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annualreport20092009impactreport

NRF impact report 2008/09

impact!

Space science and technology is one of the Department of

Science & Technology’s (DST’s) “Grand Challenges”, a commitment

that has been underscored by the establishment of the

South African National Space Agency (SANSA).

Lofty ideals for an emerging economy?

Should reaching for the stars really take precedence over more

grassroots development needs?

Yes, says the research. For South Africa, the path

to a knowledge society leads through the stars.

In this Impact Report we highlight a sample of

National Research Foundation (NRF)-funded research projects,

many of which are astronomy-based. All, though, have

their feet firmly on South African soil, with the needs

of her people guiding every step they take ...

1contents

a generation of ‘Trekkies’ ....................................................................................2

stargazing radiates opportunity ......................................................................6

reaching for the stars ..........................................................................................10

bright sparks fly ........................................................................................................14

the power of one .....................................................................................................18

innovation unlocks a knowledge economy ........................................22

opening the world to wireless ......................................................................26

histories in the making ...................................................................................... 30

a new kind of neighbourhood watch ......................................................34

plumbing the depths of marine understanding ............................. 38

2 NRF impact report 2008/09

On 15 May 2009, fact and fantasy met in outer space when the International Space Station’s three-man crew settled in to watch the new Star Trek movie. Closer to home, the Astronomy for Society programme is showing scores of South Africans that the wonders of science and technology are not limited to the Starship Enterprise.

a generation of “Trekkies”The last week of 2008 was one long festival in the Karoo town of Sutherland. The home of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) hosted a week-long star party to usher in the International Year of Astronomy. The festivities culminated in a slumber party of a different kind: SAAO’s astronomers stayed up all night on New Year’s Eve to show visitors how the telescopes work. Instead of the traditional “babbelaas”, people in Sutherland started 2009 with a crick in the neck from gazing at the stars!

When the United Nations declared 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009), South Africa responded with the Astronomy for Society programme. Chaired by the SAAO, the IYA2009 steering committee coordinates a number of events designed to bring astronomy down to earth, so to speak. Activities include a SAAO public lecture series linked to a special issue of Quest magazine, an astronomical National Science Festival, the dark skies awareness Globe at Night project, an international astronomy festival titled 100 Hours of Astronomy, which included an “Around the World in 80 Telescopes” webcast that featured the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the Scopex telescope exhibition and the “Telescopes on Lion’s Head” full moon hikes.

According to Professor Phil Charles, SAAO Director, Astronomy for Society pursues a number of serious objectives behind the fun. “We believe that astronomy, more than any other field of science, can improve public understanding of science and technology. The reason is that people already have a relationship with the stars. In every African culture encountered at the SAAO we have found traditional stories and beliefs related to astronomical phenomena.” Using people’s own stories as a starting point establishes an immediate and powerful link to the science that can explain observations. In this way, astronomy becomes a catalyst for science in the country. “While looking through our telescopes, children and young people see how fascinating science can be and hopefully go back to school with a different understanding of their future options.”

Another objective is astro-tourism – tourism driven by astronomy or astronomical facilities. Following the SALT inauguration, Sutherland experienced a dramatic increase in tourists as people flocked to see the big telescope. The approximately 3 500 visitors in 2005 had grown to 10 000 by 2008. The influx of visitors led to a demand for extra guided tours, both day and night, and a greater demand for local services such as restaurants, accommodation and souvenirs. There are now 38 guest houses around Sutherland, compared to eight in 2005.

“In response to these developments, SAAO and the local municipality initiated a number of small projects to employ people in the tourism sector,” explains Prof. Charles. The flagship initiative is a job creation project that trains unemployed young people to serve as tour guides for SAAO and the town.

3

When the United Nations declared 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy, South Africa responded with the Astronomy for Society programme to bring

astronomy “down to earth”.


A WorldWIde effort

The local astronomy community’s IYA2009 efforts are not limited to South Africa (SA). In fact, our country played a pivotal role in creating the initiative. Efforts to convince the United Nations (UN) to declare 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy were driven through the International Astronomical Union

(IAU) and the UN Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). South Africa, through SAAO, represented other African countries as part of a small, high-level delegation sent to lobby

support at UN headquarters in New York. Following the successful lobbying exercise, South Africa worked with the IAU to develop

programmes to promote astronomy in underdeveloped regions all over the world. SAAO staff now coordinate one of 11 IYA2009 global cornerstone projects entitled “Developing Astronomy Globally”. The SAAO project conducted a global astronomy survey; sourced and managed funds from UNESCO for African students to attend the IYA2009 opening event

in Paris; managed a full grant process for astronomy “seed funding” for developing countries across the globe; developed plans for a series of astronomy development visits by the IAU to

targeted regions; and is leading the distribution of donated telescopes worldwide.SAAO has also conducted numerous astronomy outreach and development training workshops in Kenya,

Nigeria, Namibia, Lesotho and all across South Africa. “We also provide general support to other African countries that need assistance to develop their astronomy outreach programmes,” concludes Prof. Charles.

the NAtIoNAl AStrophYSIcS ANd SpAce ScIeNce progrAmme

South Africa’s astronomical community does not only lead people to the stars through fun events. An extensive academic programme is nurturing the astronomers of tomorrow.

The National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP) trains local astronomers to ensure that our country takes full advantage of the magnificent SALT facility. “SALT provided the impetus for the programme. It gave us a way to entice people, especially those from previously disadvantaged communities, into the space sciences, while also addressing the dearth of high-level science skills in the country,” says Prof. Charles.

Started in 2003, NASSP prepares students who graduate in physics, applied mathematics or related disciplines to start on a PhD in astrophysics (specialising in optical, radio, gamma-ray or theoretical astronomy) or in space physics. This is done through a one-year Honours course followed by an 18-month Master’s. The students complete the Honours and first six months of the Master’s programme at the host institution, which is the University of Cape Town. They then proceed to one of the partner institutions for their Master of Science (MSc) thesis research. Partner institutions include the universities

REFLECTED GLORY

This photograph was taken at the launch of IYA2009 in South Africa at SAAO. It coincided with the partial solar

eclipse on 26 January 2009. It was selected to appear on the internationally renowned NASA Astronomy Picture

of the Day website on 29 January (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090129.html), reaching a worldwide audience.

Note the repeated images of the eclipse on the shirt. The effect is familiar to eclipse enthusiasts as small gaps,

commonly between leaves on trees, that act as pinhole cameras to generate multiple recognisable images of the

eclipse. From the Cape Town perspective, the solar eclipse was a partial one, with a maximum of about 65% of the

Sun covered.

Professor Phil Charles

5of the Western Cape, North West, Witwatersrand, Free State, Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa. The astronomical and space facilities, such as SAAO, Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) and Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO) also participate in the programme.

According to Prof. Charles, South Africa has some first-rate people in astrophysics and space physics, but they are thinly spread among several universities and national facilities. “NASSP pools these skills by basing the programme at a single institution.” Lecturers from outside of Cape Town present intensive 3- to 4-week courses at the University of Cape Town (UCT). In 2008 NASSP hosted lecturers from the United States of America (USA), thanks to the USA National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and financial support from the Kellogg Foundation.

Part of the NASSP objective is to create an African network of astronomers. Starting all the students together at a single institution, helps to achieve this objective. The NASSP students come from all over South Africa as well as from Botswana, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In 2009 NASSP had its first African-American students funded by the Kellogg Foundation through the NSBP.

Approximately 27% of NASSP graduates are women, which is more than in other mathematical and physical sciences in South Africa. However, only one or two black South Africans have been graduating annually. To increase this number, an extended Honours programme was introduced in 2007, giving students an extra year at NASSP before they start the main Honours programme. Because of the intensive nature of the tuition and the cost of the course, only 10 students are accepted each year.

The number of students undertaking PhDs in astronomy or space science has increased by a factor of about 10 since NASSP started.

