B. ASSAf Workshop Proceedings and Other Reports
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Proceedings Reports are a verbatim reflection of a live ASSAf event. It is published with consent of all speakers.
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Item Evidence-based Practice: ‘Double Symposium’ Proceedings on Problems, Possibilities and Politics(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2006) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The Academy’s Double Symposium that was admirably arranged by Prof. Jonathan Jansen and executed by the staff of the Academy, had objectives that were concisely captured by the Minister of Science and Technology in his address that intervened between the two symposia: “This Double Symposium on the ‘Nature of Evidence’ and ‘Science-based Advice for the Nation’ has an important contribution to make in exploring the urgency and growing importance of evidence as the basis for making informed policy and practical decisions across the world. It also offers the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), which is an independent and authoritative provider of evidence-based advice on a broad range of nationally significant topics and issues, an opportunity to examine its own role in the national science system” Mr M. Mangena, Minister of Science and Technology Robust debate in a democracy can be fostered through the use of evidence where the participants share a common understanding of the nature of evidence. The participants in the first symposium showed that the nature and use of evidence is often divergent in different domains, with the particularly stark contrast being represented by the views of the natural sciences and the law. The discussion during this symposium indicated that a much more nuanced approach to the use of evidence is required, as well as explicit discussion of divergent understandings of the uses of evidence if productive debate and effective decision making is to be achieved. The use of evidence based advice to address topics and issues that affect the well-being of the nation is a significant and daunting role that the Academy wishes to fi ll. In this respect, it will be following the example of other international academies of Science and Arts that have mobilized the intellectual capacity of their membership to perform this function. The second symposium considered the results of studies that had been undertaken by the National Academies of Science of the United States and the Royal Society of London so that the lessons that they have learned may be applied in our context. What was clear from these discussions was that giving advice tends to be nationally embedded. The nature of advice structures in different countries requires that Academies determine their mode of operation and role in relation to these. In this respect the National Academies of Sciences of the US generally have their reports commissioned by government or other organisations, while the Royal Society studies are almost exclusively self-generated. We need to determine in our own context what judicious mixture of commissioned and self-generated reports we need to develop, taking into account our relationships with other advice giving organisations in South Africa. Participants in the symposia came from a range and diversity of organisations, indicating that the Academy was addressing a topical subject with particular resonance in our context at the moment. It is clear that the Academy has at its disposal a resource that can be effectively used to play the role envisaged both in the Minister of Science and Technology’s speech and encapsulated by Mark Orkin in the discussion at the end of the Double Symposium: “ASSAf by contrast has a major role to play in acting as a professional body drawing judiciously on the large pool of intellectual resources at the universities, at the highest level of expertise and in a multi-disciplinary way, to generate advice on big national issues.” The presentations and discussions that are recorded in this volume, show that the Academy has accepted the challenge implicit in the deliberations of the two symposia and wishes to engage actively in its advice giving role.Item Science-based Improvements of Rural/Subsistance Agriculture(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2006) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This forum on Science-based Improvements of Rural/Subsistence Agriculture is the first in a series that are being convened by the ASSAf Forum steering Committee on Science for Poverty Alleviation. During 2005, the Academy engaged in discussions with the Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and a number of officials of the Department regarding matters of national interest in the national system of innovation. The Director General indicated that studies by the Academy would be welcomed with a view to providing evidence-based advice that could guide policy development, since this was seen as one of the major roles that the Academy should fulfil in the future. The participants in that discussion identified Science for Poverty Alleviation as a broad general framework in which the Academy might initiate a number of studies. Early in 2006, the Council of the Academy agreed to the establishment of a Committee on Science-based Approaches to the Alleviation of Poverty and identified a number of members of the Academy who would be invited to be members of that committee that would take the matter forward on behalf of the Academy. Prof. Sagadevan Mundree was appointed chair of the committee and was instrumental in organising the forum. Workshops such as this one, operate in the ‘forum mode’, which is a system whereby the Academy brings together leading national and, where appropriate, international scholars in the field to assess the empirical evidence that can be used to illuminate solutions to the identified problem, especially those that will lead to the alleviation of poverty. The purpose of this workshop was to bring together a group of experts in the field of agricultural research and to help identify promising scientific and technological strategies for improving agricultural productivity and food security, specifically for small-scale farmers. The people who were invited to attend the forum were individually considered to be able to make a significant contribution to the topic under discussion. The outcome of the forum and the discussions that flowed from it shows that translation of that knowledge into practical recommendations is in many cases feasible and desirable for the improvement of agricultural productivity and food security.Item IAP Water Programme: Regional Workshop for Africa. Proceedings Report(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2006) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Water is a fundamental concern of virtually every nation, playing a diverse and often inter-dependent but vital role in the individual and collective lives of its entire citizenry. A single country like South Africa may well “seek” to solve its water-related problems by itself, but most of these have