Science, engineering opportunities on SKA project

According to The Citizen, Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project director Bernie Fanaroff said that SKA - the world's largest telescope - will open up numerous opportunities to South Africa, particularly in the fields of science and engineering.

Speaking at the John Orr Memorial lecture at Wits University, Fanaroff said the sheer scale of the project would see significant investment in the training of young South African minds.

The SKA project, which Fanaroff described as a "mega-science project", employs over 120 personnel, the majority of which are young South African scientists and engineers, The Citizen reports. "This shows that we have nothing to apologise for in South Africa", Fanaroff said, adding that, once completed, the SKA would be the largest piece of science infrastructure in the world, and its being in Africa would kick-start an African science renaissance - "this is a demonstration of what South Africans are capable of," Fanaroff said.

All the MeerKAT and KAT-7 pilot system dishes were manufactured in South Africa, by South African companies.

Read the full article on www.citizen.co.za.