Schools in and around Soweto are set to benefit from a mobile science unit.
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Derek Hanekom, will hand over a mobile science unit to the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on Friday, 5 August 2011 at the UJ’s Soweto Campus. The handing over event is scheduled to start at 10:00. This event commemorates the National Science Week in South Africa and also coincides with the 2011 International Year of Chemistry.
The Mobile Science Unit, to be housed at the UJ’s Soweto Science Centre, is a hands-on learning unit primarily designed to offer schoolchildren from Grades 3 to 12 with real-life examples to explore topics like physics, chemistry and life sciences. Learners’ learning can be extended with suggested activities for use in class or at home. However, the Unit will also be able to accommodate young adults, working adults, seniors, and wheel chair-bound persons.
The Unit has six individual desk workstations and can be rolled out to accommodate more workstations, an instructor’s station and ample functional storage space. It is also fully-equipped with modern scientific laboratory apparatus including microscopes, graphic calculators, probes, and other standard scientific equipment.
“The Mobile Science Unit will be manned by UJ’s third-year and postgraduate students who are supervised by a senior lecturer. They will provide hands-on courses that engage the learners, enhance classroom learning and bring science and math to life,” says Prof Azwinndini Muronga, Director of the Soweto Science Centre (Faculty of Science), UJ.
