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SKANEWS

The search for serendipity

newsletter for south AfricA’s squAre

Kilometre ArrAy project

Major milestone towards delivering the SKA SKA selects final dish design

Ten legacy project teams share Existing and future survey project teams present plans

New Chief Scientist for SKA SA Former Columbia University academic joins SKA South Africa. PAGE 15

From 4 of the eventual 64 dishesMeerKAT produces first remarkable test image

2016

PAGE 10

How will we find the unknown unknowns?

2016/2017 NEWSLETTER FOR SOUTH AFRICA’S SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY PROJECT

PRODUCING MEERKAT IMAGES

OUTREACH

LEADING US RADIO ASTRONOMER VISITS CARNARVON HIGH SCHOOLPAGE 16

newsWITH AN UNLIKELY ALGORITHMPAGE 10

NEWS

MINISTER NALEDI PANDOR AND DEPUTY MINISTERS VISIT ARRAY RELEASE 1PAGE 03

HERA AWARDED $9.5 MILLION FUNDINGPAGE 12

SYSTEMS

HERAThe HERA (Hydrogen Epoch of Reionisation Array) radio telescope will be instrumental in detecting the distinctive signature that would allow

astronomers to understand the formation and evolution of the very first luminous sources: the first stars and galaxies in the Universe.

KAT-7The seven-dish MeerKAT precursor array, KAT-7,

is the world’s first radio telescope array consisting of composite antenna structures.

SKA IN AFRICAThousands of SKA antenna dishes will be built in South Africa

(in the Karoo, not far from the Northern Cape town of Carnarvon), with outstations in other parts of South Africa,

as well as in eight African partner countries.

C-BASSThe C-Band All Sky Survey project (C-BASS)

is a project to map the sky in microwave (short-wavelength radio) radiation.

KUTUNSEThe antenna in Kutunse, Ghana, which is part of the

SKA African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Network (AVN).

MeerKATThe South African MeerKAT radio telescope is a precursor to the

Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope and will be integrated into the mid-frequency component of SKA.

FOREWORD 02 DrRobAdam,SKASAManagingDirector

NEWS

03 MinisterNalediPandorandDeputyMinistersvisitArrayRelease1

04 ProfessorMarioSantosspeaksatKavliAwards

05 SKASAwebsiterunner-upatSAPublicationForumAwards2016

05 SKASAandIBMjoinhands

06 HowterrestrialsciencecanhelpAstrophysicsatSKA

07 SKASAhostsfuturescientists

08 Conferencesandworkshops

FEATURES

10 ProducingMeerKATimageswithanunlikelyalgorithm

SYSTEMS

12 HERAawarded$9.5millionfunding

13 AVNGhana–ajewelinSKA’scrown

PEOPLE

14 AntonBinneman,SKASAStakeholderManager

14 NolwaziMthembu,SKASASCMManager

15 TokisoMotoaiandKatherineJamesvisitAustraliaforCSIRO vacationprogramme

OUTREACH

16 LeadingUSradioastronomervisitsCarnarvonHighSchool

16 KnowledgeOlympiad

16 SutherlandCareerExpo

16 ConferenceonComputationalPhysics,Pretoria

17 EskomExpoforYoungScientistsRegionalScienceFair,Kimberley

17 NationalScienceWeek

18 CarnarvonHighSchool’sfirstScienceWeekaresoundingsuccess

18 SasolTechnoX

19 BotswanaNationalScienceWeek

19 CarnarvonHighSchoolparticipatesinWorldRobotOlympiadnationalfinals

19 TouwsRiverMathematicsandScienceMiniExpo

20 WorldSpaceWeek

20 ScopeX

CONTENTS

Editor: LorenzoRaynard,[email protected] Communication Editor:VivienneRowland,[email protected]:MadivanSchalkwyk,[email protected]

Contact us:3rdFloor,ThePark,ParkRoad,Pinelands,CapeTown,SouthAfrica Tel:+27(0)215067300

www.ska.ac.za

EDITORIAL INFO

PublishedbytheSouth African SKA Project

SKANEWS2016/2017 SKANEWS2016/2017

02 FOREWORD

FOREWORDI would like to begin by congratulating Minister NalediPandor following the 2017 AAAS Award for ScienceDiplomacy being conferred upon her. We in SKA SAhave been the happy and proud beneficiaries of her pre-eminenceinthisdomainandremaindeeplyappreciativeofallthatshehasdoneforourproject.

Wearemorethanhalfwaythrougherectingthe64MeerKATantennas. No fewer than 37 antennas are standing tallat the Losberg site in the Karoo. This is no mean feat -six months ago we had 16 instruments up and runningproducing the very first images. The First Light imageswereannouncedandsharedfromsitewiththeworld.WeareeternallygratefultotheentireSKASAteam,especiallythescientistsandengineers,whoworkedsohardtomakethispossible.Youcanreadmoreaboutitonpage3.

Early science with MeerKAT will begin later this yearfollowing the completion of the 32 antenna AR2, and fullscience operations will commence next year after thecommissioningofAR3byApril2018.

The antenna in Kutunse, Ghana, which is part of theAfricanVeryLongBaselineInterferometry(AVN)network,willbe launchedwithin thenext fewmonths.Theprojecthas progressed in recent months, and we look forwardto theofficial launch, the timingofwhichwilldependonthediariesofMinisters,andtodeclareitreadyforscienceobservations.

In this issue we also bring you news about our recentoutreach activities which is such an important part ofcreating awareness about SKA SA and cultivating anunderstandingofscienceandtechnologyamongouryoungSouthAfricans.ThroughtheoutreachprogrammeatSKASA,wealsoputthemintouchwithwell-knownscientists-readmoreonpages16to20.

The Human Capital Development Programme at SKA SAhosted its 11th Postgraduate Bursary Conference at theend of 2016. The programme expands each year - sinceitsinception,wehaveawarded815grantsfromwhich120students graduated with Master’s degrees, 60 completeddoctoralstudiesand70studiedaspostdoctoralfellowsatvariousinstitutions.

WehopeyouenjoyreadingthisissueofSKASANews.

Dr Rob Adam SKASAManagingDirector


The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor,made theannouncementon16July2016 that theMeerKATtelescopereachedanimportantmilestone.“THROUGH MEERKAT THE COUNTRY PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY FOR SKA.”

Minister Pandor visited the SKA site together with 21Deputy Ministers and several members of the PresidentialInfrastructure Coordinating Committee (PICC) to see theprogressontheMeerKATradiotelescope.

It was also an opportunity to announce that the first 16antennas,oftheeventual64whichwillcomprisetheMeerKATradiotelescope,arereadytodoscienceresearch.

ThefirstimageoftheUniversewhichwastakenwithMeerKATwasalsoannounced,whichshowsthatthetelescopecannowbecountedamongthebestscienceinstrumentsintheworld.“The MeerKAT project, in which we have already investedR3.5 billion, is one of 18 mega infrastructure projects.Infrastructure plays a critical role in realising our aim ofjob creation and stimulate economic growth,” said MinisterPandor.

“TheSKAprojectisoneoftwomegaprojectswhichfallsunderthePICC,named‘strategicknowledgeintegratedprojects’.WearealsoheretoshowtheworldwhatscienceispossiblewithMeerKAT16,”MinisterPandoradded.

The AR1 announcement coincided with the announcementof the first images of the Universe taken with MeerKAT,whichshowthatmorethan1300galaxiescanbeseen inthedistantUniverse,comparedto70knowninthislocationpriortoMeerKAT.Theimagesweretakeninasmallpartoftheskycomprisingabout0.01%oftheentirecelestialsphere.

It is the first remarkable scientific milestone reached byMeerKAT, which will eventually be integrated in theinternationalSKA.

“The announcement of the first results is an importantmilestone forSouthAfrica.MeerKATplaysakey role in thedesign and development of technology in South Africa forSKA. The South African team of more than 200 scientists,engineersandtechnicians,incooperationwithindustry,localand international universities and institutions, designed thetechnology and systems for MeerKAT,” said Dr Rob Adam,SKASAManagingDirector.

NEWS 03

MEERKAT AR1: “WORLD CLASS SCIENCE IS POSSIBLE”

The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, and Dr Rob Adam, SKA SA Managing Director, together with some of the members of the delegation of Deputy Ministers and members of

the Presidential Infrastructure Coordination Committee visiting the SKA site on 16 July 2016.

