South African Women in Science and Engineering (SAWise), a national network of women scientists, is on the look-out for the top female science learners at Western Cape schools.
A handful of high-achieving female learners from each school will be invited to celebrate Women’s Day on August 8 with young science role models at the ‘whale well” at the Iziko museums in Cape Town.
‘Even though many learners have been studying science for years, this is often their first opportunity to meet a scientist face to face,” says SAWise chairperson Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, a professor of zoology at the University of Cape Town (UCT). ‘We make a special effort to bring in young women scientists to engage with teenage girls about what they love about science.”
Dr Diane Wilcox, a mathematician at UCT and the organiser of this year’s event, says: ‘It’s important to encourage teenage girls to become scientists and engineers and technicians.
‘I had a rocky entry into research because I was completely unaware of the interesting work that could be done. I ended up leaving university and then returning. It would be nice to smooth the way for the next generation.”
Chinsamy-Turan thanked the supporters of the event — Element 6, a local company and the world’s leading supplier of industrial diamonds, and cosmetic company L’Oreal, which has a strong focus on women in science.
To find out more about the SAWise woman’s day programme, email: [email protected]