Fish Identification course leads to new friendships

 

In October Ofer Gon ran two held two four-day Fish Identification courses for compliance officers from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).These officials enforce compliance with fishing regulations promulgated under the Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA) of South Africa (act no. 18, 1998). The MLRA regulates the fishing of individual species of South Africa’s marine and estuarine fishes in the recreational, commercial and subsistence fishery sectors.

The course participants work in pairs. Participants are introduced to scientific principals such as species classification and biological similarity. They are also alerted to available resources relevant to their work, such as books and electronic databases, how to handle a fish specimen and how to use scientific identification keys. Each course comprised laboratory practical and short theory presentations, followed by hands-on work with specimens. At the end of the course the participants wrote a test to evaluate their newly acquired fish identification skills.

Some SAIAB interns also attenden the course. Amanda Gura said the course was especially helpful for her as a genetics intern. “The course has made it easier for me to be able to identify fish before even doing DNA testing,” she said.

DAFF Chief Director of Monitoring Control and Surveillance, Mr Mthoba, who also attended one of the courses, said the course was very important as Compliance Enforcement Officers must be able to identify species in the field as well as in storage, and to defend their identification. He was also thankful to SAIAB for the warm reception. “Even though we had only been here for four days; it felt like we’ve been here for much longer. Not every organisation is blessed enough to have vibrant interns and soccer teams,” he said.

Nomfundo Nkabi, who is also a SAIAB Intern, says apart from the skills she’s acquired during the course, she enjoyed meeting new people the most. “We invited some of the guys we met during the course to come watch one of the SAIAB ladies' soccer matches. The one gentleman who came appointed himself the ‘special projects coordinator’ of the team and bought the team Energade energy drinks”, she said. “The course came to an end too soon”, she adds.

At the end of each course, certificates are handed out to all course participants. To view the photos click here.

 

Andrew’s I.T Lesson of the Month: Self-Service backup for Exchange

The SAIAB Exchange server is equipped with a self-service backup feature accessible from Outlook. It’s a fail-safe which allows you to retrieve mail accidentally deleted from ‘Deleted Items’.

 This ‘Recover Deleted Items’ folder allows you to recover messages up to two months ago.

Recovering a deleted message:

 1. With Outlook open, click on the ‘Folder’ on the ribbon

 

1)      Click the ‘Recover deleted items’ icon

2)      Review the list of recoverable messages. You can sort by ‘Subject’, ‘Deleted on’ etc. by clicking on the relevant heading.

1)      Select the message (or messages) you wish to recover

2)      Click the ‘Recover selected items’ icon. The recovery window will close, and the selected message(s) will be restored to the folder they were deleted from (either ‘deleted items’ or the folder they were originally stored

 

The Economics of Happiness

Wendy Sweetman recently organised a public screening of the film The Economics of Happiness.

The Economics of Happiness is an award-winning film which gives an analysis of globalisation and its impact on our lives. The first half of the film depicts how globalisation leads to unhappiness, depression and insecurity. It shows how globalisation breeds cultural self-rejection, competition and divisiveness; how it structurally promotes the growth of slums and urban sprawl; how it is decimating democracy. “Globalisation has blurred the lines between what you need and what you want; wants have become needs,” said one of the interviewees. The film makers interviewed a variety of activists from all seven continents sharing their thoughts on how globalisation impacts our lives.

 The film shows how globalisation continues to lead to the waste of natural resources because our current economic system encourages consumerism, placing a greater dependence on natural resources. This part of the film also showed how globalisation accelerates climate change, threatens the livelihoods of those dependent on local markets, and increases conflict due to greater competitiveness. It shows how globalisation has destroyed cultures and languages around the world because people are more and more drawn to the “global language and culture”.

The second half of the film provides a solution to this “destructive” path we’re on. The film argues that we need to begin to localise our economies, politics and cultures. It spells out the policy changes needed to enable local businesses to survive and prosper. It gives examples of community initiatives that are moving the localisation agenda forward, including urban gardens in Detroit, Michigan and the Transition Town movement in Totnes, UK. It also proposes greater regulations on multinational and transnational corporations at a domestic level.

