Thousands of children and parents are expected to converge on Newtown’s Sci-Bono Discovery Centre for a festival “unmatched and unlike any other” in August.
“The theme for this year’s Science Week is Today’s Science, Tomorrow’s World, and along with Museum Africa and the Workers Museum, Sci-Bono will offer a programme filled with awesome and inspiring activities catering for young and old,” said centre spokesperson Francois Gerber.
He said that the robotics tournament will take place on 2 August.
“Twenty-one teams [will] compete to build the ultimate robot that has to perform a number of tests and tasks before being crowned [the] champion,” said Gerber.
Another festival highlight will be a free talk by Prof. Tim Noakes about his controversial views on diet.
There will also be dozens of daily presentations, talks and science shows from distinguished scientists and organisations such as Barry Meyers, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Square Kilometre Array, and the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation.
“The [centre] will be packed to the rafters with exhibitors such as Eskom, 3M, and Casio, along with the 350 permanent exhibitions in the centre that will form part of the guided school tours,” said Gerber.
“A festival within a festival [will take] place in the form of the Mining Awareness Expo, where the SA Institute of Mining [and other organisations will] expose children to the scientific aspects of one of the largest contributors of our economy and [to] what careers are available in the sector.”
The festival will also see various activities take place at Beyers Naude Square, Kagiso Mall, and Alberton City, and an outreach programme aimed at disadvantaged schools will travel around Gauteng.
National Science Week, an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology, is a countrywide celebration of science.
All schools will receive free entry to the festival, but bookings are essential.
National Science Week will run from 2 until 10 August at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, corner of Miriam Makeba and President streets, Newtown.
Details: 011 639 8400; www.sci-bono.co.za; info@sci-bono.co.za
