South Africans have been urged to protect themselves against the effects of climate change. This comes in the wake of the high temperatures that the country has been experiencing.

Most parts of the country have been experiencing heatwaves, as a result of changes in temperatures. Although there will be some relief in days to come, as evidenced by the rainfall that has been forecast, climate change experts from the CSIR have given warnings of increased temperatures and extreme heat events throughout the summer season.

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The community of Stinkwater has no access to piped water distributions and rely on water delivered by the municipal trucks. Often, this is not enough. Le Roux explains that the community has found its own solution to accessing water through hand dug wells. This untreated water is then used by the community, exposing them to various health risks.

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Female researchers from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are spearheading research to improve the country’s competitiveness in additive manufacturing and stem cell reprogramming.

Speaking to the media in Pretoria recently, the researchers commended the CSIR for providing a conducive environment for them to excel in all areas, including those that were previously dominated by their male counterparts.

Hundreds of learners who attend the CSIR annual career day have described it as an eye opener in learning more about various careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

This year, the event was used to highlight the impact and effects of climate change in South Africa. Learners were exposed to various technologies developed by the CSIR to curb climate change. This is in line with the 2019 National Science Week (NSW) theme “Facing the harsh realities of climate change”.

The leakage of plastic waste into the environment, especially in the marine environment, is an issue of growing global concern. In South Africa, the need to find sustainable solutions is highlighted by the growing consumption of single-use plastic combined with weak waste collection, recycling and disposal systems. According to research conducted by Jambeck et al in 2015, the country ranked 11th in terms of the mass of mismanaged plastic waste by countries globally in 2010.

On Wednesday, 26 June 2019, a select group of young researchers briefed the media in Pretoria. The purpose of the briefing was to highlight the impact of, the opportunities available and future skills required by young people to thrive in the rise of the 4IR. CSIR researchers shared their research projects in areas such as machine learning, robotics and additive manufacturing.

A team of six South African undergraduate students has taken first prize against 13 teams at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) in Frankfurt, Germany. The spectacular success follows four days of working on a selection of tests and applications to optimise and run their computer cluster to demonstrate the performance of their chosen design. The competition took place from 16 to 19 June 2019.

The CSIR has embarked on an ongoing research, development and application endeavour to investigate various biometric modalities, which include fingerprints, the iris, ear and face, that were captured at birth or during infancy, in order to determine which modalities are best suited for the automated biometric recognition of children from infancy to adulthood, and beyond.

CSIR welcomes Dr Bonginkosi “Blade” Nzimande and Mr Buti Manamela as the new Minister and Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, respectively, as appointed by President Cyril Ramphosa, on Wednesday, 29 May 2019.

The CSIR congratulates Dr Ghaneshree Moonsamy for being the first student at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) to have her Master’s degree converted into a doctoral degree.

Moonsamy (34), a senior researcher at the CSIR, made history when her thesis for a Master’s in biotechnology was converted into a PhD thesis because of its superior quality.