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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 10 2012 23:39 | LAST UPDATED Feb 10 2012 23:39 |
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In this section: Fred Swaniker, Melinda Griffiths, Julian Sithembekile Peters, Nonhlanhla Dlamini and more...  Fred Swaniker has big ideas for Africa's transformation. And with $4-million in donations from the upper echelons of the Silicon Valley (including an infusion from Cisco Systems and former Hewlett- Packard head Carly Fiorina) he's well on his way to achieving his dreams. The Ghanian-born Swaniker recently launched the African Leadership Academy, a pan-African secondary school that aims to develop future generations of African leaders. A former McKinsey consultant, he's on a mission to keep Africans in Africa by offering a world-class education. He's wellsuited for the job. He has an MBA from Stanford University, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, a distinction awarded to the top 10% of each graduating class. He's lived and worked across the continent. And he's only 32 years old. Just watch as he leads us all into a serious African Renaissance. --Percy Mabandu Lunch spot: The Fat Olive, Muldersdrift  Melinda Griffiths grows pond scum in a lab, although the technical term for it is “microalgae”. If all goes according to plan, this microalgae could be used to produce biodiesel in a more efficient way. Although passionate about algal biofuels, Griffiths believes a switch to electric transport is inevitable. So, in future, she'd like to study artificial photosynthesis, or as she explains to the not-so-scientifically minded, 'getting plants to turn sunlight into electricity' . This consummate academic has a BSc in cell biology, an MPhil in bioscience enterprise, and is working on a PhD in bioprocess engineering. She's worked on preventing malaria at a lab in Canada, researched the marketability of a Dengue Fever vaccine and helped start a company that develops coatings for heart stents. In addition to tutoring undergrads at university and editing science textbooks for Heinemann Publishers, Griffiths volunteers with TeachOut, teaching English and biology at township schools. She also serves on the committee of South African Women in Science and Engineering.--Faranaaz Parker Lunch spot: Table Mountain Café, Cape Town  CONTINUES BELOW  Julian Sithembekile Peters is serious about science. She is pursuing a master's degree in clinical immunology with the University of Cape Town. She got her honours (cum laude), in biotechnology in 2008 and was awarded the prestigious South African Women in Science and Education scholarship; the Golden Key International Honour Society counts her as a member. In 2007, Peters undertook an internship as a research assistant in the Institute of Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics (IMBM) Laboratory where she focused on the immune system's response to disease and is hoping to concentrate specifically on HIV soon.Percy Mabandu Lunch spot: Fish of the Rocks, Hout Bay, Cape Town  Small is beautiful for Nonhlanhla Dlamini. In fact, the smaller the better. Dlamini has always been fascinated by microorganisms. She has a BTech degree from Natal Technikon and her master's research project was used by the National Department of Minerals and Energy to establish a standard for paraffin in 2004. Dlamini is a PhD candidate investigating the potential of African traditional medicine to treat Kaposi's sarcoma --a type of cancer affecting almost 40% of HIV-infected people. The 29-year-old from Durban went to Paris this year to receive a Unesco and L'Oreal sponsored Fellowship for Young Women in Life Science --only conferred on 15 women scientists around the world. Dlamini hopes her research will 'raise African traditional medicine to the status enjoyed by Western medicine', and also 'close the gap between traditional healers and scientists.' --Percy Mabandu Lunch spot: Mugg &Bean, Musgrave  Stephen Morris heads up the Skills Kitchen, a Johannesburgbased non-profit that operates through the Southern Sun Centre for Culinary Excellence, under the auspices of the South African Chefs Association. The 16-station state-of-the-art kitchen cost about R5-million to build and is aimed at developing skills in the industry, particularly focusing on junior cooks, kitchen attendants and chefs from taverns and B&Bs in the townships. The group offers one, five and 10-day courses with prices well below the industry average. Morris creates course material, gives demonstrations, lectures and works with sponsors who donate equipment and funds. Morris completed certificate and diploma level courses in professional cookery and culinary arts at City & Guilds in London, both of which he passed with distinction. --Eamon Allan Lunch spot: Brown's, Rivonia, Johannesburg  Her contemporaries describe her as one of Rhodes University's most flamboyant lecturers. And having hand-raised a wild caracal kitten to adulthood and considering saying 'yes' as one of her greatest achievements, it is easy to understand why. Currently a senior lecturer and head of biotechnology at Rhodes University, as well as editor of Science in Africa magazine, she is also the winner of the Highway Africa New Media in Journalism and a National Science and Technology Forum Award. Raised in the windy city of Port Elizabeth, she is continuously amazed by science's 'wow' moments that goes with discovering a new process or pathway. --Liesl Venter Lunch spot: Yellow Piano, Grahamstown  For Enrico Olivier, the stars really are the limit. An astronomer with the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town, his interest in science was sparked at a young age by his parents, who would encourage visits to the local library where he would often lose himself in books. With a PhD in astronomy and astro physics, this easy-going scientist's research interest lies in the area of stellar structure and evolution, in particular the late evolutionary stages of low to intermediate mass stars and the numerical modelling of stellar pulsation (star oscillations). He also participates in projects on galaxy evolution. --Liesl Venter Lunch spot: Curry Quest, CapeTown  Dr Marietjie Venter is a woman who loves viruses. Having published the first study on the molecular epidemiology of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) as a cause of lower respiratory tract disease in children in South Africa, she has received much acclaim locally and abroad. She was finalist in the Department of Science and Technology's Women in Science Awards in the Best Emerging Woman Scientist category. From 2002 to 2005 she was a member of the Special Pathogens Unit and received her postdoctoral training on the West Nile Virus at the National Institutes of Health in the United States. She is co-author of several papers that have been published in international accredited journals. She is a senior lecturer and medical scientist in the Department of Medical Virology at the Faculty of Health Science at the University of Pretoria.--Liesl Venter Lunch spot: Alsume, Hennopsriver Valley  Associate professor, department of economics, University of Pretoria. At only 33, Rangan Gupta is an associate professor and his work in economics and finance is recognised around the world. Born in India with an inherent love for travelling, he settled in South Africa after receiving a PhD in the United States. He's been published in some of the world's leading journals and has won the Exceptional Young Researchers Award. He is a member of the Economic Association of South Africa, the African Econometric Society, as well as the African Institute for Economic Modelling and Economic Research Southern Africa. Gupta admits to being a disciplined scholar who gets much joy from his work. He's quite a catch for the University of Pretoria, where he lectures on monetary theory and policy. --Liesl Venter Lunch spot: Anywhere on the campus of the University Pretoria  At 32, Professor Vinny Naidoo is the youngest South African veterinarian to obtain a PhD in Veterinary Science to date. But it's his research into vultures that has given him recognition as one of the top veterinary researchers in the country. He serves on the Veterinary Clinical Committee of the Medicines Control Council of South Africa and medicines committee that advises the South African Veterinary Association on matters pertaining to the veterinary use of medicinal products. His day job, though, is with the Department of Paraclinical Sciences in the faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria. --Liesl Venter Lunch spot: John Dory, Pretoria TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
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