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This collection contains slide presentations and audio/video recordings not provided for elsewhere. This includes events/activities/participation in special day, special week, special month and special year celebrations, as well as science festivals and thematic weeks, e.g. National Science Week, Science Engagement and Open Access Week.
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Item ASSAf Humanities Book Award Lecture by Dr Dariusz Dziewanski(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The series of lectures serve as a continuation of the award ceremony, providing the award winners with a platform to present their journeys and motivations behind their books, discuss the societal impact of their work, and share the personal influence it has had on their lives. This lecture is aimed at enhancing the recognition of the exceptional scholarly contributions made by Dr Dariusz Dziewanski who was awarded the 2023 Humanities Book Award prize in the Emerging Researcher Category. With his book Gang Entry and Exit in Cape Town: Getting beyond the streets in Africa’s deadliest city, Dr Dariusz Dziewanski provides a detailed qualitative account of what it is like to join and later disengage from gangs in Cape Town. Through the life histories of 24 former gang members, Dariusz seeks to understand the structural forces that push people into gangs and street culture, as well as the potential pathways that gang members have for escaping the streets.Item Humanities Annual Lecture on “The Role of the Humanities in a Time of Displacement”(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The Humanities Lecture is a prestigious event of the Academy and seeks to promote the humanities in South Africa and to draw attention to the importance of the humanities amongst learners, university students, scholars, and the broader South African society.Item 5th Annual ASSAf Science-Business Leadership Forum titled “Unmasking the Enigma called FinTech”(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The concept of ‘money’ and the world of financial services and products have undergone a remarkable transformative evolution since the Global Financial Crisis, propelled by technological advancements and the global shift towards the digital economy. These financial technology (FinTech) developments range from rapid payment systems, mobile money, digital banking (including central bank digital currencies, CBDCs), cryptocurrencies, blockchains etc. FinTech promises to not only shape the future of transactions but also redefine the fundamental tenets of monetary value and exchange. Between 2010 and 2019, the global FinTech sector witnessed a significant surge in investments, totalling over US$165.5 billion. According to a recent report by the Boston Consulting Group, annual FinTech revenues are projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030. While promising transformative solutions, FinTech industry is not without its challenges, ranging from regulatory and policy hurdles; security concerns; customer trust; data protection, inclusion of and the impact on previously overlooked demographics. Understanding the broader FinTech environment can help shed light and shape FinTech today and in the decades to come, particularly in Africa. In light of this, the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) hosted the 5th Annual ASSAf Science-Business Leadership Forum on the 3 November 2023 titled “Unmasking the Enigma called FinTech” on 3 November 2023, 09h00 SAT, Virtually. The aim of this dialogues was to stimulate conversations on what FinTech is; its adoption on the African Continent; the regulatory conundrum associated with FinTech; while exploring the use of technology such as AI in addressing money laundering, fraud, identity theft, combatting financing of terrorism and proliferation financing and delving into questions of whether South Africa should introduce a "digital Rand", i.e. a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC); the benefits and risks of such a currency. Panellists included: Prof Vivienne Lawack (DVC: Academic, University of the Western Cape); Prof Co-Pierre Georg (SARChI Chair: Blockchain Technology, University of Cape Town) and Prof Louis de Koker (Professor of Law, La Trobe University, Australia). The full recording is accessible on ASSAf_YouTube. The forum is hosted annually by the Academy and moderated by ASSAf’s President, Prof Jonathan Jansen and the focus is to engage prominent scientists/scholars and leading experts from the business community to deliberate on matters of shared significance.Item 2023 World Food Day Webinar on “Opportunities towards Sustainable Food Security in South African Urban Settings”(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and Green Youth Network (GYN), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)World Food Day (WFD) is celebrated across 150 countries yearly on 16th of October. The theme for 2023 is Water is life, water is food: leave no one behind. The campaign intents to raise awareness worldwide on water as a foundation of life and food. According to the United Nations (UN), 2.3 billion people live in water-stressed countries (1), while 3.2 billion people live in agricultural areas with high water scarcity (2). These water constraints have a negative impact on food security and nutrition. In South Africa a notable proportion of the population is food insecure (3) with over 60% of these households located in urban areas. The City of Cape Town (11,6%) and the City of Johannesburg (11,5%) have the highest proportions of households that experienced hunger in all the six metros. Urban food insecurity is characterised by low dietary diversity, high malnutrition and obesity, and distinct hunger seasons. It is estimated that by 2050, eight in 10 people will be living in urban areas, which means that the prevalence of food insecurity within urban Southern African communities will increase. There is therefore an urgent need to develop policies and solutions to address this “looming crisis” and to manage the water-food