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xhnjshj nx ymj sj| httq EXPLORING THE LIVES OF THE MASTER MINDS BEHIND THE WORLDS GREAT INNOVATIONS

From humble beginnings to dizzying heights

The man behind the personality

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Welcome to the 1st issue of many

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FEATURES

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We have arrived Here it is! The inaugural issue of Science Stars.

Editors Note Born to succeed The father of Science A man who ran where few had dared to look From humble beginnings to dizzying heights An engineer who has risen above it all

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csir

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Shanduka Foundation Growing a culture of giving

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Shanduka Black Umbrellas Turning dreams into reality

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4 Science Facts The beauty of facts

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Science Festival Technology in practice

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2 The man behind the personality Prof Muronga outlines how any dream can be realised despite adverse circumstances

Chairman Madambi Rambuda Managing Editor Evans Nyasha Manyonga Art Director Nkabanhle Mawala Contributors Mbuyiseni Madi Prof. Azwinndini Muronga Prof. Fulufhelo Nelwamondo Mawethu Justice Nyakatya

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Sales Executive Siyavuya Mhlanga

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Copyright 2013 Roswika Media. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or any means, electronically or mechanically,without prior permission.

Science Stars is published by Roswika Media - a member of the Shanduka Black Umbrellas

FOREWORD

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EDITOR

ED’S NOTE Born to succeed

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nly those who dare to dream actually realise those dreams. If history has taught us anything as it rightly should, it is that your birth circumstances do not determine your future. Anyone can rise from humble and poor circumstances to unimaginable success. It is what you put in that determines where your life ultimately goes. Education is the key to success and Science Stars will focus on guiding you towards success.

We promise to entertain, educate and inform you about science and mathematics education. Science Stars will bring you inspiring, exciting and motivating stories, of ordinary people who have achieved extraordinary things. People who came from different backgrounds but were motivated enough to take control of their own destiny. Our opening piece is on the father of science himself, Albert Einstein. We get to know about this famous man as we look at the thinking behind the master of Science. A social

commentator of note we also list some of his most famous quotes.

With an authentic mix of local and international, we look at some of our rare gems in the Science fraternity. Among these is Prof Azwindini Muronga. His profile details how he came from herding cattle in the village to being one of the most highly renowned science Professors in the country.

I hope in our inaugural edition you will find a friend in science- and education in general. A friend who will help you realise and be informed about the numerous opportunities available to you.

It is never impossible to get into any university as long as you are driven and motivated. All you need to do is study hard, pass well and the rest including finance will be given to you. With education the world will become your oyster. A set goal is the master of motivation. Enjoy the enlightening journey

EDITOR

Evans Nyasha Manyonga Science Stars Editor

Write to us: Upper East Side Unit 9B 31 Brickfield Cape Town Or call us on 021 447 7197 Email: info@sciencestars.co.za

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ED’S FAVOURITES

8 The enigmatic father of science. A lasting symbol of the beauty of an art-form.

The indelible image from SKA represents the power of science.

Yet another career choice as the expert opinion of Joel Guy takes us on a revealing journey.

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ALBERT EINSTEIN

The Father Of Science

A man who ran where few had dared to look 8

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THE FATHER OF SCIENCE

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lbert Einstein is widely regarded as the father of science in the modern era. At times controversial, at times prolific and at times downright humorous. Loved by some and at one point described by one cartoonist as “The ultimate cartoonists dream”. He was a consistently brilliant scientist.

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Imagination is more important than knowledge.

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Albert Einstein was born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. In 1896 he entered the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich to be trained as a teacher in physics and mathematics. In 1901, the year he gained his diploma, he acquired Swiss citizenship and, as he was unable to find a teaching post, he accepted a position as technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Offi ce. In 1905 he obtained his doctor’s degree. During his stay at the Patent Office, and in his spare time, he produced much of his remarkable work and in 1908 he was appointed Privatdozent in Berne. In 1909 he became Professor Extraordinary at Zurich, in 1911 Professor of Theoretical Physics at Prague, returning to Zurich in the following year to fill a similar post. In 914 he was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. He became a German citizen in 1914 and remained in Berlin until 1933 when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of

ALBERT EINSTEIN Theoretical Physics at Princeton.

