VUT to host the National Science Week
VUT to host the National Science Week
Some of the VUT staff members and leaners
Selina Rapulane
The Vaal University of Technology Southern Gauteng Science and Technology Park (VUT SGSTP) will be hosting its very first National Science Week from 31 July to 2 August 2018.
Through the National Science Week, the VUT SGSTP aims to create awareness of science and technology through a fun, exciting and hands-on learning environment and to give previously disadvantaged learners access to a state-of-the-art science and technology experience.
Five schools from different areas, as well as VUT students, are scheduled to attend and participate in the Science Week. Four of these schools – Lebohang Secondary School and Thuto-Lore Comprehensive School, in Sharpeville; together with Thuto-Tiro Comprehensive School and Sizanani-Thusanang Comprehensive School in Sebokeng, have an existing partnership with VUT which date back from 2017. They are beneficiaries of the VUT’s Idea2Product (I2P) 3D Printing labs which were donated to their schools during 2017. The fifth school is Founders Hill College, which is based in Johannesburg.
Learners will have the opportunity to be in a unique, world-class Advanced Manufacturing (AM) precinct that is geared to support industrialisation and job creation. They will have time to visit exhibition stalls showcasing: I2P Department, Additive Manufacturing, Faculty of Engineering, Applied and Computer Sciences, Human Sciences and Management Sciences, as well as Student Recruitment.
The I2P Lab provides young people with the facilities to conceptualise, design, develop, fabricate and test innovative new ideas. Using entry-level personal 3D printer platforms, the I2P lab aims to provide access to AM to interested individuals. The lab serves to promote effective teaching and learning experiences. It offers skills development and training in areas of product development in the form of basic 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD), part modelling as well as 3D printing.
VUT Science Park looks forward to making a valuable impact in the lives of the Vaal community, through science and technology. This will be an opportunity for the VUT SGSTP and the community to jointly celebrate unrecognised scientists and inventions that have improved lives and instilled passion and the love for science in the next generation.
The Science Park has been established to serve the needs of the community and always thrives to provide services that will grow and develop them. Its services range from fostering research, innovation, technology development and community engagement programmes among others.
The precinct aims to assist students, small and medium enterprises and manufactures in attaining their maximum potential, enabling them to contribute to economic growth, job creation and skills development in South Africa.