March 2017 - Page 2 of 2 - Jive Media Africa

Mintek Semi-Finalist – More Social About Science

Mintek is a leading provider of minerals processing and metallurgical engineering products and services to industries worldwide. Their FameLab SA participants had the perfect platform to put their public speaking and communication skills to the test, in front of experienced Mintek judges.

The judges were: Ashma Singh, a Senior Technical Specialist in Mintek’s Mineral Processing Division; Mokae Bambo, a scientist at Mintek researching Nanoscience and Nanotechnology for water treatment and Portia Mudau, the Principal Engineer of Mintek’s Minerals Processing Division who is passionate about mentorship and education.

Nanji Sheni (above) won the heat and along with runner-up, Tshiamo Legoale, will join the other FameLab SA contestants in the semi-finals!

Nigerian-born and South African grown, Nanji said that FameLab SA was the perfect opportunity to be more social about her science and tap into her passion for public speaking. She is a Chemical Engineer who did her Masters in Minerals Processing and currently works as an Engineer-in-training at Mintek, optimising mining processes.

Jive will be tweeting live from semi-finals, follow @JiveMediaAfrica, and tweet us with the hashtag #FameLabSA to show your support for Nanji and Tshiamo!

The FameLab SA contestants and judges from Mintek

Tshiamo Legoale – Mintek’s FameLab SA Runner Up

FameLab ® is an initiative of the Cheltenham Festivals. The British Council in collaboration with the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and Jive Media Africa deliver the FameLab competition in South Africa. Find out more about FameLab South Africa at www.britishcouncil.org.za/famelab

March 22, 2017/by Jive Media

Training and Mentorship

Retired NASA Technologist to Judge SKA FameLab

Jim Adams (below), retired NASA Deputy Chief Technologist, dropped in to speak to the SKA South Africa FameLab participants while they were spending time at the Cape Town Science Centre practising their science communication skills. With responsibility for such a huge science programme, Jim Adams is uniquely positioned to engage SKA scientists on how to communicate with the public. Jim Adams will be one of the judges at the SKA South Africa FameLab heat.

The SKA will be the biggest scientific instrument ever built, and working with their scientists really gives one a sense of the magnitude of the endeavour and the excitement of the discoveries waiting to be made.

The SKA has also provided extra incentive for the winner of their public heat – they will travel, all expenses paid, to Mauritius to participate in a SKA SA Science Communication Workshop, where they will share their FameLab experience with students, specialists and science communicators. Jive Media Africa worked with the participants to facilitate discussions about science communication ahead of the SKA South Africa heat.

Time is running out to register for FameLab SA! Visit www.britishcouncil.org.za/famelab

Jim Adams speaks to the SKA FameLab SA participants

‘Colourful Science’ – the Cape Town Science Centre provided a stimulating venue for Jive to train SKA FameLab participants in science communication and media skills.

Pictured with an SKA FameLab participant is the South African MeerKAT radio telescope - a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope.

Pictured with a SKA FameLab participant is the South African MeerKAT radio telescope – a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope.

FameLab ® is an initiative of the Cheltenham Festivals. The British Council in collaboration with the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and Jive Media Africa deliver the FameLab competition in South Africa. Find out more about FameLab South Africa at www.britishcouncil.org.za/famelab

March 7, 2017/by Jive Media

Training and Mentorship

FameLab SA – Onward and Upward at Mintek

Mintek is a leading provider of minerals processing and metallurgical engineering products and services to industries worldwide. Jive Media Africa worked with Mintek researchers who are fired-up about using their science skills to change the world for the better.

The Mintek FameLab SA heat is the perfect opportunity to gain skills for talking to non-science audiences – contestants need to think creatively about how to communicate their research with public audiences. Being part of FameLab heat is about growing capacity in the organisation for both internal and external communications. Growing partnerships and collaborations and attracting new investment relies on finding ways of making science and technology accessible to a wide range of audiences. Jive is thrilled to support this objective.

