Tag: Science Forum 2015
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South Africa needs to understand local climate change
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“We’re already on course for a world that is different to the one experienced by humanity since its evolution,” climate scientist Bob Scholes told the Science Forum on Tuesday. This month, the world’s leading climate scientists and policy makers met in Paris to hammer out an international agreement in an…
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Africa needs science to advance
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“Africa cannot advance without investing in science,” science and technology minister Naledi Pandor told the opening session of the Science Forum. Investment in research and development (R&D) is considered an important metric in economic competitiveness, growth and job creation. However, while Pandor flags the need to invest more in science…
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Education at the click of a button
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It is education at the press of a button. Anyone with an internet connection can access some of the best teachers the world has to offer. Since they began in 2008, more than 25-million people have enrolled in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), in courses that range from Introduction to…
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Science could guide the cities of the future
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African cities are seeing the world’s fastest urban growth, but this is happening in a haphazard fashion which is exacerbating poverty and inequality among citizens. According to the United Nations’ unit for human settlements, it is expected that some African cities will account for up to 85% of the population…
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COMMENT: Can a scientist become an activist?
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COMMENT South Africans have been shouting at each other for a decade about whether we should “frack” the Karoo. Everyone has an opinion about hydraulically fracturing (fracking) in this area to liberate natural gas from shale rock, despite a dearth of information and facts – such as whether the gas…
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Square Kilometre Array needed to train next generation of scientists — Pandor
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Flagship initiatives such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project “have the potential to support our training and production of the next generation of scientists and technologists in Africa”, science and technology minister Naledi Pandor told the opening plenary of South Africa’s inaugural Science Forum. “Scientists need iconic, challenging initiatives…