Science went out to the people on Sunday when a community science awareness day took place at Tantyi Hall. The event was part of National Science Week and the aim was to make science easier to understand and to give people who haven't had much exposure to it a chance to get some hands on experience.
Science went out to the people on Sunday when a community science awareness day took place at Tantyi Hall. The event was part of National Science Week and the aim was to make science easier to understand and to give people who haven't had much exposure to it a chance to get some hands on experience.
"As long as we keep science in a lab, it is not accessible", says Zongezile Matshoba, education and public programme's manager for the National English Literary Museum (NELM).
"By taking science to the communities, we can show how it matters to them".
The awareness day was a collaboration between SAIAB, Scifest and the National English Literary Museum and was open to anyone who wanted to go along.
Although the main focus was on primary and high-school children, members from the community also came along to witness practical science in action.
The central theme was light – it is currently the International Year of Light – but other areas were also covered.
From frogs to fish to making kaleidoscopes and hanging gardens out of recycled materials, the day was filled with education and entertainment that caught people's imagination.
"Community engagement is key", says Jessica Glass, an American PhD student at SAIAB and Yale.
"It is always so fun for children to actually touch and handle the fish, and the informal setting also makes it exciting for them".
However, although the emphasis was on fun, the underlying message of the day was a serious one that affects us all.
"It is important for people to know about ecology", says Zandie Adam, a biomaterials lab officer at SAIAB.
"If people know about balance and biodiversity, and the link between us and nature, they will understand better the need to preserve. And that's what it's all about; preserve, preserve, preserve. But you can't just tell people, you have to show them".
SAIAB had a big presence on the day with five stands – taking people through their national fish collection, giving information careers in Aquatic Biodiversity, explaining why research libraries are important for a science institution, talking about the physical aspects of water and its importance to life on earth and giving excited potential researchers a chance to sort through some real fish specimens and match them to their relatives on the aquatic family tree.
There was also educational theatre. Using humour to make scientific knowledge more understandable and relevant to people's lives, S'bo Ntshebe and Nyaki Tsana covered topics such as the moon landing, Pluto's identity crisis, and the misfounded (but popularly held) belief that science is a form of witchcraft.
NELM also had a stand at the event.
"Although some might think it strange for us to be here, they must remember that writers cover every aspect of life", explains Matshoba.
"There are many writers that have written on the sciences, and lots of writers have also written on the subject of light.
My main thing is to show people that science is easy, fun, and concerns everyday life."
A day of science, story-telling, and community engagement, the science community day served to raise awareness, not only for what science can do to help communities, but also what communities can do to help further scientific knowledge.
"The overall aim is all about exposure for school kids", says Phakama Nodo, an MSc student at SAIAB in charge of the Aquatic Biodiversity stand.
"Science in these areas is not doing well and we must be aware of what steps to take.
The first ones are of engagement and exposure, demonstrating the things you can do as a scientist".