He became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired from his post in 1945. After World War II, Einstein was a leading fi gure in the World Government Movement, he was off ered the Presidency of the State of Israel, which he declined, and he collaborated with Dr. Chaim Weizmann in establishing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Einstein always appeared to have a clear view of the problems of physics and the determination to solve them. He had a strategy of his own and was able to visualize the main stages on the way to his goal. He regarded his major achievements as mere steppingstones for the next advance.

At the start of his scientific work, Einstein realised the inadequacies of Newtonian mechanics and his special theory of relativity stemmed from an attempt to reconcile the laws of mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. He dealt with classical problems of statistical mechanics and problems in which they were merged with quantum theory: this led to an explanation of the Brownian movement of molecules.

Einstein made notable achievements in his lifetime. In this piece we try to go deeper, seeking to understand the man behind the personality through some of his most famous quotes. For Einstein was more than a brilliant scientific mind; he was also an articulate social commentator.

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“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”

“I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.”

“The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.”

“ The whole of science is nothing more than a refnement of everyday thinking.” “ Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.” “ Peace cannot be kept by force.

It can only be achieved by understanding.”

“Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.”

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

“ Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.”

“ Peace cannot be kept by force.

It can only be achieved by understanding.”

“I want to know God’s thoughts; the rest are details.”

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” “ Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

“The only real valuable thing is intuition.” “ Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”

“ The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”

“ The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” “ God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically.”

QOUTES 10

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“A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.”

“ Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.”

“God is subtle but he is not malicious.”

ENGINEERING

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO DIZZYING HEIGHTS

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n 2004 South Africa produced 304 mining engineering graduates, followed by Australia with 130, Canada with 127 and the united States with 35 graduates.

However there still is a shortage of mining engineers in the country.

It’s said that 85 percent of these BSc Mining Engineering graduates choose to work overseas for better pay and opportunities.

Quiz: What is mining Engineering?

What does Mbuyiseni Madi currently do?

What helped Mbuyiseni Madi pass high school?

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It’s Sunday afternoon and we’re seated next to one of these rare gems – a mining engineer – Mbuyiseni Madi. Wearing his Bafana Bafana T-shirt and shorts he leads us into his luxury apartment in Century City, Cape Town. It’s hard to believe that this young man’s roots are from Dumbe Mountain’s Paul Pietersburg in KwaZulu Natal, where he started off at the rural Bilanyoni Primary School and later did high school at Kanye Kanye.

“You know when you are from a rural school the chances of you knowing exactly what you want to do are limited – I just knew I wanted to be an engineer” he reminisces as we asked him how and why he came to choose engineering. It was a fuzzy decision and made worse by the fact that his rural schooling was disrupted by teachers who weren’t

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always there and others who never stayed long enough at the school. Nonetheless a plan was made. After school him and a group of like-minded pupils would get together and work through the school textbooks till late at night.

If they couldn’t solve textbook problems together they would always ask pupils who were in the class ahead of theirs for help or at times spend time with their maths teacher. There was an air of seriousness from an early age in the way in which Mbuyiseni conducted himself and he believes that he could have gotten a higher mark than C for his matric if he had gone to a better school.

With High School nothing’s ever easy, when Mbuyiseni looks back he realizes that there will always be challenges and temptations in school.

“Nothing much has changed from the challenges we had. It’s just that the challenges are in a different form. There are a lot of things that will disturb you in school – but it

“You know when you are from a rural school the chances of you knowing exactly what you want to do are limited – I just knew I wanted to be an engineer”

ENGINEERING

is your decision to partake! It is our decision to drink, smoke, get pregnant – you choose” he says.

After High School he went to Mangosuthu Technikon where he accessed books and read more about his area of interest – engineering. Although he had a strong math’s background engineering was where he wanted to go, but within engineering there are many streams such as Civil Engineering, Chemical

Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Mining Engineering. Mbuyiseni chose to do a BSc Mining Engineering degree at the University of Witwatersrand (WITS).

With such an in-demand qualification work was never scarce and his career kicked off with companies such as PetroSA and travelling abroad to work in Sudan and later returning to South Africa where he works for Engen Petroleum.

