SAIP Newsletter: February 2007 (A) JOBS AVAILABLE at UKZN All appointments will be in terms of the prevailing University Employment Equity Policy and the Employment Equity Plan of the faculty/division (available at http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ESU ). The University reserves the right not to make an appointment or to stop the process at any stage to headhunt or re-advertise the post to meet its equity goals. Candidates who do not meet the minimum criteria will not be considered. LECTURER SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES UKZN DURBAN CENTRE REFERENCE NO: SA05/2007 The School of Mathematical Sciences of the University of KwaZulu- Natal is the largest single school of its kind in South Africa. It offers a vibrant educational and research environment covering fields ranging from Mathematical Education, Algebra and Foundations of Mathematics, Discrete Mathematics, through Topology and Analysis, to Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations, Cosmology and Financial Mathematics, with many well established national and international collaborative research linkages. The successful candidate will be required to teach undergraduate and postgraduate level courses in Mathematics to students in Science, Engineering and Commerce, actively participate in research activities of the School, and carry out other teaching and administrative tasks as determined by the Head of School. Moreover, he/she should have good communication and interpersonal skills. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: an MSc in Mathematics with experience in teaching at tertiary level and a current record of research OR a PhD degree in Mathematics. The remuneration package offered includes benefits and will be dependent on the qualifications and/or experience of the successful applicant. The selection process will commence on 5 February 2007 and will continue until a suitable candidate is appointed or a decision is taken not to fill the post. Further information about the School can be found at the web-site http://math.ukzn.za.org/ or by directly contacting the Head of School, Professor J. Banasiak, e-mail: banasiak@ukzn.ac.za, phone: +27 31 2601363, fax: +27 31 2608248. Applicants are required to submit a covering letter highlighting their experience in relation to the minimum requirement listed above, together with a detailed CV including the name, full address, fax number and e-mail address of three referees, to Mrs N. Maharaj, Human Resources Administration, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban, 4000, Fax No +27 031 260 7315. E-mail maharajna@ukzn.ac.za (B) JOBS AVAILABLE at University of johannesburg POST 1: Junior Lecturer (Permanent Position) The Physics Department of the University seeks to appoint a Junior Lecturer on the Auckland Park Campus. Duties: The incumbent will be expected to participate in all the Academic functions of the Department, including lecturing of undergraduate courses, to actively pursue experimental research, and to contribute to the general administration of academic affairs. Requirements: A completed BSc Hons or equivalent is a minimum requirement. Appropriate Lecturing experience. Recommendations: Evidence of good teaching skills. A track record of research or enrollment in appropriate further degree studies. Experience in lecturing a variety of Physics graduate courses. Fully bilingual, ability to lecture in both English and Afrikaans. Please send: A letter of application, CV, a summary of your research interests, email and telephone details of 3 contactable professional references. Assumption of duties: April 2007 or as soon as possible thereafter. Enquiries: Prof A M Strydom, Phone: (011) 489-2320 or (011) 489-2327, Fax: (011) 489-2339, email: amstrydom@uj.ac.za, mail: Physics Dept. APK, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa. POST 2: Senior Lecturer (Permanent Position) The Physics Department of the University seeks to appoint a Senior Lecturer on the Auckland Park Campus. The post is linked to the Semiconductor Physics and Photovoltaics Research Group of the Department. Duties: The incumbent will be expected to participate in all the Academic functions of the Department, including lecturing of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, supervision of research students, to actively pursue experimental research, and to contribute to the general administration of academic affairs. Requirements: A completed PhD degree. A proven track record of internationally competitive, topical, and recent research output is required, together with