IMAGE 1:MeerKATFirstLight image.Eachwhitedotrepresentstheintensityofradiowavesrecordedwith16dishesoftheMeerKATtelescopeintheKaroo(whencompleted,MeerKATwillconsistof64dishesandassociatedsystems).More than 1300 individual objects –galaxies in thedistantUniverse–areseeninthisimage.IMAGE 2:MontageofMeerKATFirstLightradioimageandfourzoomed-ininsets.Thetwopanelstotherightshowdistantgalaxieswithmassive black holes at their centres.Atlowerleftisagalaxyapproximately200 million light years away, wherehydrogengasisbeinguseduptoformstarsinlargenumbers.IMAGE 3:Viewshowing10%ofthefullMeerKATFirstLight radio image. More than 200astronomical radio sources (whitedots) are visible in this image, wherepriortoMeerKATonlyfivewereknown(indicatedbyvioletcircles).Thisimagespans about the area of the Earth’smoon. IMAGE 4: Higher-resolutionversionoflower-rightpanelinIMAGE2.This view, covering about 1% of thefullMeerKATFirstLightimage,showsa “Fanaroff-Riley Class 2” (FR2)object: a massive black hole in thedistantUniverse(matterfallingintoitproducesthebrightdotatthecentre)launching jets of powerful electronsmoving at close to the speed of lightthat emit radio waves detected withMeerKAT’ssharpviewoftheradiosky(thinlinesconnectingthecentraldottothe brighter lobes of radio emission).

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2

3

4

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Professor Mario Santos from the University of the WesternCape, was invited to speak at the Kavli Prize Symposiumon Astrophysics which was held in Oslo, Norway, inSeptember2016.

The Kavli Prize Symposium on Astrophysics took place inconjunctionwiththeoccasionofthefifthKavliPrizeaward.

TheKavliPrizeSymposiumonAstrophysicsaimsatreflectingthestateoftheartandcurrentscopeofAstrophysics,bringingtogethertheforemostscientistsactivelyworkinginthefield.

ThetitleofProfessorSantos’lecturewasProbingtheLargeScaleStructureoftheUniverseatradiowavelengths.

“Withthenewgenerationofradiotelescopescomingonline,in particular MeerKAT and the future SKA1-MID in SouthAfrica, observations at radio wavelengths are opening anew observational window for Cosmology. In particular wewill be able to observe huge numbers of galaxies acrossthe sky (almost a billion with SKA1-MID); and observe thesky distribution of neutral hydrogen across cosmic time,”saysSantos.

“Thesetwo‘tracers’willprovideapictureofthedistributionofmatterintheUniverseacrossscalesmuchlargerthanthesizeofsinglegalaxies.BasicallyitwilltellushowdarkmatterisspreadacrosstheUniverse.Withtheobservationofneutralhydrogeninparticular,wewillbeabletomakea‘largescalemovie’oftheUniversesincewecangetinformationonpositionandtime.Thismeasurementwillgiveuscrucialinformationabout Cosmology, such as the nature of dark energy, thecharacteristicsoftheprimordialseedsintheUniverseorhowsmooththeUniversereallyis,”hecontinues.

Theone-daysymposiumtookplacetwodaysafter theKavliPrize Award Ceremony. The late Fred Kavli (1927-2013), aNorwegian-born US citizen, was a physicist, entrepreneur,business leader, innovator and philanthropist dedicated tosupportingresearchandeducationthathasapositive,long-termimpactonthehumancondition.

He instituted three prizes, US$1 million dollars each, inAstrophysics, Nanoscience and Neuroscience. The prizesareawardedannuallybytheNorwegianAcademyofScienceandLetters,incooperationwiththeKavliFoundationandtheNorwegianGovernment.Theseprizesplusthesymposiaarepart of a project to promote basic research as an intrinsicelement of human nature and culture, which will createprogress in technology, medicine and welfare. Kavliestablished the prizes because he believed that “practicallyeverythingwetouchinourdailyliveshasbeendevelopedorimprovedthroughbasicresearch.”

The 2016 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics is shared betweenRonald W.P. Drever and Kip S. Thorne, both from theCalifornia InstituteofTechnology,USA,andRainerWeissoftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,USA.Theyreceivedtheprize“forthedirectdetectionofgravitationalwaves.”

SANTOS SPEAKS AT

KAVLI PRIZE SYMPOSIUM IN NORWAY

04 NEWS

Professor Mario Santos


The SKA SA website (www.ska.ac.za) is the runner-up inthe SA Publication Forum Awards 2016 for Best CorporateWebsite.ThewinnerinthecategoryisSanlamReality,whilethesecondrunner-upisTheFisherAgency.

Thejudges’commentswereasfollows:

“THE PURPOSE OF THE SITE IS CLEAR AND IT STATES A SPECIFIC MISSION AND MESSAGE. THE CONTENT IS EXTREMELY USEFUL AND THE QUALITY OF CONTENT IS OUTSTANDING. THE SITE RESONATES IN MEMORY AND GIVES THE USER A REASON TO RETURN. IT HAS MULTI-SENSORY APPEAL AND A CREATIVE USE OF RESOURCES”.

"The website is highly accessible, it loads quickly, and isviewableindifferentbrowsers,operatingsystemsandmonitorresolutions.Thedesignisvisuallyappealing,readable,easy

tonavigate,andreinforcesthepurposeofthesitewhilegivingitaunifiedlookandfeel.

Thetechnologyusedaddstothepurposeofthesite.ThesiteusesnewtechnologiesandthemultimedianatureoftheWebtoallowuserinteractivity.

The website is distinguishable from other websites throughstrong branding and is distinct and memorable and givesan excellent over-all impression. The branding keeps theuserengagedwiththeorganisationandcreatesa feelingoffamiliarity.

Thereisclarityofgrammaranduseoflanguagesimplificationof complex components, use of synopsis and summaries.There is clear visibility of functions, usability, steps todestinationandreadability.Thereisanabsenceofdeadendsandoutdatedpages.”

NEWS 05

SKA SA WEBSITE RUNNER-UP IN SA PUBLICATION FORUM AWARDS 2016

Dr Rob Adam, Managing Director of SKA SA, signs the IBM Research - Africa agreement with Dr Solomon Assefa, Director of IBM Research - Africa.

IBM and SKA SA collaborates on development of unsupervised algorithms

IBMscientistsarecollaboratingwithSKASouthAfrica(SKASA) on the development of unsupervised algorithms whichcan serendipitously make groundbreaking astronomicaldiscoveries by revealing hidden structures and finding newtypesofobjectssuchaspulsars,blackholesandquasars.

Scientistsexpecttoeventuallyapplythecognitivetechnologyto other applications including the development of newpharmaceuticalsandgenomics.IBMandSKASAhavesignedanagreementtoexploretheadvancementofthistechnologyand to lead major knowledge development in data scienceoverthenextdecade.

“


The Square Kilometre Array South Africa and SAEON haveentered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) whichrecognisesthatSAEON’sresearchmandatealignswithSKASA’s information needs for environmental management -representingmutualvalueaddition.

SKA is a mega-science infrastructure project requiringcollaborationacrossmanyinstitutionsandpartnercountries.Both South Africa and Australia were awarded the bid tohost the SKA, which, once completed, will be the largestradio telescope in the world. Following a rigorous selectionprocess,approximately130000hectaresoflandintheKaroonearCarnarvonwaseventuallychosenasSouthAfrica’shostsitefortheSKA.

BothSKASAandSAEONarebusinessunitsof theNationalResearch Foundation (NRF), a government agency of theDepartmentofScienceandTechnology(DST).SKASAisintheprocess of acquiring the land required for placing the radiotelescope as well as the buffer zones surrounding the corethat will ensure that the telescope is protected from radiofrequencyinterference.

Terrestrial science challenge

ManagingalargeareaoftheUpperKarooisaverydifferentpropositionfromlookingintodeepspacetoanswerquestions

abouttheoriginsandmakeupofourUniverse,butpossiblyanequallychallengingone.

SAEON will assist SKA SA with this terrestrial sciencechallenge. As an international flagship science project, it isakeyrequirementthattheSKAdemonstratesinformedandresponsible management of the terrestrial infrastructureonwhich it isbeingbuilt.SAEON is tasked toprovide long-term ecological observation to inform climate and land usechange science in South Africa. The acquisition of the landnecessaryfortheSKArepresentsanopportunityforSAEONtoestablishalong-termecologicalobservatoryandmeetthesitemanagementinformationneedsoftheSKA.

Long-term ecological research

SAEON has recognised the potential value of long-termecological research on the location of the SKA site in anarea which is projected to experience large amounts ofclimatechangeoverthenext50years.Thisalsopresentsarareopportunity tostudythechangesthatare likely to takeplacewhenthelanduseoftheareachangesfromextensivefarming to conservation-orientated management. The siteisalsoanidealbenchmarkagainstwhichtoreferenceotherlanduse-relatedchanges thatarehappening in thegreaterKarooregion.