The Economics of Happiness forces you to start reflecting on the day-to-day decisions we make about the type of lives we want to live. It makes you question whether we even need all the things we are sold by big corporations. It challenges us to start thinking of ourselves as part of a greater humanity. The film shows how we can become agents of change in this world instead of contributors to the destruction of the planet. It’s definitely one of those documentaries which are an absolutely must to watch.

Long time SAIAB Honorary Research Associate, Dr Allan Connell, visits the Institute

We recently had the honour of being visited by Dr Allan Connell who has been an Honorary Research Associate for more than two decades.

Dr Connell’s relationship with relationship with SAIAB began back in the late 1980s when he was working at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) monitoring the impact of submarine outfalls on the marine environment of KwaZulu-Natal. “I was heading a team of chemists, bacteriologists and biologists and we would often find fish. We didn’t know what species they were and would send them to SAIAB for identification. Our work often involved aspects of Ichthyology, which helped to build a relationship with Phil and Elaine Heemstra together with Alan Whitfield,” he says.

Even though he did his PhD in Entomology, he had always been interested in fishing from a very young age. “After my retirement I started a culture of collecting and studying fish eggs. I collect, catalogue and identify these fish eggs. While doing this work, I came across eggs which I couldn’t identify and that’s around the time I went into DNA testing," he says. At the time there wasn’t much being done in this field in South Africa.

“I searched the internet and came across an article in New Scientist about a researcher at the University of Guelph in Canada, who was barcoding cryptic butterflies, to unravel the mystery of very distinguishable larvae on specific host plants giving rise to cryptic adults that few experts could tell apart by traditional taxonomy." He made contact with the scientist and asked whether it was possible to barcode some of his unknown species. He replied that they were in the process of sourcing funding for the launch of an international effort to barcode the fishes of the world. “They asked if I was willing to collect fish from South Africa and in exchange they would barcode my hatched larvae,"he says. Dr Connell then contacted SAIAB requesting permission to propose SAIAB as the Southern African representative on the barcoding team and his collaboration with SAIAB has taken various forms ever since.

Dr Connell doesn’t visit the Institute on a regular basis but keeps regular contact with Phil and Elaine. “I decided to come down because I had a lot of buckets and drums of species which I needed to get down here. I also came across two fish which seem to be new species. I’ve also brought some material for Phil and Elaine for the new Fishes of the Western Indian Oceans book," he says.

To see Dr Connell’s work please visit http://www.fisheggsandlarvae.com/

From the student’s desk: Notes on preparing an article for a Scientific Journal

The title:

The author should remember that the title will be read by perhaps thousands of people but few, if any, will read the entire paper. Each word must therefore be chosen with care. Abstracting and indexing services rely on the accuracy of the title; an improperly titled paper may be lost and never reach its intended audience. The terms in the title should be limited to those words which highlight the significant content of the article in words that are both understandable and retrievable. The author should ask: “how would I look for this kind of information in an index?”

The abstract:

The abstract is a summary of the article. It should: (1) state the principal objectives and scope of the investigation; (2) describe the methodology employed; (3) summarize the results; and (4) state the principal conclusions reached. It should not give any information or conclusion that is not stated in the paper. The primary purpose of the abstract is to enable readers to identify the basic content of the article quickly and accurately, and to determine its relevance to their interests. Abstracts must not contain information which is meaningless without referring to the text. Do not refer to illustrations and tables. It is sensible to write the abstract after you have written the paper.  Some journals (not all) require you to include a list of keywords at the end of the abstract.

The introduction:

A good introduction will contain the following: (1) it should present in clear outline the nature and scope of the problem investigated; (2) it should give the hypothesis being investigated; (3) it should give the motivation for doing the research and the background knowledge that is considered essential for the reader to understand the paper; (4) it might explain why the problem was studied; (5) it should briefly review the pertinent literature; (6) it should briefly state the method of investigation; (7) it should give the principal results of the investigated.

Materials and Methods:

In this section the author should give enough detail that a competent worker can repeat the experiments described. The careful writing of this section is critically important because scientific convention requires that your results be reproducible- thus you must provide the means for another researcher to reproduce your experiments.

If your method is new, you must give all the needed details. If the method has been published previously in a primary journal, you need give only the literature reference. If you modified procedure, describe what you did that was new. State whatever statistical procedures you used on your results.

