A Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics And Innovation (Stemi) Roadshow was held as part of National Science Week
The National Science Week is an initiative of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) which encompasses a countrywide celebration of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation (STEMI) in which various stakeholders, role players and interest groups collectively conduct activities that promote general awareness of the value of STEMI to people’s daily lives.
The National Science Week (NSW) is conducted annually during the first week of August in all nine provinces simultaneously, at multiple sites per province. In addition to promoting STEMI to various sections of the population, the National Science Week is intended to expose learners, educators, parents and the public to science careers, opportunities and events, particularly in disadvantaged sections of the population. The theme of NSW 2023 was “Transforming lives through evidence-based science”.
Advancing Knowledge Non-Profit Company (AK NPC) scheduled a roadshow to promote National Science Week (30 July – 3 August 2023) and to present STEMI at rural schools that were not always fortunate to be exposed to such activities. The AK NPC roadshow activities were directed to bring STEMI alive through a series of science shows and exhibitions in the rural schools of the West Coast municipality (Lamberts Bay, Graafwater, Algeria near Clanwilliam, Elands Bay, Velddrif, Vredenburg, Saldanha, Langebaan, Hopefield and Atlantis). The roadshow served to promote the STEMI disciplines as interesting, exciting, stimulating and well worth exploring as potential careers and for study purposes.
Day one of Advancing Knowledge NPC’s STEMI Roadshow for NSW started on Monday 31 July 2023 at HP Williams Primary followed by EJ Malgarte Primary, both in Stompneus Bay on the West Coast. The third school was Noordhoek Primary in Velddrif. The AK NPC team spent approximately one-and-a-half hours at each school edutaining learners with interesting and interactive science experiments and STEMI activities, which had learners puzzled, shouting, laughing, awestruck and questioning their understanding of what they witnessed. The first day proved to be refreshing and rewarding as team members’ skills and expertise brought about flames, loud bangs, explosions, tricks and challenges to learners and teachers of participating schools.
The second day (Tuesday 1 August 2023) of the NSW Roadshow conducted by Advancing Knowledge NPC started in Lamberts Bay, where the principal, teachers and learners of PW de Bruin Primary welcomed the team in their new school hall. The second school was Graafwater Primary in the small rural town of Graafwater, and finally the afternoon the team bus traversed off-road pathways, flowing rivulets and protruding boulders to arrive at Groot Kloof Primary in Algeria, a valley-enclosed village at the bottom of the Cedar mountains near Clanwilliam. At each school the AK NPC team went the extra mile to best present their science experiments and STEMI activities and to include the learners and teachers at every step. Again, beautifully coloured flames, thundering explosions, neatly disguised tricks and timely transformations and phase changes were the order of the interactions, as the team members tried to keep everyone engaged and engrossed in STEMI.
On the third day (Wednesday 2 August 2023) of the Roadshow conducted on the West Coast, the team visited and presented science and technology shows, exhibitions and STEMI activities to three schools, namely St Augustine Primary in Paternoster, St Andrews Primary in Saldanha and Langebaan Primary in Langebaan. It was a highly satisfactory day; principals and teachers at each school expressed their thanks and appreciation for our visit and for interacting and engaging the learners for the duration of the visit. As one principal put it “…The expression on the faces of our learners, the way our learners were captivated in all activities and their involvement when they were called upon were remarkable for us to see”.
Thursday 3 August 2023 was the last day of Advancing Knowledge NPC’s STEMI Roadshow on the West Coast. The team visited Hopefield Primary in Hopefield and Hermeslaan Primary in Atlantis. They conducted open air science shows, experiments, exhibitions and STEMI activities in the quad of both schools. At each school nearly 1 000 learners attended. The team used the last of their energy to edutain and interact with learners and teachers at the two schools. Colour changes of solutions had many of the children puzzled, while the big bangs and explosions were appreciated by everyone. Again a heartfelt appreciation and thanks were conveyed by the principals and teachers of both schools for “bringing the STEMI roadshow to our school, for showing the exciting part of science and for promoting STEMI as possible career paths”.
Advancing Knowledge NPC managed to reach more than 4 000 learners and 100 teachers through its STEMI Roadshow in the 11 schools it visited in the West Coast Education District as part of National Science Week.