dimensions that extend beyond the borders, and many lessons learnt elsewhere may well be applicable at home.Item Local Economic Development in Small Towns, Housing Delivery and Impact on the Environment. Forum proceedings(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2009) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This Forum on Local Economic Development in Small Towns, Housing Delivery and Impact on the Environment is the second in a series that are being convened by the ASSAf Forum Committee on Science for Poverty Alleviation. Noting that poverty is a major issue of concern in South Africa; it is a very broad topic that can be addressed as a combination of selected elements. Local economic development in small towns, several cases on this important topic has been tried. The purpose of this workshop was therefore to bring all these cases together and critically address them as a whole. The plenary decided to structure the workshop to consider the following issues that would guide the national strategy: The population in small towns; Creating entrepreneurship culture amongst the youth; Infrastructure and resource development, e.g. railway lines, artisan schools, etc; and look at economic versus physical model approach. The outcome of the workshop is therefore not necessarily a strategy but rather a methodology of how ‘local economic development in small towns’ can be achieved.Item Workshop Proceedings Report GMOs for African Agriculture: Challenges and opportunities(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2010) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This proceedings report is the product of a two-day workshop hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) from 17-18 September 2009. ASSAf, in partnership with the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities, the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) and the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) received funding from the InterAcademy Panel (IAP) to conduct a study on “Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Opportunities and Challenges in Africa”.Item Critical Issues in School Mathematics and Science(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2010) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), as a body of natural and human scientists, has an important role to play in providing government and members of society with evidence-based information that can be used to influence policy and guide decisions for the benefit of society. The ASSAf Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Standing Committee organised a forum to deliberate on critical issues in school mathematics and science education and to make concrete proposals on how the situation can be improved. The state of science and mathematics in South African schools has frequently been termed a national crisis. South African learners have fared poorly in comparative tests of science and mathematics at both international and regional levels and in local bench mark tests. This is true at both primary and secondary levels. These averaged results mark a very wide disparity between our learners: a small minority continue to make significant progress in these subjects, while the majority fail to perform at appropriate levels. As a result, the pool of potential scientists, engineers, health practitioners and future teachers of mathematics and science is severely limited. This, in turn, limits South Africa’s ability to be internationally competitive, as well as its ability to provide the infrastructure needed for the well-being of the majority of its people. 2009 was a seminal year for education in South Africa as the first recipients of the new National Senior Certificate (NSC) entered higher education, and in larger numbers than in the past. The NSC, and particularly the requirements related to Mathematics and entry into higher education (HE), succeeded in releasing what was a considerable blockage to entry to HE. Early indications were that overall student performance in science-based programmes at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) was below that of previous years. The larger intake resulted in larger numbers of students performing very poorly in their mid-year assessments. HEIs have mounted various interventions to prevent a large failure rate of first year students. What has become clear is that the knowledge and skills with which students who obtained an NSC in 2008 entered HEIs were different from either the knowledge or skills that HEIs expect students to have or from those held by entering students in the past. The situation highlighted the need for an in-depth look at school mathematics and science – the curricula, how they are taught, how they are assessed and how teachers are prepared to teach them –and the interface with science and mathematics at higher education level. In the process, issues related to transformation, equity and social justice were also discussed.Item The Emerging Threat of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2011) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)An estimated 2 billion people, one-third of the global population, are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb.), the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB) (Keshavjee and Seung, 2008). Spread through the air, this infectious disease kills 1.8 million people each year, or 4,500 each day (WHO, 2009a). TB is the leading killer of people with HIV, and it is also a disease of poverty—the vast majority of TB deaths occur in the developing world (WHO, 2009a). Exacerbating the devastation caused by TB is the growing threat of drug-resistant strains of the disease in many parts of the world. The development of drug resistance is a predictable, natural phenomenon that occurs when microbes adapt to survive in the presence of drug therapy (Nugent et al., 2010). Although antibiotics developed in the 1950s are effective against a large percentage of TB cases, resistance to these first-line therapies has developed over the years, resulting in the growing emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drugresistant (XDR) TB, and even totally drug-resistant (TDR) TB (see Box 1-1 for definitions). In recognitionItem Nuclear Energy Safety Symposium. Proceedings Report(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2012) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Both public and political attitudes on the introduction and use of nuclear energy change with time and events. A movement towards extending its use and building new advanced power stations is driven largely by the contribution that nuclear energy can make to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and hence nuclear energy’s positive role in the climate change debate, as well as its contribution to satisfying the world’s increasing demand for base load electricity. Should the South African government continue with its plans to expand the contribution of nuclear energy to the energy mix, there is no room for complacency, particularly after the March 2011 events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. These