In his current capacity he is the Corporate Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ) Risk Manager for Engen Pertroleum – a job that requires careful attention to detail and assessing risks that arise in the petroleum work environment

as well as ensuring proper health and safety measure at work. In trying to find out how this links to Mining Engineering, Mbuyiseni explains that “When you are doing mining engineering there are components of health and safety that are taught and observed. It’s an integral part of mining engineering,” as he tells us that with an engineering job a person is not limited in terms of career options. But one thing’s for sure, choosing mining engineering was a wise decision, because it is in high demand within the engineering sector.

South Africa’s department of minerals and energy spokesperson, Jeremy Michaels, noted that it is “extremely concerned about the shortage of skills in the mining sector.

It is obviously crucial for the sustainability of the sector for us to develop and reclaim the necessary skills.

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ALBERT EINSTEIN CSIR

INNOVATIVE EXCELLENCE CSIR researcher probes new laser method for cancer treatment

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SIR researcher, Ivy Ndhundhuma is at the forefront of the photodynamic diagnosis technique that can be applied for early detection of cancerous cells. The aim is to be able to use this novel technique for early diagnosis of skin cancer and treatment.

“Cancer in general is a deadly disease,” she says.

The activities of the Biophotonics group are primarily aimed at the development and improvement of various therapeutic and diagnostic medical applications of lasers. This new innovative diagnostic technique relies on the principle of differential fluorescence emission of a photosensitive drug between abnormal and normal tissues in response to excitation by a specific wavelength of laser light within a visible spectrum range.

Ndhundhuma says that every human being has cancer cells in the body.

“These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion to reach

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the detectable size,” she says, adding that South Africa has the second highest incidence of skin cancer in the world after Australia due to high amounts of ultra violet (UV) radiation. “Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck recurs locally in nearly half of patients treated by surgical resection, radiation, and/or chemotherapy.”

Malignant melanoma is the uncommon type, but most dangerous of all skin cancers as it may metastasize to other parts of the body such as liver, spleen and lymph nodes, she explains.

Three things that keep Ndhundhuma on tenterhooks about this research are: the uniqueness of the photodynamic diagnosis; potential to reduce treatment costs; and saving lives.

With this technique, cancer can be diagnosed at an early stage.

“Most skin cancers can be cured if found and treated early,” says Ndhundhuma adding that in a country such as South Africa, where skin cancer prevalence is high, leading to direct and indirect medical

costs, early diagnosis research will undoubtedly save lives as well as the country’s costs and other social services in treatment – not to mention a significant reduction in human suffering, paralysis and mortality.

“Early diagnosis is one of society’s most cost-effective medical interventions,” she remarks.

Working at the CSIR has enabled Ndhundhuma, through a National Research Foundation travel grant, to visit the Institute for Laser Technology in Medicine and Measuring Engineering (ILM) at Ulm, Germany for training in advanced analysis of the applicability and efficiency of photosensitisers (drugs) applied for photodynamic cancer therapy using conventional as well as advanced biological cell and tissue models as they are applied at ILM. Her visit has led to the publication of a journal paper and to possible collaboration with an ILM scientist. This paper appeared as a cover article of the August issue of the journal Medical Laser Application – a wonderful honour for Ivy on women’s month, given that she is also first author on the article. To encourage the collaboration, the ILM Institute donated a Laser Scanning Microscope (LSM410) which can be tailored for use in fluorescence applications.

Ndhundhuma holds an MTech degree in biomedical science from the Tshwane University of Technology. She is currently registered for a doctorate at the University of Johannesburg.

Initially, she studied analytical chemistry but her interest in the biomedical field saw her changing career lanes.

“The reason I am interested in this research is that I want to understand laser-tissue interaction technologies

and come up with a non-invasive modality for cancer diagnosis,” says Ndhundhuma. “This is a potential application to reduce human suffering and mortality due to cancer and the cost of cancer treatment.”

Apart from her being married with three children, and being a female scientist, Ndhundhuma comments that working in a male-dominated field has not been easy - however, it is not necessarily difficult. “Anyone who is determined to achieve great things in life can and will make it eventually,” she concludes.

Ivy Ndhundhuma

CSIR

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The reason I am interested in this research is that I want to understand laser-tissue interaction technologies and come up with a non-invasive modality for cancer diagnosis,

”

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SHANDUKA

SHANDUKA FOUNDATION:

GROWING A CULTURE OF

GIVING them, Shanduka Foundation capitalised the Johannesburg branch and mobilised other corporates to support enterprise development through this initiative.

