Conveners
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: Physics In Industry
- Iyabo Usman (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach
- Paul Molefe (University of Johannesburg)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach
- Miriam Lemmer (North-West University (Potchefstroom))
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: Herbert
- Mark Herbert (University of the Western Cape)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: Keartland
- Jonathan Keartland (University of the Witwatersrand)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: Govender
- Kevindran Govender (South African Astronomical Observatory)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: Ramaila
- Sam Ramaila (University of Johannesburg)
Speaker: Benjamin Hlope, Director of Technology Operations at Kutleng Engineering Technologies
Speaker: Dominque Adams, Project manager at Data Convergence
Speaker: Rinae Nnduvheni, Intelligence and Insights Lead at EY Consulting
The electron transport model is one of the consensus models currently used to teach DC circuits worldwide. The model explains current in terms of the flow of electrons. Regardless of its frequent use in high schools to explain DC circuits, the model was ineffective in helping students to understand the topic of DC qualitatively. The electron transport model also fail to provide a complete and...
The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) can be used as an assessment tool to measure the gains in a cohort of students. In this study it was given to first year mechanics students pre- and post-mechanics lectures, for students at the University of Johannesburg. From these results we examine of the change from traditional classes to online classes, as imposed by the COVID-19 lockdown. Overall gains...
In South Africa, only 22% of households have a computer, and 10% have an internet connection at home. This disparity has exacerbated education inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic; school closures and limited online schooling saw learners struggling to catch up – especially in crucial subjects like Science and Mathematics. The iNethi project seeks to solve the lack of access or affordable...
Manghweni village in Limpopo as any rural area does not have enough job opportunities for its inhabitants. Community projects might be initiated and developed to provide community residents with opportunities to either start their own small businesses or work for part-time jobs under the municipality or the local leadership. This would contribute to the socio-economical survival. In the past...
We present an approach to outreach that is based on developing scientist communicators, more than it is focused the audience and the contents. Indeed, outreach has three aspects - both the people carrying it out and the audience, and the content itself. While there has been a lot of work on outreach content creation and audience engagement, the relatability and role modelling of the...
Physics is a foundational science that lays the groundwork for scientific thinking and problem solving. South Africa has a strong Physics community in experimental and theoretical physics, but our graduates are not always given the chance to appreciate how broadly applicable physics principles and tools are. At the University of the Western Cape, we are setting up a Science for Development...
The influence of Location and Gender on Shaping Student Performance in Physics.
Oluseye Folasayo Sadare¹, Thasmai Dhurumraj2&Awelani V. Mudau3
1. Department of Science and Technology Education, University of South Africa.
2. Department of Science and Technology Education, University of Johannesburg
3. Department of Science and Technology Education, University of South Africa.
Email:...
Experience and other studies show that students come to our Science Centres with pre-existing ideas of how the world works (often called prior-, naïve- or mis-conceptions). When confronted with conflicting ideas from science they are forced to make a “border crossing” (Aikenhead, 1999) from the familiar territory of their cherished beliefs into the “unknown country” of science. How difficult...
One of the challenges facing Physics Education worldwide is the improvement of learning outcomes. These have been intensified by the known attitudes of many, towards this subject. The Global Corona Pandemic also added fire to the challenge by shifting the teaching and learning from face-to-face to online. Based on this radical change to online teaching and learning platforms, it is necessary...
In May 2019 a very significant event in the world of metrology occurred whereby all seven of the SI base units were refined in reference to seven “defining” constants. Among them are fundamental constants of nature such as the Planck constant and the speed of light, and thus the definitions are based on and represent our present understanding of the laws of physics. The new self-consistent...
The Major Project has been an important component of the 3rd Year Physics curriculum at WITS for many decades. It has proven very popular with students, and has allowed academic staff to identify students with research potential as early as final year undergraduate level. In the original model each student chose a project offered by a member of the academic staff, and completed the work...
Microprocessors and controllers are used everywhere: in microwave ovens, televisions, computers, cell phones, motor cars, traffic lights, satellites, etc. Therefore, Physics students need to gain basic knowledge about it, at least of how it works and can be used. The introductory physics laboratory is an appropriate environment and the Arduino a suitable tool to learn about it.
An Arduino...
This study explored South African Grade 11 Physical Sciences learners’ perceptions of scientific inquiry within the context of science classrooms. The study adopted a mixed method approach as part of an exploratory descriptive survey design and involved 50 purposively selected Grade 11 physical sciences learners from 3 South African township schools. The empirical investigation is underpinned...
Peer-reviewed publications are the basis of the body of scientific knowledge and of acknowledgement of contributions to science. In many countries, authorship is also used in the evaluation of individual performance and institutional achievement, and has become a part of hiring and promotion practices. As the participation of women in physics changes, it is of interest to understand whether a...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quantum Machine Learning (QML) have become the most promising significant tools for addressing the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Besides its use in understanding physical and complex systems, these tools have demonstrated unmatched potential applications in numerous research disciplines and sectors such as banking, finance, social...
Unizulu Science Centre (USC) has been running face to face matric workshops for 25 years, presenting practicals and sharpening skills for over 200 000 matric science students. The 2020 lockdown presented a dilemma: matrics needed assistance more than ever, but schools were closed and large gatherings impossible. Many SC’s around the world went online, making digital content available through...
