Science Week celebrated in Paarl
2006-05-25
David Joshua
LAST week a host of science activities was held at different schools in the valley to highlight Science Week.
Says Science Week Co-ordinator from the Paarl Association of School Governing Bodies, Denise Ontong, “The aim of Science Week was to make the youth more aware about science and technology and to make them more interested in planning for a career in a Science field.
“We thank all schools that participated and everyone else who took
part, doing their bit and giving their continued support to make Science Week successful.”
The Paarl Association of School Governing Bodies initiated and organised the week that was partly sponsored by SAASTE (South African Association of Science and Technology) which falls under the auspices of the Mark Shuttleworth Foundation. It is approved by the Education Department.
Primary schools that participated were Paarlzicht, Mary Help of Christians, Groenheuwel, Nederburg, Al Azhar, Amstelhof, New Orleans, Charleston Hill and Ebenezer. New Orleans Secondary also participated.
Monday saw grade 7’s taking a visit to the Berg River Dam in Wemmershoek where they could firsthand see the building activities and learn about civil engineering activities.
At New Orleans Secondary speakers from MTN and Kodak delivered an information session to grade tens about the development in cellphone and camera technology.
On Tuesday dr Gillian Arendse from the University from Stellenbosch gave a “Fun Science” show for grade 7’s at Amstelhof Primary that was followed up on Thursday for grade 8’s at Mary Help of Christians.
This was truly enjoyed by learners, given the outcries of amazement and surprise at the experiments that he performed. Simultaneously a teachers’ workshop was held at Groenheuwel Primary hosted by Bets Lourens from Stellenbosch University, and a photography workshop hosted by Photographer John Martin.
On Wednesday the official opening of activities took place at New Orleans Secondary.
Guest speaker was professor Ron Sanderson from the University of Stellenbosch.
He delivered a short seminar on Nano-technology and showed everyone how this impacted on everyday life.
He pointed out the R200 million that government made available for further Nano-technology development.
An enjoyable video, shot by learners themselves, showed in a rather comical way how little is known about Nano-technology by the average citizen.
Marine Biologist dr Natasha Kruger from Stellenbosch University on Friday delivered a marine biology workshop for grade 8’s and 9’s at Nederburg Primary.
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