The SKA-SAEON partnership represents an opportunity forbothentitiestocreateawin-winsituationforscienceinSouthAfrica. Research results will assist SKA SA to manage itssiteaccordingtobest-practiceenvironmentalprinciplesandmakedecisionsonecologicalchangesorproblemsatthesiteas they occur. Potential issues include alien plant control,herbivoreandpredatormanagementandassociatedchangesinveldconditions.

Theseproblemswillrequirebaselinedatatoestablishastatusquo against which changes and the results of managementactionscanbemeasured.

Backgroundimage:DrSimonTodd

06 NEWS

HOW TERRESTRIAL SCIENCE CAN HELP ASTROPHYSICS AT SKA

TheMoUbetweenSKASAandSAEONseestheestablishment of a steering committee

calledSKAEON,whichwillberesponsiblefor the management and coordination

ofecologicalresearchandmonitoringattheSKASAsite.

SKAEONwillincluderepresentativesfrom both organisations and willdirect the management-orientated

ground-based research, trainingandmonitoringatthesite.

SKAEONThe research at the SKA site will be integrated into thebroaderSAEONresearchandmonitoringstrategyandinformmanagementoftheSKAaswellasbroader-scalescienceinthewiderKarooregion.

The presence of SAEON at the SKA will increase the localscience content and training output of the site, as wellas ensure that the presence of the SKA in South Africagenerates knowledge and science that can be used on thegroundtobenefitlandusersinthesurroundingareasandinthecountryingeneral.

TheSKA-SAEONpartnershipturnsapotentialheadacheintoanassetandshowsthatthroughsuchpartnerships,greatervaluecanbeunlockedandrealisedthroughcollaboration.

*ThisarticlewasauthoredbyDrSimonTodd(SAEON),JohHenschel(SAEON)andTracyCheetham(SKASA).

TracyCheethamofSKASA(left)andProfessorYonahSeletioftheDST(centre)listentoDrHelgavanderMerweofSAEON.SAEON’sDrSimonToddcanbeseeninthebackground.(Picture:JohHenschel)

LEFT: TheSAEONteam,TshililoRamaswiela,BetsieMilne,HelgavanderMerweandMarcoPauw,

investigateanephemeralpanattheSKAsite.(Picture:JohHenschel)


ThesecondSquareKilometreArray(SKASA)BigDataCareersdaywasheldinKimberleyon7and8September2016,givingstudents from Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley, anopportunitytonetworkwithindustrypartners.

Heldoverthetwodayswiththeparticipationof75studentsinDataScienceat theUniversity, theBigDataCareersDayinvolved talks by partners such as Microsoft SA, Statsoft(Dell), the State Information Technology Agency (SITA),IBM Research - Africa, Barclays Africa, Siatik Systems/Google Cloud Platform, Nokia, the South African NationalResearch Network (SANReN), Cisco, the University of theWitwatersrand, the University of Stellenbosch, the SouthAfricanMedicalResearchCouncil,Tracker;andtheCentreforHighPerformanceComputing.

Theevent,madepossiblebyfundingfromtheUK-SANewtonFund, was opened with Professor Yunus Ballim, Vice-ChancellorofSPUdeliveringawelcomemessage.

“Sol Plaatje University is the first truly South Africanuniversity, as opposed to an Apartheid-era university. OurvisionistoestablishaninstitutionwheresmartyoungpeoplechooseSPUforauniquequalification,”saidBallim.

SPU,afteropeningitsdoorsin2014,wasthefirstuniversityinthecountrytoofferaBScdegreeinDataScience.

The students were also welcomed by Dr Bernie Fanaroff,former SKA SA Project Director and currently the StrategicAdvisor to the Project; and Richard Atkinson, Science andInnovationOfficerattheBritishConsulateinCapeTown.

TheprogrammeforthetwodaysconsistedofpresentationsbythepartnersoncareersintheirrespectiveindustriesandanetworkingsessionattheMcGregorMuseuminKimberleyon day one; and more presentations and practical projectsessionsforthestudentshostedbyCisco,SiatikandMicrosoftSAondaytwo.

Dr Rob Adam, SKA SA Managing Director, addressed thepartnersatthenetworkingsessionattheMcGregorMuseum.

“Big Data is seen as the area with the largest potential forwider benefit from South Africa’s involvement in MeerKATand SKA. SKA South Africa’s Big Data Africa initiative aimstotacklearangeofchallengesinthemanipulation,storageand transferof very largedatasetsand todevelopskills inthese ‘bigdata’areasona largescaleaspartofanAfrica-wide, multi-disciplinary programme that bring togetheruniversities,governmentsandindustry,”saidDrAdam.

“South Africa can and should play a leading role in theglobal big data economy. South Africa can and should be aworld-leadingcentreforresearchandmachinelearningandcognitivecomputing.Thekey tobecomingaworld leader inbig data and cognitive computing is to train our best youngpeopleintheseareas,”DrAdamcontinued.

Students had three hours on day two to participate in thepractical projects. Representatives from Cisco worked withsecondyearDataSciencestudentsinaprojectthatfocussedon introducing students to the Internet of All Things. Itinvolvedahardwareandsoftwarecomponentforstudentstounderstandhowcomputers“talk”orconnecttodevices.

Partners from Google worked with first year Data SciencestudentsandintroducedthemtothenewGoogleanalytical-cloud based-software for analysing large data sets called“BigQuery”.

MicrosoftworkedwithfirstyearmathematicalandcomputersciencestudentsandintroducedthemtoMicrosoft’sPowerBiandAzureMachineLearningsoftware.

“I AM INTRIGUED BY SCIENCE AND I SEE IT AS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE AND DO SOMETHING NEW. THIS PROGRAMME IS AMAZING AND I HAVE GAINED A LOT OF INSIGHT INTO THINGS THAT I DIDN’T KNOW EXISTED, SUCH AS BIOINFORMATICS,” SAYS SIPHESIHLE SISHI, A 20-YEAR OLD FIRST YEAR DATA SCIENCE STUDENT AT SOL PLAATJE UNIVERSITY.

HailingfromKwaZulu-Natal,SiphesihlesaysthatshewouldliketobecomeadatascientistandworkfortheSKAonceshehascompletedherstudies.

AndisaniNkosi,a32-yearoldfirstyearDataSciencestudent,has previous work experience in Information Systems andstudiedattheUniversityofCapeTown,butfeltthathewasnotapplyinghisknowledgetohisworkinoperations.

“IwantedtostartafreshandIamlookingforwardtogettingintothefieldofdatascience.IwishthatinitiativessuchastheBigDataCareersdaywouldbelongerbecausetheknowledgeimparted here is invaluable. I would like to become anentrepreneurandbuildmyindustryknow-how,”saidAndisani.

TheBigDataCareersDaywasestablishedundertheStrategicPartnerships unit of the Human Capital DevelopmentprogrammeofSKASA.ThefirstsucheventwaslaunchedinSeptember2015inpartnershipwithSolPlaatjeUniversity.

NEWS 07

BIG DATA

“

SCIENTISTS OF THE FUTURE RECEIVE ADVICE FROM INDUSTRY LEFT TO RIGHT:

AndisaniNkosi,a32-yearoldfirstyearDataSciencestudentatSolPlaatjeUniversityProfessorYunusBallim,Vice-ChancellorofSolPlaatjeUniversity

SiphesihleSishi,a20-yearoldfirstyearDataSciencestudentatSolPlaatjeUniversity


2016 INTERNATIONAL PULSAR TIMING ARRAY (IPTA) CONFERENCEThe2016InternationalPulsarTimingArray(IPTA)conferencewasheldinStellenboschrecently.Theconferenceconsistedof two parts: the IPTA2016 student week held from20–24June2016and the IPTA2016scienceweekheld from27June-1July2016.

TheInternationalPulsarTimingArray(IPTA)isaconsortiumofpulsartiminggroupsworldwidewhopooltheirexpertiseand resources with the aim of detecting gravitationalwaves (GW) through the long-term monitoring of severalmillisecondpulsars.

The student workshop included a number of lectures andhands on activities aimed to familiarise participants withthevarioustoolsusedindetectinggravitationalwavesfrompulsarobservations.

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS 61ST ANNUAL

CONFERENCEThe 61st annual conference of the SA Institute of Physics(SAIP) took place from 4–8 July 2016, jointly hosted by theDepartment of Physics and the Department of Astronomyat the University of Cape Town. The conference was heldin the Kramer Law Building, Middle Campus, University ofCapeTown.