nexus in a more sustainable and equitable manner. The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and the Green Youth Network (GYN) partnered to host a webinar on the 3 November 2023 to commemorate WFD 2023 titled “Opportunities towards Sustainable Food Security in South African Urban Settings”. The dialogue aimed to explore youth-centric solutions that have a potential to strengthen food security in South African urban surroundings, taking into consideration the challenge of water scarcity while leaving no one behind. The Webinar featured the following speakers: Prof Marizvikuru Mwale-Manjoro (University of Venda and SAYAS Alumni); Dr Nathaniel Dlamini (Statistics South Africa; Ms Thandeka Nkosi (KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development); and Mr Reuben Riley (Biological Agricultural Era, BioAge). Participants included academics, researchers, entrepreneurs, women, youth, policy makers and the public.Item SciELO 25 Years Seminar: Artificial intelligence and associated tools and policies in editorial decision making(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)Researchers began experimenting with ChatGPT when it was released in November 2022, looking at ways how they could benefit, and how it could support writing systematic reviews, literature searches, summarising academic articles, etc. which many publishers wanted to reject before the trend gained traction and other publishers drafting guidelines on the proper use of this technology. This webinar was hosted on 29 of June 2023 and is aimed at discussing and gaining clarity on various issues such as editorial and publishing policies, research processes, and plagiarism.Item What new editors need to know about journal editorial policies(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)ASSAf webinar hosted by the Scholarly Publishing Programme staff for new journal editors on 23 August 2023. Journal editors from a range of disciplines shared their advice on the importance of Journal Editorial Policies. This webinar is the fifth in the New Editor Series which aims to provide new editors of South African scholarly journals with the tools to implement publishing best practice and boost their confidence as editors.Item Addressing the Recent Measles Outbreak in South Africa(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)South Africa is grappling with a notable resurgence of measles, a highly contagious viral infection that poses a serious threat to public health. This recent measles outbreak has raised concerns about immunisation coverage, healthcare infrastructure, and the broader impact on community well-being. As a means of contributing to the discussions, ASSAf hosted a webinar on the 23rd of October 2023 to understand the factors contributing to this resurgence, to explore successful strategies employed to contain and manage measles outbreaks and to potentially propose recommendations for immediate response and long-term prevention strategies to curb the measles outbreak and prevent future recurrences.Item ASSAf Humanities Book Award Lecture by Prof Lesley Green(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)The series of lectures serve as a continuation of the award ceremony, providing the award winners with a platform to present their journeys and motivations behind their books, discuss the societal impact of their work, and share the personal influence it has had on their lives. This lecture is aimed at enhancing the recognition of the exceptional scholarly contributions made by Prof Lesley Green who was awarded the 2023 Humanities Book Award prize in the Establisher Researcher Category. The award ceremony took place on the 29th of August 2023.Item Cholera outbreak: What you need to know about the disease, its spread and a potential action plan to fight the nationwide outbreak(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This webinar was presented on 14 August 2023. Safe, high-quality drinking water is an essential aspect of public health. Despite the fact that water is a necessity of human life, about 20% of the world’s population lacks safe drinking water. In South Africa, approximately 3 million people do not have access to potable water supply and 14 million people are deprived of safe sanitation services. Water quality is an acute problem, especially for developing nations. In these countries, up to 90% of the cities discharge their untreated sewage into rivers and streams. These surface waters in turn may be used for drinking and personal sanitation purposes. The unsanitary water supplies found in many of these densely populated areas foster the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses and serious infectious diseases that contribute greatly to the burden of morbidity and mortality. On 21 May 2023, the health department in Gauteng declared a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, an area about 50 kilometres north of its administrative capital Pretoria, in the City of Tshwane. Cholera is defined as an infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies. Vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients (e.g., those who are undergoing chemotherapy, taking steroids, or afflicted with HIV/AIDS) are at special risk of diseases caused by water contamination. This webinar aimed to: • Inform the public about cholera and the current status of the outbreak. • To discuss the implications of the outbreak on Sustainable Development Goal 6: Access to Water and Sanitation for all. • Outline an action plan to fight the nationwide cholera outbreak.Item ASSAf Webinar for New Editors – Tips on Editorial Processes(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2023) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)This webinar was presented on 30 May 2023. It addressed and discussed the following: The editorial process, from submission to publication; Peer-review and different approaches to peer-review; Quality control incl. plagiarism and ethics; Engaging with authors and relationship building; New trends in open access digital publishing, open data and Artificial Intelligence.