Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Cape pupils reach for stars
FOR the first time in SA, high school science pupils will be able to engage with scientists in outer space.
Two Cape Town high schools are set to participate in a global, space-connected science project when Nasa’s SpaceX launches Dragon CRS-14 aboard Falcon 9 from the US on April 2.
The destination is the International Space Station
(ISS) and the project on board ExoLab will engage with pupils and teachers at Claremont High School and the Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology.
The ExoLab project will be available in South Africa thanks to I-Innovate, which is looking to bring modern learning experiences to SA classrooms. Pupils will be given the opportunity to investigate the effect of microgravity on living organisms. The pupils involved will be investigating a thale cress plant, which is an organism of choice for many scientific studies as its genome has been fully mapped, making it easier to collect data from it.
I-Innovate chief executive Trisha Crookes said: “I-Innovate believes in inspiring potential in young learners and preparing them for future challenges and adventures in the real world.”
The two Western Cape schools participating in ExoLab will join more than 90 classrooms around the world.
Jade Segers, a Grade 9 pupil at the Cape Academy, said: “I am very excited about the ExoLab project because it is so interesting. It’s really cool that we can connect with people in space.” Viwe Mbava, a Grade 12 pupil at Claremont High School, said: “ExoLab is very different and groundbreaking. I want to understand the universe better by seeing how this plant (thale cress) adapts.”
To properly participate in the investigation, both schools will be given the equipment needed to replicate the experiment. Over a period of six to eight weeks, they will track the growth of the plant and compare it to the growth rate of specimens around the planet and on the ISS.
Claremont High principal Murray Gibbon said: “I am thrilled with this project that will take us way beyond the classroom, literally into space.
It is the kind of project that takes learning to a higher level with exciting and inspiring engagement with real science in the real world.”
Cape Academy principal Greg van Schalkwyk said: “This project makes the curriculum more relevant for our kids. They are living in a world of apps, virtual intelligence and robotics.
“This is an opportunity for our educators to collaborate with ExoLab and stimulate our kids through real-life exposure that can prepare them for future jobs.”