SALT: ThE CEnTRAL STAR in SAAO’S COnSTELLATiOn

SALT is the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere, and also the launch pad for many astronomy-related initiatives. It is

the magnet which attracts tourists to Sutherland and students to space science courses. It opens young people’s eyes to the

opportunities in astronomy, and cements South Africa’s place in the front row of international astronomy.

The NRF holds the largest share (33%) in the 13-member SALT consortium and has led the project on behalf of South

Africa since its inception. Since its inauguration in November 2005, SAAO has operated the telescope.

Although it is still being commissioned, SALT has been delivering astronomical observations since 2006 when the “First

Science with SALT” paper was published. Since then a further eight publications have appeared in the Institute for Scientific Information

(ISI) refereed journals.

SALT’s ability to observe rapidly variable stars is unmatched. Its “video-camera” data have shown remarkable changes in the brightness

of very close binary stars such as cataclysmic variables, X-ray binary stars and flare stars. The same capacity has captured exo-planets

passing in front of their parent stars, and moons passing in front of stars of the outer planets in our solar system.

Not all is plain sailing through the cosmos with a state-of-the-art giant telescope like SALT, however. A number of problems,

unanticipated by the construction team, have kept the SALT Technical Operations and SAAO engineering staff busy since SAAO took over the

operation of SALT. Essential features have also been added, such as the automated mirror cleaning system. “Our proudest moment, however,

was diagnosing the cause of the most serious problem encountered so far, namely poor images of stars in parts of SALT’s field of view. The

solution is well advanced,” recounts Prof. Charles.

The early stream of data from SALT has already enhanced research projects across all sub-disciplines of astronomy involving international

collaborations with South African astronomers. Several local NASSP PhD students are harvesting data from SALT in support of their research

projects. And all this is only the beginning.

The KELT dome – the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope – at SALT.


Should a society that has not yet eradicated illiteracy, hunger and informal housing be investing in space sciences? Yes, says the research. For South Africa, the path to a knowledge society leads through the stars.

stargazing radiates opportunityOne hundred-and-fifty years ago, traders and explorers en route between the Cape and Botswana established a small town in the middle of nowhere. Today, Carnarvon in the Northern Cape is poised to become the centre of the universe for space studies. The international astronomy community is developing proposals for a major investment, estimated at between €1-2 billion, in a new radio telescope called the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). South Africa and Australia have been shortlisted as potential sites for this telescope, mainly because both countries have sparsely populated desert areas which are radio-quiet zones. In South Africa, that area is near Carnarvon and Williston, an area known up to now for sheep farming and a mountain tortoise reserve.

The Northern Cape is one of the least developed areas in the country. Poverty and unemployment are rife and the majority of young people grow up with little or no personal and professional prospects. A very large telescope with its associated infrastructure can change this.

meerKAt leAdS the WAY

The SKA will not be the first major space project in the Northern Cape. At the moment, the MeerKAT telescope is under construction on the same site earmarked for SKA. Once operating it will be one of the largest radio telescopes in the world. MeerKAT will have a major Operations and Science Centre (OSC) that will be located in or near existing science institutes, possibly in or near Cape Town.

MeerKAT is a pathfinder and precursor project for the SKA, as well as an important science facility in its own right. South Africa’s investment in MeerKAT is necessary to demonstrate it has the capability to host the SKA, to develop South Africa’s own astronomy community and to attract students and international researchers.

The international astronomy community wants to start building the SKA soon after 2012. If the SKA is sited in South Africa, its core will be at the present MeerKAT site. Much of its associated infrastructure will either be on the site or near Carnarvon in the Karoo. The SKA will be built by an international consortium of funders, resulting in significant foreign direct investment for construction work and operating costs.

7

In the middle of nowhere something of extraordinary global significance is taking shape: the building of meerKAt, a precursor project for the SKA. the pedestals for

the KAt-7 antennae (main photograph) are already in place.


Winning the SKA bid would bring large and lasting benefits to South Africa, says Faranah Osman, business manager of SKA South Africa. “Not least it will establish the country as a major centre for world astronomy. It will also transform the international reputation of South Africa as a destination for high-tech investment. Just as important, it will help to convince South Africans that we can be a world-class player in the exponentially growing global technology and knowledge economy arena.”

The impact of the full radio telescope programme, MeerKAT and SKA, will be felt in a variety of areas.

hUmAN cApAcItY developmeNt

A large science facility supplies the economy with highly trained personnel, as well as spin-off technical developments and scientific discoveries. In addition, such a facility attracts scientists who like to work with the most exciting equipment, and firms that want to employ highly skilled people. As a result, the local area benefits through an enhanced reputation as a good place to live and work, given that highly skilled scientists and engineers are among the most mobile and sought after people in the world. The reputation and capability of firms associated with successful investments will also grow, leading to more business.

MeerKAT and the SKA will require maintenance and operation in the Northern Cape, while their computing and operations centres and the associated network will require telecommunication and

computer technicians to develop and operate them. It is expected that these skills will not be readily available, hence a training programme is being planned. “Having a long-term, stable employer

requiring high-level skills in the Northern Cape will encourage local school leavers and diploma holders to train further with MeerKAT,” explains Faranah.

The size and scope of the SKA can spark new local training initiatives, including technician and apprenticeship programmes especially for electronic and electrical specialists, and mechanical and refrigeration technicians.

The MeerKAT programme plans to increase Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) skills in the Northern Cape by investing in

a cyber lab and new science and maths teachers locally. Given the enormous volumes of data that MeerKAT and the SKA will generate and need to process, ICT expertise will be critical. It will

also be one of the highest potential areas for spin-off benefits. For MeerKAT, the addition of an OSC to an existing cluster of science and ICT facilities, for example in Cape Town, would raise the general attractiveness of the OSC for career development, thus making the area more attractive for other science facilities and similar knowledge economy activities.

The overriding benefit seems to be the ability of the MeerKAT/SKA programme to attract and keep students in their studies and to help them obtain high-quality jobs in South Africa after they qualify. If the SKA is built in South Africa, the critical mass of science capability will attract scientists and engineers to the project and more students will want to join the programme.

The SKA SA project is funding capacity building in South African astronomy through a bursary programme for students and postdoctoral researchers, as well as funding for research chairs. The bursary programme has been operating since 2005.

Job creAtIoN

The construction of the infrastructure associated with MeerKAT is creating direct and indirect employment and expanding local tourism. Although the number of jobs created is relatively small, it is significant for the

Faranah Osman

9rural and sparsely populated region where the telescope will be constructed. The extension of MeerKAT to the full SKA would significantly lengthen the construction phase to beyond 2021, thus extending the direct impact on the local towns.

Local firms will manufacture new products and provide new services in response to the construction requirements. These products and services may emerge from in-house development and design efforts, or be based on technologies obtained under licence, and would be applicable in other local contexts or in similar projects overseas. Firms may also need to develop new processes or acquire them from foreign sources. Such new processes may help to reduce the costs of existing production lines or improve the quality of existing products and services.

The application of new project management and other organisational tools can reduce costs and improve quality in the participating companies.

From a reputation point of view, a successful MeerKAT/SKA contract can be invaluable to a local company. The new skills and knowledge acquired by firms working with MeerKAT and the SKA is very likely to translate into new and exciting contracts.

INfrAStrUctUre developmeNt

MeerKAT and the SKA (if built) will deliver very large quantities of data for analysis, hence broadband infrastructure and large-scale computing facilities are a key part of the infrastructure investment.

The project includes the establishment of an Astronomy Reserve which requires roads, power reticulation and optical fibre networks. Tangible benefits to the local community include access to power lines and new electronic networks for training and communication.

toUrISm

It is unlikely that MeerKAT and the SKA will, on their own, create a large-scale tourism industry in the Northern Cape. They can, however, lay the foundation with the SALT telescope for a niche astro-tourism market. One of the ways in which this can happen, is through the development of an Astronomy Reserve that includes a strong wilderness component. In so doing, the area can become a tourist destination and an asset, rather than a liability, to local landowners and residents. A viewing point and information centre on the periphery of the site will prove invaluable to attract tourists and cater for school tours.

