A peek into the real world of science

The top performers in this year's National Science Olympiad attended SAASTA's 2012 Youth Science Focus Week, where they had ample opportunity to explore and discuss science and technology with their peers and a range of experts in different fields of science.

The group - of just over 100 learners - who attended the Focus Week had a full programme that included lectures, visits to research establishments and some socialising and networking in between.

The learners are introduced to the fascinating work being done in forensic science.		The young scientists get to learn more about the role of DNA sequencing in fighting crime.		Learners on a visit to the Nissan South Africa manufacturing plant in Rosslyn, north of Pretoria.
Finding out more about our planet's amazing biodiversity at the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa.		Miners for a day. Learners visit Harmony gold mine to see how the precious metal is mined.		The young techno boffins are exposed to the science and technology underpinning South Africa's minerals and metals industry.

Whereas the main objective of the National Science Olympiad is to nurture potential scientists, the Youth Focus Week exposes the youngsters to careers in science, engineering and technology (SET). The learners, who all fared exceptionally well in the National Science Olympiad, were exposed to scientists and researchers in the SET community.

SAASTA Intern Belinda Mokhanda accompanied the would-be scientists for a day and reports as follows:

It promised to be an action-packed day as the learners were scheduled to visit three different organisations. The first stop was the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation Ltd (NECSA) in Pelindaba, where they were met by Gilbert Lekwe, a NECSA scientist who acted as their host.

After a scintillating presentation on NECSA and career opportunities in the organisation, Gilbert accompanied the group to the visitors' centre, where they learnt more about energy, nuclear science, reactors, radiation, radioactivity and waste. The learners were intrigued by the interactive activities in the centre that they were encouraged to explore. A range of fascinating experiments demonstrated by Gilbert concluded the visit.

The group's interest was echoed by one of the learners who commented: "I am so interested in nuclear science and now that I know they're using this knowledge to help cancer patients, I would like to be a part of it."

Lessons in forensic science

The second stop was the SA Police Service Forensic Science Laboratory in Silverton. The learners were shown around the laboratory where they could view forensic tests being conducted on elephant tusks and diamonds to determine where these originated from. The majority of the learners were also intrigued by the ballistics department where they could see for themselves how experts connect a bullet casing to the firearm that fired the bullet.

Observing the night sky

The third and final stop was the Johannesburg Observatory. It was evening when the learners arrived, just in time to attend a lecture on discoveries in the universe and the "big bang" theory.

After the lecture learners enjoyed viewing the night sky with the aid of two telescopes. The 26-inch telescope was focused on the planet Saturn, with all its glorious rings and four moons clearly visible. Excited learners took turns to view the planet. The smaller telescope outside the observatory enabled learners to see the moon in great detail, even down to its craters.

The astronomers showed the learners where to look for the different star clusters. They were able to view Scorpio, the Southern Cross and what seemed to be a small speck in the night sky, but turned out to be the constellation Orion Centauri, which contains thousands of stars.

For the learners it was a day filled with exciting new experiences. The trip served to give the fledgling scientists a glimpse into the fascinating world of science and technology.

Harmony Gold Mining Company Ltd, one of the largest gold producers in the world, was the main sponsor of the competition. Harmony also sponsored participation in the Olympiad of schools in the areas close to their mines, coaching of these learners and their teachers, as well as educational material to assist them to participate and excel in the competition. The Department of Science and Technology sponsored the participation of learners in some of their "adopted" Dinaledi Schools.