Scifest Africa, South Africa’s National
Science Festival, sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, will
take place in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape from 2-8 March 2016.
Calling on all water babies! If you have a
love for water or interest in fish and their environment, then this is for you!
The South
African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) is the proud host of Water
World, the official main festival venue which hosts all water-related
activities on the festival programme, including lectures, workshops and
exhibitions.
SAIAB is a recognised centre for study of
aquatic biodiversity and serves as a major scientific resource for the
knowledge and understanding thereof, making it the perfect host of the Water
World programme. Dr Angus Paterson, Managing Director of SAIAB emphasises that
“Water World provides a unique opportunity to expose young learners and the
public to the wonders of the aquatic world. The range of exhibitions, talkshops
and workshops offer insights into aquatic science by a number of leading
research units and NGOs.”
Meet a
singing fish, try your hand at the techniques and tools used in aquatic
biodiversity research in apprenticeships, visit the Rhodes University
Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science experimental fish farm, take an
excursion to the coast, or visit our country’s National Fish Collection.
Some of
the highlights of the programme include three different apprenticeships, where
learners are given hands-on experience of what these scientists do on a daily
basis. In How, Fishy?, become a
marine biologist and fish ecologist for a day! Help sort ichthyoplankon
samples, learn about larval fish development and find out how fish get to look
like fish. Learn more about DNA and its structure in Work with DNA in a Lab! by extracting DNA from fish in the SAIAB
Genetics Lab, and discover why DNA is so valuable for biodiversity research. In
Fishing with Barcodes, learn about
this method of identification and collect data to accompany your barcode, while
also exploring the barcode database.
If you
prefer venturing beyond the confines of Grahamstown, why not go on a field trip
to the coast! In Exploring estuaries,
visit the inlets between the Great Fish and Kowie Rivers, and learn about
different types of estuaries as well as the animal and plant life living in
these systems. Sibuya Game Reserve in conjunction with the Sustainable Seas
Trust present a Journey to the coast
where you will identify, count, measure and photograph animals and plants in
the Bushman’s River and Kariega River estuaries as well as the intertidal zone
at Kenton-on-Sea.
Other
highlights on the Water World programme include talkshops and workshops, which
are less formal, interactive sessions that afford visitors the opportunity to
catch-up with recent developments in aquatic science, ask questions to their
heart’s content and debate scientific issues. Topics under discussion include
the effects of climate change on fish, how consumers can use their purchasing
power to help save our dwindling fish stocks and make informed decisions about
the fish they buy, as well as life in temporary freshwater bodies.
To find
out more visit www.scifest.org.za to see the full
Water World programme or visit www.tickethut.co.za. Bookings
are open on 0860 002 004 or www.tickethut.co.za.
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