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Advancing innovative, effective mathematics and science teaching

12 October 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo iFlair Photography

Attending the Science for the Future (S4F) summit in the Centenary Complex on the Bloemfontein Campus were, from the left: Back: Dr Cobus van Breda (S4F Programme Director), Amaria Reynders (S4F Family Math Manager), Dr Glynnis Daries (Sol Plaatje University), Prof Francis Petersen (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS), Tarin Roberts (Nelson Mandela University), Adolph Tomes (Acting Chief Executive Office, SANRAL). In the front are, from the left: Prof Angela James (University of KwaZulu-Natal), Heidi Harper (General Manager Skills Development, SANRAL), Prof Jogymol Alex (Walter Sisulu University).

Teachers from across the country and representatives of six other universities recently gathered at the University of the Free State (UFS) to celebrate the achievements of the Science-for-the-Future (S4F) Teacher Professional Development programmes as well as the successful collaboration between the UFS and other universities.

The Science-for-the-Future unit in the Faculty of Education hosted a summit in the Centenary Complex on the Bloemfontein Campus on 30 September 2022. The Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, Prof Francis Petersen, delivered the keynote address at the summit. Representatives from the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) – the official sponsors of the Science for the Future initiative – were also present, along with 300 teachers and representatives from the Department of Basic Education.

In his welcoming address, Prof Patrick Mafora, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Education, said the initiative exemplifies the UFS’ institutional goals, such as increasing our contribution to local, regional, and global knowledge. It also supports development and social justice through engaged scholarship.

Improving the quality of teaching and learning for Math and Science

Dr Cobus van Breda, Programme Director of S4F and Project Manager of the Universities Collaboration initiative, provided background regarding the programmes and stated that “… we know from research that there are many factors that prevent learners in rural areas from excelling in Mathematics and Science. These include subject content knowledge, lack of teaching resources at school and at home, along with a lack of parental involvement, among others.” He said the project aims to address the challenges related to Mathematics and Science teaching and learning in the country. One of the ways in which this goal can be accomplished, is by empowering teachers and learners with the necessary tools, including resources and knowledge, to create a successful learning space for Mathematics and Science. “Our mission is the advancement of innovative and effective Mathematics and Science teaching and learning,” he indicated.

Representatives from the DBE and other institutions were also given the opportunity to highlight the impact of the initiative in their respective institutions. “Our public schooling system, especially in poor and rural areas, is in crisis – more especially in the Eastern Cape. This is due to a lack of learning support and a lack of sufficient skills. This created a need for innovative, sustainable, and tactical solutions to improve the quality of teaching and learning for Math and Science. The Science for the Future initiative is exactly that,” explained Prof Jogy Alex from the Walter Sisulu University.

Making a difference and changing people’s lives

During his keynote address, Prof Petersen indicated that he preferred the word ‘co-creation’ instead of ‘collaboration’, and he urged the “sponsors not only to contribute funding, but really contribute towards the intellectual project of this programme”. Surely, they have learnings and some ideas that can strengthen and expand the project, he said. Prof Petersen also alluded to the fact that SANRAL contributes towards a Research Chair in Science and Mathematics Education in the Faculty of Education, as well as the fact that, at the university, “we don’t exist to create knowledge for the sake of knowledge; we exist to create knowledge so that the knowledge can make an impact”. He referred to the project as an example of how knowledge is converted to practical application.

Mr Adolph Tomes, Acting Business Operations Executive at SANRAL, also commended the initiative and its impact. “Although we as SANRAL are the funders and we get praise for being funders, this is a phenomenal project, and it is making a difference and changing people’s lives.”

News Archive

Discovery in Scorpius constellation may signify clean energy for Earth

2017-01-23

Earlier this year, a group of international astronomers
announced the discovery of an exotic binary star system,
AR Scorpii. The system is in the Scorpius constellation.
Photos: Supplied

See article on Nature’s website

In future, stargazers and astronomers will look at the Scorpius constellation near the Milky Way with new eyes. Earlier this year, a group of international astronomers announced the discovery of an exotic binary star system, AR Scorpii. The system is in the Scorpius constellation.

Prof Pieter Meintjes, researcher in the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS), worked with four colleagues on what he describes as a “wonderful discovery”. This sensational discovery, which could lead to the production of cleaner energy on Earth, will be published in the research journal, Nature, early in 2017.

Model developed to interpret new set of measurements
The exotic binary star which was discovered consists of a red dwarf and a white dwarf revolving around each other every 3,5 hours. The binary system showed very prominent pulsations of 117 and 118 seconds respectively. The pulsations can be explained by a bundle radiation produced by the white dwarf star.

“These new observations have shown that the radiation is strongly polarised, a sign that we are dealing with synchrotron radiation here. Synchrotron radiation is produced by electrons accelerated to extremely high energy levels in the magnetic field of the white dwarf star,” says Prof Meintjes.

He developed a theoretical model to interpret a new set of measurements that was taken by the 1,9 m telescope and the 10 m SALT telescope at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAA0).

Totally unique phenomenon could contribute to energy production on Earth
“I further indicated that the interaction between the magnetic fields of the white dwarf star and the red dwarf star induces secondary processes that specifically describe the behaviour of the radiation in the radio band and infrared band accurately. AR Sco is the first white-red dwarf binary system of which all the pulsated radiation could be explained by the synchrotron process, which is totally unique,” says Prof Meintjes.

According to Prof Meintjes, the value of the model lies in the fact that the processes which produce the radiation in AR Sco, can also be applied to produce energy on Earth.

Plasma reactors are based on roughly the same processes which apply in AR Sco, and with refining, it could be utilised to generate electricity in future. This will be much cleaner than nuclear energy.

The model developed by Prof Meintjes explains all the radiation in the system – from radio waves to X-rays – in terms of electrons accelerated to extremely high energy levels by electric fields in the system, which then produce synchrotron radiation over a very wide band of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Prof Meintjes is currently working on a follow-up article examining the evolution of the AR Sco, in other words, the origin of such a unique system and the final state towards which it is evolving. “My vision for the immediate future is therefore to develop a model for the evolution of the source concerned,” he says.

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