News
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- How do we know if and when science makes a difference? by Ditshego Masete: The Academy of Science of South Africa and the South African Journal of Science hosted a webinar on 4 August 2021 as part of their participation in South Africa's National Science Week - the annual celebration of science, engineering and technology led by the Department of Science and Innovation. The webinar was entitled: How do we know if and when science makes a difference? The panelists discussed the impact a nd role of scientists and science in contemporary society. The panelists included Mwazvita Dalu, an NRF Innovation Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Unisa and Research Associate with the Open University, UK; Ernest Dube, an agronomy research scientist and Senior Lecturer in the School of Natural Resource Management at Nelson Mandela University; and Jennifer Fitchett, an Associate Professor of Physical Geography at the University of the Witwatersrand. Read Article and YouTube link
- Studies from Africa are treated with disrespect‚ say South African academics: The academic old boy network must fall‚ Africans say in the August edition of the South African Journal of Science. Staff from Unisa and the University of Venda said international scientific journals were still guided by the legacy of imperialism and colonialism‚ meaning contributions from the Global South — particularly Africa — were treated with disrespect. “The stains of the colonial legacy still seem to manifest in the international publishing arena‚” said Mwazvita Dalu and Ashley Gunter‚ from Unisa’s geography department‚ and UV ecologist Tatenda Dalu. Read more from TimesLIVE, BusinessLive and listen to SAfm 104-107 podcast
- Africa: Restrict bush fires used in animal hunts: Controlled small-scale fires are traditionally used in the African savannah to flush out small mammals for hunting. Poachers in Zimbabwe are carelessly deploying crude versions of this practice, causing unmanageable bush fires and large-scale destruction. Read Article
- Seasonal wetlands face uncertain future: Seasonal wetlands - ecologically important habitats that become visible during rainy seasons - are facing an uncertain future, warn scientists. These ephemeral ecosystems support unique flora and fauna species that do not occur in permanent wetlands. Read BBC News Article