WhAt the reSt of the World hAS leArNed

Having studied the literature, Faranah estimates that the overall benefits from MeerKAT and the SKA are very likely to be more than twice their cost. “It could be significantly higher if the projects are managed as part of a wider set of interventions aimed at enhancing innovation in South Africa.”

The prime objective of building MeerKAT is to produce a new-generation radio telescope. It represents a new era in this important branch of pure science. Experience has consistently demonstrated that such epoch-defining research facilities push the limits of engineering and technology, and produce a range of spin-off technologies.

Elsewhere in the world, large science facilities have proven to be powerful magnets for scientists seeking careers. In Arizona, for example, the development over many years of the astronomy, planetary science and space science research programmes has developed a significant cluster of activity worth over US$1 billion, with an annual turnover of US$164 million and a direct impact of a further US$90 million in 2006.


The AstroQuiz is more than just a Q&A session – it hopes to stimulate interest in learners to eventually answer South Africa’s need for graduates in the natural and physical sciences.

reaching for the starsRegardless of their culture or history, the night skies are a part of every South African’s life. For millennia, they have told farmers when the time is right to plant crops, they have told sailors in which direction to navigate, and they have entranced and inspired children, poets and spiritual leaders.

A partnership between the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and the Gauteng-based Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, is giving even more meaning to the stars for South African learners. “South Africa has a dire shortage of specialists in the sciences, and it’s one of our goals to encourage learners to understand the potential of careers in these fields,” says Shadrack Mkansi,

acting manager for the Science Awareness Platform at SAASTA. “A world of possibility is open to them now – school leavers have many more options than the teaching, nursing, policing or

administrative jobs from which their parents could choose.” SAASTA wanted to get students interested in astronomy, using it as a stepping-

stone to other sciences, but understood that it would have to win this interest through activities that would encourage learners to conduct their own research, rather than through passive information campaigns that could be easily glossed over. “A competition is a great way to stimulate activity in the school environment,” says

Mkansi. “It encourages engagement between the pupils, and builds on the sense of community in each learning environment. The pupils encourage one another, work

together to prepare for the quiz, and they inspire excitement in the younger generations to follow in their footsteps.”

AStroQUIz lAYS the foUNdAtIoN for excItINg cAreerS

A grant from SAASTA, a business unit of the NRF, brought both SAASTA and Sci-Bono together in 2006 to launch the AstroQuiz – an astronomy quiz for Grade 7 learners located close to five of the country’s observatories. The competition ran for the third time in 2008, with 900 pupils from five provinces taking part. Learners at participating schools compete in groups of four to answer a set of astronomy-related questions. Discussion and debate is encouraged, and the winning team from each school proceeds to a regional quiz. Regional winners are hosted by SAASTA at an annual national final, with the winners receiving certificates and prizes for their school.

Shadrack Mkansi

11

While children prepare for the AstroQuiz they gain insight into the importance of studying mathematics and see how the seemingly abstract principles they learn in

the classroom help lay the foundations for an exciting career.


The observatories involved with the project include Boyden Observatory in Bloemfontein, HartRAO, SALT, SAAO in Cape Town, UniZul Science Centre in Richards Bay, in addition to the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Johannesburg and the Mondi Science Centre in Piet Retief.

SAASTA funding for the project allows for full support of 30 schools to enter the competition. However, the quiz has proved so popular that many schools have participated in their own capacity by funding the competition themselves. They make use of the central support facility to get question papers, have the answers marked and moderated, and to certify participation in regional and national finals.

“There are several things that we’re hoping to achieve with this competition,” says Shadrack. “Apart from the great value of the learning that the students experience while they’re preparing for the quiz, they also gain an insight into the importance of studying mathematics – they get to see how the seemingly abstract principles they learn in the classroom are of real importance in laying the foundations for an exciting, extraordinary career.

“We’re also seeing a tremendous impact in the more rural areas, where the scientific knowledge that the students are gleaning is demystifying the stars, and explaining much of the traditional lore handed down from generation to generation. For example, they now understand what a ‘rotten moon’ or ‘rotten sun’ really is, and they have insight into the scientific reasons behind why particular stellar constellations indicate the time for ploughing or harvesting,” he explains. “The AstroQuiz is not just about astrology – it’s actually about revealing a whole world of scientific wonder.”

WhY iS SOuTh AFRiCA SO iMPORTAnT TO ASTROnOMERS?

With a history of astronomy going back to 1665, South Africa is home to the largest telescope in the

southern hemisphere – the SALT at Sutherland in the Northern Cape, while neighbouring Namibia is

home to the High-Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS), which will be the largest of its kind in the

world, when completed. South Africa’s conditions also make it a leading contender for the SKA radio

telescope.

13

What is a “rotten moon” or “rotten sun”? Participants in the AstroQuiz enter the fascinating world of astrology.

Shadrack Mkansi (left), acting manager for the Science Awareness Platform at SAASTA, with winners of the 2008 AstroQuiz.


Two years from now, a tiny satellite – not much bigger than a wine bottle – will carry a high-frequency beacon into the skies above Antarctica to calibrate a radar system at the research base. This cluster of CubeSats is also the toast of a French/South African collaboration to keep academics on campus.

bright sparks flyAt the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), postgraduate researchers are liberating handicapped people. On the campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) they are building a satellite. Across our country, the Franco-South African Technology Institute in Electronics (F’SATIE) is making its presence felt.

F’SATIE was founded in the late 1990s by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the French Government, the NRF and TUT. CPUT officially joined the programme in February 2008. F’SATIE aims to advance research in electrical engineering and information and communication technology – both areas in which South Africa needs a skills boost.

reSeArch At cpUt

During 2007, the DST identified five critical areas for South Africa, the so-called “Grand Challenges”. Space science and technology is one of these, deemed to have the potential to develop a knowledge-based local economy.

In line with the Grand Challenges, the government recently approved the Space Policy, paving the way for the establishment of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA). This created a burning need for a programme to develop the human capital required for a successful and sustainable local space industry. F’SATIE at CPUT stepped into the breach with a Satellite Systems Engineering (SSE) programme under the F’SATIE banner.

The CPUT programme covers the broad fields of satellite communications and power systems. Although focused on space applications, the programme integrates engineering skills and technologies used in many other disciplines. In reaching for the stars, satellite engineering makes a real impact in promoting engineering in general. Says Dr Robert van Zyl, Deputy Director of F’SATIE and Programme Manager of the Programme at CPUT: “We have been inundated with enquiries since introducing our programme and announcing that we are looking for researchers to build a satellite.”

The satellite in question is a so-called CubeSat. This technology, packaged in a 10cm3 nano-satellite, was developed in the USA to make the building of satellites affordable and accessible to academic institutions. The CPUT version will be a 3 x 1 cube cluster of CubeSats fitted with a camera, or optic payload, as well as a scientific payload of the HMO. The scientific payload will be a high-frequency beacon – a device that emits high-frequency electromagnetic pulses – that will be used to calibrate the radar system at the HMO research base in Antarctica.

15

Associate professor robert van zyl, deputy director: f’SAtIe (above) says the programme has been inundated with enquiries since announcing that it was

looking for researchers to build a satellite. the paper model (centre) shows the 3-cube cubeSat that will be the first satellite to be built by f’SAtIe.

It will measure 300mm x 100mm x 100mm.


The satellite’s engineering model will be unveiled at the International Astronomical Federation 2011 event in Cape Town.

According to Dr Van Zyl, the tiny CubeSat is the start of much bigger things. “Our project gives students the exposure and discipline they will require to eventually work on bigger and more advanced satellites under the SANSA. The CubeSat project will provide a very visible and tangible vehicle to raise the interest and awareness of our learners and students in space engineering. This is very important to grow the numbers of students in the science, engineering and technology fields.”

There are currently 12 students enrolled in the postgraduate programme; 12 more will be added each year. Dr Van Zyl expects the numbers to stabilise at 26 Master’s degree students and 10 PhDs.

