Science and Technology Minister has officially launched National Science Week (NSW 29 July-3 August), an annual event aiming to exhibit and communicate awareness in science in Kimberly.
The event is a countrywide celebration of science involving various stakeholders and role players conducting science-based activities during the week.
NSW is run across the country simultaneously at multiple sites.
SAASTA, the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement has been appointed as the implementing agency and plays the role of the National Project Management for the National Science Week.
South Africa’s migration from the resource-based towards the knowledge economy and space science & technology (SST) is one of the five grand challenges government has invested in to position our country as a meaningful player in the knowledge economy.
DAN MATSAPOLA: Manager- Science Advancement – South African National Space Agency (SANSA) :
Matsapola added;” I have personally cherished the idea of mining the unlimited resources of the human intellect as one of the most important economic activities in the knowledge economy and NSW has provided and continues to provide the platform through which this scientific mining process can be shared with diverse target publics.
The theme for 2019 is “Facing the harsh realities of climate change”
Each year a different theme is chosen and activities are offered around these themes to the target participants.
The NSW is a mass participation initiative within the context of the Science Engagement Strategy and its objectives are the following:
- to popularise science to the broader SA society,
- to serve as a vehicle for showcasing local innovations in science and technology, and the leadership role of the DST and other government departments in enabling research, development and innovation,
- to make Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Innovation (STEMI) appealing to learners, such that they consider STEMI as preferable career options, and
- to familiarise targeted participants with the science linked to areas in which South Africa has knowledge and/or geographic advantage so as to contribute in making them informed and critically engaged citizens.
