What’s in a name? The naming of Australopithecus sediba May 10, 2010
Posted by Alan in : SAJS, Uncategorized , 1 comment so farProf Alan Morris, UCT; Associate Editor of SAJS
The first person to describe a new fossil gets the rights to name it. This has got be done at the time of the first publication as the privilege is not retrospect. Hesitate and someone else will pip you at the post. The payout is pretty impressive because the once the fossil has been named, the name is there forever with your priority stamped all over it in Latin.
But not everything in the name game is about priority and bragging rights. The whole system of classification is an art, not a science, and the choice of name tells you as much about the researcher as it does about the fossil. (more…)
Science Education in SA May 4, 2010
Posted by Diane in : Projects , 2commentsProf Diane Grayson, Committee Member, ASSAf STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education Committee
South Africa can never produce enough scientists, engineers and technologists until the quality of science education offered at schools improves. The factor that affects this quality the most is the quality of teaching. This, is turn, is affected by the school environment and available resources. But most of all it is affected by teachers’ understanding of the subject matter and how to teach it effectively, sometimes called content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). (more…)