Social responsibility is one of the values that underpin Shanduka Group, and this is made evident through monetary investment and employee participation.

Launched in 2004, Shanduka Foundation is the vehicle through which the Cyril Ramaphosa-chaired Shanduka Group channels its social and community development initiatives.

The foundation has three areas of focus: improving schools; incubating and mentoring black emerging small enterprises; and providing bursaries for needy and deserving students studying towards business-related qualifications.

These objectives are achieved through Adopt-a-School Foundation, Shanduka Black Umbrellas, and the Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust respectively.

Ramaphosa started the Adopt-a-School Foundation after donating a fax machine to a school he attended as a young man and realised the myriad needs of this school and others like it. He then mobilised other individuals and companies to join him and contribute to the improvement of schools.

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The decision to start the Adopt-a-School Foundation was based on the belief that children are our future and therefore, education will ensure a better future for all.

Selected schools must have strong leadership and active community involvement. The aim is to improve the academic, infrastructural, social and security environment in schools, by ensuring that they have the necessary management and community leadership to create an environment conducive for teaching and learning.

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Supporting small businesses has always been a key focus of Shanduka Foundation. This gained traction when the foundation was approached by Charles Maisel and Mark Frankel, who started the Black Umbrellas incubation centre in Cape Town, and were looking for partners. In partnering with

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As a result, there are today four Shanduka Black Umbrellas centres – in Cape Town, Johannesburg Pretoria and Durban.

To qualify for incubation, entrepreneurs selected must have a proven level of skills and have a business idea that can be implemented immediately. Their business concepts must be past the conceptual stage. People with skills who want to start or grow their businesses are encouraged to apply.

The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust programme was started using money raised by Ramaphosa speaking at different events to fund bursaries for deserving students.

Academically deserving students who need financial support qualify for bursaries; additionally, they have to be studying towards a business qualification.

In addition to financial assistance, the students are mentored throughout their studies and have an opportunity to spend their holidays at Shanduka for experiential learning.

Importantly, Shanduka employees are fully involved in this initiative and all the company’s other CSI projects. Social responsibility is one of our values and is part of our mission – ‘Creating value and making a difference’. All Shanduka employees get involved and mobilise support for the work of the foundation wherever they go.

Every employee contributes financially to the Adopt-aSchool programme and spends time mentoring students and enterpreneurs.

For a company such as ours that is just 10 years old, we believe we have made inroads in achieving positive developmental impact and making a difference for all our stakeholders – that includes our shareholders, employees, communities in which we operate and learners across the country – with 500 000 learners having benefitted from the Adopt-a-School Foundation.

For more information, call 011 305 8900

or visit www.shanduka.co.za

PROFILE

CSIR Multidisciplinary research and technological innovation The CSIR in South Africa performs multidisciplinary research and technological innovation with the aim of contributing to industrial development and the quality of life of people in South Africa -- and increasingly on the wider continent. We employ people who are experts in their fields and passionate about creating a better future through science.

environment; defence, peace, safety and security; materials science and manufacturing; and natural resources and the environment.

Emerging research areas These are areas of science, explored by the CSIR, that could be unique to local circumstances or successful internationally and need to be established for local competitiveness.

Who are we?

Examples include nanotechnology, Constituted by an Act of Parliament synthetic biology and mobile autonin 1945, the CSIR is one of the lead- omous intelligent systems. ing science and technology research, development and implementation or- National research centres ganisations in Africa. The CSIR’s main The CSIR houses specialist facilities site is in Pretoria, while it is represent- of strategic importance for African ed in other provinces of South Africa science. These include information through regional offices. and communications technologies; laser technology; and space-related Core focus on science technology.

The CSIR transfers the knowledge generated through research activities R and D outcomes by means of technology and skilled Activities include intellectual proppeople. The generation and applica- erty (IP) management, technology tion of knowledge reside at the core transfer (for commercial gain as well of the CSIR. This takes place in do- as for social good), knowledge dismains such as biosciences; the built semination and impact assessment.

