Dates to diarise

	Science talks on global change Climate change and related environmental issues are starting to take a front seat as South Africa prepares to host the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 28 November to 9 December in Durban. Over the next few months, the CSIR will host a number of science talks on this topic.
	CHPC ’11 to explore benefits of better HPC and data-curation adoption The Centre for High Performance Computing is hosting its 2011 National Conference themed Better HPC and data-curation adoption, better research and industrial development, from 7-9 December 2011 at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria.

Competition - Calling all entrepreneurs and SMEs

National clean technology competition for green entrepreneurs and SMEs Green entrepreneurs and SMEs with innovative ideas and concepts for green buildings, renewable energy and energy efficiency can participate in the SA Cleantech competition, which is a component of the Department of Environmental Affairs’ “Greening of COP17” project. Winners will be announced at a gala event during COP17 in Durban.

Built environment

	New Agrément SA board inaugurated by Public Works Minister The Minister of Public Works, Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, inaugurated the members of the new Board of Agrément South Africa at the end of July 2011. Pepi Silinga, CEO of the Coega Development Corporation and member of the CSIR Board, has been reappointed as Chair of the Agrément Board for a second term.
	Training on prevention and control of TB infection More than 80 public sector health managers involved with TB prevention in all nine provinces in South Africa attended a workshop at the CSIR recently to get first-hand information on the prevention and control of TB infection and cross-infection.

Defence and security

Finding a way to transform South Africa’s fragile social system What it looks like when it’s fixed is the poignant title of a recently launched publication by Dr Barbara Holtmann. Sponsored by PwC, Holtmann’s publication is based on research conducted during her period at the CSIR. Her work aims to answer the question often raised in South Africa, ‘What kind of person commits a crime like that?’, and then to find a way to deal with it.

System of systems integration for real world, real time complex scenarios The CSIR has integrated three complex systems to enable a more accurate simulation of conventional operations and operations other than war, like detecting and classifying ships used for piracy or illegal fishing and small aircraft used in illegal border crossings.

Energy

Developing a solar thermal research facility The CSIR is in the process of creating a concentrating solar thermal power station as a small scale research facility. Successful, timely completion may result in a world first: pressurised thermal storage that will allow the gas turbine generator to run when the sun is not shining. Further, unlike competing concentrating solar technologies, this plant will consume no water in the power cycle.

Health

HPC contributes in the quest to understand mental disorders The Cape Universities Brain Imaging Centre has partnered with the Centre for High Performance Computing to conduct a long-term project that seeks to analyse structural brain changes in patients suffering from brain diseases such as schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder.

CSIR laser researcher’s initial results hold key to confined cancer diagnosis Senior researcher, Aletta Karsten, at the CSIR National Laser Centre says skin reflectance measurement results obtained from the lab holds a key to non-invasive skin cancer diagnosis and treatment applications. Karsten is conducting painstaking research that, when it comes into fruition, could lead to non-invasive and quick measurements for skin cancer diagnostics.

Modelling skills used to improve diagnoses of glaucoma CSIR student researcher, Natasha Botha, uses modelling as a tool to investigate ways to accurately measure intra-ocular pressure (IOP). An elevated IOP indicates the development of glaucoma, a disease which damages the optic nerve and leads to gradual loss of vision.

Industry

CSIR develops high-brightness laser to benefit industry CSIR-developed laser technology to make almost any laser operate in a ‘high brightness’ mode will result in more efficient lasers for long-range communication systems, and in the military for target designation. The technology may also be used to make lasers smaller and less expensive, by exploiting the extra efficiency to make the support systems work a little less.

Natural environment

River water from Olifants River catchment poses high risk of infection Residents of communities living close to Brugspruit in the Olifants River catchment stand a 10 to 60% chance of becoming sick from contaminated water from the river, outside standpipes and the storage containers in their homes, while the World Health Organization regards 0,01% as a realistic risk.

Information and communications technology

	CSIR joins European partner in organising EuroAfrica forum on ICT research The 4th Euro-Africa Cooperation Forum on ICT Research takes place on 14-15 November 2011 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa. The forum is the fourth of a series of conferences organised by the EuroAfrica-ICT initiative  under the aegis of the European Commission and the African Union Commission.
	CSIR ICT experts join UNISA HCI flagship programme Professor Marlien Herselman and Dr Adele Botha have accepted an invitation to join the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) flagship programme of the school of computing at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The programme is led by Ruth de Villiers, research professor of the school of computing, College of Science Engineering and Technology.