In support of the DST’s 10-year plan, the SSE programme plans to achieve the following outcomes by 2018:l Independent earth observation high-resolution satellite data available for all of Africa from a

constellation of satellites designed and manufactured in Africa; andl SET students comprising 35% of students at higher education institutions (up from 28% in 2005).l More than 3 000 SET PhD students per year (up from 561 in 2005). Achieving this goal would imply

more than 500 doctoral and more than 1 000 Master’s supervisors.In support of the Grand Challenges, the NRF’s biggest contribution to F’SATIE is for the SSE

programme at CPUT.

reSeArch At tUt

At TUT, F’SATIE research focuses on seven areas:l Enabled environment and assistance to handicapped persons; l Telecommunication with special emphasis on wireless networks;

The research to assist handicapped persons covers a variety of topics:l Design and control of equipment such as wheelchairs, exoskeletons, and other equipment that enable

people to perceive and control their environment;l Modelling people’s behaviour in driving situations in order to adapt equipment to their needs;l Modelling of domestic and industrial environments using virtual reality techniques to qualify and adapt

the environment to the users’ needs;l Designing indoor and outdoor spaces to improve accessibility; andl Detecting and understanding the intention of people through multiple inputs, including visual and Brain

Computer Interfaces (BCI).Telecommunication and the sharing of data is the lifeblood of a knowledge economy. F’SATIE research

in this area improves the design and control of wireless ad‐hoc networks and optimises the power consumption in wireless sensor networks. Researchers also work on quality of supply issues and ways to extend coverage in rural areas.

the progrAmme IN A NUtShell

In terms of the F’SATIE agreement, postgraduate students can achieve dual MTech/Msc and DTech/PhD qualifications. At the Master’s level the students may obtain an MTech from either TUT or the CPUT and an MSc from the Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieurs en Electronique et Electrotechnique (ESIEE) in France. At the doctorate level students may obtain a DTech and a doctorate from one of two French universities in the Parisian region.

17 Students from both countries are also involved in exchange programmes. Five CPUT students are due to travel to France in October 2009 to complete their second year of Master’s studies in Paris. CPUT currently hosts six French students to complete research projects.

F’SATIE wants to establish and develop a dedicated base for research, in part by encouraging full-time students to remain on campus instead of returning to industry. In this way, a number of strategic objectives are being met:l Academic excellence;l An increasing number of local postgraduates; andl Increased research output.

An important feature of the programme is the linkages it establishes between academia, government and industry, both locally and internationally. Some of the organisations and institutions involved include NRF facilities, notably HMO, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the European Union Space Agency (EUSA), the ESIEE graduate school in Paris and the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

F’SATIE aims to enhance the network between South African industry and universities and extend it to include relationships with higher education institutions and companies in France and the rest of Europe. To this end, much of the research conducted under the F’SATIE banner is geared towards addressing industry-related problems.

F’SATiE DELivERS

Research output for 2008:

4 15 international journal papers4 46 international conference papers4 2 technical reports

industrial research output for 2008:

4 3 THRIP projects4 Student registrations in 2008:

60 Master’s

15 PhDs

2008 graduates:

4 3 PhDs4 20 Master’s

F’SATIE is the most successful French venture of its kind in a

non-French speaking African country.

On 28 February 2008, the French President, nicolas Sarkozy, and South Africa’s then-Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-ngcuka, attended the official inauguration of F’SATiE at CPuT.

Students discuss system design aspects of the CubeSat with Professor Robert van Zyl. The students are (from left): Jean Bester, Marys Madiba-iyambo and Matthew Sibanda (all first-year Master’s students).


The difference an individual can make is seldom more powerfully demonstrated than in a lecture hall. A single skilled academic can shape minds and attitudes to unlock social and economic prosperity. Such academics are what the Black Researchers/Academics Development (BRAD) programme seeks to nurture.

the power of oneIn his laboratory at the University of the Western Cape, Dr Mario Williams is manipulating gases. He develops materials that can separate oxygen and hydrogen from the exhaust gases released when coal is burnt underground.

Inaccessible coal seams are sources of energy that cannot be developed due to the limitations of conventional mining methods. Underground coal gasification is not a new technology, but if the efficiency of the process can be improved, it will have a positive effect on the cost of electricity while also reducing the environmental impacts of coal-fired power generation.

Dr Williams is one of the first three PhD students to graduate under the BRAD programme. His current research is at a postdoctoral level and also funded through BRAD.

the brAd phIloSophY

The programme aims to increase the critical mass of academics that are currently needed in the Science, Engineering and Technology sector in South Africa. Master’s and doctoral students at specific centres of excellence are eligible for the programme. The identified centres conduct research relevant to the electricity industry as well as in areas that are of national importance, such as high-voltage research and renewable energy.

BRAD is implemented at seven higher education institutions: the universities of Western Cape, Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal, Fort Hare, Limpopo, Stellenbosch and Witwatersrand. The NRF funds bursaries for Master’s and doctoral students through nominations from these participating higher education institutions. Funding from the NRF amounted to R555 000 in 2007 and R610 000 in 2008. Eskom’s contribution over the same period was R1,9 million.

According to Dr Thandi Mgwebi, Director of the Human Capacity Programme at the NRF, the driving forces behind BRAD are human capacity development, mentoring and attracting high-quality researchers into the academic sphere. “It also facilitates the inter-institutional partnerships between the NRF and industry that are pivotal to fast-track capacity building, principally among the previously disadvantaged groups.”

19

dr mario Williams’ research into improving underground coal gasification could reduce both electricity costs and environmental hazards.


A pArtNer IN poWer

The NRF’s industry partner in this endeavour is national electricity utility, Eskom, which provides additional funding in the form of a fellowship and research activity costs. The students also have access to Eskom’s facilities and technical experts, allowing them the opportunity to gain practical industry knowledge.

Why would a technocratic organisation concern itself with the development of academics? According to Yashin Brijmohan, Technical Capacity Development Manager at Eskom, the answer is simple: one academic can develop several students who are potentially future Eskom employees. “We are acutely aware of the existing skills shortages, but Eskom is also taking a longer-term view in terms of skills development. In doing so, we realised that the current status at universities will not deliver the skills our industry will need in future. Higher education institutions would require an increasing level of industry support.”

In response, the organisation designed and implemented a broad Tertiary Education Support Programme (TESP), and a research programme through which academics work on Eskom-related projects. This is complemented by the BRAD programme which also supports Eskom’s bursar programme.

Yashin is very clear about the focus of BRAD: “We are looking to develop future academics. To be considered for funding, the candidates must be intent on becoming full-time academics. We accept that there are no guarantees, but the academic intention and inclination have to be there from the start.”

BRAD was piloted in 2003 and formalised in 2008. The three-party contract between the NRF, Eskom, and the universities will be reviewed in 2011.

The BRAD programme addresses one of the NRF’s strategic goals, namely to “create a representative science workforce in South Africa”. “It is a cornerstone of our efforts to build the human capital base for a knowledge economy that is vital for progress in our country,” concludes Dr Mgwebi.

21

BuiLDinG BATTERY POWER

Dr Rapela Maphanga is a lecturer at the University of Limpopo with a passion for batteries. She completed her PhD in energy storage

materials with BRAD funding, and still continues her research in this field.

“My area of expertise is the computational modelling of materials by combining experimental data and theoretical data,” explains

Dr Maphanga. In layman’s terms, she is studying the structure of batteries in order to improve their performance and lifespan. “To

achieve this, I am generating models of lithium manganese dioxide.” It may sound highly theoretical,

but the outcome of Dr Maphanga’s work will be mobile phones and laptop computers that don’t

run out of battery power when you need them most.

For Dr Maphanga, BRAD meant peace of mind and the luxury of focusing on her studies.

“I could concentrate on my work and not worry about finances. This is invaluable for a

researcher and a privilege very few have.”

MORE EnERGY WiTh LESS EFFORT

The rising cost and looming shortage of energy sources worldwide is a cause of grave concern. It

therefore makes sense that BRAD would fund research into ways of alleviating the problem.