sufficient and appropriate lecturing experience. Recommendations: Experience in the research field of the Semiconductor Physics and Photovoltaics Research Group of the Department. A current NRF Research Evaluation. Fully bilingual, ability to lecture in both English and Afrikaans. Please send: A letter of application, CV, a summary of your research interests and statement of research intent, email and telephone details of 3 contactable professional references. Assumption of duties: April 2007 or as soon as possible thereafter. Enquiries: Prof A M Strydom, Phone: (011) 489-2320 or (011) 489-2327, Fax: (011) 489-2339, email: amstrydom@uj.ac.za, mail: Physics Dept. APK, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa. POST 3: Instrument Technician (1-year Contract Position) The Science Faculty of the University seeks to appoint an Instrument Technician/Senior on the Auckland Park (Kingsway) Campus. Duties: The successful candidate will be responsible for: -maintenance and servicing of electrical, electronic, and vacuum instrumentation, -installation of new equipment, and -instrument development in various Departments of the Faculty. Requirements: Completed NTS6/T3 certification or equivalent. An experienced Instrument Technician is required to assume responsibility for the service, repair, and maintenance of research laboratory electronic instrumentation (eg. voltmeters, current sources, temperature controllers, bench-top furnaces and heating apparatus, sputtering and other evaporation facilities) and vacuum workstations (including rotary-vane vacuum pumps, turbo-molecular and diffusion pumps and gauges). Proven skills in servicing laboratory electronic and vacuum installations and related equipment, fault-finding and general problem diagnosis. Evidence of ability to find innovative solutions and design laboratory-scale, client-specific electronic and vacuum workst ations. Recommendations: Prior experience in a research laboratory environment, such as a chemical, physical or metallurgical analytical laboratory. Knowledge of operational procedures associated with cryogenic liquids and gas-handling facilities. Experience in working with high-voltage and rf-power supplies on laboratory level. Rf-induction furnace operational experience. Please send: a letter of application, CV, email and telephone details of 3 contactable professional references. Assumption of duties: As soon as possible Enquiries: Prof A.M. Strydom, Phone: (011) 489-2320 or (011) 489- 2327, Fax: (011) 489-2339, email: amstrydom@uj.ac.za, mail: Physics Dept. APK, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa. (C) SAIP Annoncements Jaynie Padayachee : secretary@saip.org.za 1. News from Council - (J. Padayachee - secretary@saip.org.za) 1.1. Call for Nominations for Silver Jubilee Medal The Silver Jubilee Medal is made for the outstanding achievement by a younger physicist in any of the following facets of any branch of physics: research, education, technology and industrial development. Awards will be made to persons who are less than 35 years old on the closing date for the receipt of nominations. All members will be invited to nominate physicists for the award. The submission must consist of a full Curriculum Vitae of the nominee, accompanied by a full motivation that must clearly describe the fields of activity in physics in which the nominee has excelled, what her/his actual contributions were and the standards by which these contributions have been measured. Nominees must have been normally resident in South Africa up to the closing date set by Council for the receipt of nominations. Only work done by a SA citizen or someone with a permanent residence permit will be considered for this purpose. The work must have been done in South Africa or during a temporary visit abroad. The closing date for nominations for the 2007 Silver Jubilee Medal is Wednesday, 28 February 2007. Please note that previously unsuccessful nominees for the Silver Jubilee Medal may be re-nominated provided they are still eligible according to the criteria below. 1.2. Update of Membership Details Members are requested to inform the Secretary of changes to contact details. 1.3. New Members Since Last Newsletter Mr. M.R. Scriba (O) Mr. K.T. Roro (S) Mr. Z. Iileka (S) Mr. N.L Kokwe (S) Mr. S. Mamphweli (S) Miss. P.N. Njingana (S) Mr. A.A. Teru (S) Mr. R. Kaseke (S) Ms. N. Caga (S) Miss. N. Kabanyana (S) (D) Conferences and Lectures 1. 