Tag: SKA

Astronomy installation in South Africa ‘changes character of Africa’ – Pandor

South Africa as the major location for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope changes the character of Africa, Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor said on Friday.

“Who comes to Africa to actually do their best research? People come here to examine us, to find out how poor we are, to look at diseases that we have, they never come here to say ‘I want to do Nobel science work’,” she said.

“But they are gonna be coming to do that with the SKA. An absolutely different image of the continent. Not here to exploit our diamonds, our gold, our platinum but here to say I want to do iconic research on an iconic instrument… “

Pandor was speaking at a The New Age business breakfast in Sandton.

She said that her department would like to involve all countries on the African continent to become part of the astrology sciences project.

She was excited at the potential of astronomy to be a valuable vehicle to encourage a greater interest in scientific careers among the youth.

Pandor said her department found that astronomy was proving to be an unrivalled instrument for science education in terms of the excitement it generates amongst the youth.

She said she was working with the department of basic education to ensure that schools in the rural areas have laboratories.

The treasury provided significant funding for the infrastructure for laboratories, she said.

“We will be supporting the department of basic education wherever we can… We work together in a number of areas that we have initiated,” she said.

“The pipeline is important to us — so we will support where we can.”

Pandor also took the time to praise women in science making a difference in the science industry.

Pandor disappointed at delay over telescope

Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor is disappointed at the delay of the announcement of whether South Africa would host the world’s largest radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), she said on Wednesday.

“I am disappointed at the delay. I hope that the SKA organisation will make a decision in the first half of 2012 and that the decision will reflect the best scientific outcome,” she said in statement.

On Tuesday, the SKA organisation met in the Netherlands and decided more time was needed to investigate how investments made by the candidates –Australia and South Africa — could be maximised, according to a statement on the SKA website.

Information leaked to the media last month suggested the committee, which conducted its assessments earlier this year, had recommended the project be awarded to South Africa.

The five SKA member countries that will take the final decision are Canada, China, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Pandor remained optimistic that South Africa would be chosen as the host country.

“We believe we have an excellent site at which exciting science will be done. We in Africa are ready to host the SKA,” she said.

South Africa has partnered with Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia to host the 3,000 antenna that will make up the SKA.

Half of these will be located in a five-kilometre diameter central region in the Karoo, while the rest will be spread up to 3,000 kilometres from this central concentration.

South Africa winning the bid for the SKA — one of the world’s biggest science projects — would provide a huge boost for the country’s economy, especially in the construction, engineering, and IT sectors.

– SAPA