Dr Mario Williams is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of the Western Cape whose work

is all about gases. On the one hand he studies hydrogen storage, separation and purification using metal

hydrants, and on the other oxygen separation for the purpose of air enrichment.

Dr Williams explains: “We produce, purify, and store high-purity hydrogen and oxygen using a host of inorganic materials. We take an

impure source of hydrogen, in this case coal combustion exhaust fumes, and remove the hydrogen. In doing so we produce 99,9% pure

hydrogen. The aim of our research is to do this on demand and feed the pure gas into a fuel cell.”

The oxygen enrichment process aims to increase oxygen levels in air by as much as 25%. “We are developing a membrane material

that will assist in first removing oxygen from the coal combustion fumes and then pumping it back into the air.”

The practical application of this work lies in underground coal seams. Seams that cannot be mined conventionally can be burned

underground and the resultant gases captured to generate electricity. Underground combustion entails drilling a hole on either side of the

seam. Oxygen is pumped down the one hole, leading to combustion. As the coal burns it produces exhaust fumes that escape through

the second hole.

Enriched oxygen will make the combustion process more efficient, while the hydrogen purification process will result in a better

quality energy source.

Dr Williams chose this field of study because of his concerns regarding energy shortages. To him the value of BRAD lies in the

exposure it afforded him. “Thanks to the funding I could attend a conference in the Ukraine where I established a network of people that

proved invaluable in helping me to complete my PhD. At this level it is crucial to be exposed to peers and leaders in the field to help a

researcher achieve his goals.”


Science – and society – needs the enquiring minds of young people to push boundaries, question the status quo and unlock dormant solutions. The Post-Doctoral Innovation Fellowship provides the ideal setting for such minds.

innovation unlocks a knowledge economyIf South Africa is to be able to compete globally, it needs to build a strong knowledge economy across all sectors of the population. The Post-Doctoral Innovation Fellowship, a National Research Foundation Project in partnership with the DST, began in 2002 with this specific goal in mind.

To date, the programme has invested in the careers of 30 research fellows, who are selected in line with its goals of having a complement of fellows that is 85% black, and 65% female. The fellowship has chosen to focus on projects in climate change, astronomy, agricultural science, computer science, engineering, ICT, geology and physics, among others. Its main aim is to drive innovation that will lead to improvements in South Africans’ lives, through projects that will boost the country’s standing in the international scientific community.

“The culture of postdoctoral fellowship is still not that strong in South Africa,” says Dr Thandi Mgwebi, the programme’s director. “Apart from a shortage of graduates at postdoctoral level, there are other factors that affect the success of a project like this.”

By the time an individual reaches postdoctoral level, they have been in the academic environment for many years, often supported by extended family. “When someone reaches this level,

their family, and often other relatives, look to them for support. At the very least, they want them to quest after the prestige and remuneration that come with research

positions in the corporate world, and the academic environment can seldom compete with these,” Dr Mgwebi says. Added to these demands, many overseas universities offer prestigious and lucrative research fellowships, with which local projects cannot compete, and the country loses many of its doctoral graduates to institutions abroad.

Dr Thandi Mgwebi, programme director of the Post-Doctoral innovation Fellowship.

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the day science becomes real for everyday South Africans is when innovation changes their lives. research, such as that conducted on drought-tolerant genes by

monique morse (above), would improve profitability for farmers in arid areas.


In order to add value to the research fellows’ experience of the programme, and to encourage local graduates to stay in South Africa, the programme has evolved to include travel expenses to conferences, lab visits and workshops abroad.

“We’ve also started an annual focus group discussion with the research fellows, where they present their work to one another and get to know one another – building networks that will be key to the success of scientific research in the future,” Dr Mgwebi adds.

The Post-Doctoral Innovation Fellowship has adopted a long-term view in its partnerships with the various academic institutions. When a fellowship is granted, it is on the understanding that the research fellow will be mentored by an experienced researcher at the institution, who will work with them to build a career. The institutions are required to commit to providing the necessary space and facilities, and to play a role in monitoring the progress of the research, and to ensure the longevity of each project.

This not only ensures the integrity of the research work that is completed, but it teaches the researchers to become teachers themselves, as they lead Master’s and doctoral students in their research teams. It is this collaborative way of working that will build the culture of research and innovation that the programme seeks to foster, both in the academic environment and in the commercial and corporate arenas.

“This rounded approach to postdoctoral fellowships means that the researchers who emerge from the NRF’s Innovation Fund are very well equipped to take research and development positions outside the academic arena,” says Nonkqubela Silulwane, the Programme Officer for Student and Post-Doctoral Studies at the Fund. “The level of mentorship that we encourage through this programme fosters an entrepreneurial spirit and independence of thought in our fellows that equips them to deal with the challenges of the workplaces outside the academic world. This approach of giving our leading researchers the skills to continue their work beyond the relative shelter of academia once their fellowships have come to an end, is truly taking innovation out into the South African economy.”

25nEW LiFE FOR AGRiCuLTuRE

Monique Morse, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Cape Town, has continued

research into the resurrection plant (X. viscosa) to isolate the genes that allow this species to survive

drought. Morse is one of a group of students investigating the roles of various genes, isolated from

stress libraries, in drought tolerance. The eventual objective of using these genes, or even just using

their promoters, is to research the modification of drought-tolerant crops. This would improve profitability for

farmers in arid areas, and would possibly extend the use of land that would not otherwise be suitable for farming.

“The Innovation Fellowship is very prestigious, and even though we work in close collaboration with a supervisor, the grant from the

NRF has been mine to control,” Morse says. “I’ve been able to use the money for equipment and supplies for the lab, for the analysis of

samples, and to buy a laptop on which to document my research. This not only gives fellows the freedom to decide what is done with

the money that is granted to their projects, but it teaches them financial responsibility and budgeting – an important skill in laboratory

management that is not part of any scientific curriculum.”

ThE LiGhT TOuCh OF hEALinG

Denise Hawkins Evans of the University of Johannesburg wanted to further her research in biomedical technology with a postdoctoral

research project investigating the effects of low-level laser therapy. The focus of the research project, funded through the Post-Doctoral

Innovation Fellowship, was to examine wound healing, and how stressed or wounded skin cells responded to laser treatments.

“My study initially focused on laser irradiation of normal or wounded cells, and then progressed to developing cell-culture based

models to study the effects of laser therapy on ageing and stressed cells. The project also studied the effect of visible red laser light on

cell stress and cell death pathways and showed that laser therapy could promote cell survival,” Hawkins Evans says. “My research took

place at a cellular level, but with the outcomes of my research, we are hoping to eventually produce laser technology that will benefit

wound healing, particularly in diabetes patients, or that will reverse premature ageing in patients with

muscle atrophy, heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders.”

The funding from the fellowship enabled Hawkins Evans to obtain essential consumables and

equipment for her research, and to travel abroad to present at the Society of Photo-optical

Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Photonics West conference in San Francisco. Hawkins

Evans also presented her work at the World Association of Laser Therapy (WALT) conference,

hosted in South Africa and it was at this conference that she was recognised as Best Young

Investigator, bringing international recognition to her, and her completed project.


The bulk of South Africans do not have access to the Internet because they cannot afford a personal computer. However, cellphones are ubiquitous at all levels of our population. Why can’t they be used as hand-held devices with which to surf – and use – the online world?

opening the world to wireless

The days of the mobile phone being just a telephony device are long gone. Handsets are now cameras, voice recorders, MP3 players, and devices for surfing the Internet. If you’ve got the right smartphone, you can even pretend that you’ve got a light sabre, complete with sound effects. But, however multi-functional they may be, cellphones remain limited by the data streams via which they receive the packets of information that become voice calls, SMSes, videos and emails.

Currently cellular telephony networks in South Africa communicate via 3G, which is a family of standards for wireless telecommunication, as defined by the International Telecommunication Union. It includes GSM EDGE, UMTS, CDMA2000, DECT and WiMax. This standard is acceptable for voice transmission, but is slow for other data like images, video, email and surfing the Internet.