Results:

There are two kinds of components of the results section. First, you should present the data. Secondly, you should give some overall description of the experiments (providing the ‘big picture’). Since the entire paper must stand or fall on the basis of the results, they must be presented with great clarity, succinctness and, as far as possible, simplicity. Describe on the most efficient and logical way of showing your findings, and avoid duplication. Do not describe in detail in the text what is obvious from the table or figure. If tables or figures tell the main story, the text need mention only the highlights. It is sometimes sensible to state what you did not find under the conditions of your experiment.

Discussion:

This is often the hardest section to write. Many are too long and verbose. Apart from the abstract, it is the section that most influences an editor when first examining a paper. The essential features of a good discussion are: (1) try to present the principals, relationships and generalizations shown by the results. (2) You should state whether the data support they hypothesis being tested. (3) You point out any exceptions or any lack of correlation among your results and define unsettled matters. (4) Show how your results and interpretations agree (or contrast with) previously published work. (5) Discuss the theoretical implications of your work, as well as any possible practical applications. (6) State your conclusions (and possibly summarize your evidence for each conclusion.

Literature citations:

Only significant, published works should be cited. References to unpublished data, papers in dissertations, in press, thesis and other secondary materials are often not acceptable and generally should be cited only sparingly or not at all.

Check all parts of every reference against the original publication. Because there are variations among journals in the way literature is cited, the researcher should write out literature references in full on index cards (or some other convenient, retrievable source) at the time they are consulted; it is then easy to edit this information subsequently, when required to do so for purpose of publication.

Please note that the above article was taken out the FRD Programme Series No 22, June 1995 by Dr G. Baker. Foundation for Research Development, University Development Programme, Pretoria

Our road trip to the DST Ministerial Imbizo in rural KuGatyana

It was a lovely warm Sunday afternoon in Grahamstown when Nozi, Garth, Ryan and I embarked on our trip to KuGatyana (Willowvale) for the DST Ministerial Imbizo. The Department of Science and Technology held a Public Participation Programme at which Minister Naledi Pandor handed over a mobile science laboratory to the chief of the area, Nkosi Ngenyathi Dumalisile. As a Research Institute of the NRF, SAIAB together with other organisations under the NRF and the DST, were invited to exhibit.

We all hopped on the SAIAB EduBus and Nozi took the wheel. We took the Port Alfred coastal route to avoid the road works on the inland Peddie route. Just as we passed Port Alfred Ryan offered to help with the driving while Garth and I were only too happy to sit in the back and enjoy the ride.

None of us knew how to get to the venue of the Imbizo. Thanks to Garth’s iphone we were able to find our way there. The plan was to set up our exhibition then go to the Kob Inn where we were booked for the night. When we arrived we looked for the SAIAB stand, only for the security guard to tell us we didn’t have a designated stand but we could come back in the morning and see if any other exhibitors failed to pitch up and take one of their spots. We politely agreed with him but decided rather to take the biggest open space we could find. We began offloading all the material. The Marquee was set up on uncut grass and after 15 minutes of struggling to set up the banners and four rather opinionated individuals deciding on where a banner should go, we eventually decided on the general layout of the exhibition and left for Kob Inn. We drove about 30 km on a gravel road to our destination. The resort was beautiful from what one could see in the dark. The old man at the security entrance seemed oddly happy at our arrival. As he showed us to the reception area he asked Nozi and I, “Nini abo ooMphathiswa?” (Are you the ministers?), we laughed and said no. Apparently he was instructed that the ministers would be arriving around 10pm. We arrived at reception, and shown to our rooms and were to meet at 5:50 am the following morning. Despite the fact that there was no cell phone signal, nowhere to charge my phone, I don’t have a watch and I’m a late sleeper, we managed to leave the resort at 6am to head back to the venue.

We were some of the first people to arrive. Angus arrived just as we were about to finish setting up. He stayed for about 20 minutes walking up and down and disappeared, came back 10 minutes later and whispered “Guys there’s breakfast in the tent across the street.” Our timing at the tent was perfect because we got there just as all the dignitaries were arriving at the Chief’s Palace, where the tent was set up. Among them were the Minister of DST, Naledi Pandor, Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Enver Surty, Director General of the DST, Phil Mjwara, Advisor to the Minister, MEC of Social Development in the Eastern Cape, MEC of Education, Mandla Makupula, District Mayor of Amathole, Nomasikizi Konza,  and the Municipal Mayor of Willowvale.

