The closing date for acceptance of entries is 30 June 2015. Late entries will be accepted until 10 July. The science expo takes place on 30 and 31 July at the Conference Centre of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood Campus at the corner of Richmond and Mariannhill Roads in Pinetown.
FFS Refiners is sponsoring about 25 of the top achievers at the expo and a group of disadvantaged young scientists to tour sites such as the Drakensberg Pumping Station, Wits University Planetarium, the Hartbeeshoek Radio & Astronomy Observatory, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's National Laser Centre, Pretoria Zoo, Tswaing Meteorite Crater, Sterkfontein Caves, Sci-Bono Discovery Centre and the NECSA Atomic Energy Corporation at Pelindaba.
"Each year, several hundred learners get the opportunity to experience the wonder of uncovering the unknown by following a system of scientific experimentation and deduction," says Mona Naicker, Director Corporate Affairs at FFS Refiners. "We hope the expo will awaken an interest in the sciences that may lead to further study. Our modern world needs scientists - whether in pure research or in practice as engineers, capable of a logical and methodical approach to problem-solving."
At the expo, learners present the results of their studies in any aspect of science that is of interest to them. The results are displayed visually as a poster, together with any other material that is relevant. A panel of judges will interview each exhibitor and the best entries will be awarded medals. Every participant will receive a certificate to show that he or she has taken part in the expo.
In addition, the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) makes an award available annually for a deserving marine science project. The award is presented for innovative research and use of good scientific method.
Entries mainly take the form of results displayed as a large poster, a file containing the results and a display. There are three basic types of expo projects: collections, constructions and investigations, and a broad range of categories including physics and astronomy, chemistry, botany, zoology, mathematics and statistics, marine sciences, microbiology, conservation and environmental studies, human biology and medicine, energy innovations, recycling, social sciences, electronics and robotics, and many more.
"Science can be such fun," says Professor Bice Martincigh, the chair of the organising committee. "Through this science expo, we hope to stimulate interest in the process of scientific thought and to create an awareness of the intellectual pleasure and fulfilment that can be gained from carrying out an investigation through experimentation leading to an understanding of how things work or interact."
For more information, go to FFS Expo for Young Scientists.
