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Science
I
am Michelle Knights, a cosmologist.
It means I study the
whole Universe and try to understand
it.
When I was little, I watched the
stars wondering what they were. I
always loved astronomy, but I never
believed someone would pay
me to do it as a job. That is, until
the Square Kilometre Array (www.
ska.ac.za) project began supporting
my studies.
I studied mathematics and
physics at Rhodes University,
followed by an Honours
course with the National Astrophysics
and Space Science
Programme (www.
star.ac.za).
From there, I decided to
specialise in cosmology for
my Masters and am currently
doing my PhD at the
University of Cape Town and the
African Institute for Mathematical
Sciences.
I feel that there’s no point in doing
science if no one knows about your
discoveries. That’s why I’m passionate
about science communication
and why I took part in the SAASTA
Young Science Communicators
Competition. The competition
challenges scientists to communicate
their science in new and creative
ways.
Science may seem complicated
and abstract but in fact, we are
surrounded by science and anyone
can understand it if they are curious
about how the world works.
Look at it this way: anyone under
the age of 21 can operate a cell
phone, iPad, Facebook, Mxit, You-
tube. Anyone understands words
like Pixels, Megabytes, JPEG, upload,
download, chat. So, if this
does not represent “science”, well.
(Top to bottom)
Michelle
Knights, Winner
(Jive Media);
Michelle doing
outreach
for the SKA project
in Thailand (Nadeem Oozeer);
Michelle at the Hartebeesthoek
Radio Astronomy Observatory;
Famelab’s nine finalists; Michelle in
front of the 130 year old telescope
she helped repair in Grahamstown
in 2009 (Emile Lochner).
I wrote a radio
script called
“The Great Debate”
which is
a dramatisation
of one of the turning points
in the history of astronomy, when
scientists realised that the Universe
was far, far bigger than they
thought and that our galaxy, the
Milky Way, is just one of billions. I
won this category and will soon be
producing my radio script for one
of the local radio stations! This is
a major achievement and is so inspiring.
Famelab
I took part in the first ever Famelab
South Africa competition. Famelab
(www.famelab.org) is a fantastic
way to get young scientists
to communicate their
work to the public. Called
the “pop idols” of science,
Famelab is a contest like no
other.
Participants have just three
minutes to give a talk on any
scientific topic using only
props they can take on stage
with them, no PowerPoint allowed!
After three gruelling, but
fun rounds competing against scientists
from all around the country,
I walked away with the first prize
at Scifest in Grahamstown.
The best moment for me,
was standing in front of an
audience of 960 people,
and hearing an “ooh” ripple
through the crowd as they understood,
for the first time, how
we discover planets outside our
solar system.
In June 2013, I will represent
South Africa at the international
Famelab final in the UK.
If, when you imagine a scientist,
you picture a crazy old guy locked
in an office scribbling equations
no-one will see, or a man with grey
hair in a labcoat mixing chemicals,
you are mistaken.
We are the new generation of scientists.
We have lots of options.
We are young, vibrant and social.
We care about sharing our passion
for science with the world. We are
making amazing new discoveries.
And we are proving, every day, that
science is for everyone. <
ELI KASAI, 32
Hobbies: Reading,
Bodybuilding, Basketball.
Interests: Observational
Cosmology, Radio
Astronomy, Community
Service, Science
Communication.
Future goals: PhD in 2
years, Post-doctoral in
the UK or USA in 3-4
years, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of
Namibia in 6 years.
I am a first year PhD student in Astrophysics and
Observational Cosmology at the University of Cape
Town, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences
and the South African Astronomical Observatory.
I am originally from a small town called Rundu in
north-eastern Namibia. In my research, I make use
of data taken with telescopes to look at dying stars
known as “supernovae” and use the information to
study the dynamics of the universe: how did it start,
how much stuff there is in it and what is its fate. How
did I get into Science?
The speed of the motion of our planet Earth around
the Sun was something that amazed me so much
while in my last years of high school. The speed is
so enormous and unimaginable that the thought
captivated my mind and curiosity greatly. In a
desperate attempt to want to know why this was so,
I began reading about the works of Sir Isaac Newton
and became more and more interested in the
findings that I decided I was going to follow a career
in Astronomy and Space Science in the future. In
my spare time, I work out, play basketball and make
time to read novels. I also enjoy watching movies
and series once every now and then and occasionally
get involved in other outdoor activities such as
sightseeing and hiking.
HANNES BREYTENBACH, 25
I’m a astrophysics student
living in the beautiful mother
city, Cape Town, SA. Growing
up, I was always driven by an
incurable curiosity to find out
more about all the marvellous
things in nature. I have always
been especially fascinated by
the stars, what the are, what
makes them shine, how do
they evolve and what eventually becomes of them?
As a first step, I started out studying physics in my
hometown at the University of Pretoria (TUKS). After
Science
graduating I moved to Cape Town and enrolled in the
National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme
(NASSP) at UCT. During my time here, I have learnt
many fascinating things about the universe we live
in and met many interesting people who share my
curiosity. Astronomy is a very rewarding field of
study and there are many amazing opportunities in
South Africa for young students.
During my free time, when I’m not stargazing, I enjoy
playing guitar and spending time outdoors, either
hiking, rock climbing or mountain biking.
ANDRECIA RAMNATH,
23
Current study: Masters in
Physics
Hobbies, interests: making
music, dancing classes,
photography and travel
Goal for the future: My
ultimate goal in life is to
be a physicist. My main
research interest is high
energy physics (I hope to be the one to discover “the
next Higgs boson”)! Modern experiments in this area
of physics work towards understanding our universe
by studying it’s fundamental building blocks. By
smashing atoms into each other at extremely high
speeds, physicists try to decipher what flies out of
such collisions and why. After getting a doctorate in
physics, I intend to work at an international research
institute such as CERN (The European Centre for
Nuclear Research) in Geneva, Switzerland.
My name is Andrecia Ramnath and I am a 23 year
old masters student at the University of Cape Town.
My ultimate goal in life is to be a physicist. My main
research interest is high energy physics (I hope to
be the one to discover “the next Higgs boson”)!
Modern experiments in this area of physics work
towards understanding our universe by studying it’s
fundamental building blocks.
By smashing atoms into each other at extremely high
speeds, physicists try to decipher what flies out of
such collisions and why. After getting a doctorate in
physics, I intend to work at an international research
institute such as CERN (The European Centre for
Nuclear Research) in Geneva, Switzerland. Besides
a burning passion for science, I have many hobbies
I like to spend time on: making music, dancing
classes, photography and travel to name a few. Life
as a scientist has taught me that the world is full of
exciting things to learn and experience; all you need
is an inquisitive mind! <
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