People started pouring in around 9am and the event started approximately an hour late. It would appear that we picked a good spot for our eye catching exhibition: The coelacanth model and bottled specimens were crowd pullers.  The SAIAB stand was a hit, not only with the learners, but also with the ministers. Nozi was great with the kids - communicating science in IsiXhosa really captured the audience. An old man adorned in IsiXhosa attire was particularly interested in what we do with the fish. We later discovered he was actually the father of the Chief. After things calmed down with the kids, the ministers visited the exhibitions. Angus jokingly said, “Ok guys you’re up.” As we turned our heads, Deputy Minister, Surty, together with Phil Mjwara approached our stand. Angus introduced us and Phil Mjwara asked if I would be able to tell him what SAIAB is about in three minutes.  After what seemed like  less than two minutes, he said, “The minister has to hear this,” and walked away. A second or so later he came back with her and introduced me. I froze for about a second. I thought of the previous Thursday when Angus walked into my office and asked if I wanted to meet the minister. I didn’t think it would actually happen. This was my time to shine, as nervous as I was, I had to impress.

I was impressed that she recalled having visited SAIAB for the opening of the Margaret Smith Library. We actually had a full conversation. She asked what I was doing at SAIAB, what my field of studies are and was particularly interested in the activities of the ACEP Phuhlisa Programme. After about five minutes, she went onto Garth who told her more about ACEP Phuhlisa. We were very lucky to be located where we were because all the dignitaries went into the tent straight from our exhibition without visiting the other exhibitions.

The programme was kicked off by a vibrant Master of Ceremonies. The minister was introduced by Phil Mjwara and I was surprised to learn that she is the granddaughter of Z.K. Matthews (a famous political activist who proposed the idea of the Congress of the People and the Freedom Charter to the ANC in the early 1950’s). She spoke of the general state of the education system and the unacceptable challenges faced by schools in rural areas. She officially handed over the mobile lab to the chief indicating that the department is donating eight instead of one mobile lab. The Department of Basic Education together with the Department of Science and Technology jointly donated text books and scientific calculators to surrounding schools. After all the speeches had been made, the show began: the Amakhosikazi Bobumbani come on stage and dressed the minister in traditional IsiXhosa attire. This was followed by a performance by old men and woman doing a traditional Xhosa dance and two more dance items.

After the programme ended, we had a long debate about whether we should stay an extra night or make our way back to Grahamstown. Nozi eventually won the debate and we made our way back home. I was much quieter on our way back. Garth was convinced I was still on cloud nine about having spoken to the minister - maybe he was right. It was an amazing/ overwhelming/… experience!

 

 

 

SAIAB High Intensity (futsal*) Training Programme

 

SAIAB Ladies team with then couch Sherwyn Mack

 SAIAB is an institute with a high number of young(ish) staff, students and interns who have, for some time, bemoaned the lack of some or other form of extramural engagement to burn up some of that youthful energy and provide an opportunity for us to mingle outside of the workplace. One answer to this call has come in the form of the SAIAB Men’s and Ladies’ Soccer teams that have been organised by the recently formed SAIAB High Intensity (futsal*) Training programme (S.H.I.(f.)T.). Other sports codes that may be considered by the programme, should enough interest be shown, include Night Bowls and Cricket.

 Interest in both teams has steadied substantially after a very shaky start and is reflected in training attendance and subsequently also in the results. The men’s team even boasts several international signings including two trans-Limpopo attackers and an Austrian midfielder in the form of visiting researcher Franz Ublein who has shown great enthusiasm, skill and experience. (In fact, Franz was one of those encouraging the formation of a soccer team in a previous visit to SAIAB in March.)

A mention must definitely go to the ladies’ team who, after going down 11-1 in their first game, recovered to concede a total of only 9 goals in all of their subsequent matches. Well done ladies, your improvement is due to practice, improved defence and killing the goat.

The men’s team won their first game recently with an effortless 2-0 over Cullen Bowels House. The leading scorer so far is Mandla Magoro.

