Academy of Science of South Africa
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Revitalising Agricultural Education and Training in South Africa
Get PDFCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2017). Revitalising Agricultural Education and Training in South Africa. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0016The consensus study was initiated by the ASSAf Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Standing Committee, deriving from a deep concern about the status of Agricultural Education and Training (AET) in the country. The study seeks to identify and address the challenges facing the AET sector in South Africa. It is a timely study given the important role that this sector needs to play in meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The study aims to provide evidenced-based information and clear recommendations to policymakers and other relevant stakeholders with an interest in agricultural human capital development. Some of the key findings of the study include inadequate funding for practical-level training; weak linkages to industry for understanding training needs; poor quality and inadequate numbers of educators who are appropriately trained to teach agriculture at school level; and poor linkages in the research–teaching–extension nexus. The recommendations are wide-ranging and very practical. It is hoped that they will be used to influence policymakers and thereby result in an improvement in the quality of AET in South Africa.
Although specifically focused on South Africa – a collation and analysis of international practice within the South African context – the report is potentially a useful resource for other countries on the African continent seeking to strengthen their own AET systems.
The report was developed and guided to its successful conclusion by an 11-member study panel of experts, under the leadership of Prof Frans Swanepoel. It was peer-reviewed by three experts and will be made available in an open accessible and free format.Agricultural Research Council (ARC
Quest Volume 13 Number 3 2017
Get PDFCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2017). Quest: Science for South Africa, 13(3). [Online] Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/86Conservation through film (Lize Joubert-van der Merwe shares her excitement around a conservation documentary); ‘First light’: Expansion of the radio astronomy network to Ghana (Lorenzo Reynard showcases Ghana’s role in the African very long baseline Interferometer Network); The Harlequin ladybird: The bad side of a cute beetle (Ingrid Minnaar explains why ladybirds are not cute); Legends of South African Science (ASSAf celebrates 20 years by featuring important South African scientists); Because Science is Fun - Stories of Emerging Female Scientists in South Africa (Caradee Wright shares twenty-five journeys of ordinary South Africans living extraordinary lives); Why is pi (π) important? (Jan Smit and Ashleigh Pieterse explain the importance of the constant pi); Science Lens (Science in photography); Listen up! Eavesdropping on Cape Peninsula endemics (Marike Louw tells us about listening to frogs); This Enigmatic Dinosaur may be the missing link in an evolution mystery; New research reveals earliest directly dated rock paintings from southern Africa; 400 million-year-old fish fossil reveals jaw structure linked to humans; Urbanisation and electricity are not to blame for sleep loss, new study finds; Aardvarks’ tragic fate points to worrying consequences for wildlife as a result of climate change; New shrimp species has unique association with octopus.Department of Science and Technolog
Role of Science Academies in the National System of Innovation
Get PDFProceedings ReportAcademies in the SADC region were offered an opportunity to host a half day workshop on Wednesday, 21 June in Ezulwini, Swaziland, to present to stakeholders in the SADC region. ASSAf coordinated the organisation of this meeting which was well attended by SADC Senior Officials and stakeholders from within Swaziland.Network of African Science Academies
InterAcademy Partnership (IAP)
Academy of Science of Mozambique
Government of Swaziland
Mauritius Academy of Science and Technology
SADC Science, Technology and Innovation Desk
Tanzania Academy of Sciences
Zambia Academy of Sciences
Zimbabwe Academy of Scienc
The shale gas industry in South Africa: Toward a science action plan. 31 August – 1 September 2017, Proceedings Report
Get PDFCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2017). The shale gas industry in South Africa: Toward a science action plan. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2017/0019The objective of the conference was to showcase critical national reports on shale gas in South Africa; analyse the regulatory environment; and consolidate common findings and recommendations and provide a platform for debate.
The conference was attended by 126 key stakeholders from government, industry and academia. African and international delegates also attend the conference. Among the 126 delegates there were 12 speakers and 9 panellists. The programme was divided into 7 sessions with the last session comprising 2 roundtable discussions.
The opening address was delivered by Dr Phil Mjwara, Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology. Further notable representations were made by Mr Jacob Moatshe, Acting Deputy Director-General of Mineral Policy and Promotion at the Department of Mineral Resources (representing the Chair of the governmental Hydraulic Fracturing Monitoring Committee, Advocate Thabo Mokoena (DG of the DMR)), and Ms Busisiwe Khumalo, General Manager at the Eastern Cape office of the Premier.Department of Science and Technolog
Legends of South African Science
Get PDFCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2017). Legends of South African Science. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0012Legends of South African Science introduces Academy Members who rank among the top achievers in the country.
Legends profiles ASSAf Members who have received some of South Africa’s top awards, viz. the ASSAf Science-for-Society Gold Medal, National Orders of Mapungubwe and Baobab bestowed by the President, or the Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship.
Among the Members featured in the book are a biologist and Nobel Laureate who helped decode DNA; an epidemiologist recognised for groundbreaking research on HIV prevention in women; a social scientist who nudged and cajoled into place the campaign to understand and contain HIV/AIDS in South Africa; a leading mathematics education proponent; a human geneticist whose work helped to clarify the origins of indigenous groups in Africa; one of the world's leading theorists in cosmology; and a leading immunologist and physician who pioneered higher education transformation in South Africa, in sometimes controversial ways.Department of Science and Technolog
Quest Volume 13 Number 4 2017
No full textMagazineCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2017). Quest: Science for South Africa, 13(4). [Online] Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/91A plague of plastics Morgan Trimble and Katherine Hutchinson look at plastic pollution - Seamester: South Africa’s University afloat postgraduate educationt sea. By Morgan Trimble and Katherine Hutchinson - Science at sea how the oceans define our life on earth. By Morgan Trimble and Katherine Hutchinson - Quantum walks Bereneice Sephton, Angela Dudley and Andrew Forbes explain the importance of random motion - Hubble’s MESSIER - Catalogue Some of the best images from the Hubble space telescope - How we used the Earth’s magnetic field to date rocks rich in dinosaur fossils. By Lara Sciscio - Forgotten fossils hold clues to how ancestors of mammals cared for their young we all know that mammals protect and care for their young. Was this always the case? By Sandra Jasinoski and Fernando Abdala - Nothing matters: How the invention of zero helped create modern mathematics - Ittay Weiss explains the importance of zero in modern mathematics - The Nobel Prize for physics 2017 - This year’s Nobel Prize for physics
goes to three people ...Department of Science and Technology (DST
First Biennial Report to Cabinet on the State of Climate Change : Science and Technology in South Africa
No full textCite: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), (2017). First Biennial Report to Cabinet on the State of Climate Change : Science and Technology in South Africa. [Online] Available at: DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2016/0015This report aligns with the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) of the government of South Africa, which in turn stems from the work of the National Planning Commission and its National Development Plan (NDP). Outcome 10 of the MTSF calls for a report on the state of climate change science and technology in South Africa to be provided to Cabinet by the DST and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) every two years. This is the first such report. The report aims to:
• provide a critical assessment and comparative overview of climate change scientific research and related technological innovations;
• identify any gaps or barriers in research and technology development value chains;
• suggest ways to improve the current situation and maximise opportunities for South Africa.Department of Science and Technolog
