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#UFSWomen: Emmie Chiyindiko on women power and leading in a male-dominated world

25 August 2021 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Supplied

4CD53597-5D16-46FE-BAD8-C2D65609EF24_1_201_a copy — Emmie Chiyindiko is a scientist who is also interested in educational research.

Multi-award-winning science communicator, Emmie Chiyindiko, is a Chemistry PhD research student at the University of Free State (UFS), whose work has been featured in numerous media publications, including Forbes Science, News24, and the Sunday Times. When she isn’t hovering over experiments, Chiyindiko is also a part-time Mathematics lecturer at the Central University of Technology, and speaker and event facilitator of STEM community engagement programmes for organisations such as the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA).

“The world is waiting for what YOU have to offer. Only your unique set of skills and view of the world can deliver it. You will find yourself in rooms with smart, highly qualified, and enigmatic people; remember, you deserve to be there.

Breathe, relax, and network. You will strive and succeed.” These are the words that Chiyindiko lives by and would instil in her 15-year-old self.

Where it all started

“My mother is the wisest and most intelligent woman I know, but she never made it into formal high school education.” Chiyindiko went on to explain that boys took precedence over girls in her family’s education budget. Her grandfather’s only expectation of his daughters was for them to be able to read and write a letter; thereafter, he would take them out of school.

Inspired by her mother, who despite the odds stacked up against her, became as successful as one possibly could after being denied the opportunity to continue with school because of her gender, Chiyindiko is determined to climb as high as she can to dominate, inspire, and lead in science.

Challenges faced by women in the 21st century

According to Chiyindiko, many of the new emerging science and technology breakthroughs that resulted in the manufacture of various products we use daily, have been developed with input from women – even though they make up less than 30% of the world’s researchers. “Adding diversity to STEM occupations results in increased creativity and innovation, fuelled by different perspectives,” she noted. Furthermore, the restrictive modern hiring processes that require women to disclose information about their personal lives, including plans to have children, increase hiring bias, making it difficult for women to be considered for high-level occupations to make valuable and inclusive contributions to society – which needs to be addressed, explained Chiyindiko.

“Every woman is a woman of impact in the never-ending quest to become our best selves. When you’re faced with life’s daily choices, choose leadership, and remember that no one can do it alone,” is what she believes makes her a woman of quality, impact, and care. At the core of that, Chiyindiko believes that her willingness to speak her truth and be heard, even if her message may not neatly align with the status quo or form part of a popular opinion, is why she would encourage other women to live from the well of their authentic selves.

News Archive

SASOL TRAC laboratory launched at UFS Qwaqwa Campus

2006-05-08

Some of the guests attending the launch of the Sasol TRAC Laboratory at the University of the Free State's (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus were from the left Prof Peter Mbati (Principal of the Qwaqwa Campus), Mrs Zimbini Zwane ( Communications Manager of Sasol Infrachem), Prof Gerhardt de Klerk (Dean : UFS Faculty of the Humanities), Prof Fred Hugo
Director of TRAC SA) and Prof Jack van der Linde (Director of RIEP at the UFS).

SASOL TRAC laboratory launched at UFS Qwaqwa Campus

The Research Institute for Education Planning (RIEP) of the University of the Free State (UFS) today unveiled the Sasol TRAC Laboratory at its Qwaqwa campus.

The laboratory will be used to help grade 10, 11 and 12 learners and educators from the Qwaqwa region to conduct the experiments from the physical sciences outcome-based curriculum.

“The Sasol TRAC Laboratory introduces learners not only to the latest technology used by engineers and other scientists in practice but also to stimulate the learner’s interest in the field of science in such a way that more of them will enter into science related careers,” says Mr Cobus van Breda, Co-ordinator of the TRAC Free State Regional Centre.

According to Mr van Breda the newly established Sasol TRAC Laboratory will enable RIEP to train learners and their educators in Physical Sciences. The laboratory will consist of six work stations equipped with computers and electronic sensors.

“Learners from the Qwaqwa region will visit the Sasol TRAC Laboratory on regular basis to conduct experiments based on the curriculum. Data will be collected with electronic apparatus and presented as graphs on the computer so that results can be analysed and interpreted,” says Mr van Breda.

“There is a serious shortage of suitable qualified teachers in maths and science in the Qwaqwa region. Many schools in the region are not yet part of the RIEP project and are in dire need of assistance. A large number of these schools are in remote areas not reached regularly by intervention programmes,” says Prof Peter Mbati, Principal of the UFS Qwaqwa Campus.

“The establishment of the Sasol TRAC Laboratory at the Qwaqwa Campus provides us the opportunity to engage with our community and assist in the development and training of these vital education subjects. We are pleased that Sasol agreed to fund the project,” says Prof Mbati.

Students from the Qwaqwa Campus will also benefit from the TRAC programme. “Some promising students will also undergo further training and become assistants for the TRAC programme,” says Prof Mbati.

“Nurturing science and mathematical skills is of great importance in growing our national economy. Annually, Sasol invests more than R50 million in supporting mathematical and science education in South Africa. Our primary aim is to increase the number of learners gaining access to tertiary education in the science fields. Therefore, our Corporate Social Investment (CSI) education interventions at secondary school level focus on educator development and direct learner interventions such as the Sasol TRAC Laboratory,” explains Ms Pamilla Mudhray, CSI and SHARP manager at Sasol.

According to Ms Mudhray the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement for physical sciences in the further education and training (FET) phase from 2006, under resourced schools will need greater access to the tools and equipment necessary to teach the syllabus and fulfil the ideals of the curriculum.

TRAC South Africa is a national non-profit programme focused on supporting and expanding science, mathematics and technology education in secondary schools. The programme was first introduced to South Africa in 1994. In 2005, RIEP established the TRAC Free State regional centre on the UFS Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
5 May 2006

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