 Developments in the running of the teams are that a coach and assistant coach have been appointed in Ndiviwe “Igesund” Baliwe and Bafo “Aag shame Pitso” Konqobe. The Political Liaison and Propaganda Officer is Nonceba “Goebbels” Mhlauli. An honorary member of S.H.I.(f.)T. is Director Angus Paterson since, in a show of support, SAIAB management has agreed to sponsor full team kit and a braai in celebration of every victory. (Please?) OK, the director has agreed to co-fund kit and has availed one SAIAB bakkie to take the ladies home after matches which often end around 21:00 on Fridays.

 It is envisioned that the programme will reside within the Wellness Committee and we would welcome any input regarding the soccer teams or other sports codes and suggestions. And of course sponsors. Sponsors are always welcome. Really.

 The next game will be on 19 September for the gents and 21 September for the Ladies. Fixtures are on the noticeboard and will be updated regularly. Certain results may also be posted on the noticeboard occasionally. Hopefully. Feel free to join the S.H.I.(f.)T. Fan Club and attend matches anytime. Thanks to the Fans, including the Director, who have already come to cheer the teams.

By Sherwyn C. Mack

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and will never ever be supported by anybody.)

*Futsal is small court soccer played indoors or, in our case, using indoor rules.

Prof Skelton joins the Distinguished Old Rhodians

Prof Skelton and Rhodes University Deputy Vice Chancellor Dr Sizer Mabizela

Prof Paul Skelton was one of five distinguished Old Rhodians who received awards from the University on Saturday 25^th August. “The ceremony on Saturday was a warm and pleasant occasion and a chance to catch up with some old friends and colleagues.  It was also a chance to reflect on Rhodes and the people and events that make it special for me,”- Professor Paul Skelton said after the ceremony.

Prof Skelton arrived at Rhodes University in 1967 for his Bachelors of Sciences (BSc) and subsequently continued to do his Honours, and Doctoral degree.   

“My interest in Ichthyology is rooted in two individuals - Professor Brian Allanson and Dr Rex Jubb. Prof Allanson was the first of my lecturers when I arrived at Rhodes (he delivered the 'cell biology 101' course in those days). What I remember above everything else was the lexicon of biology, something I had never before experienced and it left me feeling rather 'naked and cold' (i.e. uncomfortable in the extreme). This was exacerbated by the fact that my hearing was so bad I did not actually have a clue what all those big words were, never mind how they were spelt! It was catchup all the way from there,” he says.

Prof Skelton shares memories of some of his experiences with Prof Allanson. “I recall a mix of experiences like going to Lake Sibaya on more than one occasion - and having some typical student mishaps en route (like leaving researchers stranded in the lake when piloting the boat (Sibaya) that was towing them on diving surveys of the inshore habitats!). He continues, “I always felt the wind of support from Prof Allanson at my back - and for this I am deeply grateful and appreciative. I do believe that his own strong sense of values including courage (to face tough issues and situations), vision to know where one is going and what it will take to get there, and belief in doing what is right for the right reasons is what Institutional leadership is all about.”

Dr Rex Jubb, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Rhodes in 1970, was the one who introduced Prof Skelton to systematic Ichthyology. “Although Rex Jubb was the one who mentored me, there were other individuals who also had a considerable impact in my life - my lecturers and supervisors, Drs Tom Fraser and Rick Winterbottom and Professor Mike Bruton who was a great thinker and an inspiration for what can be done”, he says.

Prof Skelton took over from Prof Mike Bruton as Director of the Institute when it was still the JLB Institute of Ichthyology in 1994 and continued as Managing Director in 1999 when it became a National Research Facility under the National Research Foundation (NRF) as the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB). He retired in 2011. “I spent my whole professional life at this institute, from when it was the JLB institute of Ichthyology to it becoming a National Facility. Being part of the process of growth and organising from the very beginning,” he says.   Prof Skelton is also one of the founding members of the FFSG and is currently the regional Vice-Chair for Southern Africa. Prof Skelton also worked very closely with the IUCN SSC over the last 5-6 years to lead the freshwater biodiversity assessment of Southern Africa (link to the report: http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2009-003.pdf).

The Distinguished Old Rhodian Award irecognises Old Rhodians who, through their individual actions and achievements, have enhanced the reputation of the University.

