Scifest Africa is a project of the Grahamstown Foundation and was established in 1996 to promote the public awareness, understanding and appreciation of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation. This event identifies and designs unique interactive events and educational resources with scientific integrity to advance science, facilitate learning in an informal and non-threatening way, and provide learners with a great opportunity to discover science outside the classroom. Scifest Africa also allows South Africa and the world’s leading scientists the opportunity to share their work, make science accessible within the reach of ordinary people, network with one another, provide career guidance and act as role models for our youth, in order to encourage the youth to embark on careers and become leaders in these fields.
Scifest Africa was the administrator of the 2018 Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, South Africa’s leading, and only existing, National Science Fair that affords learners the opportunity to enter a project to exhibit their own scientific investigation. During this Expo, which is hosted at Rhodes University by the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Grahamstown Regional Finals were held.
The previous photo shows SAIAB’s Managing Director, Dr Angus Paterson (centre), presenting book prizes sponsored by SAIAB. Projects dealing with the aquatic environment were eligible for these prizes and were awarded to the following winners:
- Tosca Stoloff, Victoria Girls’ High School, Grade 8: Mytilus vs Perna – which is the ultimate survivor? (shown in the photo – on right)
- Chumani Nelo, Mary Waters High School, Grade 11: The relationship between depth and chlorophyll in Algoa Bay. (shown in the photo – on left)
- Michelle Brown and Raquel Knott, Kingswood College, Grade 9: Edible and biodegradable plastic wrappers
The 2019 SciFest will take place in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape from 6-12 March. The theme will celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements as proclaimed by the United Nations.