Hayley Axford

Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) is well known for hosting South Africa’s National Science Festival, Scifest Africa. The annual festival, which started in 1996, has been a gateway to the world of Science, Technology Engineering, Mathematics and Innovation for 24 years. The Festival has hosted hundreds of international speakers and workshop leaders, and hosted well over a million attendees of all ages, becoming the largest such event on the African continent. The advent of the Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted every part of the globe, and the science engagement space has not been spared its effect. As a result of the pandemic, the [...]

Missions are pretty straightforward things. You have your objectives that you want to complete. You have your plan of action. You know what the potential threats are. You know what you have to do to get the job done. And you know the risks. And once you accept the mission you commence to action. Follow the plan. Or maybe you improvise. Whatever you do you keep your eye on the goal. We follow many spoken and unspoken missions throughout our lives. No matter what they help guide and shape our actions and help us make decisions and achieve goals. Scientists in [...]

The chart of elements dating back to 1885. Image: University of St. Andrews "A classroom chart bearing an early version of the periodic table of elements has been discovered in a University of St. Andrews chemistry lab. Dating back to the 1880s, the chart is thought to be the world’s oldest. The storage room of the chemistry department at the Scottish university hadn’t been properly cleaned since the facility opened in 1968, prompting a months-long effort to tidy up back in 2014, according to a news release issued today by the University of St. Andrews. Among [...]