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Dr Sibusiso Sibisi CSIR CEO

PROFILE 40% of its total income. The remainder is generated from research contracts with government departments at national, provincial and municipal levels, the private sector and research funding agencies in South Africa and abroad. Additional income is derived from royalties, licences and dividends from IP management and commercial companies created by the CSIR. The parliamentary grant is focused on the knowledge base and facilities in the CSIR to ensure these stay at the leading edge of technological development. It is invested in developing new areas of expertise, undertaking ‘pre-competitive’ research too risky Supporting national imperatives for the private sector to fund and for South Africa’s national imperatives training young researchers. The CSIR’s and global challenges provide the shareholder is the South African Parmacro-strategic framework within liament, held in proxy by the Minister which the CSIR conducts its research. of Science and Technology.

In an effort to contribute to placing our continent on a path of sustain- Clients able growth and development, the The CSIR has clients in both the priorganisation supports and actively vate sector (micro, small, medium and participates in the New Partnership large enterprises; formal and informal), for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). as well as in the public sector (national, The CSIR contributes to the national provincial and local government). The programme of development by: organisation also deals with public Building and transforming enterprises and institutions, national human capital safety and security establishments, Strengthening the S and T and development structures. Rebase gionally and abroad, the CSIR fosters Performing relevant knowl partnerships and a network of clients edge-generating research and partner organisations as part of a and transferring technology global sphere of influence on matters and skilled human capital. of technology. The CSIR liaises closely with tertiary education institutions.

How do we operate?

With a strong emphasis on relevant The CSIR receives an annual grant and developmental work, it also has from Parliament, through the Depart- strong roots in various communities, ment of Science and Technology and collaborates with a wide range of (DST), which accounts for close to donors and funding agencies.

Consulting and analytical services The CSIR has a group of facilities that manages standard technology-based services. The experts in this group utilise the value of CSIR knowledge application activities by providing specialised consulting, analysis and testing services to address the needs of clients. Services include forensic fire investigations, food and beverage analysis, environmental testing, engineering forensics, wire rope testing, mechanical testing, fires and explosion tests, sports technology and analysis, and project management.

Dr Sibusiso Sibisi CSIR CEO

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PROFILE

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PROFILE

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SCIENCE FACTS

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Provided by Scifest

QUIZ

*Answers will be published in the May/June issue*

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INDELIBLE IMAGE

INDELIBLE IMAGE

SKA Satellite Centre

SCIFEST

Measure Momentum Heal

Energy

Light

Listen

Question Play

Evolve

Experiment

React Prepare

Observe

Oops!

Travel

Lead

Plan Atom Devise

Discover

Devise

Learn

Solve

Realise

Explore

Invent

Respect

Progress

Improve

Develop

Streamline

Prove

Wonder

Be Diversity

Fascinate

Decide Read

Test

Method

Consider

Experience

Move

Drive

Bridge

Catalyst

Challenge

Change

Harness

Result

Energise

Plan

Balance

Calculate

Reflect

Search

Network

Reach

Accelerate

Life

Build Balance

Weigh

Care

Modify

Apply

Simplify

Heritage

Logic Convince

Shape Work

Dare

Succeed

Create

Dream

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Construct

Surprise SKA

Trains of Thought

Career Chemistry Engineering Imagination Innovation Life Sciences Mathematics Personal Journey Physics Technology

Absorb Teach

Record

Inspire Analyse

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Grow

Connect

Eureka!

Design

SCIFEST

Science Festival 2013 Science on the move

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he theme selected for Scifest Africa 2013 is “Science on the move!” in support of the attempt by Bloodhound SSC, UK to break the World Land Speed Record on Hakskeenpan, Northern Cape in 2013/2014. The theme will explore transport and anything that moves! The Bloodhound Project is Britain’s latest attempt on the World Land Speed Record with a car capable of 1 610kph.

The mission is to inspire future generations to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics by showcasing these subjects in schools, colleges and universities.

FamleLab South Africa will kick off in South Africa for the first time in 2013.

Regional heats and semi-finals will take place at various venues around the country, and the National Finals will take place at Scifest Africa on the 15th of March. The winner will represent South Africa in the international FameLab final in the UK in June 2013.

FameLab is an international competition dubbed “Pop Idols for scientists” running in 25 countries around the world. It seeks out new voices in science, technology, engineering and maths - developing science communication skills and profiling role-models to inspire the next generations of scientists.

The story of God, Human Instinct and That’s Life. He has several honors and awards including sixteen honorary doctorates.

In celebration and support of the 150 years anniversary of the London underground tube this year, our Scifest Africa 2013 official poster is based on the London underground tube.