Professor Alan Whitfield together with Penny Haworth from SAIAB nominated Prof Skelton for the award. According to Prof Whitfield, Prof Skelton has guided and grown the Institute through its transition from a Declared Cultural Institution under the Department of National Education into a National Facility in the Department of Science & Technology - “Indeed, I think it is safe to say that without Paul’s dynamic leadership during the turbulent transition period for National Museums between 1994 and 1999, it is a distinct possibility that the Institute would not exist today and that Rhodes University would be considerably poorer as a result. The Award is also intended to acknowledge Old Rhodians as role models and in Prof Paul Skelton’s case he has been an exemplary role model to staff and students at both SAIAB and Rhodes, and is also a highly respected member of the wider Grahamstown community.” Dr William Darwell who was one of the motivators for the award said he considers Prof Skelton to be one of the most dedicated and effective campaigners for conservation of freshwater fishes. In congratulating one of his former students, Prof Brian Allanson sent his warmest wishes to Prof Skelton and congratulated him on the Distinguished Rhodian award. “Greatly deserved and really a singular honour for the University as well,” he said.

 What does the award mean to Prof Skelton? “I think the award recognises those who have done something worthwhile with the education they’ve received because education goes far beyond what you learn in the lecture room, it’s the whole experience. The university’s motto is “Where Leaders Learn”- which is very inspiring because you are putting emphasis on leadership development which is something I’ve sought to do in my years as the MD of SAIAB,” he says.  “Leadership development is something I’ve always held close to my heart- you can make a difference.

 Where to from here? He says - “You reach points in your life where you make major changes; retirement from employment has been one of those changes for me. For me this has been an interesting change because it’s an end of your formal employment and this choice of what to do with your own time is not always easy to decide.”

“You ask yourself, how can I contribute constructively in a manner that gives me fulfilment? That requires much hard work. The challenge is to become constructive and worthwhile. I find fulfilment through giving back to young people and to the university without any expectation of having to do so. In order to be meaningful, you make conscious decisions. Nothing worthwhile is achieved through giving up- sometimes you’ve got to just knuckle down and do it.” Prof Skelton still lectures and supervisors students at SAIAB and at the University. 

One of the things I’ve always wanted to achieve was to make SAIAB a place people enjoyed working at. In effect, to make SAIAB an extended family and, since retiring I haven’t left the family. SAIAB has been very welcoming and I have enjoyed interacting with staff not as the boss but as a part of the family,” he says with a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woman’s Month Feature- Taryn Bodill

Although she had only been at SAIAB for a little over a year, in June 2012 Taryn Bodill received a Special Award for her contribution to the maintenance and development of the Molecular Laboratory. The Molecular Laboratory provides a platform for the study of aquatic biodiversity at the molecular level, particularly at the DNA level. In 2005 a store room and adjoining dark room were adapted to provide a temporary laboratory in which a small team of researchers and students at SAIAB could conduct research in the field of genetics.

 Since then the number of researchers and students using the laboratory has grown considerably and as a result, a new laboratory was purpose-built in 2011 to cope with the added demand.

Jumping in at the deep end, Taryn found herself responsible for the management of the temporary lab which she describes as one of the most challenging experiences of her life. As Senior Molecular Laboratory Assistant, she has spent the best part of 2012 setting up state-of-the-art laboratory equipment in the new Molecular Laboratory. “What I found most challenging was managing a lot of people doing a lot of work in a very small space. The new lab and new equipment has made life much easier for everyone. I can safely say the new Lab has increased productivity.”

Having done her MSc in bio-chemistry at Rhodes University, Taryn worked at the Rhodes University Chemistry Department as a Bio-Assay Technician, where she managed a small lab. She describes her move to SAIAB as great. “I enjoy being situated in a research environment because it has enabled much space for personal and professional growth. I’ve learned a great deal about office administration as my job requires me to do a lot of administrative as well as managerial work,” she says.

