SAIP Electronic Newsletter No 22 - May 2003 CONTENTS -------------- (1) FROM THE EDITOR Judith Ncapayi@tlabs.ac.za (2) Honorary Doctorate Awarded to Prof Nabarro (3) FROM THE TREASURER Japie Engelbrecht : phajae@upe.ac.za (4) SHAPING THE FURTURE OF PHYSICS IN S.A Edmund Zingu : Zingu@julian.mantec.ac.za (5) JOBS AVAILABLE AT HMO Peter R Sutcliffe : psutcliffe@hmo.ac.za (6) IDEAS FOR DEMONSTRATORS FROM PHYSICS WORLD, APRIL 2003 Manfred Hellberg : hellberg@nu.ac.za (7) PROMOTION OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (SET) Kevin Govender : kg@necsa.co.za (8) 4th INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON SURFACE AND INTERFACE SEGREGATION (IWSIS-4) Elmarie Mortimer: elmarie@eaiinfo.com (9) AFRICAN MATERIALS RESEARCH CONFERENCE Trevor Derry : derry@schonlan.src.wits.ac.za __________________________________________________ (1) From the Editor Many thanks to all those members who sent contributions for this second edition of the SAIP electronic newsletter. I hope that all members and the Physics community in general have registered for the SAIP conference which will be hosted by the University of Stellenbosch (http://www.sun.ac.za/saip2003) ____________________________ (2) Honorary Doctorate Awarded to Prof Nabarro Prof. Frank R.N. Nabarro (Physics, WITS) was awarded an Hon. D.Sc by the University of Pretoria on 15 April 2003.Congratulations Prof! _____________________________ (3) From the Treasurer A few persons were unpleasantly surprised when they received their annual membership invoices for the 2003 fees, when they discovered that, despite having paid, their 2002 membership fees were still in arrears. The reason for this is very simple : despite a kind request appearing on every invoice that the Treasurer be informed by fax or email of deposits make directly into the SAIP bank account either directly or by electronic means, some firms and institutions did not heed this request. Consequently the poor Treasurer was faced with entries on the monthly bank statements that he could not assign to members. A few examples : "Cats Third party payment PMBR (Pty) Ltd" "Cashfocus payment Univ van" "Cashfocus payment Radio" or an email message stating "A deposit of R 200 was made into the SAIP bank account today" - (from the secretary of a member), with no name or account number ! When making deposits this year, PLEASE ensure that YOUR information about the payment is also sent to the Treasurer, by either faxing the information to (041) 5042-573 or emailing phajae@upe.ac.za In the meantime : THANKS to everyone who has already paid their 2003 Membership fees !" _____________________________ (4) Shaping the Future of Physics in South Africa On Friday 16th May 2003, the National Stakeholders Meeting was held at the NRF, Pretoria. The purpose of the meeting was to: a) to broaden the stakeholder community beyond academic physicists and industrialists who attended the regional meetings around the country during 2002. b) to involve government departments and science councils. c) to approve the terms of reference for the Management & Policy Committee. d) to nominate and elect the members of the Management and Policy Committee e) to appoint members to the Technical Committee f) to receive nominations for the International Panel The meeting was well attended with representatives from almost every physics department and several other organizations with an interest in physics. The process of shaping the future of physics in South Africa that arose from the interest and concerns of the Department of Science and Technology, the National Research Foundation and the South African Institute of Physics, is now well underway. A full report which includes background information to the process, agenda for the meeting of 16 May, summaries of certain presentations, composition of the Management and Policy Committee, and the proposed schedule for the process, are available on the SAIP website. The next important stage is the first meeting of the Management and Policy Committee that will be held on 12 June 2003. At this meeting the plan for the review and foresight will be confirmed and the list of names for the international panel will be compiled. You are kindly invited to submit proposals for persons to be appointed onto the International Panel. The panel will consist of both local and foreign physicists. Please submit your proposals to the Secretary of SAIP well before the meeting of 12 June 2003. _____________________________ (5) Jobs available at HMO The HMO has vacancies for research physicists and offers recent physics graduates opportunities for further study as part of its continuing development as a centre of excellence in geomagnetic field and space physics research. For further information visit http://www.hmo.ac.za. _____________________________ (6) Ideas for Demonstrators from "Physics World, April 2003" Measuring the speed of light, simulating weightlessness and observing the effects of atmospheric pressure are among the physics