events have focused attention on safety and risk as key issues in the use of nuclear power and have created an understandable anxiety about the use of nuclear technology. South Africa needs to heed the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi accident, as well as other accidents and ensure that these lessons are incorporated into current and future nuclear energy planning. The symposium was initiated by the ASSAf commentary on the IRP 2010 requested by the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology. The idea developed during the meeting of the G8+5 Academies of Science. The international and local inputs to this symposium were very refreshing, original and decisive in conveying specific and relevant points.Item Preparing for the Future of HIV/AIDS in Africa: A Shared Responsibiltiy(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2012) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The sub-Saharan Africa region still remains the region most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2010, about 68% of all people living with HIV resided in sub-Saharan Africa and the region also accounted for 70% of new HIV infections. However, there has been a notable decline in the regional rate of new infections. The epidemic continues to be most severe in southern Africa, with South Africa having more people living with HIV (an estimated 5.6 million) than any other country in the world (UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report, 2011).Item Proceedings report Changing patterns of Non-Communicable Diseases(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2013) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The theme of this conference was a superb example of the various activities in which the academies had been involved. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) constituted one of the most critical set of health challenges that faced the global community. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), NCDs constituted some 60% of all mortality at the present time, and more worrying was the upward trend. It was clear that there was urgent work to be done in this area. The timing and appropriateness of the conference theme were of unquestionable pertinence. NCDs provided a set of challenges that could not be successfully addressed through the isolated actions of various institutions and academies, but required collective wisdom, in this case of the group of medical academies.Item Proceedings Report: Technological Innovations for a Low Carbon Society Conference(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2013) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The challenge of finding sustainable, low carbon solutions to a global problem, such as climate change, is pertinent for both Germany and South Africa, notwithstanding their different developmental stages and different socio-economic and political contexts. Themes addressed included the energy-water-food nexus for resilient societies; low cost, low carbon innovations for poverty alleviation; smart city innovations; new and emerging technologies, such as carbon capture and storage and The Beauti-fuel Project aimed at converting biomass to liquid fuel, and the potential for solar power in South Africa. It was noted that South Africa can be viewed as a ‘playground’ for finding innovative low carbon solutions due to the untapped wind and solar energy resources and the excellent research capability.Item Review of the State of the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) System in South Africa(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2013) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This Report follows a request from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) for an independent, critical appraisal of The State of the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) System in South Africa.Item Proceedings of a Workshop on the Implementation of Core Competencies for Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Disorders(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2014) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), one in six South Africans suffers from disorders such as anxiety, depression or substance use; this excludes disorders such as bipolar or schizophrenia. Due to inadequate resources in managing this burden, less than 16% of patients receive treatment (South African College of Applied Psychology, 2013). The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has a strong focus on health issues of the nation and through its convening influence, hosted a workshop on The Implementation of Core Competencies for Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Disorders on 27 –28 May 2014 in Johannesburg. The workshop was attended by stakeholders from government (national and provincial), academia, non-government organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs) and professional association/council representatives. This ASSAf workshop follows a series of workshops initiated by the United States’ Institute of Medicine (IOM) aimed at contributing towards addressing the burden of mental, neurological, substance use (MNS) disorders in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This included a workshop (August 2009) titled Reducing the Treatment Gap, Improving Quality of Care that was held in Uganda (in collaboration with the Ugandan National Academy of Sciences). In September 2012, a second workshop titled Strengthening Human Resources through Development of Core Competencies for MNS Disorders in SSA was also held in Uganda. It was at this 2012 workshop that the candidate core competencies for providers across all MNS disorders were developed, and the output from that workshop forms the basis for the ASSAf workshop. The core competencies enable screening, identification, formal diagnosis, referral, treatment and care of MNS disorders. The objectives of the ASSAf workshop were to: 1. Identify and discuss the key challenges in the implementation of the MNS disorders core competencies within the South African health system context. 2. Explore the best strategies and opportunities that could be adopted by the different stakeholders for effective implementation of MNS disorders core competencies. Workshop participants and speakers identified and discussed a number of overarching key challenges and gaps when it comes to addressing MNS disorders adequately in South Africa.Item Proceedings of a Symposium on Our Nuclear Future: Delay or Demise?