Igle Gledhill

Igle is a scientist at the CSIR. She is also a Fellow of Defencetek, a CSIR division which concentrates on peace, defence, and security.

Igle is the current president of the SA Association for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, which brings together professors, students and industrialists who work on fluid and structural problems.

Qualifications needed for her position
Tenacity, which is sometimes demonstrated by a PhD, and a tendency to regard algebra as a useful form of low cunning.

What she does
Her job is to extract meaning from models. In aeronautics, it's difficult to predict how air will behave as it flows over an aircraft near the speed of sound, because the flow is complicated by shocks and turbulence. However, predictions are still needed by the engineers in order to understand aircraft safety and performance, and they need the calculations of lift and drag. The team Igle works with tries to understand rapidly maneuvering aircraft.

She is also applying her physics expertise in the biotechnology field. Her job in the team is to use computer models to gain insight into how enzymes might be inhibited, especially those enzymes that are active in infectious diseases.

Why physics?
When you direct your attention to real problems, you might need to apply some physics, some mechanical engineering, some computing expertise, some common sense and a lot of interpersonal skills. Igle is not sure that all she does is physics, but she is convinced that the people are great, the challenges are stupendous, and that there is nothing like the kick of solving a problem!

The future of physics in South Africa?
Good science systems underpin growing economies. Physics is one of the most challenging and rewarding of the sciences. Unfortunately, many young people have been held back in their natural wish to pursue the sciences as a career, for various reasons. For the country to benefit, the actors in physics need to plan to attract and retain the most imaginative scientists of the century. This can be achieved by triggering exciting flagship projects, the opportunity to work with the best people, and the ability to make a difference at home.