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People to People Ambassador Programs
Optical Science and Engineering Delegation to South Africa
June 6– 16, 2005
The primary professional objective of this
delegation was to promote international cooperation in the field
of optics. The delegation was to act as a catalyst for
stimulating the U.S. optics community involvement with the South
African optics community through the activities of scientific
professional societies and personnel exchanges. The major topics
of discussion included the current state of optics education,
research and industries and economic development in South
Africa; the involvement of South African students, professors
and researchers in the international optics community; and
opportunities for collaboration.
There were six professional members of the delegation and three
guests. Their backgrounds include expertise in a wide variety of
areas of optical science and optical engineering from both the
academic and industry perspective. The delegation convened in
New York City on June 6 and traveled to Johannesburg. The
following pages describe the details of the professional visits
and cultural and social programs.
BACKGROUND
South Africa recognizes the need to increase its research and
development activities in order to foster economic development
and enhance their quality of life. However, it is difficult to
accomplish this without technology-based industries and a
minimal infrastructure of research laboratories and technical
support. To combat these problems of a lack of infrastructure
and critical mass, representatives from a group of African
countries, including South Africa, met to develop a plan for
collaboration and networking. The Dakar Declaration and Action
Plan of November 1999 formally recognized the fact that “science
and its applications can have major impacts on poverty
eradication, health, peace, sustainable development and
environmental protection.” It states that “such development will
not take place without improvements in scientific capacities and
facilities.” Also, “scientific knowledge is an increasingly
important tool for decision makers, especially in devising
policies for national development.” Based on this, they declared
that “scientific and technological research focusing on existing
and new modes of production should be used to promote
development in the South, be integrated into better management
practices and serve as a basis for more efficient use of natural
resources.” They recommended an agenda that included national
initiatives to provide sustained support to science and
technology to build the infrastructure and capacity necessary
for acquiring and advancing technology and innovation. Their
action items included the creation of centers of excellence in
Africa where world-class basic research can be pursued through
collaborations with other countries. In addition, they called
for the governments to create national and regional innovation
centers to manage the development of new technology.
JUNE 6-7: New York City to Johannesburg
The first two days were travel days. The delegation initially
met in the late afternoon at Kennedy airport. After spending a
brief amount of time getting acquainted, the delegation boarded
the plane for the overnight flight to South Africa with a stop
in Dakar, Senegal. The delegation arrived in Johannesburg in the
late afternoon. We were met by the local guide, Johan van Biljon,
and taken to the Sandton Crowne Plaza Hotel. After checking in,
the delegation had an excellent dinner and visit with their new
friend Johan, who proved to be a wealth of information.
JUNE 8: Johannesburg and Pretoria
The morning began with an informative orientation about the
country of South Africa given by Keira Powers of the Spirit of
Africa, the People to People Ambassador Programs affiliate
organization in the country. This presentation covered the
history and social customs of the country, as well as a
discussion of the group’s itinerary.
After the briefing, the delegates went to lunch at the Butcher
Shop and Grill, where they enjoyed eating African game -
ostrich, springbok, eland and kudu. In the afternoon the
delegates had a tour of Soweto, where they saw the homes of
Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu and the Hector Petersen Museum.
Here they were able to learn about the riots that began the
downfall of Apartheid. The museum exhibits and tour provided a
moving experience of an important part of the history of South
Africa.
The guests spent the day with guide Andre van Niekerk touring
Pretoria. They visited the Voortrekker Monument and learned
about the Great Trek. After lunch at the Blue Crane restaurant,
they saw the Paul Kruger House Museum, Church Square and Union
Building.
The delegation met in the evening for dinner at local
restaurants.
JUNE 9: Johannesburg and Pretoria
The first professional visit for the delegates was in Pretoria
at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Dr.
Phil Mjwara, the group executive, and Hardus Greyling, the
portfolio manager, briefed the group on CSIR. It is a national
laboratory with a one-billion Rand budget - 40% coming from the
government and 60% from industry. About 10% of the industry
support is for service manufacturing, while the rest is for
special projects. It evolved from an initial focus on nuclear
energy to the current situation of several areas of scientific
focus:
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Building technology
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Defense technology
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Food, biological and chemical technologies
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Information and communication technology
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Manufacturing and materials technology
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Mining technology
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Roads and transport technology
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Water, environment and forestry technology
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Centres:
The focus area of specific interest to the optics delegation is
the National Laser Center.
The National Laser Center is a South African Center of
Excellence in CSIR that promotes research and training programs
and collaborates with other African regional laser centers. We
had an interesting tour of the laboratories. The Center
specializes in manufacturing materials processing, with programs
in cutting, welding, cladding, hardening and cleaning. These
areas have strong industry collaborations. The Center also
sponsors a higher education program. This involves a user
facility, where professors and students can come to perform
research projects sponsored by the NRF. We met a group from
Stellenbosch University working there. They also have an
equipment loan program supported by NRF through which they
provide lasers and technical support for South African
universities. They currently have 23 projects, and are limited
by their budget. This is a highly successful program that
provides access to laser equipment to any groups in South
Africa.
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