ASSAf’s Institutional and Public Engagement Roadshows (Connecting Science to Society): ASSAf and SAYAS Visit to the University of Limpopo

5 pagesThe Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is the official national science Academy mandated to promote and inspire outstanding achievements in all fields of scientific enquiry and to grant recognition of excellence. ASSAf is a Membership based entity currently comprising 658 Members who represent the collective voice of the most active scholars in all fields of scholarly enquiry. ASSAf hosts the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), which represents early career and emerging scientists and researchers. ASSAf and SAYAS Membership are utilised as a collective resource to provide evidence-based solutions to national problems. ASSAf in partnership with SAYAS initiated the 2023 roadshows to engage institutions of higher learning and other science, technology and innovation (STI) institutions nationwide. The aims of the roadshows are: to increase the visibility of ASSAf and SAYAS; and their standing as well as activities in promoting the value of science in society. The first ASSAf roadshow was held at the University of Limpopo (UL) on 15 to 17 March 2023. The roadshow began with an information session with students and staff members at the university, followed by science engagement sessions at the UL Science Centre with staff, teachers and learners from Klass Mothapo Secondary School, Mankweng District in Limpopo. The roadshow brought increased awareness about ASSAf and SAYAS and provided both Academies with opportunities to increase their membership from UL; and to partner with UL, local high schools and the community on various activities.Department of Science and Innovation (DSI

Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Other Disciplines

192 pagesThe peer review report entitled Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Other Disciplines is the 14th in a series of discipline-grouped evaluations of South African scholarly journals. This is part of a scholarly assurance process initiated by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). The process is centered on multi-perspective, discipline-based evaluation panels appointed by the Academy Council on the recommendation of the Academy’s Committee on Scholarly Publishing in South Africa (CSPiSA). This detailed report presents the peer review panel’s consolidated consensus reports on each journal and provides the panel’s recommendations in respect of DHET accreditation, inclusion on the SciELO SA platform and suggestions for improvement in general. The main purpose of the ASSAf review process for journals is to improve the scholarly publication in the country that is consonant with traditional scholarly practices.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf

Quest Volume 19 Number 3

Generation SPACE: South Africa’s contribution to a new generation of space exploration; SA’s first National Space Conference: Celebrating South Africa’s ‘brilliant’ space future; A celestial journey: From stargazing in Ancient Africa to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) era; The #AfricaLookup campaign: Protecting our dark skies; Science in (Karoo) silence: Breaking ground on the future of ground-breaking space science; Turning stars into stories: The power of the naked eye to observe celestial objects; Careers focus: Exploring careers in astronomy and space science: Schools competition!; Win a trip to visit the SKA-Mid site in the Karoo; The power of solid-state lasers: A new way of exploring nature; Africa’s big dream: Making our own vaccines: Breaking barriers, blooming strength: Towards women’s health empowerment; NSTF Brilliants Programme winner profile: Matimba Manganyi is ready to join Generation SPACE; Chandrayaan-3: India puts lunar rover on the moon’s south pole - a historic first; Moon base incoming: South Africa joins China’s International Lunar Research Station; Home grown satellites: Dragonfly Aerospace ensures EOS SAT-1 sustainability with Neuraspace partnership.Academy of Science of South Africa: Department of Science and Innovatio

Cholera outbreak: What you need to know about the disease, its spread and a potential action plan to fight the nationwide outbreak

MP4 video, Size: 746 MB (782 849 130 bytes); Duration: 01:32:37This webinar was presented on 14 August 2023. Safe, high-quality drinking water is an essential aspect of public health. Despite the fact that water is a necessity of human life, about 20% of the world’s population lacks safe drinking water. In South Africa, approximately 3 million people do not have access to potable water supply and 14 million people are deprived of safe sanitation services. Water quality is an acute problem, especially for developing nations. In these countries, up to 90% of the cities discharge their untreated sewage into rivers and streams. These surface waters in turn may be used for drinking and personal sanitation purposes. The unsanitary water supplies found in many of these densely populated areas foster the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses and serious infectious diseases that contribute greatly to the burden of morbidity and mortality. On 21 May 2023, the health department in Gauteng declared a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, an area about 50 kilometres north of its administrative capital Pretoria, in the City of Tshwane. Cholera is defined as an infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies. Vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients (e.g., those who are undergoing chemotherapy, taking steroids, or afflicted with HIV/AIDS) are at special risk of diseases caused by water contamination. This webinar aimed to: • Inform the public about cholera and the current status of the outbreak. • To discuss the implications of the outbreak on Sustainable Development Goal 6: Access to Water and Sanitation for all. • Outline an action plan to fight the nationwide cholera outbreak.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf

ASSAf Humanities Book Award Lecture by Prof Lesley Green

MP4 video, Size: 2.05 GB; Duration: 1:46:22The series of lectures serve as a continuation of the award ceremony, providing the award winners with a platform to present their journeys and motivations behind their books, discuss the societal impact of their work, and share the personal influence it has had on their lives. This lecture is aimed at enhancing the recognition of the exceptional scholarly contributions made by Prof Lesley Green who was awarded the 2023 Humanities Book Award prize in the Establisher Researcher Category. The award ceremony took place on the 29th of August 2023.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf

ASSAf Webinar for New Editors – Tips on Editorial Processes

MP4 Video, Size: . Duration: 01:54:54This webinar was presented on 30 May 2023. It addressed and discussed the following: The editorial process, from submission to publication; Peer-review and different approaches to peer-review; Quality control incl. plagiarism and ethics; Engaging with authors and relationship building; New trends in open access digital publishing, open data and Artificial Intelligence.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf

ASSAf Humanities Book Awards Ceremony 2023

MP4 video, Size: 5.50 GB; Duration: 1:24:33The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is happy to announce its winners for the Humanities Book Prize Awards for 2023. These awards are made every year to honour the importance and contribution of scholarly texts to humanist knowledge production and intellectual endeavour in South Africa. Professor Lesley Green is awarded the 2023 ASSAf Humanities Book Award (category ‘Established Researcher’) for her book Rock|Water|Life: Ecology and Humanities for a Decolonial South Africa. Joint winners of the ASSAf Humanities Book Award in the category of ‘Emerging Researcher’ in 2023 are Dr B Camminga and Dr Dariusz Dziewanski for their books Transgender refugees and the imagined South Africa: Bodies over borders and borders over bodies, and Gang Entry and Exit in Cape Town: Getting Beyond the Streets in Africa’s Deadliest City. ASSAf awards these prizes bi-annually for scholarly publications that make outstanding and exemplary contributions to scholarship in the Humanities, Social Sciences or the Performing Arts.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf

2023 World Food Day Webinar on “Opportunities towards Sustainable Food Security in South African Urban Settings”

MP4 Video; Size: 347 MB; Duration 11:38:26World Food Day (WFD) is celebrated across 150 countries yearly on 16th of October. The theme for 2023 is Water is life, water is food: leave no one behind. The campaign intents to raise awareness worldwide on water as a foundation of life and food. According to the United Nations (UN), 2.3 billion people live in water-stressed countries (1), while 3.2 billion people live in agricultural areas with high water scarcity (2). These water constraints have a negative impact on food security and nutrition. In South Africa a notable proportion of the population is food insecure (3) with over 60% of these households located in urban areas. The City of Cape Town (11,6%) and the City of Johannesburg (11,5%) have the highest proportions of households that experienced hunger in all the six metros. Urban food insecurity is characterised by low dietary diversity, high malnutrition and obesity, and distinct hunger seasons. It is estimated that by 2050, eight in 10 people will be living in urban areas, which means that the prevalence of food insecurity within urban Southern African communities will increase. There is therefore an urgent need to develop policies and solutions to address this “looming crisis” and to manage the water-food nexus in a more sustainable and equitable manner. The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and the Green Youth Network (GYN) partnered to host a webinar on the 3 November 2023 to commemorate WFD 2023 titled “Opportunities towards Sustainable Food Security in South African Urban Settings”. The dialogue aimed to explore youth-centric solutions that have a potential to strengthen food security in South African urban surroundings, taking into consideration the challenge of water scarcity while leaving no one behind. The Webinar featured the following speakers: Prof Marizvikuru Mwale-Manjoro (University of Venda and SAYAS Alumni); Dr Nathaniel Dlamini (Statistics South Africa; Ms Thandeka Nkosi (KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development); and Mr Reuben Riley (Biological Agricultural Era, BioAge). Participants included academics, researchers, entrepreneurs, women, youth, policy makers and the public.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Green Youth Network (GYN

Addressing the Recent Measles Outbreak in South Africa

MP4 video, Size: 1.09 GB (1 177 100 117 bytes); Duration: 01:31:01South Africa is grappling with a notable resurgence of measles, a highly contagious viral infection that poses a serious threat to public health. This recent measles outbreak has raised concerns about immunisation coverage, healthcare infrastructure, and the broader impact on community well-being. As a means of contributing to the discussions, ASSAf hosted a webinar on the 23rd of October 2023 to understand the factors contributing to this resurgence, to explore successful strategies employed to contain and manage measles outbreaks and to potentially propose recommendations for immediate response and long-term prevention strategies to curb the measles outbreak and prevent future recurrences.Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf

ASSAf Webinar for New Editors – Scholarly Publishing Code of Best Practice

MP4 video, Size: 600 MB, Duration: 2:17ASSAf webinar hosted by the Scholarly Publishing Programme staff for new journal editors on 22 March 2023. The aim was to provide new editors of South African scholarly journals with the tools to implement publishing best practice and to boost their confidence as editors