With experts predicting that many South Africans will skip over the use of personal computers, and head straight to achieving access to the Internet via their cellphones, the lag that exists in 3G data transmission is a conceivable barrier to the benefits that could be enjoyed by this emerging market. These could include online banking and transactions, education, entertainment and access to news media.

Professor Fambirai Takawira and his team of six academic staff and 14 postgraduate researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal are examining ways to achieve higher standards of data transmission.

“My research is looking at solving the problems of mixing, so that there’s no distinction between the speeds and quality of voice and data transmission,” Professor Hongjun Xu, one of the researchers, says.

“We want

to expand wireless communication so that it

can benefit the people who don’t have access to the world of online information, and give them the opportunity to overcome the

digital divide for which the ‘Dark Continent’ of Africa

is known.”Tahmid Quazi

27

professor hongjun xu (left) of the University of Kwazulu-Natal is investigating faster data transmission via 4g so that cellphones become the new

gateway to the online world.


“In terms of quality, the data requirements of voice and video, for example, are very different. Voice doesn’t demand a lot of data during packet transmission, but video does. For this reason, you can’t watch a video as it lands in your inbox – you have to wait for it to download, but you can have a conversation without enduring any interference. It is our goal to achieve a standard where there’s no distinction at the user’s level – where data reception for voice, video or email happens at the same quick speed.”

Tahmid Quazi, one of the postgraduate students working with Prof. Xu, feels that 4G will be a convergence of all the different wireless technologies with the Internet Protocol (IP) standard as the base upon which the convergence occurs.

“WiFi is free, and works on unlicensed bands, and this technology will make so many things cheaper and more accessible,” Quazi says. “We’re going to see hotspotted cities and municipalities, in which residents have 24-hour access to the Internet wherever they are. Once the bandwidth for this access is sufficient, they could use it not only to browse the Internet and use it for applications such as social networking, but they could be making all their phone calls via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), changing the way the telephony companies do business.”

The research groups are working with a view to making teleconferencing and open education available to areas that have been excluded from basic and higher education. “Our cause is to make technology improve people’s lives – and by that we don’t mean to make it quicker and easier for high-flying executives to conduct their business,” Quazi says. “We want to expand wireless communication so that it can benefit the people who don’t have access to the world of online information and give them the opportunity to overcome the digital divide for which the ‘Dark Continent’ of Africa is known.”

Although the research teams have made extraordinary headway in their investigations, findings are primarily theoretical at present and have yet to be tested or put into practical use. However, if their research and analysis creates and opens up the technology to allow indiscriminate access to information via affordable and portable devices, they will indeed have changed the lives of many South Africans – and other global citizens.

WhY ARE CELLPhOnES ThE nExT GATEWAY TO ThE inTERnET?

l In 2005, it was estimated that there were 2,14 billion cellphone subscribers worldwide. l According to EightyTwenty, 60% of South African households own a cellphone, while only 20% own a landline. l Cellphones are the only way that seven million South Africans surf the Internet, according to BizCommunity. l Cellphones are more affordable, more portable and use less electricity than computers. No wonder so many banks and other

organisations are optimising their websites to make them easier to browse via a cellphone.

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Above: Some members of the team at the university of KwaZulu natal, all working on the 4G project, are (from left): Peter Dawoud, Olutayo Oyerinde, narushan Pillay, Jules Moualeu, ilesanmi Oluwafemi, Rinel Bownath, Prof. xu, Suvania Moodliar, Thipperswamy Muddenahalli, Emily Pather, and Jared Wilmans.

Left: Professor hongjun xu and Jules Moualeu in front of multiple-server stacks that are used to analyse and simulate systems being researched by the group.


If history is regarded as the way events are selected, analysed and presented from different and multiple pasts, questions have to be asked: what influences have played their part in the representation of an item of historical record?

histories in the makingIt is the search for meaning and for an understanding of the role of different producers of history across a range of genres, that Professor Leslie Witz and his teams at the History Department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) are questing in their research projects.

“We want to understand the processes of remembering and forgetting,” says Prof. Witz. “We want to understand the processes through which history is created. These processes are always selective, they’re always going to present a particular point of view. We need to examine and understand the processes of history production, to analyse who produces history and how they do it.”

Prof. Witz wants to make South Africans aware that history is not a given, it must not be accepted at face value and that it is crucial that it is challenged, debated and interpreted. The premise of much of his research is that citizens who are completely engaged in issues of democracy have a right to challenge all versions of history. “Questioning the representation and analysis of history is about democracy and citizenry – it’s not just about finding new sets of facts and interpretations from artefacts, manuscripts and oral testimonies,” he says.

Working with Professor Ciraj Rassool (who is coordinating research efforts into anthropology, archaeology and heritage) and Professor Premesh Lalu (who is working with archives, architecture and heritage) and several postgraduate research students, Prof. Witz has also collaborated with colleagues at various institutions. These include the Centre for Humanities Research at UWC, the Centre for African Studies at UCT, the History Department and the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Fort Hare.

oN-SIte INveStIgAtIoN

Research activities have revolved around several sites, including the Robben Island Museum, the Iziko South African Museum, the Amathole Museum and the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum.

Research at the Robben Island Museum has focused on how a modernist history of national liberation is being constructed by the oral histories of former political prisoners, who have become the “authorities” of events on the island in their roles as guides around the site. Different histories from each of the former prisoners has been added to the mix, but the research team is not so much concerned with the facts that are being presented as it is with how the stories are presented, and the details of how each presentation is created.

31

mark mandita, education officer at the Amathole museum, takes learners from Sinako School on a tour of the museum. professor leslie Witz (centre) wants to understand the processes through which history is created and make South

Africans aware that history must not be accepted at face value.


The focus at the Iziko South African Museum has been on the Power of Rock Art, an exhibition that has used the shamanist interpretation of rock art as its explanatory context. In the research the exhibition has been mapped in detail and some visitor responses recorded. These responses are being considered alongside the processes of representation in the display, particularly in comparison to the challenges to shamanist interpretation of rock art that have appeared in recent years and that have foreground histories of anthropological and archaeological practice.

Research at the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum revealed that the relationship between the museum and the community it is claiming to represent is hardly a straightforward one between history and public. The museum makes extensive use of South African academic social history as recorded in the 1980s, to provide the context for the shift towards the migrant labour system. However, it has become apparent that this knowledge is not absolute, as struggles over the constitution of the community and its history continue. This museum seems to be more about negotiating and building a sense of community through confronting legacies of enforced identities and the uneven allocation of resources, than it is about being an expression of people’s history.

More broadly this project is interested in the phenomena of the flourishing of museums in post-apartheid South Africa, particularly history museums. What has become apparent is that, despite the claims to a momentous change in the ways that museums approached history in the 1990s, there is much more of a continuum than is immediately apparent. The systems and methodologies set in place through the development of the category of cultural history in museums and in academic departments at universities in the 1950s and 1960s have become the basis to install new histories.

“Our research

contests and effectively decentres the

role of academic historians as the keepers and

messengers of the final word in history.” Professor Leslie Witz

Museums have flourished in post-apartheid South Africa, particularly history museums. An important part of Prof. Witz’s study questions whether the “facts” of the past, be they in the form of oral histories, manuscripts or objects, should go unchallenged.

33While the content might be changing, the approach to history in museums is still located in a positivist

mode of reconstruction, in which the artefacts and their provenance are presented as the “facts” of the past whether they are in the form of oral histories, manuscripts or objects.

In practical terms, Prof. Witz and his team are working with their network of heritage and tertiary institutions to create an environment in which they will be more firmly placed to transform the public and education spheres in terms of how they research and present history. “What is at stake in the engagements with heritage institutions is that our research contests and effectively decentres the role of academic historians as the keepers and messengers of the final word in history,” Prof. Witz says. “Instead of casting the historian either as a consultant who conveys history to the public, or as a field worker carrying out research about an institution, we are determined to understand and reveal the politics of the production of history and the historian’s relationship with, and immersion in, the cut and thrust of making history.”

