Engagements

Science engagement encourages people to think actively about science and understand its relevance to them in their daily lives.  A key feature of a scientific process is that it results in laws and theories that must be verified by observations. Our Department of Chemistry provides excellent opportunities for world-class engagement activities. Inspiring young learners to become excited about science means making it fun as well as informative. High school teachers has also gained a greater appreciation of university-level chemistry through participating in engagement activities.

 

2019

2019 has been a significant year for science - it was proclaimed by UNESCO as the International Year of the Periodic Table and The International Year of Indigenous Languages. It is important and in any production process to have a stable supply of quality raw material and education is no different. Unfortunately, in the past two decades there has been a decline in the number of scholars selecting science in the upper school grades. In addition, the weak general school education coupled with a weak economy has impacted the intake numbers for chemistry courses. One of the drives to strengthen our community engagement footprint was to increase our reach into schools and the public with the end goal of rekindling a passion for science, and in particular, chemistry.

The Chemistry Department was active in engagement this year both in school outreach events as well as in industrial engagement. This year the Department has seen expansion of activities compared to former years with successful collaborations between the Education Department of the university and the Eastern Cape Education Department as well as the Eskom Expo. The Science to Schools project has also received some funding from industry and non-profit organizations marking a step toward greater sustainability. A key to success in industrial and community engagement is dedicated staff and students, and in the Chemistry Department we are fortunate to have enthusiastic teams driving the engagement thrust; the Department is grateful for the contributions from academics, technical and administrative staff and students. Here follows a report of the chief engagement activities, so read on to learn what the Chemistry Department has been doing over the last year.

Activities that took place in 2019

 

Teacher training workshop

Below are a few pictures taken at the teacher training workshop was held on at North Campus in November by Dr Rubidge in conjunction with Richman Festile who is a Senior Education Specialist for Natural Science and Technology at the Eastern Cape Department of Education.

The Chemistry Department hosted approximately 100 Grade 4 girls from Collegiate in June 2019. Prof Barton offered them the famous Chemistry Unplugged lecture, the brainchild of Prof McCleland. Mr Marchand and Mr Bashman, totally instrumental for this demonstration, very ably wowed the girls with explosions, colours, polymers, volcanoes, smells, dyes, fluorescence, and much more. This event has become somewhat of an annual one, and we expect to do very much the same in 2020!

The Collegiate girls were enthralled by the power of Chemistry!

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2018

Open Day

The Open day took place on Friday, 11 May 2018 and over 200 matriculants from different high schools attended the annual event that takes place at the Nelson Mandela University. The event was aimed at sharing an educational platform on the many career choices available within the Nelson Mandela University and its various faculties. 

The Chemistry Dept. displayed various experiments that students find magical and entertaining such as the methylene blue experiment in which a clear solution changes colour to blue upon shaking, the creation of fake blood, etc. Attendees who wanted to engage and interact with the lecturers and interns present at the chemistry stall did so freely at the venue. Brochures for the various courses offered in the Department were also handed out to scholars; both interns and lecturers present answered questions from the attendees.

 

 

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Pearson High School Grade 11 Career Evening

Pearson High School held its annual Career Evening on 16 August 2018. The event attracted educational exhibitors from Nelson Mandela University, Rhodes University alongside participants from commercial industries from in and around the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The Nelson Mandela University, Department of Chemistry took part in this event. The event comprised of three sessions at twenty-minute intervals in which Grade 11 learners together with their parents, could visit various venues displaying different courses offered at the university. The Department of Chemistry’s presentations were well attended, averaging ten to fifteen Grade 11 learners per session. The presentations were led by Prof Zenixole Tshentu (Head of Department), followed by Dr Shawn Gouws (Programme coordinator for Diploma in Chemical Process Technology) and Ms Anita Noah (Analytical Chemistry lecturer). Each presentation session was followed by an informal discussion session on the various career opportunities for graduates and general application of chemistry in our daily lives.

Dr Shawn Gouws presentation emphasized the need for process control technicians in the chemical industry, to operate and maintain chemical process plants. The Diploma in Chemical Process Technology affords the students with such training. Ms Anita Noah’s presentation focussed on the importance of analysts in the various manufacturing sectors of the chemical industry ranging from pharmaceutical, food, agricultural, medicinal etc., and the important role they play in ensuring the quality of our consumer products.

 

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