demonstrations described on the IoP's Physics on Stage website at: www.physicsonstage.co.uk. The demonstrations can be carried out using household items. _______________________________ (7) Promotion of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) to Learners a) Learners at SAIP 2003 Following comments made at the 2002 SAIP AGM, the council, together with the organisers of the 2003 conference, have decided to host a side event targeted at senior learners from schools in the surrounding area (Stellenbosch). This event is meant to give learners and teachers an opportunity to meet some of the country's physicists and to see the type and quality of research being performed around South Africa. They will also be exposed to the exciting world of science through demonstrations and hands-on experiments. A teacher, together with 2 or 3 learners will be invited from each of a representative selection of schools in the local area. These delegates will be encouraged to take back to their schools and communities as much as they can regarding the opportunities and exciting work being performed in Science, Engineering and Technology with an obvious emphasis on Physics. A draft programme, along with more information, is available on the SAIP website (www.saip.org.za) or from Kevin Govender (kg@necsa.co.za) b) NECSA-ODT Science Clubs in the North West Province Since the beginning of 2003 NECSA has been working in collaboration with the Oukasie Development Trust (ODT), an NGO in the North West Province, to promote Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) to learners through the formation of science clubs. The idea, which has already obtained the buy-in from various institutions, entails the creation and collaboration of learner-run science clubs or similar types of societies within schools in the target area. The learners of these societies are encouraged to engage in projects and activities aimed at promoting and highlighting aspects of SET e.g. bridge building competitions, project exhibitions, science shows, etc. These science clubs enjoy the support of, and encouragement from, scientists and engineers at NECSA. The vision is that the learners who take charge of these science clubs, in addition to developing both leadership and communication skills, will assist the SET community in our tireless efforts to promote the subject. The effort has thus far shown to be quite positive with the first science clubs already established in the Brits and Mabopane districts of the North West Province. Great support of the vision was witnessed during an interview with learners of one of these science clubs (Tswelelang Middle School). At this interview, the idea was put forward by the learners themselves (without prompting) that they embark on a project to motivate neighbouring schools to form similar clubs so that they may take on larger, collaborative, "inter-school" projects. It is hoped that this venture, with the support of other scientific organisations, be taken nationally. These other organisations will play a similar role in their area to that which NECSA is playing in the North West Province. The concept promises to open up a new communication channel that reaches all the way down, directly to the learners and indirectly to their communities. In this way it will complement and enhance most other efforts aimed at the promotion of SET in South Africa. The guidelines for the formation of these science clubs, along with more information, is available on the SAIP website (www.saip.org.za) or from Kevin Govender (kg@necsa.co.za) c) Visit to Tswelelang Middle School (Kevin Govender's Experience) I was recently invited to address the teachers and learners at the Tswelelang Middle School's Science, Engineering and Technology Week 2003. This is an account of my experience... Tswelelang Middle School is a fairly small school (only Grades 7 to 9) in the Garankuwa district in the North West Province. The teachers in this school had been asked (along with teachers from other schools in the area) to join in the NECSA-ODT project to promote SET to learners through the formation of science clubs. The very inspired Head of Department for Natural Sciences, Mr. M.M. Setone, upon hearing about this project, had quickly rounded up a group of motivated young learners and established the Tswelelang Middle School Science Club. The first project that the learners embarked on was the official launch of their club which was to take place during their SET week (12th to 16th May 2003). Amongst those invited to this event were NECSA, Technikon North West, ODI College, Pretoria Technikon, Credo College and Macro. I was invited not only in my capacity as a scientist from NECSA but also as a mentor/advisor to their science club. Talks from various individuals were presented, each with most inspiring and motivational messages regarding the importance of SET and the great potential of the learners. My presentation was a combination of: a description of NECSA and the work being