The first quantum revolution started in the early 1900s and was characterized by the exploration of physics at the sub-atomic level. This was followed by a second revolution around the 1970s, which witnessed the application of quantum physics to develop quantum technologies. Currently, quantum technology is gaining traction in most parts of the world. However, besides having a history of...
As a branch of Physics, Astronomy has put significant effort and resources into using all aspects of the field to stimulate global development. This talk will reflect on the first decade of the International Astronomical Union's Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD). Established in April 2011, the OAD is a partnership between the IAU and the South African National Research Foundation,...
The standard of engagement in science classes is fundamental for effective learning. Creating an active learning environment is essential for engaging learners. However, implementing engagement is one of the most important problems facing teachers. Furthermore, there are different engagement strategies and teachers often do not know what strategy to use, or only use one of them. This paper...
Embracing 4IR in the education system has become mandatory more than before considering the current global pandemic. Teacher beliefs influence their practices. It has also been found that sometimes there is a mismatch between teachers’ beliefs about the affordances of technology and the actual practices in the classrooms due to contextual factors. Many countries have embraced 4IR in their...
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted teaching and learning at the University of the Western Cape, in particularly the first year students from high schools. These students who traditionally received their teaching and learning through face-to-face teaching and learning method now receive their teaching and learning via online (electronic teaching and learning) because the university has decided...
The pandemic year represented a challenging time for educators, a time where the classical way of teaching change from contact to remote learning. While contact lectures can be replaced by videos or video conferences, the laboratory can be replaced with simulations or by instructing the students to buy and build ad hoc systems by supplying the essential instructions. A remote assisted...
In line with current realities and best practices across the world, preparing physics students and graduates is beyond the usual physics career bracket. Preparation of Physics students in the now is beyond the standard model, where preparation now include working well in teams, understanding how science and technology are used in real-world settings, writing, and speaking well, and...
There seems to be problems in South African schools regarding Science and Mathematics at the GET and FET phases in parts of Cape Flats where crime and other vices thrive. The security, social and economic effect cannot be overemphasized as whatever choice learners make in school regarding mathematics and the sciences impact the very society they live in. This problem will have economic...
Since the birth of quantum computing around 1982, when Richard Feynman envisioned a quantum computer that could mimic quantum physics using quantum mechanics laws to work and function, quantum computers have offered numerous powerful possibilities in solving complex problems. In particular, quantum computers take advantage of quantum mechanical properties such as entanglement and superposition...
This paper reports events and impact of a two-day Physics Without Frontiers (PWF)
quantum computing School that took place on the 14th and 15th of November 2020 at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). Sponsored by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and aimed to run annually, the School was intended to introduce quantum computing; using existing open-source quantum...
Intense domestic resources utilisation might have been heavy weighing toward an increased electricity and water consumptions during the COVID-19 related lockdowns and people movement restrictions, while the routine energy consumption by technical instrumentations, and electronic and electrical appliance at institutions of higher learning would have been slightly reduced. Closely monitored...
The IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) and DARA Big Data (Development in Africa through Radio Astronomy), in partnership with the Inter-University Institute For Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA) is implementing a number of Big Data Hackathons in Africa in order to promote data-intensive research skills development ahead of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). These hackathons are...
In 2024, for the first time in the 100 year history of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the General Assembly will take place on the African continent! The capacity to host a General Assembly is a result of exciting infrastructure and human capital development projects on the continent, and also shows that Africa is no longer just peripheral to the global scientific endeavour. In...
The design of initiatives for reducing the gender gap should be based on evidence. The resolution on which the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Working Group on Women in Physics was founded was to “to survey the situation of women physicists in IUPAP member countries, to analyze and report the data collected along with suggestions on how to improve the situation…”. A...
This study examines the origin of the sources and the effect of the change in water isotope composition isotopic constituent of hydrogen (2H), oxygen (18O) and radioactive tritium (3H). The rare stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen (2H, 18O) which are the constituents of the water molecule (H2O) itself and the radioactive tritium (3H ) are the classical tools of isotope hydrology. The aim of...
Astronomy for development is making great strides in Namibia. As a country renowned for its dark and pristine skies, Namibia offers the perfect landscape for the construction of ground-based observatories. The benefits of developing astrophysics infrastructure are not only limited to solving the mysteries of the Universe, however. Numerous research has shown that astronomy projects around the...
The rapid transition to online teaching necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic has been a good opportunity to rethink our approach to teaching. Moving to an online format suggests that many activities that have traditionally been synchronous and instructor-paced, can be made asynchronous and self-paced. What may have seemed like a challenge, is a great opportunity to improve the quality of education.
First year main stream physics students at the department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape from high schools has poor problem solving skills and coupled with poor attitudes towards learning physics.
After the start of the first term, an online survey was conducted to investigate the perception of problem solving in physics among the first year main stream physics...
For Natural Sciences and Physical Sciences teachers’ to deliver the physics component of the CAPS curriculum as required by the National Curriculum Statement implies that teachers have a deep understanding of the content knowledge as well as the pedagogical content knowledge to transmit the content for effective teaching. However, research findings have indicated that teachers find the...