The conference was preceded by a Winter School on thethemeThePhysicsoftheEarlyandtheLateUniverse.

Thescientificprogrammecentredaroundvariousdiscussionson Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials; Nuclear,

ParticleandRadiationPhysics;Photonics;Astrophysics;SpaceScience;PhysicsEducation;AppliedPhysics;TheoreticalandComputationalPhysics;andvariousplenaries.

EUROSCIENCE OPEN FORUM CONFERENCE 2016TheSquareKilometreArray(SKA)wasfeaturedaspartoftheEuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) in Manchester, UK, whichtookplacefrom23–27July2016.

The SKA took an active role in the opening ceremony on24 July 2016 during a dedicated 24 minute slot on radioastronomy driven by Professor Brian Cox, featuring a livevideolinkwithJodrellBankObservatorynearManchester,homeoftheSKAHeadquarters,aswellastheSKAsitesinSouthAfricaandAustralia.

DrFernandoCamilo,SKASAChiefScientist,discussedearlyscience from MeerKAT, the South African SKA precursortelescope.

2016 SKA ENGINEERING MEETING The 2016 SKA Engineering Meeting was hosted by SquareKilometreArraySouthAfrica(SKASA)from1–6October2016atthe1692SpierConferenceCentreinStellenbosch.

The2016SKAEngineeringMeetingprovidedaglobaloverviewof the status, progress and way forward for the project intermsofscience,governance,engineeringandmanagement.

The aim of the meeting was to ensure that the project isclearly focused on the issues related with construction andensurethattheseareidentifiedandthatownershipisclear.

More than 260 delegates from 18 countries attended25 plenary talks and 85 timetabled meetings, including48workshops.

08 NEWS

CONFERENCES

Delegatesatthe2016InternationalPulsarTimingArray(IPTA)conference.

The61stSouthAfricanInstituteofPhysicsconferencewasheldattheUniversityofCapeTown.


2016 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES (ICRI)SKA SA participated in the International Conferenceon Research Infrastructures (ICRI), a global forum inthe Research Infrastructures domain. Providing uniqueopportunities toshare insights in thisfield fromaround theworld,ICRIpromotesinternationalcooperation.

The ICRI 2016 took place at the Cape Town InternationalConvention Centre (CTICC) from 3-5 October 2016.The conference was co-organised by the South AfricanDepartment of Science and Technology (DST) and theEuropeanCommission.

SKA SA hosted a panel discussion during one of the ICRIfringe events on Data Intensive Research Clouds: a catalystfor African-European Cooperation on 3 October 2016, whileDr Bernie Fanaroff, former SKA SA Director and SpecialAdvisor to the SKA SA project, participated in a plenarysessiononOpenscienceandopeninnovation:harnessingthepotentialofresearchinfrastructureslaterthatday.

4TH SMEOS CONFERENCE IN MPUMALANGADr Johan Burger, Manager: Time and Frequency Systemsin the Digital Backend team at SKA SA, attended the SouthAfrican 4th SMEOS 2016 conference which was held inthe Kruger National Park in Skukuza, Mpumalanga. Theconference focussed on the field of Sensors, Micro-electro-mechanicalsystems(MEMS)andElectro-OpticalSystems.

It is an international sensor, micro electromechanical andelectro-optical system conference of the Society of Photo-OpticalInstrumentationEngineers(SPIE).

SKASAconductedanoralandposterpresentation,chairedaplenarysessionandreviewedpapersfortheconference.

SKA SA presented a poster titled Measuring Sub-PSpropagation delays over optical fibre links using radiofrequencyphotonicscomponents.

This explained the key results on part of the systemdemonstrator/method for qualification of RFN/KFN/AFNphasedeviationpresented.

“During theoralpresentation,whichwasattendedbyabout50 people, there was much interest in the project from themicrodeviceengineeringcommunity,andthelongtermroll-outs including into the SKA1 and SKA2 phases,” says DrBurger.

SKA SA POSTGRADUATE BURSARY CONFERENCE 2016

The 11th annual SKA SA Postgraduate Bursary ConferencetookplaceinCapeTown.TheconferenceishostedbytheSKASAHumanCapitalDevelopmentProgramme.

To date the programme has provided support to more than800undergraduateandpostgraduatestudents,postdoctoralfellows,universityacademics,aswelltostudentsstudyingtobetechniciansandartisans.

Everyyear,since2006,theprojecthashostedaconferencefor the SKA SA-supported postdoctoral fellows andpostgraduatestudents.

The conference aims to bring together the postdoctoralfellows,postgraduatestudents,supervisors,radioastronomyscientistsandengineersinAfrica,andfromelsewhereintheworld,tonetworkwitheachotheranddevelopaninteractivecommunity around MeerKAT, the SKA in Africa, and otherradioastronomyinitiatives.

NEWS 09

AND WORKSHOPS

TheSharedSkyexhibitionwasdisplayedatthe2016EuroScienceOpenForumConferenceheldintheUK.

TheSKAEngineeringMeetingwasheldatSpierWineEstateinStellenbosch,CapeTown.


PRODUCING MEERKAT IMAGES WITH AN UNLIKELY ALGORITHM

10 FEATURE

CIRCULAR IMAGE: Left to right:LandmanBester,SimonPerkins,

ProfessorOlegSmirnov,BenjaminHugo,JulienGirard.Front:DrCyrilTasseandSphesihleMakhathini.


An age-old complex mathematical problem solved by anunlikelyalgorithmispartofthesecretbehindthesuccessoftheMeerKATFirstLight image.Thealgorithmhasprovidedthe calibration solutions necessary to produce artefact-freeimagesfromtheMeerKATradiotelescope,ofwhichthefirstwasissuedrecently.

TheMeerKATFirstLightimageofthesky,whichwasreleasedinJuly2016bytheMinisterofScienceandTechnology,NalediPandor, shows unambiguously that MeerKAT is already thebestradiotelescopeofitskindintheSouthernHemisphere.

ArrayRelease1(AR1),providing16ofaneventual64dishesintegratedintoaworkingtelescopearray,isthefirstsignificantscientificmilestoneachievedbyMeerKAT,theradiotelescopeunderconstructionintheKaroo.MeerKATwilleventuallybeintegratedintotheSquareKilometreArray(SKA).

“MeerKAThasproducedadeep,artefact-freeimagestraightoffthebat-animagecompletelyfreeofdistortionsnormallyseenindeep,wide-band,wide-fieldimages.Thesedistortionscanonlyberemovedbyaspecialalgorithm,”saysProfessorOleg Smirnov, who holds the SKA SA Research Chair inRadio Astronomy Techniques and Technologies at RhodesUniversity,andheads theRadioAstronomyResearchGroup(RARG)atSKASA.

“What we have done here is equivalent to adaptative opticsused on modern optical telescopes to compensate for thedeformation of the incoming wavefront by the atmosphere,exceptthatwearedoingitwithmathematicsandcomputersrather than mirrors and pistons,” says the father of thealgorithm, Dr Cyril Tasse of Observatoire de Paris, whohas spent two years with the RARG team before returningtoFrance.

Smirnov explains that this would not have been possiblewithout a collaboration between his research group andFrenchcolleagues.Ittooktheteamseveralyearstocomeupwithasolutiontothismathematicalproblem.

Somevery innovative ideascamefromTassewhilestudyinga calibration algorithm called StefCal. While still a PostdocfellowinFrance,hefoundthathecouldgeneraliseStefCal’sapproach to the difficult direction-dependent problem thatneededtobecrackedtousemodernradiointerferometers.

HecontinuedthisworkinSouthAfrica,buttheconvergenceof the algorithm remained a mystery. The mathematicalbreakthrough came when he understood that using analternativedefinitionofcomplexdifferentiation,wasopeningthe gate to cracking the problem thousands or millions oftimesfaster.AnothermemberoftheRARGteam,DrTrienkoGrobler,pointedoutthatthisformofcalculuswasoriginallyproposedbyWilhelmWirtingerasfarbackas1927.Thanksto important insights from Smirnov, the connections to themysterious StefCal could be fully made, and suddenly awholenewfamilyofalgorithmswasunveiled.

"We now have a fruitful algorithmic collaboration betweenSKA SA, Rhodes University and the Observatoire de Paris/Nancay." A highlight of this is that quite a few young SouthAfricans have become valuable contributors to the project,”says Smirnov. These include Benjamin Hugo, LandmanBester and Simon Perkins (all SKA SA), who are rapidlyturning into experts in these techniques. The algorithmrevolves around solving for direction-dependent effects.