Scifest Africa 2013 will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Coelacanth. These “wonder fish” are more closely related to lungfish, reptiles and mammals than the common rayfinned fishes. They are found along the coastlines of the Indian Ocean and Indonesia. Since there are only two species of coelacanth and both are threatened, it is the most endangered order of animals in the world.

Coelacanths were thought to have gone extinct in the Late Cretaceous, but were rediscovered in 1938 off the coast of South Africa. The coelacanth is considered a “living fossil” due to its apparent lack of significant evolution over the past millions of years.

The coelacanth is thought to have evolved into roughly its current form approximately 400 million years ago.

Lord Robert Winston will be one of our high profile lectures in the Lecture series section of the programme.

Professor Winston is a highly esteemed English professor, medical doctor, scientist, television presenter and politician. Professor Winston is the first Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London, a university with one of the strongest international science bases that has long recognized the crucial importance of improving communication and public engagement with science.

He has various controversial and well received publications to his name such as including but not only, Bad Ideas,

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STELLENBOSCH

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STELLENBOSCH

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PHYSICS

The Man e Behind Thee Personality

Prof Muronga outlines how any dream can be realised despite adverse circumstances

What do you do for a living I am the director of the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto Science Center and I also lecture physics at the university.

Where are you from I’m originally from a village called Lwamondo in Venda. But I also grew up in several others. After grade 10, I went to stay with my grandmother.

While living there my uncle took me through grades 11 and 12 at the best science school in Venda, Mbilwi High School.

Family I come from a family that is not so well-off. My parents worked on the farms, in their own fields which helped them survive. I was the first to go further with school in my family, and as you can imagine, as the first I was going for everyone. There are eight of us and only my sister and I progressed. Now the last born twin sisters Mpho and Tshilidzi are also continuing with their education.

What motivated you in such a family set-up Even though our parents didn’t go to school they emphasised the importance of education. In our

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PHYSICS

In an exclusive Q and A with the Science Stars magazine Professor Azwinndini Muronga the Director of the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto Science center gives readers an indepth perspective of his upbringing and his career in Science.

village it was known that you have to be something, like a policeman, a soldier, a doctor, a teacher or a nurse.

And in order for you to become those things you had to be educated. I remember while I was growing up I had an aunt who only had grade 7 who always made sure she would ask me what I was doing and she encouraged me.

What made you choose Science I grew up as a herdboy, looking after cattle and the term science did not exist in my community. But as I grew up, and through going to school I found out that what I was doing at home was actually what we were studying and it was called science.

At first I used to ask my mom why we been doing them all along. My mom also made home-made beer, and learning about mixing chemicals made me think she was a scientist too. It was up to me to explore and verify things and make sure that the community knows that they were born scientists. African people are masters in science, but we just never termed it that way. So I decided if that was the case I should go and find out why science is called science.

Role Models One of my role models is my high school teacher from Mbilwi Professor Mathamba who also taught me at the University of Venda .Another was professor Clemens a theorist who I met while I was at UCT, and eventually became my MSc advisor.

Then there’s Larry McLaren a physicist who invited me to study in the USA. I was lucky to be nurtured and

supervised by people who were my role models.

Role of Role Models?

It’s very important and I’ve embarked on a major programme in one of the most rural areas, Mopani District. I’ve been talking to young kids from grade 9 from about 230 high schools. After talking to them I could see that for them having seen somebody like me who used to eat Mopani worms like them, and have them ask themselves if we have someone who’s gone through 1,2,3, and is now involved in some of the largest experiments in the world, they start to think maybe we should go into science.

School?

After I finished my matric I did my BSc at the University of Venda. I wanted to do medicine at Medunsa in Natal, and I was awarded a scholarship but I ended up losing it due an administration problem. So I decided to go back to the University of Venda and register for the Pre- Medicine programme. After finishing my first year of BSc in Pre-Medicine as a

C student, I found that there was something more in science. Medicine was a bit challenging so I transferred in second year and registered for fulltime BSc which would take me four years. I got the Kagiso fund, which is now called NSFAS because there was no money at home. With the Kagiso fund you were given 60% and you had to repay the 40% of the fees.

I could even buy textbooks, which I didn’t even dream of. Before that I would actually stay on campus the whole night because there was no transport. So you either stayed behind and studied or you went home and not study because you didn’t have books.

