Reaching out to young scientists in the making

SAEON’s Education Outreach Coordinator, Sibongile Mokoena, tells girl learners more about careers in environmental science. Kimberley learners listen attentively to Akhona Ndabeni while she demonstrates experiments relating to water pollution and the carbon cycle. SAEON’s Sibongile Mokoena tells learners more about long-term environmental observation and research.

SAEON participated in National Science Week (NSW) 2012 on a national and regional level.

Members of SAEON’s Education Outreach department attended the official launch of NSW 2012 at the Soweto Campus of the University of Johannesburg on 28 July 2012. SAEON participated in the launch exhibition, where the SAEON stand and staff exposed learners to the long-term environmental observation and research that the organisation is involved in.

Learners who visited SAEON’s stand were given an overview of SAEON’s involvement in environmental observation and data collection. They also learnt more about the different biomes that SAEON scientists monitor and the work these scientists do with learners during the SAEON science camps.

Most learners were interested in the types of careers available in environmental science and the subjects required for these careers. Teachers were mostly interested in SAEON’s involvement in environmental education outreach and ways in which they could get support for the school curriculum.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, challenged learners to study and to make sure that they excel in the two gateway subjects, mathematics and physical science. "Take part in science expos, olympiads and competitions - this is how you awaken a desire to become a scientist," Pandor told the learners.

The national launch attracted a great turn-out from learners as well as the general public and SAEON made full use of the opportunity to spread awareness around its wide range of science projects and initiatives.

Science in the Arid Lands

SAEON’s Arid Lands Node took part in the NSW event hosted by the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE) in Galeshewe, Kimberley, from 30 July to 3 August.

More than 1600 learners from 36 schools visited the SAEON stand where Arid Lands node staff demonstrated interesting experiments relating to water pollution and the carbon cycle, as well as an interactive "bird call" exercise.

The stand also caught the attention of the teachers who were interested in the explanations that linked the experiments to the current state of the environment. The kids had very interesting questions and showed a lot of interest in the experiments, which guided them to a much deeper interest - that of studying and pursuing a career in the environmental sciences.

The theme of the National Science Week 2012 is "The Role of Science in Economic Development". The initiative is aimed at exposing learners and the public to science, engineering and technology, its impact and benefits to society.