Oneofthemostimportantdirection-dependenteffectsistheprimary beam, or sensitivity pattern of the antenna, whichbecomesimportantinthecalibrationofwide-banddata,andsubsequent wide-field imaging. Dealing with the primarybeamisoneoftheaimsof“thirdgenerationcalibration”,or3GC.“Thankstothisnew3GCalgorithm,”saysSmirnov,“wecan now produce corrected images, taking primary beameffectsintoaccount.”

Thereasonwhytheartefactsappearinthefirstplaceisduetovariabilityinthesensitivitypattern.Whileitmaybeconstantfromthetelescope’spointofview,astheskyrotatesrelativeto the telescope during the observation, celestial sources“see”avariablepattern,whichcausesdistortionsinthefinalimages.Furthermore,thepatternissubtlydifferentforeverytelescopeofthearray.

“The algorithm is so far the first and only algorithm thatcan take an arbitrary primary beam pattern, and produce acorrectedimage.Thismeansthatthealgorithmcanbeappliedtoanyradiotelescope.Sofarithasalsobeensuccessfulwiththe Dutch LOFAR array, which is an SKA pathfinder, as wellaswiththeUSJanskyVeryLargeArray.SphesihleMakhathini(SKASA)hasrecentlyused it toproduceanewworldrecordimageusingdatafromtheJVLA.“Becauseitissoflexible,wecouldimmediatelyapplyittoMeerKAT,”saysTasse.

“With producing images of this calibre, the numericalaspect is justas important.Wehavesolvedamathematicalproblem which has now opened new possibilities, and wecan produce images from data much faster. Mathematicalproblems that were impossible to solve before are nowsolvable. This is undoubtedly one of the keys that’s neededto do transformational science with modern giant radiotelescopes,”saysTasse.

Smirnov and Tasse, together with the South African team(Hugo, Bester, Perkins and Makhathini), and Julien Girard(UniversitéParisVII,alsoformerlyofSKASA)haverecentlyconducted a workshop in Ushant, France, to make rapidprogress on the project. “With the full MeerKAT array sooncomingonline,wewanttohavethetoolsinplacetomakesurethat artefact-free images like this are produced routinely,”saysSmirnov.

““THE ALGORITHM IS SO FAR THE FIRST AND ONLY ALGORITHM THAT CAN TAKE AN ARBITRARY PRIMARY BEAM PATTERN, AND PRODUCE A CORRECTED IMAGE. THIS MEANS THAT THE ALGORITHM CAN BE APPLIED TO ANY RADIO TELESCOPE...”

FEATURE 11


The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionisation Array (HERA) bringsmoreinternationalfundingtoSouthAfricawitha$9.5millioninvestmenttoexpanditscapabilities,asannouncedbytheUSNationalScienceFoundation(NSF).HERAislocatedclosetotheMeerKATradiotelescope.

HERA, which was recently granted the status of a SquareKilometre Array (SKA) precursor telescope will soon have37, 14-metre radio dishes at the SKA South Africa LosbergsitenearCarnarvon.Thenewfundingwillallowthearraytoexpandto220radiodishesby2018.

Thisinnovativetelescopewouldbeinstrumentalindetectingthe distinctive signature that would allow astronomersto understand the formation and evolution of the veryfirst luminous sources: the first stars and galaxies in theUniverse.TheHERAradiotelescopefollowsinthefootstepsofaprecursorinstrumentcalledPAPER(PrecisionArrayforProbingtheEpochofReionisation)alsolocatedintheKaroo.

The much more sensitive HERA, operating in the Karoowithminimalman-maderadio interference,willexplorethebillion-yearperiodafterhydrogengascollapsedintothefirstgalaxies, a few hundred million years after the Big Bang,through the ignition of stars throughout the Universe – thefirststructuresoftheUniverseweobservetoday.

Theworkisallthemoreimpressivebecausethetelescope’sminimalistdesignmakesitarelativelyinexpensivestructure.

Becauseeachantennawillpointinafixeddirection,theydonothave tomovearound,sonoexpensivemovingpartsarerequired.

Project Engineer Kathryn Rosie is responsible for HERA’sconstruction in the Karoo. “HERA is a truly Karoo-basedinstrument. Construction materials are sourced andfabricatedfromwithinSouthAfrica–predominantlyfromtheCarnarvonarea.BecausethebulkmaterialsofconstructionarelightindustrymaterialssuchaswoodandPVCpipe,thereis opportunity for local businesses, which don’t necessarilyhavea ‘hightechnology’customerbase, tobeapartof thisawesome science instrument. We have local contractorsinstalling our main support poles, cutting our structuralelementstosize,andmakingupourreflectorsurfacepanelsfrombulksuppliedmaterial,”saysRosie.

“Similarly,forourconstructioncrewintheprototypephase,weassembledateamoflocalyoungpeoplewhohavetakenon the construction and made it their own. Two SKA SouthAfricainternswhowerepartofthefibre-trainingprogrammein 2015, are included in the team of four. They have rapidlydevelopedintoverycapableHERAbuilderswhocanholdtheirownwitheverythingfromlandsurveyequipment,togeneralconstruction and the maintenance of the front-end signalchainofaradiotelescope.Weintendtogrowthisteamin2016toeffectthelargerbuild,”continuesRosie.

TheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley, leads theexperimentincollaborationwithpartner teams from theUSA,UK, Italyand South Africa. Participating South African institutionsincludeRhodesUniversity, theUniversityofKwaZulu-Natal,the University of the Western Cape, the University of theWitwatersrandandSKASouthAfrica.

Kathryn Rosie

HERA

12 SYSTEMS

TELESCOPE IN THE KAROO GETS $9.5 MILLION FUNDING INJECTION TO VIEW THE UNIVERSE’S FIRST STARS AND GALAXIES


The African VLBI Network will take centre stage this year with the launch of the32-metretelescopeatKutunse(Ghana).TheAfricanVeryLongBaselineInterferometry(VLBI)Network(AVN)aimstoestablishanetworkofradiotelescopesontheAfricancontinentinpreparationforthesecondphaseconstructionoftheSquareKilometreArray(SKA).

WhileestablishingtheAVN,technicalandscienceteamsarebeingtrainedtomaximisethelong-termsupportoftheinstrumentsandactivitiesoftheSKAforAfrica.TheAVNwillstrengthenthesciencewhichtheinternationalVLBIcommunitycando.The32-metreconvertedtelecommunicationsantennaatKutunsewillbepartofthisnetwork.Theconversionprojectiscurrentlyahighintensityengineeringprogrammetorealisethetelescopesystem.ItwilloperateasasingledishtelescopeandalsoaspartofglobalVLBIobservationsofnetworkssuchastheEuropeanVLBInetwork.Asasingledishtelescope,itwillinitiallybeusedtomonitormasersoverlongperiodsoftime.ThemostrecentbigmilestoneonitsjourneytotakeradioastronomytoAfrica,waswhenthe Kutunse antenna started rotating in both axis, using the software and hardwaredevelopedfortheAntennaSteeringControllerSystem(ASCS)bytheAVNteam.

Nine African partner countries are members of the Square Kilometre ArrayAVN, including South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius,Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia. The SKA/AVN Steering Committee consists ofrepresentativesfromtheninecountries.ThepurposeoftheCommitteeistomakerelevantdecisionsonthestrategicmattersrelatingtotheimplementationoftheAVNandSKAprojectsandtoprovideadvicetotheSKAAfricanMinisterialForum.TheMinisterialForumconvenesonanannualbasistoprovidestrategicandpoliticalleadershiponthecooperationwiththeSKAandAVNprojects,andonotherrelevantradioastronomyprogrammesandinitiatives.TheSouthAfricanDepartmentofScienceandTechnologyprovidesthesecretariatfunctiontothemeetingsoftheCommittee.Progress on roll-out of the AVN project• In Zambia, feasibility studies for converting the antenna at Mwembeshi have

beencompletedandgovernanceandinstitutionalarrangementsarebeingputinplacebytheZambiangovernmentpriortothestartoftheconversionproject.

• TheMadagascarandKenya conversionprojectsarelikelytohappeninthethirdphaseoftheAVNdeployment.

• Mauritiusisunlockingtheirownfundsforspecificinitiativesandplanstoinvestinabursaryprogrammeandasmallinterferometer.

• Botswana ismaking fundsavailable foractivities indataprocessingandhighperformancecomputing.

• Namibia and Botswanaareinitiatingsiteselectionfornew-buildobservatoriesbasedontheMeerKATantennadesign.

• Mozambique is re-focussing on significant human capital developmentinterventions.