done there; a brief overview of exciting science going on in the country; career opportunities for young scientists and engineers; anecdotes; and interspersed demonstrations of scientific phenomena. It being my first time performing this type of presentation in front of such a vocal audience, I was absolutely blown away by the deafening awe that filled the tent every time I performed a simple "magic trick". Even the simple "cardboard sticking to an inverted cup of water" brought the roof down. Such an experience humbles you in the knowledge that you have the power to inspire and teach these bright, young and energetic minds. It is an addictive drug that every scientist should have a taste of! After the formalities I accompanied the members of the science club to an empty classroom to have a chat. After breaking the ice with initial discussions concerning their science club and various project ideas, I found myself face to face with about 20 young learners who were firing questions at me almost faster than I could answer. Most of their questions were things that we take for granted as being general knowledge such as "what is the ozone layer?" or "what is UV radiation?". As physicists, we study for many years only to learn how much there is that we don't know. Chatting with a young, curious, open minded bunch of learners makes you realise just how much you actually DO know! This is yet another drug that I would strongly recommend all scientists partake in. In conclusion, my visit to Tswelelang Middle School confirms and strengthens my belief that learners have far more potential than they are generally credited with. Here lies an invaluable and severely under-utilised ally in our efforts to take SET to the people of South Africa. Hopefully, the successful implementation of more such science clubs will help to harness this precious resource. A parting thought on how thirsty these learners are: The normal school day at Tswelelang finishes at 14:00. I was chatting to this group of learners until just after 15:00 - and the primary reason that we stopped was not because of boredom, but because the teachers needed help to clear the chairs from outside! _____________________________ (8) 4th International Workshop on Surface and Interface Segregation (IWSIS-4) ; 17-22 August 2003, iThemba LABS, Faure, South Africa IWSIS-4 plans to follow the trends set by the previous three segregation workshops held in (a) Balatonfoldvar, Hungary (1997) (b) Schloss Ringberg, Germany (1999) (c) Porquerolles Island, France (2001) where segregation issues were discussed in a relaxed atmosphere of social interaction between postgraduates, post doctoral researchers and senior researchers. Topics include experimental and theoretical investigations of segregation kinetic and equilibrium phenomena, and industrial applications. Researchers in fields such as materials science, surface science, physical chemistry, nanotechnology and electron microscopy will benefit from attending. Sessions on segregation behaviour in nanoclusters and nanocrystalline materials, as well as the controversial segregation of Bi to Cu grain boundaries are planned. A complete list of the invited speakers and topics covered is described on the web site: http://www.iwsis.org The workshop will be hosted in the auditorium of iThemba LABS. The auditorium seats 120 delegates comfortably and is equipped with state-of-the art conference facilities. Delegates will be staying at the Villa Via hotel in Gordon's Bay. Full registration fees include accommodation, most meals, airport transfers, transport between the workshop venue and the Villa Via hotel, as well as transportation to the various social events. A special discounted rate of R2,000.00 is available to African and Postgraduate delegates. To qualify for this rate, delegates need to register online before 31 May 2003. Further information can be obtained by contacting the local IWSIS-4 organising committee at info@iwsis.org. ____________________________ (9) African Materials Research Conference, December 2003. The African Materials Research Society (Africa-MRS) was officially formed in December last year at the inaugural meeting held in Dakar (Senegal). It was decided then to hold the second conference of the Society in Johannesburg, and it will be hosted at Wits University from 8th to 11th December 2003. The Society is aimed at promoting collaboration between African materials scientists and with those overseas, and the Conference will have a broad scope ranging from the processing of engineering materials to physics and computational aspects. Although this is an international conference, the costs of attendance are being kept low. Further information and an expression-of-interest form will be found on the website at www.wits.ac.za/AfricaMRSconf2 or E-mail laceyb@functions.wits.ac.za ****************************** Judith Ncapayi Physics Group : iThemba LABS P.O.Box 722 Somerset West 7129 Tell : (021) 843 1123 Email: Ncapayi@tlabs.ac.za www.tlabs.ac.za