor: College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal), Prof Themba Mosia (Vice-Principal, University of Pretoria) and Prof Adam Habib (Director: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London). The panellists viewed these developments as a crisis that needs to be handled with extreme caution. The ASSAf Presidential Roundtables on Science, Scholarship and Society, which are hosted by ASSAf and moderated by ASSAf’s President, Prof Jonathan Jansen, are an evidence-based dialogue that brings together experts and stakeholders to address critical issues affecting society at large and are of interest to a broad audience.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf
Quest Volume 19 Number 2
Full text linkContents: South Africa’s energy transition - An overall analysis of what a just transition would (and should) mean for the country: The national power crisis - Going off the grid works for the wealthy - but could deepen injustice for the poor: Global and local energy
crises?: - A look at what is meant by an energy crisis, and the shared responsibility of energy conservation: Green hydrogen - Sounds like a win for developing countries, but cost and transport are problems: Water-Energy-Food (WEF) - The challenges of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus in South Africa: From waste to watts -Leveraging agrowaste to address South Africa’s power crisis: Hello Iani! - South African sedimentologist part of team to discover new species of dinosaur in Utah: Using nanophotonic biosensors - Laser light used for advanced disease detection: The approaching storm... - ...of disinfectant resistance: ZA App Alert! - Looking at two new proudly South African apps: Winning essays - The first “Welcome to the Blue Planet” competition shows SA youth has tons of promise: Yellow jacket wasps, zoomed in - Using microscopy to see fascinating details on the bodies and wings of wasps: Apple takes on VR - The Vision Pro is billed as the first ‘spatial computer’: Deceptive daisy - Clever flower’s ability to create fake flies finally explained: ’Ghost’ imaging - SA team makes giant leap towards a 3D quantum camera: Medicinal mushroom - Matie student identifies species of medicinal mushroom endemic to Knysna forest: Book review: Subscription:The Department of Science and Innovation: Academy of Science of South Afric