RHODES UNIVERSITYRhodes University is nestled in the heart of Grahamstown and is home to more than 7,500 students from around the world. The university owes its unique character among South African universities to a combination of architectural, cultural, geographical and historical factors. Its history is a chronical of those whose intellect, vision and courage created and sustained a university that grows form strength to strength each year. Successive generations of Rhodians have had an influence on Southern African and world affairs out of all proportion to their small number.

The Rhodes University Scifest Africa 2016 Programme is presented by the Faculty of Science. Find out more about the various departments, the world-class research done in each, and why Rhodes University is “where leaders learn”.

Rhodes UniversitySomerset StreetGrahamstown

www.ru.ac.za

RHODES UNIVERSITY

EXHIBITIONS

The South African Geographical Society was established in 1916, and while geographers celebrate the centenary of the establishment of organised geography in the country, the Rhodes University Department of Geography will also celebrate the 80th year of the study of geography at the university. This interactive exhibition will look at the history of geography in South Africa by allowing you to explore Grahamstown and the Eastern Cape Province through the lens of changing technologies such as cartography and GIS.

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS

FACULTY OF PHARMACY

Space and time are dynamic and intertwined and have always held a fascination for scientists. Learn more about the character of these concepts, the expansion of the Universe, and why mathematics is the language that underlies all sciences, through a selection of mind-bending mathematical games and puzzles.

Diabetes is the world’s fastest growing chronic disease and one of the top 10 causes of death in South Africa. This interactive, culture-sensitive and context-specific health promotion exhibition uses interactive computer quizzes, games and models to engage learners and adults alike to raise awareness about chronic diseases such as diabetes. Learn more about these chronic diseases, their socio-economic burden on South Africa, and effective and affordable actions to prevent and/or delay the onset of the various diseases.

DATE: 8 March

2

WATER WORLD

TIME: 11h00-12h00

VENUE: Monument, Olive Schreiner Hall

AUDIENCE: Grade 8+

CAPACITY: 200

PRICE: R25

DATE: 2 March

The Earth is 4.543 billion years old… but how do we know? Learn how geologists are able to determine the age of the Earth, rocks and fossils from the accumulation of sediments to radioactive minerals, and gain a new perspective on time.

RHODES UNIVERSITY

LECTURES

ALBANY MUSEUM AND THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY PROFESSOR STEVE PREVEC

HOW DO GEOLOGISTS TELL TIME?

The rocks that form the hill on which the 1820 Settlers National Monument is built, were laid down as sand 360 million years ago (more than 100 million years before the first dinosaur), about one and a half kilometres from a coastal lagoon. Since discovery during roadworks in 1985, the muds of this ancient estuary, now turned to stone, have provided evidence for a fascinatingly complete picture of life before the first four-legged creature stepped ashore, which included many strange looking plants and animals. Travel back in time, and explore life when the rocks beneath your feet, were sands upon the shore.

ALBANY MUSEUM AND THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

PROFESSOR ROB GESS

THE ROCKS BENEATH THE MONUMENT: A FOSSIL TIME CAPSULE

Biologically, humans prefer to be awake during the day and asleep during the night. This preference is largely influenced by the human circadian rhythm or body clock, which is synchronised to changes in the external environment, such as night and day. Although this relationship is relatively stable, it can be upset by many different factors such as flying across multiple time zones. Find out more about the circadian rhythm, how it is influenced by/synchronised to the external environment, the role the body plays in the sleep-wake cycle and our ability to perform, the various factors that disrupt the body clock, and basic recommendations to maximise human performance while keeping the effects of the body clock in mind.

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN KINETICS AND ERGONOMICS JONO DAVY

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL TIME: THE ROLE OF THE BODY CLOCK IN HUMAN SLEEP AND PERFORMANCE

SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL

DATE: 4 March

The modern, scientific description of the Universe is a dynamic one, with objects in it such as galaxies forming through physical processes, thus having a birth, a life, and possibly a death. Travel back in time to the first chemical elements, the first flash of light and the formation of galaxies. On the way, explore the mind-boggling properties of the General Theory of Relativity, and reconsider your ideas about time, space and the way these relate to one other.

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICSPROFESSOR JULIEN LARENA

COSMIC TIME: A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE, FROM THE BIG BANG TO TODAY

DATE: 3 March

DATE: 4 March

TIME:START:

11h00-12h0010h50 Ground Floor Foyer

AUDIENCE: Grade 10-12

CAPACITY: 50

PRICE: R25

Take a guided tour of the Albany Science Museum Palaeontology Gallery, see the fossils of South African dinosaurs and their ancestors, and learn how their bones turned into rocks, how we find them, how we describe them, and how we turn them back into animals!

www.ru.ac.za/albanymuseum

ALBANY MUSEUM AND DEPARTMENT OF

GEOLOGYA WALK THROUGH TIME

WORKSHOPS

DATE: 2 March

TIME: 14h00-15h00

VENUE: Albany Science Museum, Palaeontology Gallery

AUDIENCE: Grade 3+ and Adults

CAPACITY: 25

PRICE: R25

The MY2050 Calculator is an interactive, user-friendly online tool that allows non-experts to develop their own combination of levels of change in different technologies and sectors of the economy to a low carbon energy scenario, while exploring different energy and emissions scenarios for the country up to 2050. In this workshop, learners will find out more about South Africa’s energy system and its relationship to climate change, and design an energy future for South Africa using the MY2050 Calculator.

my2050.environment.gov.za

ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING RESEARCH

CENTREMY ENERGY VISION 2050

DATE: Daily

TIME: 14h00-15h30

VENUE: Environmental Learning Research Centre, Lucas Avenue

AUDIENCE: Grade 10-12

CAPACITY: 30

PRICE: R25

Do your own acid-base titrations, and learn more about studying chemistry at Rhodes University, in this practical workshop hosted in the university’s laboratory.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

ACID-BASE TITRATIONS

VENUE: Rhodes University Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, Artillery Road

DATE: 3, 4 March

TIME:START:

09h00-10h00, 11h00-12h0008h50, 10h50 Ground Floor Foyer

AUDIENCE: Grade 11-12

CAPACITY: 50

PRICE: R25

Watch a master at work and learn more about glass, its versatility and the art of glassblowing in this interactive demonstration.

A HUFF AND A PUFF…

DATE: 2-4, 7, 8 March

TIME:START:

10h00-10h30; 11h00-11h30 09h50, 10h50 Ground Floor Foyer

AUDIENCE: Grade 8+ and Adults

CAPACITY: 15

PRICE: Free, Booking Essential

Everything is made-up of chemicals, chemistry is all around us, and it influences everything we do. Come and explore some of the remarkable compositions, structures, properties and changes of matter or reactions that make up our world.

THE BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST BANG SHOW

Three dimensional (3D) scanning, modelling and printing has put the power to create in the hands of everyone. As the technology evolves, new materials that are reactive to many stimuli are being developed, allowing printed structures to change with time. In this way, time becomes an added dimension to 3D printing, resulting in 4D printing. Learn how 3D printing is changing biotechnology, now and in the future.

BIOTECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CENTRE

DATE: 4 March

TIME:START:

14h00-17h00 13h50 Ground Floor Foyer

VENUE: Biological Sciences Building, Rhodes Avenue

AUDIENCE: Grade 8-12

CAPACITY: 15

PRICE: R25

THINK • TOUCH • TALK • SCIENCE

4D PRINTING

RHODES UNIVERSITY