Programme
Speakers giving a remote presentation are marked with “[R]”.
Thursday, 25 January 2024
| 8:30 – 9:30 | Registration in foyer of Chris Hani Building (level 3 – ground floor University Ave.) | |
| Session 1: Chair: Patricia Whitelock (SAAO/UCT) | ||
| 9:30 – 10:30 | Imraan Patel (DSI DDG) | Welcoming remarks |
| Daya Reddy (UCT Vice Chancellor) | Welcoming remarks | |
| Ros Skelton (SAAO, Partnership chair) | Welcome and overview of NASSP today | |
| Peter Dunsby (UCT) | Reflection on 20 years of NASSP | |
| Thebe Medupe (NWU) [R] | Reflections on the bridging programme | |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Tea break | |
| Session 2: Chair: Mike Kosch (SANSA) | ||
| 11:00 – 11:20 | Amare Adebe (NWU) | From NASSP to Director of the Centre for Space Research NWU |
| 11:20 – 11:40 | Wendy Williams (SKAO, UK) | From NASSP to the SKAO |
| 11:40 – 12:00 | Mellony Spark (Conservation International Ventures) | From NASSP to Impact Investing in Africa |
| 12:00 – 12:20 | Moses Mogotsi (SAAO) | From NASSP to SALT |
| 12:20 – 12:40 | Conference photograph | |
| 12:40 – 14:00 | Lunch | |
| Session 3: Chair: Stefan Ferreira (NWU) | ||
| 14:00 – 14:20 | John Bosco Habarulema (SANSA) | From NASSP to Space Science |
| 14:20 – 14:40 | Miriam Nyamai (SARAO) | From NASSP to MeerKAT |
| 14:40 – 15:00 | Roger Deane (Wits) | From NASSP to imaging black holes |
| 15:00 – 15:20 | Sibusiso Mdhluli (Acornhoek Institute for Science and Technology) [R] | Programs to help high school learners improve performance in Maths and Science in rural areas |
| 15:20 – 15:50 | Coffee break | |
| Session 4: Chair: Saalih Allie (UCT) | ||
| 15:50 – 16:05 | Tankiso Moso (SANSA) [R] | Video from Antarctica |
| 16:05 – 16:25 | Themba Gqaza (Reach Digital Health) | Data science for health |
| 16:25 – 16:45 | Eli Kasai (University of Namibia, Namibia) | Astronomy in Namibia |
| 16:45 – 17:05 | Michelle Lochner (UWC/SARAO) | Machine learning in Astronomy |
| 19:00 | Conference dinner at SAAO in Observatory | |
Friday, 26 January 2024
| Session 5: Chair: Allen Mathews (UKZN) | ||
| 9:30 – 9:50 | Michelle Cluver (Swinburne University of Technology, Australia) | A spectroscopic galaxy survey of the southern sky |
| 9:50 – 10:10 | Itumeleng Monageng (UCT/SAAO) | A Journey Among the Stars |
| 10:10 – 10:30 | Edward Jurua (Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda) | Astronomy in Uganda |
| 10:30 – 10:50 | Given Phaladi (REGIVE) | The world of PHYnance |
| 10:50 – 11:20 | Tea break | |
| Session 6: Chair: Ed Elson (UWC) | ||
| 11:20 – 11:40 | Walter Silima (UWC/UCT) | From NASSP to IDIA: Transitioning from Science to Coding |
| 11:40 – 12:00 | Malema Hendrick Ramonyai (ikeja wireless) | From the Dusty Streets of Limpopo to System Development |
| 12:00 – 12:20 | Sultan Hassan (New York University, USA) | From NASSP to Hubble |
| 12:20 – 12:40 | Nondumiso Khumalo (SANSA) | My journey into SANSA as a Space Weather Forecaster |
| 12:40 – 14:00 | Lunch | |
| Session 7: Chair: Yunus Manjoo (NASSP) | ||
| 14:00 – 14:20 | Sthabile Kolwa (UJ) [R] | From NASSP to ESO and then on to MeerKAT |
| 14:20 – 14:40 | Xola Ndaliso (SAAO/Wits) | From NASSP to operating SALT |
| 14:40 – 15:00 | Pfesesani van Zyl (Wits/SARAO) | From NASSP to HartRAO |
| 15:00 – 15:20 | Renee Hlozek (University of Toronto, Canada) | From NASSP to Spokesperson for the Vera C. Rubin Telescope ‘Dark Energy Science Collaboration’ |
| 15:20 – 15:40 | Sarah Blyth/Saalih Allie (UCT) | Reflections, thanks and closing |