Possible online course system for scientific scholarly writing services August 19, 2009
Posted by Thabo in : Open Access Scholarly Publishing , add a commentThe Academy supports the idea of the proposed free-online scientific writing course system explored at an earlier Academy workshop. These online writing services would be a relevant intervention of the ASSAf Scholarly Publishing Programme on the capacity development side of the programme.
The issue of such online writing services was discussed during the National Scholarly Editors’ Forum meetings held in October 2008 and June 2009, where general support was expressed by the Forum members present. The project had, however, for a variety of regrettable reasons, not moved further than the previous stages of identifying a suitable four-tier model, namely: (more…)
Biosafety and paranoia post-9/11 August 18, 2009
Posted by Phakamile in : Health Studies, Projects , add a commentSince the bombings of the Twin Towers in the US on September 11, 2001 there has been a great deal of emphasis on safety in different countries. Some countries have stepped-up and strenghtened their safety so as to ensure this doesn’t happen to them. The other issue of biosafety against any form of biorisks has also seen many countries form specialised committees of scientific experts and/or agencies that specialise in dealing with biorisks. Biosafety policies have been implemented by some countries whereas others are still in the process of either developing or implementing them.
Even though these biosafety policies are good and necessary, there also seems to be a degree of paranoia in some countries. Some academic institutions/biotechnology research centers have suffered because of the restrictions imposed by these policies, where, amongst other things, they can’t work with certain pathogens as they are demeed biological risks. Paranoia about biosafety is even evident at airports in certain countries. Despite all this paranoia, many lessons have been learnt regarding good laboratory practice (GLP) and ethical issues surrounding biosafety. As the saying goes: it’s better to be safe than sorry!
The state of HIV/AIDS clinical trials in South Africa August 18, 2009
Posted by Phakamile in : Health Studies, Projects , 1 comment so farClinical trials in South Africa are taking place almost in every province and majority of them are HIV/AIDS -related because of its high prevalence in the country. The good thing about this is that the communities in which these trial are carried out get to benefit by the level of HIV awareness information and education they receive. Through this education and awareness this contributed in the decreasing the level of new HIV infections.
However, the level of acceptance of these clinical trials in these communities is not always smooth sailing. Some of the main issues include: volunteering vs ‘guinea pigs’, re-imbursement and ethical aspects. Some communities, despite being fully informed, regard being reimbursed for volunteering in these trials as a form of coercion to join them. Others regard volunteers of these trials as guinea pigs. To address these issues communities are always reassured through communuty meetings and education.
Academy addresses poverty alleviation issues August 18, 2009
Posted by Andrea in : Reports , 1 comment so farMillions of South Africans are struggling to survive, living in absolute poverty. Informal settlements have mushroomed in the past 20 years, as a result of rapid unplanned urbanisation. This has created high levels of poverty and a lack of infrastructure. (more…)
ASSAf reaches out to learners and educators August 13, 2009
Posted by Mutheu in : National Relations , add a commentMembers of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) provided mentorship lectures to learners and educators during the recent National Science Week in the Free State, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. The National Science Week is an initiative by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), through the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) which aims to celebrate science. It involves various stakeholders from government, private and not-for-profit sectors of society who conduct and exhibit multiple science based activities during the week. This year, the National Science Week ran from 1-8 August 2009 in all nine provinces simultaneously at multiple sites in each province.
This year’s science week was launched in the Northern Cape province by DST Minister, Naledi Pandor. Through ASSAf’s regional mentorship lecture approach, which targeted both learners and educators, scientist were able to interact with learners, provide guidance on science-based careers, and understand some of the challenges that are facing educators within the science system in South Africa. This also provided an opportunity to increase the awareness of ASSAf among learners, educators, and other key stakeholders.
GMOs in African agriculture August 13, 2009
Posted by Nthabiseng in : Health Studies, Projects , add a commentGenetically modified organisms (GMOs) are said to be opening a door of opportunity for ensuring food security, especially in South Africa and other African countries. On the other hand, skeptics claim that there are numerous challenges and risks associated with the adoption of GMOs. It is against this background that the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), in collaboration with the German Union of Science Academies and National African Science Academies (NASAC) are holding a workshop that will address key issues on GMOs in African agriculture.
The workshop will be held in Pretoria on 17 – 18 September 2009. It will be attended mainly by experts from South Africa and other African countries.
For more information, please contact Dr Nthabiseng Taole at nthabiseng@assaf.org.za or Ms Phakamile Mngadi at Phakamile@assaf.org.za.
Enhancement of the quality of journals through peer review August 13, 2009
Posted by Thabo in : Open Access Scholarly Publishing , 1 comment so farThe ASSAf process of discipline-grouped peer review of journals in the fields of agriculture and related basic life sciences, as well as in the social sciences and related fields, is being done according to criteria developed by the CSPiSA and approved by the ASSAf Council.
ASSAf engages SADC science and technology policy makers August 13, 2009
Posted by Mutheu in : International Relations, Liaison , add a commentASSAf, through its Executive Officer, Professor Roseanne Diab, will present the outcomes of the South African Development Community’s (SADC) Regional Workshop for Academies and Universities held in May 2009 in Pretoria, South Africa to SADC science and technology policymakers on 14 August 2009. (more…)
SciELO SA goes live! August 13, 2009
Posted by Susan in : Open Access Scholarly Publishing , add a commentASSAf’s Open Scholarly Publishing team has been involved in the launch of a pilot site for SciELO SA, initially on the ScieELO Brazil site, has been established using their existing hardware, software, and mark-up processes. (more…)
South African Journal of Science first on SA Open Access platform August 13, 2009
Posted by Andrea in : SAJS , add a commentThe South African Journal of Science (SAJS) is one of the first South African journals to be hosted on the fully Open Access platform, SciELO South Africa. This represents a major achievement in South Africa that will benefit researchers and scholars in providing a free-to-publish, free-to-access platform for the best scientific thinking the country has to offer.
SciELO focuses on developing countries where few end users have access to traditional peer-reviewed academic journals either online or in print form. Access to journals is subscription-based and can be very expensive. Only certain libraries carry them, meaning that there have been severe restrictions in accessibility and affordability up to this point. The Open Access platform for these journals aims to combat these restrictions, while simultaneously enhancing the international visibility of South African research. (more…)