Participants said that Jive’s training was very beneficial and enhanced their presentation skills.

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to compete – or would your organisation like to partner with FameLab in South Africa? Find out more at www.britishcouncil.org.za/famelab

Jive trained young researchers at Mintek to clearly explain their research to the public, narrowing the gap between science and the society in which it is at work.

Face to face training in science communication!

FameLab ® is an initiative of the Cheltenham Festivals. The British Council in collaboration with the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and Jive Media Africa deliver the FameLab competition in South Africa. Find out more about FameLab South Africa at www.britishcouncil.org.za/famelab

March 7, 2017/by Jive Media

Skills Development, Training and Mentorship

Practical Training at Wits Centres of Excellence

Jive Media Africa is thrilled to be working with three Centres of Excellence for this year’s FameLab season. At a recent training held at the University of the Witwatersrand, young CoE scientists and researchers spoke passionately about their particular focus areas and searched for ways to make them accessible and exciting to public audiences.

The CoE programme is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation and aims to “concentrate existing research excellence, capacity and resources, to enable researchers to collaborate across disciplines on long-term projects that are locally relevant and internationally competitive”. Science communication skills development is a key part of this.

The Centres of Excellence in Palaeosciences, Strong Materials, and Mathematics and Statistical Sciences have all seen the importance of growing these skills – and brought together a group of fired-up researchers to learn from one another and the Jive team.

During the training, Jive facilitated practical exercises and group discussions and engaged the participants around videos of other great science talks – to give them the confidence and creativity to share their Science on the FameLab stage!

Want to get involved? Visit www.britishcouncil.org.za/famelab

Jive Media Africa provided practical science communication training for researchers from University of Witwatersrand’s Centres of Excellence

Putting Jive’s training into practice

FameLab ® is an initiative of the Cheltenham Festivals. The British Council in collaboration with the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and Jive Media Africa deliver the FameLab competition in South Africa. Find out more about FameLab South Africa at www.britishcouncil.org.za/famelab

March 7, 2017/by Jive Media

Training and Mentorship

Wits – Confidence Boosting Communication Training

The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) is hosting FameLab SA for the first time this year!

Jive Media Africa was privileged to work with 17 researchers from a wide range of faculties and departments to enhance their science communication skills prior to the Wits FameLab SA heat. Wits’ participation in the heat demonstrates their commitment to taking science into public spaces, and we are excited to welcome them to the FameLab family.

The session was very interactive and prompted lots of discussion and debate about the role of science in society, and how to find the right amount of detail for a public talk.

Feedback from the group was that Jive’s training was useful, fun and boosted their confidence and ability to communicate their research with people outside of their field or within the public. Participants will compete against each other for the opportunity to represent Wits at the FameLab SA semi-finals, and ultimately to represent South Africa on an international stage.

Find out more – or register for FameLab SA at www.britishcouncil.org.za/famelab

Researchers at Wits practice their communication skills ahead of competing in the FameLab SA competition.

Working pairs to practice communications skills learned from Jive Media Africa

FameLab ® is an initiative of the Cheltenham Festivals. The British Council in collaboration with the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and Jive Media Africa deliver the FameLab competition in South Africa. Find out more about FameLab South Africa at www.britishcouncil.org.za/famelab

March 7, 2017/by Jive Media

Books, Media & Film, Media Production

Story Press Africa

Announcing Story Press Africa:

https://storypressafrica.com/

Story Press Africa, an imprint of Catalyst Press (USA) and Jive Media Africa (South Africa), is a collaborative platform for sharing African knowledge.

Through the medium of stories (including graphic novels, young adult and children’s literature) we aim to place African knowledge in its rightful place among the knowledge of the world. We publish African stories for a global audience; authentic, challenging and frequently controversial visions of the continent that birthed humankind.

We debut this fall in the US with the graphic novel Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince, by Luke Molver which is the first in our African Graphic Novel Series. Watch this space…

March 7, 2017/by Jive Media

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