ThenextstepindeployingtheAVNwillbefortheSKAAfricanpartnercountriestoagreeonsiteselectionsfornew-buildobservatoriesorpreparationsforconversions,and agreements will be closed with senior officials in the countries regardinggovernance,connectivityandfunding.

Asub-committeewasformedwithrepresentativesfromeachcountryactivelyinvolvedinpublicengagement,outreachandsciencecommunication.

The next Ministerial Meeting will take place in 2017 in Ghana when the Kutunseinstrumentlaunchwillbecelebrated.

SYSTEMS 13

BERNARD ASABERE FIRST SKA SA TRAINEE FROM GHANA TO OBTAIN PHD

Bernard Duah Asabere, Chief Scientist on the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN) Ghana team, obtained his PhD in Physics from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is the first SKA SA bursar from Ghana to obtain his PhD. He hails from Ghana and joined SKA SA in 2011 as part of the AVN Ghana team. At the time, he held a BSc (Hons) Physics degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana and an MSc in Engineering from the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.

HIGH COMMISSIONER LULU XINGWANA AND DR ROB ADAM VISIT AVN KUTUNSE SITE

The South African High Commissioner in Ghana, Lulu Xingwana, visited the SKA African Very Long Baseline Interferometery Network (AVN) site at Kutunse, Ghana with SKA SA Managing Director, Dr Rob Adam.

They were accompanied by Ghanaian scientist and President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Professor Francis Allotey; Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Professor Benjamin Nyarko; Director of the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute, Professor Dickson Adomako; and Ghanaian physics and astrophysics students.

A JEWEL IN SKA’S CROWN


14 PEOPLE

NOLWAZI MTHEMBU JOINS SKA SA AS

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER

NolwaziMthembujoinedSKASAon1August2016asthenewSupplyChainManager.Shehashadavariedcareercoveringnumerous organisations and relevant skills and experiencewithinthepublicprocurementspace.

Nolwazi hails from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. She obtaineda BCom Accounting degree from the University of Zululandin2006,whileshewasthedutymanagerforBidAirServicesat the King Shaka International Airport (formally known asDurbanInternationalAirport).

She joined the office of the Auditor General of South AfricainCapeTownin2008asanauditor.ThereaftershejoinedtheSouthAfricanHeritageResourcesAgencyastheSupplyChainManager,apositionshefilleduntilshejoinedSKASA.SheisbasedintheSKASACapeTownoffice.WewelcomeNolwaziaspartoftheSKASAfamily.

NolwaziMthembu AntonBinneman

Dr Anton Binneman

SKA SA APPOINTS NEW STAKEHOLDER MANAGER IN THE NORTHERN CAPE

DrAntonBinneman joinedSKASAon1November2016asthe new Stakeholder Manager in the Northern Cape. He ispositionedintheCommunicationsUnitandwillbebasedatthe Klerefontein SKA SA Karoo Support Base in CarnarvonandtheRosebankofficeinJohannesburg.

BeforejoiningSKASA,AntonwasemployedattheNationalResearch Foundation as an Audience Analyst from 2013to 2016. His responsibilities included, amongst others,audience analysis, qualitative research design, quantitativeresearchdesign,evaluationstudies,dataanalysis,monitoringof implementations, development of evaluation tools andreportwriting.

Priortothathewasself-employedasaprojectmanagementconsultant for several companies and institutions such asCPDSolutionsinKrugersdorpandtheUniversityofPretoria.

Anton’squalificationsincludeaB.Thdegree,anMDivdegree,a Master’s degree in Narrative and Family Therapy; anda PhD in Narrative Family Therapy from the University ofPretoria. He has also completed a BCom Human ResourceManagement Bridging Course; as well as an MPhil inMarketing Management and Marketing Research from theUniversityofPretoria.

Nolwazi Mthembu

PEOPLE


Two SKA SA bursary funded students, Tokiso Motoai andKatherine James, were selected to participate in the firstexchange Australian vacation work programme, the CSIRO/SKASAUndergraduateVacationScholarship.

Motoai and James were selected by the Human CapitalDevelopmentProgrammefor theexchange,anddeparted inDecember2016tostarttheprogramme.ItranuntilFebruary2017 at the CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS)HeadquartersinSydney.

Motoai,aBScHonoursstudentinAstrophysicsattheUniversityoftheFreeState,workedonaresearchprojecttitledParkesandMeerKATsynergiesforpulsarobserving,whileJames,aBScHonoursstudentinPhysicsatRhodesUniversity,workedonUsingMachineLearningtogetsciencefromtheAustralianSquareKilometreArrayPathfinder(ASKAP).

“IneverdreamedthatIwouldbeselectedforthisscholarship.IamsogratefultotheCSIROandSKASAfortheopportunity.IamgoingtopickupsomefantasticskillsasIwillbedoingamachinelearningprojectunderProfessorRayNorristocross-identify radiosources. Iwill alsoget thechance tonetworkandmeetmanylike-mindedpeople,”saidJamespriortotheirdeparture.

“IhavealsoneverlivedoutsideofGrahamstownintheEasternCapeforlongerthanfiveconsecutiveweeks,sothiswillbeachanceformetoexperiencelivingsomewhereelse.IamveryexcitedtoseewhatAustraliaislikeandIthinkIwillgrowalotasaperson.

ThisprogrammewillhaveahugeimpactonmylifeandwillhelptoguidemeastowhichresearchtopicIshouldinvestigatewhenIdomyMaster’sdegree,”shecontinued.

Motoaiexpressedhisexcitement:“Iamexcitedabouttakingpart in the workshop, as pulsar observing for gravitationalwave detection is a field that I am quite interested in. I amlooking to both learning in a working environment andexploringSydney,”hesaid.

While on the exchange programme, James and MotoaiparticipatedinactivitieswiththeregularCASSUndergraduateVacationScholarshipProgrammestudents.Theprogrammesranconcurrentlysothatallthestudentscouldmeet,networkandworkalongsideeachother.

Theprogrammeincludedaseriesofbackgroundtalksaboutastrophysics, radio astronomy techniques and engineering.They also visited the Australia Telescope Compact Array inNarribriforahands-onobservingexperience.

Theypresentedabout theirresearchprojectsat theStudentSymposiumbeforereturninghome.

PEOPLE 15

TokisoMotai KatherineJames

TWO SKA SA BURSARY STUDENTS ATTEND AUSTRALIAN VACATION WORK PROGRAMME

Tokiso Motoai Katherine James

The CSIRO/SKA SA Undergraduate Vacation Scholarshipprogramme was initiated by the CSIRO to foster moredirect collaborations between the CSIRO and SKA SA.“CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science run a successfulannualUndergraduateVacationScholarshipprogrammeforAustralianstudents,andgivenSKASA’sinterestinfosteringanewgenerationofastronomersandengineers,wethoughtoffering some positions for South African students was alogicalandeasilyimplementedfirststep,”saidRobertHollow,EducationandOutreachSpecialistatCSIROAstronomyandSpaceScience.

ABOUT SKA SA AND THE CSIRO


LEADING US RADIO ASTRONOMER VISITS CARNARVON HIGH SCHOOL

LearnersfromCarnarvonHighSchoolwereledonajourneyofdiscoverythroughtheUniversebyProfessor Eric WilcotsfromtheUniversityofMadison-Wisconsin(UWMadison),whentheAmericanradioastronomervisitedtheschoolinNovember2016.

TheinteractivetalkbyWilcotsforGrade9and11learnersattheschoolstartedwithabriefhistoryofthediscoveryofotherstarsandgalaxies;demonstratedthesizeofoursolarsystem,galaxyandUniverse(thatofwhichweknow);explainedhowweareabletodetectothergalaxies;andoutlinedwhyMeerKATwillbethemostsensitiveradiotelescopeintheworld.

Professor Wilcots fielded questions from learners aboutastronomyandtheSKAformorethananhourafterthetalk.

“Ihaveneverhadaschoollearneraskmehowweknowourgalaxyisaspiralgalaxy,orwhetherIthinkaparallelUniverseexists.Ifthisisanindicationoftheopenmindsbeingnurturedin Carnarvon, then the future of astronomy and science inSouthAfricaisbrightindeed,”saidWilcots.

TheSutherlandCareerExpotookplaceinSutherlandintheNorthernCape,from27June–1July2016.

Theevent,whichwashostedbytheSouthAfricanAstronomicalObservatory(SAAO),aimedtoexposelearners,educatorsandthecommunitymembersoftheKarooHooglandMunicipalityto science, astronomy, potential career paths for learners,bursary opportunities for those who are at university level,andedu-tourismfortouristsvisitingthearea.

SKASAexhibitedandconductedscienceandradioastronomyworkshopsforschoolgroupsthatattendedtheevent.