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TIMELINE

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TIMELINE

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WEATHER

DREAMING WITH THE WEATHER You may not like the weather but just wait a minute

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n these times when jobs are hard to come by even for university graduates, being able to decide early on a career to pursue has become very essential. According to the StatsSA recent labour survey, the unemployment rate has been hovering around 30%. Faced with this kind of statistic, for many prospective job seekers, making the right career choice becomes a daunting task. Students entering tertiary education also face huge challenges when trying to decide on what courses to study.

The pursuit here is not to offer some career guidance 101, but to take you off the beaten track and look at one of the less obvious career choices. We are going to hone in on meteorology. That’s right. The word meteorology in itself sounds kind of dull and, to some, even hard to pronounce, and to others, maybe immediately conjures the image of some boring weatherman or woman on your TV screens.

The term weatherman has now become nearly obsolete with more and more practitioners preferring to be referred to as meteorologists. And a meteorologist is just but one subspecies of a collective of scientists

called atmospheric scientists. There are at least three other main categories of atmospheric scientists.

What are Atmospheric Scientists?

Atmospheric scientists do the exciting, challenging and highly rewarding work of studying the weather, climate and other atmospheric phenomena. From their analyses and findings they issue weather forecasts or reports on climate or other aspects of the atmosphere.

Possible Atmospheric Scientists’ Jobs Atmospheric scientists fall into various categories that deal with more particular aspects of weather, climate or the atmosphere in general.

These are weather forecasters, generally referred to as meteorologists, broadcast meteorologists, climate scientists or climatologists, research meteorologists and forensic meteorologists.

Weather Forecasters Weather forecasting has always been at the heart of meteorology or atmospheric science and meteorologists make up the biggest number of atmospheric scientists. In the main, weather forecasting involves observing weather parameters, analysing weather data, producing

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weather forecasts and presenting the forecasts to the general public.

Meteorologists in one country carry out routine observations of the atmosphere by measuring and recording atmospheric properties like temperature, air pressure and humidity. Since the systems that bring weather to one particular area are hundreds or thousands of kilometres in extent and move across national borders as they change, meteorologists in any one country also need weather data from other countries around the globe. As such, world-wide synchronised weather observations are made and the data is made freely available to all national weather services, through a telecommunications system overseen by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

In the formative years of weather forecasting, meteorologists would use any such data that would be available to them to draw up weather maps, and come up with a weather forecast. In these modern days of technological advancement, the measurements of atmospheric parameters made all over the world are used as the starting points of extremely complex computer programs that simulate the behaviour of the atmosphere. These computer programs, called Numerical Weather Prediction models or simply, computer models, are run on super computers and have become increasingly accurate over the years.

They predict the weather up to five or more days ahead.

Meteorologists use the guidance from such models together with data from satellites, local weather

WEATHER radar and balloons as well as local observations of atmospheric parameters to produce weather forecasts.

Those meteorologists working for national weather services mostly develop forecasts which are disseminated through radio and television stations as well as the internet and print media for the general public. In addition, they also produce specialised forecasts for specific industries like aviation, marine, farming, utilities and other weather sensitive businesses.

In private forecasting organisations, meteorologists go through the same work processes as those in national weather services. But being more commercially inclined, private weather forecasting companies mainly serve clients with very specific needs for highly specialised forecasts. For instance they develop forecasts for farmers of a specific crop, oil rigs, energy companies, transport companies or even sporting events.

Broadcast Meteorologists Whilst a good number of personalities giving you the weather for tomorrow on your TV or radio are simply broadcasters relaying weather information, there are others who are professional meteorologists.

These professional meteorologists also produce weather forecasts like the weather forecasters discussed earlier, and are called broadcast meteorologists. They also create graphics which they use to present the weather on TV or through the internet, or scripts to present the weather on radio. Broadcast meteorologists make up only a small percentage of atmospheric scientists.

Research meteorologists and climate scientists Some atmospheric scientists may opt to study beyond the weather forecaster qualification to Msc or PhD level and become research meteorologists or climate scientists.

Research meteorologists usually work in conjunction with other scientists like chemists, physicists, mathematicians, and environmental scientists etc, to develop new methods of data collection, observation and forecasting. They also conduct studies seeking to better understand complex and severe weather occurrences such as cyclones, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. Others focus on environmental problems like air pollution and ozone depletion. Yet others work with mathematicians and computer programmers to develop new or improve existing computer models.