  Taryn also interacts closely with the interns and students who make use of the lab.  She says working with students and interns has been very rewarding: “You interact with many different personalities - which can be very challenging at times,” she giggles. Devin Isemonger,  describes Taryn as “Totally awesome and she does her job very well.” Nomfundo Nkabi, says “She’s shy, but in a sweet way and very collected.” Elethu Duna says finds her, “Very easy to talk to… She’s probably one of the friendliest people at SAIAB.” Gavin Gouws describes Taryn as very efficient, “The lab wouldn’t run as smoothly as it does if it wasn’t for her.”

When asked about her future plans, she responds, “I plan on being here for a number of years; I think there’s still a lot more I can learn at SAIAB.” Her best moment at SAIAB was during SciFest Africa 2012 - “Interacting with little kids and seeing how excited they get about science is probably one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had SAIAB. I also participated in a June 16 ‘Sarafina Production’ to celebrate Youth Day".

What does she do for fun? “I read and go down to the beach on weekends; - Oh! That sounds like such a boring person….”

SASSI Networking Partners

Penny recently attended the annual South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) Networking Partners’meeting in Rondebosch, Cape Town on 4-5 July. Networking Partnerships were originally introduced to promote WWF-SASSI and communicate WWF-SASSI key messages to audiences beyond WWF-SASSI’s reach. Networking Partners (such as uShaka Marine World, Two Oceans aquarium, SAIAB and SANBI) endeavour to assist with WWF-SASSI training, publicity and distribution of WWF-SASSI materials. These partnerships are integral to the success of WWF-SASSI and will continue to be essential for the furthering of WWF-SASSI objectives.

SAIAB’s major contribution has been to the development of the SASSI poster, ID flip-cards and Pocket Guides, all of which use illustrations done by Elaine Heemstra for the book Coastal Fishes of Southern Africa. These illustrations have become a hallmark feature of SASSI promotional material.

This year Tina Moss from DIFS, Rogan Field (MSc student) and Zyangani Chirambo (MSc student) joined me representing DIFS as a new partner in the SASSI Network. According to Penny, SASSI hopes to promote SASSI and advocacy for its principles through greater student participation. The idea is to build a SASSI student team that can promote SASSI on field trips along the coast, or when their supervisors or SAIAB's research staff are involved in public interface events such as fishing clinics, tag and release competitions etc.

"Between SAIAB and DIFS we have a strong post-graduate student network developing and using the student network to more actively promote SASSI – first among the students themselves, and later further afield through identifying student champions for the SASSI cause - we want to use SASSI and the Sustainable Fisheries Programme as a focal point to develop this network. Taking this approach could also enable us to integrate SASSI training into some of our student programmes like the ACEP Phuhlisa Programme", said Penny.

DIFS has also proposed to be involved with SASSI during National Marine Week which takes place from 8-12 October 2012. The activities will be focussed on increasing awareness amongst Rhodes university students.

Learning to write is like learning to swim

The Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning (CHERTL) recently held a two-day writing development course at SAIAB for ACEP’s Phuhlisa Programme honours students at SAIAB. A number of students and interns from SAIAB also attended the course which was presented by Prof. Chrissie Boughey, Dean of Teaching & Learning at Rhodes University. 
The course aims to help post-grad students in writing their theses. Students were taught the differences between good and bad writers. Good writers start by writing informally, for themselves, move on to drafting, and redrafting then end by editing their work.  Bad writers start by writing for the supervisor early on, draft and edit all together. Students were also taught how to make a claim/statement and use evidence to support that claim. Prof. Boughey taught students that learning to write is like learning to swim: you only get better at it through constant practice.

Students started by identifying their problem areas in writing their thesis/projects. These challenges were dealt with and answered at the end of the course. “Eye-opener, awesome, useful, helpful” were some of the words students used to describe the course.

News:

NRF CEO visits SAIAB

SAIAB recently had the honour of hosting the NRF Managing Directors’ meeting. The meeting was attended by the Managing Directors of other National Facilities. NRF CEO, Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, addressed SAIAB staff on the performance of the NRF and the call for reviewing the placement of National Facilities. Van Jaarsveld also touched on the NRF’s vision 2015, stating that we’re two 3rds of achieving the goals set out. “In terms of the targets we’ve set, some we’re doing quite well and others need some reviews, especially around issues of transformation within the NRF”, he said. At the moment it seems unclear as to what the future of SAIAB is in terms of placement, but Angus urged SAIAB staff to continue doing the good work which is done and improve on areas of improvement. “What we need to remember is that a rock-up in the system isn’t necessarily bad”. In closing, Van Jaarsveld said “this is quite an exciting time for our science system so let’s see this as an opportunity”.