Theentitiesrepresented,apart fromSKASAandtheSAAO,weretheCouncilforScientificandIndustrialResearch(CSIR),IthembaLabs,NorthernCapeTourismandtheUniversityofSouthAfrica.

Learners and educators from the Roggeveld IntermediateSchool in Sutherland, Williston High School, Van WyksvleiIntermediateSchoolandNicoBekkerPrimarySchoolattendedtheevent.Theywere joinedbystudents fromtheUniversityofLimpopo,theUniversityofVendaandtheUniversityoftheNorthWest.

About400learnersandmembersofthecommunityattendedthefirstthreedaysoftheexhibitionandexpo.

16 OUTREACH

SKAOUTREACH

Carnarvon High School learners competed in a Knowledge Olympiad in May 2016. One of the Grade 11 learners, Ryan Phillipus, came third in his grade in the Northern Cape.

KNOWLEDGE OLYMPIADA RECORD

NUMBER OF

115 LEARNERS ENTERED

CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS, PRETORIA

Audrey Dikgale, SKA SA Telescope Operator Team Lead,together with Simphiwe Madlanga and Tony Dlamini fromHartRAO, attended the 28th IUPAP Computational PhysicsConferencewhichtookplaceatStGeorge’sHotel inPretoria,between10and14July2016.

One of the days was dedicated to conducting outreachactivities at the University of Johannesburg’s SowetoCampus.AudreygaveapresentationaboutSKASAandherinvolvement in the project, joined by Professor Russ Taylorfrom the University of Cape Town and an internationaldelegation. The audience consisted mainly of high schooleducatorsanduniversitylecturers.

SUTHERLAND CAREER EXPO

CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS


ESKOM EXPO FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR, KIMBERLEYThe Eskom Expo for Young Scientists Regional ScienceFairwasheld inKimberley inJuly2016.SKASAsponsoredlearnersfromCarnarvonHighSchooltoattend,followingtheinauguralinternalScienceExpowhichwasheldattheschoolinApril2016.

Projects presented at the internal science fair, which washeldtoprepareandmentorlearnerstoimprovetheirscienceprojects,weretakentotheEskomRegionalExpo.

The Eskom Expo for Young Scientists is an exposition, orscience fair, where students have a chance to show otherstheirprojectsabouttheirownscientificinvestigations.

At the expo, students can discuss their work with judges,teachersandstudentsfromotherschools,parentsandotherinterestedpeople.

TwolearnersfromCarnarvonHighSchoolwonprizesattheRegional Expo: Jasmien Jooste, a Grade 11 learner, won aSilverPrizeforherprojecttitledMenandWomen:Whopaysmore? Jasmien compared prices of a variety of differentproductsontheSouthAfricanmarketaimedatbothmenandwomen to see if gender discrimination exists in the pricingpoliciesofSouthAfricanretailers.

Grade12learnerRobynFordwonaBronzePrizeforaprojectonGaussianEliminationusingPython, inwhichacomputerprogrammehadtobeusedusingPythonlanguagethatcouldperformGaussianeliminationonsquarematrices.

SKA SA participated in National Science Week (NSW), acountry-widecelebrationofscience,technology,engineering,mathematicsandinnovation.The2016NSWtookplacefrom8–13August2016.

NSW isrun inallnineprovincessimultaneouslyatmultiplesitesperprovince.Eachyearadifferentthemeischosenandactivitiesareofferedaroundthethemetothetargetaudiences.Thethemefor2016wasScienceforSustainableDevelopmentandImprovedQualityofLife.

Duringtheweek,SKASAcollaboratedwiththeUniversityofEast-Anglia(UEA),Norwich,UK,toimplementactivitiesthatpromote the awareness, understanding and appreciation of

science, radio astronomy and SKA SA amongst learners andeducatorsintheNorthernCapeduringNationalScienceWeek.

Dr Stephen Ashworth of the UEA delighted 420 Grade 7-9learnersinBrandvlei,Carnarvon,VanWyksvleiandWillistonwith his popular Kitchen Chemistry science show, whichintroduces learners to basic concepts in chemistry andphysicsinacolourfulway.

The show was followed by interactive workshops, whichallowed115Grade9learnersinSKASA’sKaroooperationalareatoexploretheelectromagneticspectrum,spectroscopy,andtheencoding/decodingofobservationdata,andpreparedthemtosafelyobservethesolareclipseon1September.

OUTREACH 17

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK


CarnarvonHighSchool’sfirstScienceWeekcommencedonMonday, 22 August 2016, following the nationwide NationalScienceWeek,whichendedon13August2016.

Peter Glover, a well known and experienced MathematicsandPhysicalScienceteacher,andteachersfromCarnarvonPrimary and High School arranged science activities forparents and learners from the primary and high schoolsduringthisperiod.

TheteachersfromCarnarvonwereZaneleChonga,NadeemahDaniels, Itumeleng Molefi, Eleanor Ramatsetse, as well asOdwa Magabuka and Chantal Mabeleng, from the SKA SAHumanCapitalDevelopmentProgramme.

The week started off on the Monday with a play about thewatercyclewithCarnarvonPrimary’sGrade4to6learners.This was followed by a Carnarvon’s Got Talent show, whichsawprimaryandhighschoollearnersentertainingthecrowdwithindigenousdancingandscience-themedsinging.

The next day Tanja Karp, Associate Professor of Electricaland Computer Engineering at Texas Tech University in theUSA,togetherwiththeInspiredtowardsScienceEngineeringand Technology (I-SET) team from Unisa, joined SKA SA inconductingroboticsworkshops.

The evening started with a mini robotics competition forhigh school learners and their parents. Ten winners wereannouncedafterthecompetition.

On Wednesday Molefi, the physical science educator atCarnarvonHighSchoolandthescienceeducatorintheSKASA Human Capital Development Programme, conducted atalktoGrade7to9learnersabouthisrecentvisittoCERNinSwitzerland,wherehejoined47teachersfrommorethan35countries for theHighSchoolTeacherProgramme.Thedaycontinued with a general knowledge quiz for the learners,followedbythescreeningofascience-themedmovieforbothschools’learnerswhoresideintheschoolhostels.

ThursdaystartedoffwithavirtualtouroftheATLASexperimentatCERN.HeatherGray,aSouthAfricanparticlephysicist,ispartofthetrackingperformancegroupoftheATLASdetector.ShewasjoinedbyStevenGoldfarb,anAmericanphysicist,andtheygavethelearnersavirtualtourofthecontrolroomoftheATLASexperiment.

They also discussed some of the experiments conductedat CERN, including the continued advances in Higgs bosonphysics, the search for dark matter as well as some of themedicalphysicsresearchperformedatCERN.Learnershadtheopportunitytoaskquestionsafterwards.

ThursdayendedwithastargazingsessionledbyguestGielduToit,themathematicsadvisorinthedistrict.Learnershadthechancetoseevariousconstellationsandplanets.

TheweekendedontheFriday,whenthewinnersofthevariouscompetitionsduringtheweekweretakenonaguidedtouroftheSKAsiteatLosbergoutsideCarnarvon.

18 OUTREACH

CARNARVON HIGH SCHOOL’S FIRST SCIENCE WEEK A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

SASOL TECHNO X Sasol TechnoX took place in Sasolburg between 15 and 19August2016.Theevent isanannualexhibition that focuseson exhibition workshops, tours, presentations and practicalactivities intended at exciting learners, students and thegeneralpublicabouttheendlessopportunitiesofscienceandtechnology.

SKASAwaspartoftheeventandwasrepresentedbyTiyaneBaloyi, Telescope Operator in the Science Commissioningteam and Ofaletse Mokone, Software Engineer from theControlandMonitoringteamatSKASA.

BaloyiandMokoneengageddailywithlearners,teachersandmembers of local communities, showcasing the First Lightimageproducedbythefirst16antennasoftheMeerKATarray,whichhasbeenpronouncedreadytocommisionscience.SKASAreachedouttogroupsoflearnersforanexhibitionguideoftheproject.Oneofthequestionsaskedbylearners,whichBaloyistillrememberswas:“WhyisourplanetcalledEarthandhowoldisthesun?”

“This made me realise that the learners are already thinking like scientists,” says Baloyi.


BOTSWANA NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEKFrom15–19August2016,SKASA’sOutreachTeamtravelledto Botswana to join the National Science Week activities inPalapye,Botswana.

The official opening of the event by Botswana’s Ministerof Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Hon. NonofoMolefhi on 15 August 2016, featured the inauguration of a10-PC astrophysics lab and a demonstration of a two-dishinterferometer, both situated at the Botswana InternationalUniversityforScienceandTechnology(BIUST)anddonatedbySKAAfrica.