Professors Witz and Rassool maintain that breaking down the distinctions between history and those who recorded it not only broadens the scope for the study of history, but allows for much more complex and nuanced understandings of different events. For them, it is not so much about acquiring the information about what happened, as it is about how, why and which stories, in which forms, were recognised as fact at various times and places.

NeW hIStorIANS for fUtUre pAStS

Apart from challenging the ways in which South Africans, with their particularly intricate past, record and retell their history, Prof. Witz sees his research programme as an incubator for students from the rest of Africa who want to become historians and heritage practitioners. “This project has opened up the field of heritage studies and museums to students throughout the continent. Their determination to understand the complexities of how heritage and history come to be constituted will surely see many more effective critical engagements with the ways museums and heritage sites represent pasts and histories,” Prof. Witz says.


There are many proposed solutions to the human settlement question. But how many of them are sustainable?

a new kind of neighbourhood watch

“The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry,” according to poet Robert Burns, but it is the goal of Professor Mark Swilling of the Sustainability Institute at Stellenbosch University to ensure that the bridge between government’s strategic intentions for housing and development are translated into practical solutions for housing in South Africa.

Prof. Swillings’ research approaches the various challenges of sustainable human settlements with a particular focus on the Western Cape, although the solutions that have emerged from the various projects can be applied in urban development throughout South Africa and abroad.

There are few, if any, real examples of sustainable development in South Africa, even though the notion has been supported by government policies in recent years. A report generated by the Sustainability Institute ascribes this to a “continued predominance of old approaches to township planning, infrastructure and housing design and a lack of cross-sector integration and collaboration. Planners seldom design neighbourhoods with a view to their long-term environmental, social and economic sustainability and apartheid spatial constructs and financial constraints mostly overrule integrated approaches to holistically designed settlements”.

“It is the Sustainability Institute’s mission to implement sustainable design in human settlements, to transform how neighbourhoods are designed and how they operate,” says Prof. Swilling. “We work directly with community-based housing movements and groups of the urban poor to find out what it is they really need.” While there are various similar research projects, Prof. Swillings’ team is paying particular attention to energy efficiency and renewable energy and alternative building materials, especially unfired bricks.

“We’re starting at the very beginning of design, with looking at the size of pavements, which give a direct indication of the importance of pedestrians in an urban environment,” he says. Next under the proverbial microscope is the design of infrastructure such as sewage and effluent, how it can be treated to minimise water consumption – and how structures can be designed to capture rainwater.

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photovoltaic roof tiles are one of the sustainable housing products that professor mark Swilling (centre) and his team are testing for South Africa.

the tiles, once imported from california, could soon be made out of recycled plastic!


The orientation of the dwellings is also vital, in order to maximise the benefits of solar energy.

The aboveground structure is next up for review, with the “old” Rural Development Programme (RDP) houses having been revealed as expensive to build, with relatively short lifespans characterised by excessive maintenance requirements. “We’re now looking towards double- or triple-storey structures that are properly oriented, with appropriate overhangs, gas cooking and proper ventilation outputs,” says Prof. Swilling. “These factors must all govern the way you think about a dwelling to achieve maximum human health and comfort.”

By applying these principles and the national treasury guidelines that demand a full lifecycle analysis, Prof. Swilling and his team have created a more sustainable housing product for the South African context.

The team’s findings are already in action at a site near the Spier wine estate in Stellenbosch, where 42 plots have been set aside for development in line with the project’s recommendations. A 4 000m2 public area, crèche facilities and various other public amenities complement the sustainably designed homes. The social structures are centred around children. For example, the primary school is at the centre of the community rather than at its edge. Even though the plots are relatively small, only allowing small gardens, public space has been maximised to encourage community interaction.

Two further projects, designed on the principles determined by the team’s research, have been proposed for Oude Molen near Pinelands, and on a site near the old cement factory in Philippi in the Western Cape.

bUt WAIt, there’S more…

It’s all very well to design a structure that is energy efficient – but what of the materials that are used to build these structures? Prof. Swillings’ team has investigated various building materials, including adobe brick, sandbags, wood and recycled bricks, which are made out reclaimed and crushed building rubble.

However, perhaps the most exciting outcome of the Institute’s research is the testing of photovoltaic roof tiles.

“We imported photovoltaic roof tiles that have been produced in California and set them up on a test site in the Lynedoch EcoVillage. We’ve been

working with a research and development company to emulate the technology using local materials. However, we’ve taken it one step

further in the sustainability stakes – the roof tiles into which the photovoltaic cells are embedded could be manufactured from recycled plastic,” says Prof. Swilling.

The private sector partner with which the Sustainability Institute works realised that most other researchers in the photovoltaic field

were focusing on making the cell itself more efficient – when it has become apparent that there is not much more that can be done to

do so. The alternative approach is to look at the other costs associated with the cells, such as the frame and roof materials. This could cut costs

by as much as a third.

“It is our

mission to implement sustainable design in human settlements, to transform how neighbourhoods are designed

and how they operate.”

Professor Mark Swilling

The team’s findings

are already in action at a site near the Spier

wine estate in Stellenbosch, where 42 plots have been set aside for development in line with the project’s

recommendations.

37The photovoltaic roof tile could also have an impact on Eskom’s requirements to build new power

stations in the near future. A Master’s student supervised by Prof. Swilling, and sponsored by the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies with additional funding from the NRF, is currently building a model to investigate the impact of installing the roof tile on 1 000 000 homes. The project assumes that the energy from these tiles would power all household appliances and lighting, but solar hot water geysers would supply hot water and stoves would be powered by gas. The Institute is anticipating that the outcome of this research will tip the balance in favour of South Africans being able to generate their own energy, with the excess being sold back to Eskom via a feed-in tariff.

tUrNINg polIcY INto proceSS

The Department of Human Settlements has recognised the value of the work being done by the Sustainability Institute, and has signed a three-year contract with the team to advise it on policy and the implementation of its findings in government housing developments across South Africa.

Several international research funding bodies have also seen the value of the work being done at the Institute, committing further funds to this research, which will surely make a tangible difference to the lives of South Africans who need the very best possible housing solution – the construction of a sustainable human environment, rather than just the erection of basic shelters.

The research team has experimented with various building materials, including adobe brick and recycled bricks.


An ancient fish rediscovered in modern times has inspired South Africa’s largest marine ecosystem research programme. In the same way that the coelacanth has captivated global scientific imagination, the programme bearing its name is building a network of scientists working together to pull marine ecosystems back from the brink of disaster.

plumbing the depths of marine understandingScientists estimate that more than 50% of marine species have not yet been discovered, let alone described. Existing data are based largely on fragmented shallow-water surveys. Beyond the 30m gradient little is known about species diversity and population densities, and within the 30m gradient much remains to be described.

But why would we want to know more? The answer is that millions of people in many countries, including our own, depend on the oceans for food and employment. It is therefore imperative for us to manage these precious resources properly. This can only be done by better understanding the secrets of the deep.

The processes and ecosystem functions of the ocean environment have a major influence on the societies and economies of coastal areas. Governments cannot possibly manage fish and other marine resources without understanding the ocean-atmosphere, trophic and biogeochemical dynamics that characterise the ocean environment. Better prediction of climatic and oceanographic variability (essential, for example, in the context of rainfed agriculture, watershed welfare and the management of sustainable marine resources use) urgently requires the gathering of baseline information and developing coordinated monitoring and observation systems.

This is why the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP) is so important.

Acep I

After the first coelacanth was discovered in 1938, we waited 62 years for another sighting in South African waters. This happened in 2000 off Sodwana Bay. Reminded again by how little we know about the oceans, the first ACEP was established in April 2002 to fill a void in oceanographic and marine ecological sampling on the continental shelves of the east coast of southern Africa and the south-western Indian Ocean. The ACEP is a joint project between the DST and the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs (DWEA). The NRF acts as the implementing agency for DST with Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) playing a similar role for DWEA.

