Stellenbosch University as well as Eskom Expo for Young Scientists value and nurture the research talents and skills of brilliant school learners, and both want to help develop the important skills necessary to take our country forward in the 21st century. It is by providing opportunities to think creatively, ask questions and explore beyond the day-to-day learning in the school classroom, that learners' interest in STEMI education is stimulated.
The South African International Science Fair (ISF) was hosted on 3-6 October 2017 in Boksburg. More than 600 learners from the 35 Expo regions in South Africa, as well as visiting participants from Zimbabwe, Ghana, Zambia, Brazil, Kenya and Lesotho participated.
The standard and excitement under learners was high with not only gold, silver and bronze medals to be won, but also more than 4 million rand's special prizes! Stellenbosch University was one of 36 organisations, societies and universities that offered bursaries to deserving ISF participants.
Fifteen Gr 10 and 11 learners who impressed the judges with their problem solving and research skills, each received R50 000 first year bursaries from SU. These bursaries can be taken up once the learners are accepted for the course they applied for. The selection criteria were amongst other things: projects had to come from different provinces, learners should have done their projects individually and not in pairs, and the projects had to have won a gold or silver medal.
In the image above (in carousel) are the fifteen very happy learners who received bursary awards from Stellenbosch University. Dr Trevor van Louw (Director, SUNCEP) and Mrs Erika Hoffman (Stellenbosch regional expo coordinator, SUNCEP) awarded the bursaries on behalf of the university. Among the deserving learners one comes from North West province, two from the Eastern Cape, two from the Free State, two from the Northern Cape, one from the Western Cape, four from Kwa Zulu Natal, one from Limpopo, one from Mpumalanga and one from Gauteng province.
