UL scientists show off their inventions at university’s Famelab competition
Famelab is an international science communication and public speaking competition which promotes science and technology by creating a platform for young scientists to find their voices and reach public audiences.
LIMPOPO –Â On Friday, 16 February the University of Limpopo (UL) held their FameLab South Africa heat competition at their science centre, FabLab, where 10 contestants competed to secure their space in the final.
Each contestant presented their invention to the judges, receiving comments and in turn correcting what the judges identified as faults to return and compete in the second round.
Sandile Rikhotso from the University of Limpopo science centre explained the university has taken part in the FameLab competition since 2013 and they are always proud to send representatives to the finals.
The competition ended with three runners-up. The second runner-up, Keithen Mmetwa, suggested implementing a programme on social media platforms which would be able to translate all South Africa’s official languages. “Have you ever gone on Twitter to read someone’s post only to see that halfway through their post they switched to a language you don’t understand? Just imagine how it would feel if Twitter could translate it for you,” she said.
The first runner-up, Dikeledi Chauke, is a second-year student in M.Sc zoology. Her invention was about an alien fish species in species in South Africa, while the winner, Brian Rathebe, spoke about energy and how science could be used to create free energy with the use of a magnetic generator, and purified water with the use of nanotechnology.
“I am elated to have made it this far and I can’t wait to represent Limpopo at the final,” he said.
The winner of the FameLab national competition will receive R5 000 and an all expenses paid trip to the UK to participate in the international finals. The two runners-up are awarded a cash prize of R2 500 each and the 20 semi-finalists will receive book vouchers to the value of R500 each. As an added benefit, all participants can develop their science communication skills through workshops hosted at various stages of the FameLab competition.
