The South African Women in Science Awards (SAWiSA), which recognises and rewards excellence by women in science and technology, will take place in September.
The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) will host a two-day celebration from 8 September in Durban.
Themed, ‘Harnessing technological change and innovation to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls,’ the awards recognises younger women who are starting their careers as researchers and scientists, as well as registered master’s and PhD students.
Participants will be awarded in the following categories:
Distinguished Woman Researchers: winner receives R90 000, first runner-up: R65 000, second runner-up: R40 000;
Distinguished Young Woman Researchers: winner receives R80 000, first runner-up: R55 000, second runner-up: R30 000;
DSI-Ndoni Mcunu Fellowship: six participants will receive R70 000 for a master’s degree and six participants will receive R90 000 for a PhD degree.
The category DSI Fellowships was renamed to DSI-Ndoni Mcunu Fellowships in honour of Mcunu’s memory and legacy as a young brilliant scientist and phenomenal woman.
The late Mcunu was one of South Africa’s leading young scientists in climate change, a social entrepreneur, and the founder of Black Women in Science (BWIS).
BWIS has provided developmental training to over 400 postgraduate fellows in business, entrepreneurship and research skills, scientific writing, project leadership, science communication skills and research career preparation.
During her lifetime Mcunu achieved numerous accolades including being named a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow, receiving an honorary award at the KZN Young Achievers Awards in the Science Research and Entrepreneurship category, winning the Gagasi FM Shero award in the Science and Technology category and recognised as one of the 40 under-40 African Leaders for Climate Resilience in 2019.
The DSI and 2023 SAWiSA has 26 finalists and one of the finalists selected is Gizelle Roque Van Niekerk from the University of Pretoria, who is a second year MSc student.
In 2022, she attended the 14th Green Chemistry Postgraduate Summer School (GCPSS) in Venice, Italy.
“I am grateful to Pietro Tundo for seeing potential in me as a young scientist by selecting me to attend the in-person event on scholarship.
“The 14th Green Chemistry Summer School was a life-changing experience and instrumental to my future career as a chemist. It was an honour to present my research at such a prestigious international summer school.
“The opportunity reinforced my belief that green chemistry solutions are a fundamental course of action for sustainable development in the Global South,” Van Niekerk said in a statement.
She said it was a privilege to engage with postgraduate students from a broad spectrum of countries and found the talks given by highly influential scientists very inspiring.
Networking with people who share the same common goal encouraged her to fervently continue the ground-taking field of green chemistry. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: South African Government News Agency