39

there is a wealth of knowledge still to be gleaned about marine species diversity and population density. And we should want to know about the secrets of the deep

as millions of people depend on the oceans for food and employment.

ACEP I successfully set up a regional marine database, stimulated public awareness and improved environmental education. The programme adopted an ecosystem approach to better understand the relationship between coelacanths and their physical, chemical and biological environment in order to develop an informed management and conservation strategy. It focused on several sub-projects and organised 10 ship-based research expeditions on the RS Algoa, including three dedicated Jago (manned submersible) cruises. Expeditions included cruises along the east coast of southern Africa and the rest of the south-western Indian Ocean.

At the close of ACEP I, an extensive data inventory was compiled to document the primary products of the numerous multidisciplinary research activities funded by the programme. It has been used to ensure that proper archives are kept, that data collected within the Exclusive Economic Zones of each country are made available to those countries, and that specimens and samples are tracked. The scene was set for increased international cooperation and more extensive research.

Acep II

The second phase of ACEP started in 2007 and has developed into South Africa’s flagship marine research initiative.

One of the key features of ACEP II is its approach to funding. The NRF issued an open research call in late 2007, allowing any researcher or research consortium to submit a bid for funding. The result is a wide variety of projects currently running under the ACEP II banner. Furthermore, unlike the block grants provided to ACEP I, the vast majority of funding is now managed through the NRF and is made up of student bursaries and individual programme running costs. This results in more funding security which encourages MSc and PhD students to enrol.

Following the open call for ACEP II projects, eight proposals involving more than 30 scientists from 10 research institutions received funding. Projects range from coelacanth-specific research to marine conservation planning, environmental education, marine ecosystems studies, biodiversity research and climate change.


Scientists increasingly realise that nature is not

limited by national boundaries or territorial waters.

Research collaboration opens the door for ecosystem-

based management and conservation

programmes.

ThE OuTCOMES OF OCEAniC RESEARCh in ThE WESTERn inDiAn OCEAn

l National fisheries management strategies to promote sustainable and responsible fisheries development.l Integrated ecosystem conservation and management by controlling coastal pollution, expanding the

network of marine protection areas, monitoring and controlling coastal development and the general

monitoring of the coastal environment (including coral reefs and ecotoxicology).l Coastal communities that use marine resources in a fair and equitable manner that is also socially and

economically sustainable.l Sustainable development and economic recovery plans linked to the protection and maintenance of

ecosystem functions.

WELCOME TO OuR WORLD

The first “modern” coelacanth was discovered close to East London in 1938. Known to scientists only from the

fossil record, this ancient fish was believed to have been extinct for millions of years. Thanks to the passion and

dedication of the then-curator of East London’s small museum and a Rhodes University Chemistry Professor

who was passionate about fish, an unusual catch in a fisherman’s net unlocked a wealth of scientific knowledge.

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer recognised the fish for what it was and Professor JLB Smith spread the word. This

sparked a concerted research effort into the species and South African fish in general.

A total of 50 postgraduate and postdoctoral students will be involved in the eight research projects over the five years of ACEP II funding. This amounts to R4,5 million worth of student bursaries, which makes up a significant component of the total research funding allocated. ACEP II management actively introduced project leaders to potential students through a national recruitment drive targeting previously disadvantaged students. The details of the 46 applicants were captured in a database and provided to the principal investigators to select suitable and appropriate students.

ACEP II is also in the process of acquiring a fully equipped 13m ski-boat, which will serve as a coastal research platform, as well as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Both vessels will be available to ACEP II and Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems (ASCLME)-supported research and training projects throughout South Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. The ROV, which could be deployed from multiple platforms, can be easily transported to different sites, ships and countries as required.

INterNAtIoNAl collAborAtIoN

ACEP II is becoming increasingly involved in internationally-funded research projects requiring its expertise. Funding and running the coastal research boat and submersible (ROV) has the potential to place DST, the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) (NRF), MCM (DWEA), ACEP II and ASCLME at the forefront of deep-water marine physical and biodiversity sciences regionally and globally by generating cutting-edge knowledge of the largely unexplored and unknown offshore marine environment.

ACEP II is a key contributor to three international projects currently researching the oceans around southern Africa. The most important of these is the five-year ASCLME project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

ASCLME started as ACEP I came to a close and, to some extent, evolved as a result of the activities and networking the latter created. ACEP II is now South Africa’s key in-kind co-funding contribution to the project. The involvement includes hosting the ASCLME management team, planning, funding and executing research on the Agulhas Current; funding the ACEP II scientists who participate in ACEP-related research; and managing and archiving data through the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), the South African Data Centre for Oceanography (SADCO) and SAIAB.

In 2008, 32 South African scientists participated in ASCLME cruises, eight South African or South African-led projects were supported and seven South African-based students received training during the four cruises. ACEP II benefits directly from the ASCLME cruises through training and capacity building, cruise and data reports, conferences and peer-reviewed publications.

ASCLME is an extension of ACEP and pursues the same objective of using science to manage the critically important marine resources of the Western Indian Ocean. Arguably its most important contribution, however, is its philosophy that ocean resources should be managed as physical, chemical and biologically defined ecosystems rather than political entities belonging to different countries.

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acronyms

Acep African Coelacanth Ecosystem

Programme

Arc Agricultural Research Council

ASclme Agulhas and Somali Currents Large

Marine Ecosystem

bcI Brain Computer Interfaces

brAd Black Researchers/Academics

Development

cdmA 2000 Code Division Multiple Access

cm3 Cubic Centimeters

cpUt Cape Peninsula University of Technology

cSIr Council for Scientific and Industrial

Research

dect Digital Enhanced Codeless

Communications

dSt Department of Science and Technology

dWeA Department of Water and Environmental

Affairs

edge Enhanced Data GSM Environment

eSIee Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieurs en

Electronique et Electrotechnique

eUSA European Union Space Agency

f’SAtIe Franco-South African Technology Institute

in Electronics

gef Global Environment Facility

gmSA Grant Management and Systems

Administration

gpS Global Positioning System

gSm Global System for Mobile Communication

hartrAo Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy

Observatory

heI Higher Education Institution

heSS High-Energy Stereoscopic System

hmo Hermanus Magnetic Observatory

IAU International Astronomical Union

Ict Information Communication Technology

Ip Internet Protocol

ISI Institute for Scientific Information

ithemba iThemba Laboratory for

lAbS Accelerator Based Sciences

IYA2009 International Year of Astronomy 2009

KAt Karoo Array Telescope

KpA Key Performance Area

KpI Key Performance Indicator

mcm Marine and Costal Management

mp3 MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3

mSc Master of Science

NASA National Aeronautics and Space

Administration

NASSp National Astrophysics and Space Science

Programme

Nrf National Research Foundation

NSbp National Society of Black Physicists

Nzg National Zoological Gardens of South

Africa

oSc Operations and Science Centre

phd Doctor of Philosophy

r Rand

rdp Rural Development Programme

rov Remotely Operated Vehicle

SA South Africa

SAAo South African Astronomical Observatory

SAAStA South African Agency for Science and

Technology Advancement

SAdco South African Data Centre for

Oceanography

SAeoN South African Environmental Observation

Network

SAIAb South African Institute for Aquatic

Biodiversity

SAlt Southern African Large Telescope

SANSA South African National Space Agency

Set Science, Engineering and Technology

SKA Square Kilometre Array

SpIe Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation

Engineers

SSe Satellite Systems Engineering

teSp Tertiary Education Support Programme

thrIp Technology and Human Resources for

Industry Programme

tUt Tshwane University of Technology

Uct University of Cape Town

UmtS Universal Data Telecommunications

System

UN United Nations

UNdp United Nations Development Programme

UNeSco United Nations Educational Scientific and

Cultural Organisation

USA United States of America

UWc University of Western Cape

Uz University of Zululand

voIp Voice Over Internet Protocol

WAlt World Association of Laser Therapy

Wimax Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave

Access

Wits University of the Witwatersrand

3g Third Generation

4g Fourth Generation

$ Dollar

€ Euro

% Percentage

43

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