News
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Science ‘lost in translation’ Africa
Culture, traditional knowledge, arts and language influence the development of thought. In Africa the science landscape has been dominated by European languages. SciDevNet has been investigating how ‘decolonising’ science and translating terms into African languages could help more people to understand, and become involved with, science.
Follow the podcast, where their reporter, Halima Athumani, speaks to African language experts, while science communicator Sibusiso Biyela tells how science fiction inspired his career.
Send your questions from anywhere in the world — text or voice message via WhatsApp to: +254799042513.
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Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET): further improving sustainability
Three school groups have been supported so far this year and a new activity, Desert Yoga (poses that are inspired by desert animals) has been introduced. Almost 1,000 applications for the new teachers training programme were received; the capacity is presently 240 (across 120 schools in Namibia) so the selection process was difficult. Because teachers cannot yet meet in workshops due to Covid-19 restrictions the programme has been adapted by sending out a toolkit of some of the materials to different parts of the country.
The sustainability of NADEET’s base has also been improved through the preparation of compost. The NGO ‘Towards a better World’ provided on-site training focussed on obtaining the right balance of ‘browns’ and ‘greens’ with moisture and warmth.
The Tree Planting Project has expanded: finally the rains came and over a 1000 trees have now been planted. Careful monitoring of soil type, predators, wind and rainfall are being made to learn from progress of survival.
The tree planting highlighted the ethical burden of using fossil-fuel vehicles and through the generosity of the sponsor for the project it was possible for purchase a prototype electric vehicle made in Namibia and being charged by NaDEET solar system.
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Global, political and economic impact of climate change – Advocacy & Action
The 6th International Society for Social Paediatrics and Child Health (ISSOP) webinar on climate change and child health will be held on Thursday/Friday this week (29th-30th July), Thursday for the global West and Friday for the global East.The flyer and full details available for download.
The speakers will be Dr Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of the BMJ and Dr Richard Jackson from the school of public health in California.
Registration for Asia-Pacific participants
Registration for participants in all other global regions
The webinar will be followed as usual by regional breakout rooms lasting an hour.
French and Spanish recordings will be available on the day.
View details and links to the other 5 webinars in the series.
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Communicating the Future: Engaging the Public in Basic Science, July 27- 28, 2021
SciPEP (the Science Public Engagement Partnership) has convened a virtual conference to explore the characteristics of the relationship between the public and basic research, drawing from the experience and expertise of colleagues in the science and science communication communities.Aimed to enable basic scientists, communication scholars, and professional communicators to connect and discuss research needs and priorities to deepen understanding of effective public engagement around basic research. The conference programme is organized around the exploration of the why, what and how of the relationship between the public and basic science.
The following aspects will be explored throughout:
- Scholarship (e.g. communications research)
- Training
- Engagement practice
- Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Evaluating the effectiveness of public engagement activities and programmes.
Registration includes access to all plenary and parallel sessions, poster sessions on each day, and all networking opportunities available.
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Summer Science 2021 | Thursday 8 - Sunday 11 July
This year the UK’s Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition is going totally digital. With a packed programme of talks, fun science from home activities and exciting digital content, there is something for all ages. You can also explore all the cutting-edge research through the interactive Summer Science hub, with four exciting zones:Zone 1: View from above: blast off to discover where galaxies come from.
Zone 2: Urban landscape: explore the urban zone to find out how microbes can turn rubbish into riches, test your eye control with the latest in robot simulations or discover how our air could be fresh again.
Zone 3: Under the skin: explore different types of cells, find why humans are smelly or how researchers are learning to grow new body parts from stem cells.
Zone 4: Forces of nature: bring the outdoors in and explore the nature zone; take a forward look to see how nature can help us to tackle the climate emergency and help us build a more sustainable future.
- All activities and events are free and suitable for a variety of ages
- Booking will be required for the interactive workshops - sign up to our public newsletter or follow Twitter @royalsociety or Facebook @theroyalsociety for the latest programme updates
- All live-streamed events, with subtitles, will be available on YouTube afterwards
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Open Science Conference: From Tackling the Pandemic to Addressing Climate Change
Policy makers, main IGO actors, librarians, publishers and research practitioners are invited to engage in a public dialogue focusing on what Open Science has learned from COVID-19 and how this can be applied into actions addressing the global climate crisis, at the interface of science, technology, policy and research. The 3-day virtual conference, 21-23 July, is organized by the UN Department of Global Communications, Dag Hammarskjöld Library and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division of Sustainable Development Goals.
