From the Minister of Science and Technology herself, to the host brilliant female science practitioners involved in Scifest this year, the example being set for the young women of our country is outstanding!
From the Minister of Science and Technology herself, to the host brilliant female science practitioners involved in Scifest this year, the example being set for the young women of our country is outstanding!
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Marie Curie winning the Nobel Prize for Chemistry and shattering public perceptions of science as a male pursuit. Since then the outstanding contribution made by women in science has grown tremendously every year; and thankfully today the Marie Curie’s of this world are the rule, not the exception, in South Africa too!
Minister of Science & Technology, Naledi Pandor – one of the sponsors of Scifest Africa 2011 and the first minister to agree to attend the festival herself – stated that the festival continues “to inspire our country’s most important asset – our people – to pursue their dreams”. And given Minister Pandor’s direct involvement in the festival, as well as Ms. Mpho Letlape’s as MD of the SASOL Inzalo Foundation and lead sponsor – together with that of many of South Africa’s top female scientists – the inspiration Minister Pandor speaks of will definitely resonate in the hearts and minds of every young woman at Scifest Africa this year.
Our country’s constitution enshrines gender equality and our female scientists are credited with decisive breakthroughs in a variety of domains – and yet women remain amongst the most vulnerable sectors in our society. Now though, some of South Africa’s finest examples of women in science are set to inspire learners and visitors of both genders – and more importantly, to set a seminal example for young women on what they too can achieve in pursuit of their dreams! And every single woman of science at Scifest this year is a true class act in her own right!
In the Lecture and Talkshop presentation series alone, no less than six South African top female science academics are represented – including Dr. Patience Mthunzi , senior scientist in the Biophotonics Research Group at the CSIR National Laser Centre; Claire Janisch of the Biomimicry Institute and head of Biomimicry South Africa; small mammal specialist and runner up in the Distinguished Young Woman Scientist category at the 2010 South African Women in Science Awards, Dr. Nomakwezi Mzilikazi from the Department of Zoology at NMMU; Dr. Vinet Coetzee, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pretoria and globally acknowledged facial perception expert; 2010 winner of the L’Oreal-UNESCO Regional Fellowship for Women in Science in Sub-Saharan Africa, mathematician Sonia Woudberg; and Prof. Alta Schutte, Director of the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) at the North West University in Potchefstroom.
Add to this the countless female science practitioners involved in Scifest Africa 2011 as exhibitors, workshop facilitators, edutainers and educators – coupled with the three women driving the festival this year – Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee, Prof. Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan; Grahamstown Foundation Executive Director, Louisa Clayton and Scifest Africa Director, Anja Fourie – and Marie Curie would be delighted that the boundaries she forever broke are being pushed further than ever before by women of science in South Africa today!
More than pushing boundaries and shattering perceptions however, the innumerable female scientists and promoters of science at Scifest Africa 2011 stand as testament to the all-inclusiveness of scientific higher learning and its potential to transform our world – regardless of who you may be and what societal pressures on you there are! And it is a glorious example to set for all the young women of Africa indeed!
Scifest Africa takes place from 4 to 10 May; and the full festival programme is available on www.scifest.org.za; or phone (046)603 1106. Be there, and let South Africa’s women of science inspire you!