(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2014) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The purpose of the symposium was to bring together a diverse range of stakeholders and invite engagement in a rigorous, evidence-based, scholarly debate on the issue of nuclear energy. Participants and presenters were drawn from various backgrounds: academia, government, private and public sectors, and civil society. South Africa is not alone in the world in grappling with issues related to nuclear energy. International perspectives on costs of nuclear energy were also presented.Item Insights into South Africa’s Participation in the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development of the European Commission(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2015) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This report provides insights into South Africa’s participation in the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) of the European Union. Three data sources were used: (1) information in the Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) database for 122 FP7 projects that involved South African participation; (2) a focus group and (3) two-web surveys – with the South African participants in FP7 projects and the international coordinators of FP7 projects with South African participants. Analysis of the records in the CORDIS database shows that South Africa’s participation in FP7 can be interpreted as a result of a number of factors.Item Workshop on Measuring Deprivation in Order to Promote Human Development(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2015) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Poverty reduction is a critical factor outlined in both the Millennium Developmental Goals 2015 (MDGs) and the National Developmental Plan (NDP) – Vision 2030. In order for South Africa to make progress in this regard, definitions of the different forms of deprivation and human development and indicators for their measurement are needed to monitor and evaluate any programme implemented to reduce poverty. The focus of the workshop was to understand the different dimensions of poverty and how appropriate and good measures of poverty can be developed and implemented. The workshop aimed to facilitate a holistic approach, inclined toward key recommendations outlined in the NDP – Vision 2030. The aims and objectives of the workshop were to: • Enhance understanding of poverty and its different dimensions. • Enhance understanding of the debates over the types of measures required to monitor the different dimensions of poverty and the levels at which poverty thresholds should be set and by whom. • Document the phases and substance of the poverty measurement debate in post-apartheid South Africa and the details surrounding this discussion.Item Environment and Health Symposium(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2015) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf); Ethiopian Academy of Science (EAS); Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS); German National Academy of SciencesASSAf, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Academy of Science (EAS), Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) and the German National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina hosted a symposium on Environment and Health in June 2015. The themes on environmental and health under discussion at the symposium comprised of: air pollution, metals exposure, water pollution and ultra violet radiation.Item Finding Synergies in the Mathematical Sciences(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2016) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) convened a workshop on Finding Synergies in the Mathematical Sciences in Cape Town on 15 – 16 September 2016. The meeting sought to promote and seek a discursive space to explore synergies and an inclusive approach to mathematics across all the scientific disciplines and the adoption of a broader, more integrated vision of the role of mathematics in education and society. The meeting also aimed to explore the feasibility and desirability of a broad consensus study which would inter alia conduct an audit of initiatives and best practices that address issues of synergising the mathematical sciences in South Africa. South Africa’s National Development Plan projects that the number of school-leavers, who should qualify for entrance to a Bachelor’s degree for which mathematics is a prerequisite, will more than double by 2024 and will treble by 2030. At the same time, the relationship, or lack of one, between mathematics and mathematics education represents a matter of concern, potentially exacerbating the limited performance of South African pupils and students. The workshop sought to address these significant capacity challenges and the increasing permeation of mathematics across academic disciplines by exploring potential synergies and collaborations among the mathematical sciences, with the interconnected goals of improving educational and research outputs and supporting the country’s development and transformation.Item Social Determinants of Health Workshop, 7-8 November 2016(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2016) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Monitoring data: numbers that work - data availability and use to improve social well-being (facilitator: Dr Tolullah Oni) - Data Compatibility and Integration as Measures of Addressing the Impact on Social Determinants of Health (Ms Belinda Nabukalu) - Measuring Impact and Monitoring SDH Indicators (Dr Mariamawit Y Yeshak) - ‘Gendered’ Data – Measuring Lived Experiences for Men and Women for Equitable Health (Dr Papa Diop) - Health in all policies: mainstreaming health as a measure across all sectors to address SDH (facilitator: Ms Belinda Nabukalu) - Achieving Policy Coherence at National, Regional and Global Levels to Address SDH and SDGs (Dr Michieka Okioga Michieka)Item 7th Annual South African Young Scientists' Conference 2016, Human Rights(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2016) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This report stems from proceedings from the 7th Annual Young Scientists’ Conference held on 6 to 7, October 2016 where human rights in general, and the rights of scientists in particular, were addressed by some 80 young and early career researchers. The conference was hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), Gender in Science, Innovation, Technology and Engineering (GenderInSITE), the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World South Africa National Chapter (OWSD-SANC) and the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR). Human rights are fundamental rights of all human beings regardless of nationality, sex, race, religion, language or any other status. In South Africa, the Bill of Rights forms the cornerstone of democracy. The Bill of Rights enshrines the rights of all people in South Africa and affirms the democratic values and principles of human dignity, equality and freedom. In order to achieve these values in South Africa and in the African continent in general, citizens have to promote and respect the culture of human rights. In addition, they should promote the protection, development and attainment of human rights. This report articulates the written, oral and poster presentations at the conference which revolved around four sub-themes, namely Human Rights in Africa: Context and Universality, Social and Scientific Dimensions of Human Sexual Diversity, Redress of Colonial Heritage in Promoting Human Rights in Africa, and the Relationship between Science and Human Rights in Africa.