What's on show
SciFest exhibition
SciFest Africa, the national science festival, will be exhibiting at Insite 2008, the International Science, Innovation and Technology Exhibition. Says Margaret Wolff, manager of SciFest Africa: “SciFest, South Africa’s national science festival, takes place in March annually.
SciFest Africa will present interactive demonstrations that show the science behind everyday things that are taken for granted. Household products such as bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, coke bottles and water will be used in these demonstrations.
“The idea is to capture the audience’s attention and demystify science to help people understand that science is not all about lab coats and stuffy professors,” says Wolff. “It is something that everyone is surrounded by every day and it can be fun.”
For more information on Scifest Africa, visit them at Hall 1 Stand G10.
Skills under the spotlight
City & Guilds, a vocational educational awarding body and global leader in skills development, will be profiling its internationally recognised vocational qualifications at Insite 2008.
These vocational qualifications in engineering—electrical, electronic and mechanical—as well as construction, are offered by the institution at certificate, diploma and advanced diploma level.
Says Lindsay Samuel, business development manager at City & Guilds: “These qualifications are designed in association with industry requirements, ensuring students are successful when entering the workforce. They can therefore be seen as a long-term answer to the current skills shortages that have been identified in South Africa.”
According to the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition report (March to December 2006), the average annual output of engineers from the higher education sector needs to increase by 1 000 to a total of 2 400 a year if South Africa is to meet the country’s short term demand. Relevant programmes that are focused on the skills required by industry are therefore imperative.
Robots in action
Humanoid robots will form the focus of the Rheinisch Wesfälsche Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen stand at the German pavilion at Insite 2008. In partnership with the University of Cape Town and Graz University of Technology, RWTH designs intelligent control for autonomous humanoid robots.
The newly founded Zadeat BafanaBots were granted permission to participate in the RoboCup Standard League competition at the 2008 RoboCup robotic soccer world championships. At the championships, these biped humanoid robots compete against each other autonomously—no remote control needed!
To see these robots in action, visit the RWTH stand at the German pavilion at Insite from September 15 to 17 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Hall 1, stand D13-20.— Mail & Guardian reporter