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Protect Our Oceans exhibition launched: invention ideas from young Canadians
Fifteen Little Inventors ideas have been brought to life by professional makers and artisans out of hundreds of entries received. Presented together in English and French to celebrate this year’s launch of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Little Inventors turns ideas into reality! Calling children to share their ideas with the world. They encourage all invention ideas – from the helpful and practical, to the unusual and wacky.
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Peripheral Vision International (PVI)
Peripheral Vision International (PVI) is an award-winning international non-profit that uses media, technology, and popular culture to catalyse social interest and change around the world in a broad range of topics, including biodiversity, climate change, sustainable energy, conservation and health.
Working together with a wide number of partners, PVI has designed television programmes, videos, audio games and comics that have been viewed, read, interacted with, or listened to hundreds of millions of times across dozens of countries.
PVI aims to be a nimble and responsive organization that can rapidly mobilize creative, innovative, and disruptive media projects in response to crises or urgent problems, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Taken as a whole, their projects support social change, aim to correct misinformation, elevate underrepresented communities, and ensure young people around the world have the information they need to live healthier and more productive lives. A special focus is given to last mile communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the world’s largest youth population lives.
N*Gen, (focussed In NIDA News on 26 May) is Africa’s first science show for kids, has recently launched on Common Sense Media’s new streaming service (available through Samsung, VIZIO, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Peacock, iOS and Android). The project has been unique in elevating African scientists and educators for a western audience.
PVI has also been recently been involved in the publication of the book ‘Entertainment-Education Behind the Scenes: Case Studies for Theory and Practice’. Available open access, which means that readers have free and unlimited access.
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Science Communication Prize 2021
Each year the Biochemical Society (UK) has looked to identify and celebrate outstanding science communicators with an annual Science Communication Prize.Entries must be bioscience themed and aimed towards the general public. In 2021, the Science Communication Prize is open in two higher education categories: one open to Foundation/Undergraduate students and another to Postgraduate students.
Entries can be submitted as a written piece of no more than 1,500 words or in a media format (e.g. video or audio) of 2-5 minutes long. Entries must be bioscience themed and aimed at the general public.
The winning entries will be published in the Society’s magazine, The Biochemist (for written entries), and on the Society’s website.
Applications will close on 09 August 2021
- Criteria and Guidelines - Find out if your entry is eligible for the Prize and read our FAQs.
- Get Inspired: past winners - What makes a good science communication piece? Find out how to create something great and see previous winning entries from the competition.
- The Prizes
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N*Gen - Next Generation Television
N*Gen (pronounced "engine”) or Next Generation Television, was first aired on Ugandan TV in September, 2020 and since then, the show, which features 13 26-minute episodes, has been picked up by TV networks in more than half a dozen African countries. In February 2021 it debuted in North America and the Caribbean on The Africa Channel, airing every Saturday and Sunday at 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET.N*Gen is the brainchild of six teachers from Clarke Junior School in Kampala and the East African non-profit organisation Peripheral Vision International, which funds and produces it.
Targeting children ages 8 to 12, the show looks at science through an African lens. Episodes are filmed on location in Uganda, as well as Nigeria and Kenya, and at the PVI studio in Kampala. A team of teachers and producers in Uganda as well as Nigeria and Kenya brainstorm ideas for episodes. For many of them, it was their first time working in TV.
Episode subjects range from astrophysics to biology to the natural sciences. Presenters give short lessons on topics such as bees, robots, sounds, water and palaeontology. They conduct science experiments – for example, how to make a model of an X-ray of their hand using paper and flour.
"Choosing a science focus for N*Gen is an absolute necessity because not only is it a neglected area, it is considered one of the hard subjects [for many students]," says Joy Kiano, a teacher who has a Ph.D. in both biochemistry and molecular biology and is a consultant with Peripheral Vision International. Kiano says it was important to feature African women in science. Some male teachers appear but guest scientists are mainly female.
"Society expects little from girls and women," says Mugadu. "Girls need to be empowered to reach their full potential academically and explore disciplines that are mainly pursued by boys”.