The SKA Africa team also conducted outreach programmesat Lotsane Senior Secondary School and Palapye TechnicalCollegeinPalapye,aswellasMmachibabaJuniorSecondarySchool and Moeng College in the villages of Ratholo andMoengrespectively.

The outreach programme, consisting of three interactiveworkshop titles and a motivational lecture saw the teamengagewithmorethan500Form4and5learnersinordertoraise the awareness of radio astronomy, Botswana’s role intheAVNandSKA-relatedcareers.

ThreeCarnarvonHighSchoolGrade10learnersparticipatedin thenationalfinalsof theWorldRoboticsOlympiadat theTshwane University of Technology on 10 September 2016.TeamSharpShootersfromCarnarvonHighSchool,withteammembersZainaldodeBruin,BrandonSawall,andMaridadeWeecompeted.

TheteamcompetedintheSeniorHighcategorywithmorethan10teamsfromvariousotherschoolsfromacrossthecountry:Grantleigh Schools, Redhill High School, I-SET 2 teams,BokgoniTechnicalSecondarySchools(twoteams),CrawfordCollegeLonehill,FerndaleHighSchool,ahomeschoolteamaswellasaprivateteam.

“Thechildrenhadagoodexperienceofhowthecompetitionisat thenational level,and itwasverygood for them,asafirsttimeteam,toreachthenationallevelofthecompetition,”says Odwa Magabuko, intern in the SKA SA Human CapitalDevelopmentprogramme.

OUTREACH 19

CARNARVON HIGH SCHOOL LEARNERS PARTICIPATE IN WORLD ROBOT OLYMPIAD NATIONAL FINALS

TOUWS RIVER MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE MINI EXPO

SKA SA participated in the second Mathematicsand Science Mini Expo hosted by the Touws RiverPrimary School’s Mathematics and Science Club from22–26August2016.

TheMiniExpo,anannualinitiative,isaimedatcreatingawarenessamongthelocalcommunityonthebenefitsofmathematicsandscienceinafunandeducationalway.

With a partial solar eclipse on 1 September, the teamassisted60 learners fromDeKruineSecondarySchooland 30 learners from the Touws Rivier Primary SchoolScience Club, to build their own cardboard pinholeprojectorsthatcouldbeusedtoviewtheeclipseinasafeandaffordablemanner.

An enthusiastic audience of 150 parents, educatorsand learners at Touws River Primary School, was alsointroduced to the SKA and MeerKAT, careers in radioastronomy,andbursaryopportunitiesavailablethroughSKAAfrica.

SKANEWS2017 SKANEWS2017

WORLD SPACE WEEKSKAAfricacollaboratedwithHartRAO,IAUOAD,NASA,SAAO,various science centres and other science engagementpartners in South Africa, to compile a programme ofpublic events in support of 2016 World Space Week from4–10October2016.

Theobjectiveoftheprogrammeistocontributetothepublicawareness,understandingandappreciationofastronomyandspacescience,bydemonstratinghowhumankindispaintingapictureofourSolarSystemandtheUniverseusingtelescopesthatobserveacrossthespectrum,aswellashowbigscienceis able to contribute to economic, social and environmentaldevelopment.

SKASAstaffmembersparticipatedinavarietyofcollaborativeevents inCapeTown, includingamotivational lectureat theCape Town Science Centre, a panel discussion on the FirstThursdays American Corner programme, stargazing atInternationalObservetheMoonNight2016andthehostingoftheMEDOGirlsinSpaceBootcampPrizegiving.

NASA Deputy Chief Technologist (Ret.), Jim Adams alsopresentedaseriesofpubliclecturesattheCapeTownScienceCentre, Naval Hill Planetarium (Bloemfontein), SciBonoDiscoveryCentre(Johannesburg),andSAAO(CapeTown),andshared his experiences of big science project managementwithstudentsattheUniversityofCapeTown’sSpaceLabaswellasSKASAstaffmembers.

AdamswasalsointheNorthernCapetopresentinteractivemotivational lectures to high school learners in Brandvlei,Carnarvon, Williston and Kimberley. He visited BrandvleiIntermediate School, Carnarvon High School and WillistonCombinedSchool,whereheusedactualNASAlaunchfootage,photographs and data to take Grade 7 to 10 learners on atouroftheplanetsinourSolarSystem;createawarenessofastronomy,MeerKATandSKA;andmotivatelearnerstotakemathematicsandphysicalscienceassubjectsatschool.

SCOPE XSKASAparticipatedinScopeX2016,whichtookplaceattheSouthAfricanMuseumofMilitaryHistoryinJohannesburg,on15October2016.

ScopeXisanannualoutreachinitiativedesignedtopromotepublicinterestinastronomy,telescopemaking,astrophotographyandotherrelateddisciplineswithinSouthernAfrica.Italsocreatesanopportunityforpeoplewhohavethesameinteresttomeetandsharetheircommonalities.

SKASAwasrepresentedbyNikhitaMadhanpallandThaboNhlaphofromtheRosebankofficeinJohannesburg.

Theypresentedanexhibitionandhostedworkshopswithprimaryandhighschoollearnersincluding“ColourbyNumbers”forprimaryschoollearners,and“Buildyourownspectroscope”forhighschoollearners.

20 OUTREACH

Dr Stephen Ashworth from the University of East-Anglia, Norwich, visited the communities in the

Northern Cape as part of National Science Week.

SKANEWS2017 SKANEWS2017

Dr Barry Shoop Institute of Electrical and Electronics

Engineers (IEEE) President.

Jim Adams, NASA Deputy Chief Technologist (Ret.), visited SKA SA as part of World Space Week.

Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor and a delegation of Deputy Ministers and members of the Presidential Infrastructure Coordination Committee

visited the Losberg site in the Karoo.

Learners from Carnarvon High School were led on a journey of discovery through the Universe by Professor Eric Wilcots from the University of Madison-Wisconsin.

Professor Phil Diamond, Director-General of the SKA Organisation, visited South Africa during the

2016 Engineering Meeting held by SKA SA.

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SKA SA has hosted several high profile visitors in recent months.


Protection granted• Trademarks - for as long as

renewals are paid.• Designs - Between 10 and

15 years depending on the type of design fi led.

• Patent protection grants you a 20 year monopoly over the invention.• Granted patents become

public record.• Maintenance fees are

paid annually.

Protection expiry• Once protection has

expired the invention moves into the public do-main and your rights over it lapse.

Contact us:i

What is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual Property Protection at SKA

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or fi nancial benefi t from what they invent or create.

By striking the right balance between the interest of innovator and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can fl ourish. The SKA as a government entity is obliged to protect its IP in terms of the IPR Act.

What is the IPR

Act?The IPR Act is a piece of legislation that was

promulgated in 2010. It governs all Intellectual Property

(IP) emanating from publicly fi nanced research i.e. IP

developed using public funds from a government entity. In

short, it says such IP must be owned by an institution that received those government

funds. In the case of the SKA, the receiving

institution is the National Research

Foundation.

Inventor Responsibilities• In terms of the IPR Act inventors MUST

disclose IP to the IP Offi ce.• The disclosure should be no later than 60

days of conceptualisation.

• Inventors are required to collaborate with the IP Offi ce throughout the IP protection and subsequent commercialisation activities.

NOTE:The important thing to note in terms of the NRF IP Policy and the IPR Act is that you should never disclose your research fi ndings unless you’re certain that you’re not placing unprotected publicly fi nanced IP in the public domain.

Researchers are not permitted to Open Source code from publicly fi nanced research without seeking approval from the SKA IP Committee and the National Intellectual Property Management Offi ce (NIPMO).

Ask the IP Offi ce to screen your presentation/ publication if you’re unsure, prior to public disclosure.

Research• Normal research activities.• A challenge is encountered

that requires a solution.

Invention is conceived• This is recorded on the lab

book.• Materials recorded could

include drawings, designs and novel approaches to tackle a specifi c challenge.

• The concept is then demonstrated at lab level, through a model or working prototype.

Invention disclosure• Invention is disclosed to the

IP Offi ce via the invention disclosure form.

• The invention is assessed for various IP protection require-ments to decide on the ap-propriate form of IP protec-tion.

Protectionis sought• The decision on appropriate

protection form is commu-nicated to patent attorneys and a specifi cation is pre-pared.

• Documents are fi led with the patent offi ce.

Protection is pending• IP protection is not granted

immediately after fi ling by Patent Offi ces.

• Whilst protection is pending the scaling up and manu-facturing of the product can take place.

• Licensees/development part-ners can be sought.