18th European Conference on Diamond, Diamond-like Materials, Carbon Nanotubes and Nitrides, Berlin, Germany, 9 - 14 September 2007 (Karen Purvis - karen.purvis@dial.pipex.com) The Diamond Films Conference Series has evolved into the largest and best attended annual forum in the field of Diamond, Carbon Nanotubes, Diamond-like Materials and Nitrides. In 2007, the program will cover all scientific and technological aspects of vapour growth diamond, natural and synthetic diamond, and related materials such as carbon nanotubes, diamond-like carbon and wide gap nitrides particularly cubic boron nitride. There will be an increased emphasis on carbon nanotubes. Contributions with the latest scientific and technological results will be supplemented by high level invited presentations and reviews by world experts in these and neighbouring fields. Contributions are invited by 8 March 2007 for oral and poster presentation. General and Conference Enquiries Gill Heaton Diamond 2007 Conference Secretariat Tel: +44 (0) 1865 373625 Fax: +44 (0) 1865 375855 Email: diamond-conference@elsevier.com 2. SAAI Lecture (Lea Smart - saainst@xsinet.co.za) The Southern African Acoustics Institute invites you to a lecture on Building Acoustics and Speech Intellibibility by Jacques F. Rossouw (Acoustics Consultant). A drop of history, a pinch of theory and ample practical examples from the files accumulated over 23+ years, would hopefully help to convey some of the acoustical logic of this important subject that influences almost everybody's life, even to the acoustic laymen in the audience. A properly designed sound amplification system can boost speech intelligibility appreciably, but this aspect will be covered in a future lecture. The lecture will last for about 30 minutes, and there will be ample time for questions and discussions afterwards. NOTE: THE LECTURE IS NOT LIMITED TO SAAI MEMBERS ONLY AND EVERYBODY WHO IS INTERESTED IN ACOUSTICS OR WHO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS, IS MORE THAN WELCOME TO ATTEND Time: 15:00 on 14 FEBRUARY 2007 Venue: Room 1-10 BOUKUNDE Building, University of Pretoria Enquiries / Navrae: Lea Smart (Secretary/Treasurer SAAI). Tel: (012) 662 1515 Fax/ Faks: 0866 202360 e-mail: saainst@xsinet.co.za (D) Regional KZN Miniquiz 2007 for Grade 12 learners Nadaraj Govender : gevedern37@ukzn.ac.za The " REGIONAL KZN MINQUIZ 2007 for Grade 12 learners " takes place at UKZN-Edgewood Campus ON THE 14 MARCH 2007 from 12:00 to 16:00. All schools in KZN can participate -no charge and lunch provided for three Grade 12 learners and a teacher. The National SAASTE Physical Science Grades 10 & 11 Olympiad examinations takes place on the 10 th October 2007. Papers are written at schools. (E) Astronomy Outreach Kevin Gevender : kg@saao.ac.za This is an open call to anyone involved in astronomy outreach and education in South Africa (please pass this on at will). Astronomy is perhaps one of the most accessible of all sciences, especially in rural areas, with incredible potential to inspire young people in the fields of maths and science. In South Africa there are many organisations and individuals doing amazing work in this field. This is a call for greater networking and collaboration with some definite goals in mind. Following discussions with various roleplayers in the astronomy community, and in the spirit of progress, an interim task team has been set up to drive a process that will eventually result in a strategy for astronomy education and outreach in South Africa. Part of this strategy will include preparation and implementation of plans for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (international site www.astronomy2009.org; interim SA site http://astronomy2009.saao.ac.za). As a first step a questionnaire has been drawn up that will help to gauge the current situation in astronomy education and outreach in SA. We request that everyone involved in the field please fill out this questionnaire (DOC and PDF files available for download at http://astronomy2009.saao.ac.za/downloads/). Please return completed questionnaires before 2nd March 2007 (instructions on questionnaire). IMPORTANT NOTE: This is meant to be an open and transparent process and input/participation is not only welcome but strongly requested from all interested parties. The interim task team will only be formalised once we are fairly certain that the community has been adequately informed. For this we ask your assistance in spreading this information to any parties you may consider relevant. Information regarding the meeting at which the interim task team was established as well as names of people on this team are available on the SA IYA2009 website (http://astronomy2009.saao.ac.za/). Queries/Comments: Kevin Govender (kg@saao.ac.za/0214609350)