Still others work with oceanographers to study atmospheric and oceanic interactions which lead to phenomena such as the very important El Nino.

On the other hand, climate scientists, also called climatologists, study historical climate patterns and use them to predict future climate patterns years or even decades in the future. Climate scientists also work with computer programmers to develop climate computer models. One main area of study in recent years has been climate change and global warming.

This has seen climatologists working more and more hand in glove with other professionals in fields such as economics, settlement planning and

relief agencies, whose work is directly impacted by shifts in climate conditions.

Some research meteorologists and climatologists can also become academics who teach meteorology courses at universities and colleges as well as to sailors and pilots.

Forensic Meteorologists These are again general weather forecasters whose main thrust is studying recent historical weather to determine its role if any, in such events as road and air traffic accidents or fires. Most work in collaboration with security agencies and are often called upon to testify in courts as experts.

The Work Environment The meteorology job market is very competitive, and, therefore, flexibility in working location and type of meteorology-related job will help your chances of securing a job. Meteorologists will be found working in the public sector (national weather services, army, academic institutions etc) as well as the private sector (media and commercial companies).

In South Africa the South African Weather Service (SAWS), which is the country’s national weather service, employs a number of meteorologists at its headquarters and other regional offices across the country. Most offices operate for 24 hours daily and so meteorologists work on rotating day and night shifts. Most of SAWS’ meteorologists carry out general public forecasting as well as produce aviation and marine forecasts and other specialised forecasts.

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WEATHER programming, chemistry and environmental science among many other fields, all depending on their field of research.

A number of universities in South Africa offer degrees in meteorology.

These include University of Pretoria, University of Witwatersrand and University of Cape Town, which also have strong research programs and offer good master’s and Ph.D. courses.

Meteorologists are also employed at academic institutions as lecturers and researchers. The University of Cape Town, University of Pretoria and University of Witwatersrand have very good atmospheric science courses in their geography and other related departments.

Private sector meteorologists work in small to large consulting businesses, the media, universities, insurance companies and others.

More and more private companies are increasingly employing their own meteorologists to cater for any specialised weather needs their businesses might have. One such sector is the media where TV stations are increasingly employing professional meteorologists.

How to Become an Atmospheric Scientist To become an atmospheric scientist, one needs a strong background in physics and mathematics to degree level for most positions. There are two basic routes to becoming a meteorologist.

Either you study for a Bsc degree

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majoring in mathematics and/or physics and then do an Honours degree or postgraduate diploma in meteorology. Else, one can study for a four year Bsc degree in meteorology or atmospheric science.

Some atmospheric science jobs are available that are suitable for people with qualifications in geography or environmental science.

In South Africa, the SAWS offers bursaries to aspiring meteorologists annually. The number of bursaries offered varies from year to year depending on budget. The bursaries are offered to undergraduates studying for mathematics and/or physics degrees. They will then go on to study for an Honours degree in meteorology. One of the bursary conditions is that beneficiaries will be bonded to SAWS for the number of years they have studied under the bursary.

To become a research meteorologist or climatologist one will need a master’s degree at minimum, but preferably a Ph.D. In order to increase their expertise, some research meteorologists go on to study other fields like oceanography, computer

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In Conclusion So, whilst the job market is apparently shrinking, making an informed career choice could spare many jobseekers a lot of frustration. One way to do so is to look into those areas that do not seem to be very popular. Atmospheric science, being one of those not so enticing vocations, happens to be quite a rewarding and fulfilling engagement. One thing that draws many to atmospheric science and that many meteorologists share is the excitement and love of the weather and the challenge of understanding and forecasting it.

Remuneration for atmospheric scientists has not been discussed here because it varies greatly from country to country and among organisations. So, after all has been said and done, in choosing a career, although the monetary reward is vital, finding a meaningful career, or, finding meaning in your profession stays a very personal matter. And doing what you love is always fulfilling.

The author Joel Guy Chabata is a meteorologist and a weather presenter on the ETV channel. Joel has been in the industry for over 20 years

The Science Stars team attended the launch of the Cape Town Science Center.

CAPE TOWN SCIENCE CENTRE LAUNCH

CTSC

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