Science and Multilingualism


SAIAB was recently visited by multilinguists Professor Esther Ramani and colleague Michael Joseph from the University of Limpopo. Ramani is a recent recipient of the Mail and Guardian Woman of the Year Award for ground breaking work she has done in the field of African languages. She and Joseph are well known for having worked on the introduction of the first multilingual degree at the University of Limpopo. Although their visit wasn’t ‘professional’, they were very interested in the communication of science in African languages.
Joseph was particularly interested in the type of outreach the institute is involved in considering that we’re based in a largely isiXhosa speaking province. The pair met with Angus Paterson and were taken on a tour of the facilities by Sherwyn Mack. They were particularly fascinated by the artwork by Linga Diko at the entrance to the library.

Ramani said they thought the only thing they're going to see was the coelacanth, "we had no idea there is so much going on at SAIAB".

In 2003 Ramani and colleague Michael Joseph founded a BA in contemporary English and multilingual studies at the University of Limpopo’s School of Languages and Communication Studies. It is the first dual-medium BA programme using an African language (in this case Northern Sotho) at any South African university. Ramani suggested that we produce a publication in IsiXhosa and distributing to the local grahamstown community.

National Science Week

National Science Week is here and SAIAB has a range of activities planned for the week which will run from Monday 30 July to Saturday 4 August under this year’s theme: The Role of Science in Economic Development. Karen Binning has been organising all the SAIAB activities which will all be taking place in Port Elizabeth. Activities include presentations about the marine environment, what are estuaries and why are estuaries important, discussion on climate change and a presentation of current research taking place in Algoa Bay and the Swartkops Estuary. We’ll also be having a SAMREC (SA Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre) open day Penguin care educational walk in the Cape Receif reserve.

Penny will be facilitating a workshop how prehistoric rock paintings survived the elements and what we can do to conserve these paintings for another thousand years. The workshop will also be looking at the symbolism behind colours used on traditional and modern homes. Albany Museum resident archaeologist, Celeste Booth, will also be teaching participants how to make their own paint. The workshop will be at the  BUCO Workshop, 34 Bathurst Street on 4 August and entrance fee is R10. For more info contact Busi Phongolo at 046 603 1106 or busisiwe@scifest.org.za

National Science Week is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and is a countrywide celebration of science involving various stakeholders and/or role players conducting science-based activities. National Science Week is run in all nine provinces simultaneously at multiple sites per province. The National Launch will be on 28 July in the Gauteng province. National Science Week promotes the greater awareness and appreciation of the contribution that science and technology makes to the nation. In addition to contributing to science, engineering and technology among various sections of the population, the National Science Week is intended to expose the public, educators and learners to science-based careers, particularly disadvantaged sections of the population.

SAASTA is the national project manager of National Science Week and the website can be access here: http://www.saasta.ac.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=30

Research highlights and Science Communication

Ø  Our very own Nikki James just received a certificate from Elsevier publishers for being the Top Cited Author 2008-2012 for her paper entitled “Long-term stability of the fish assemblages in a warm-temperate South African Estuary”. The paper was published in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science Journal which is one of the best Journals in the estuarine field

Ø  Prof. Alan Whitefield has been approached to write the Foreword on a book on St Lucia. The book is said to bring together work which has been done on St Lucia since the 1950’s and might be published by the end of this year

Ø  Paul Cowley is working on producing a guide to best catch-and-release practices and is currently in the process of drawing up a funding proposal for the booklet.

Ø  The first phase of the Cape Nature Rondegat project has reached completion. The initial survey indicated that it was a great success with the survey showing that there were no alien fish in the Rondergat. There will be a second phase of the project but there is currently no indication when this phrase will commense.

The ACEP Open Call recently awarded funding to five projects for a three year period (2012-2014). The projects are all multi-disciplinary in nature and multi-institutional involving researchers from 20 universities and research institutions both nationally and internationally.

The projects are:

The Suitcase Project – Principal Investigator: Sean Fennessy

Investigating the importance of mesoscale eddies, in the Mozambique Channel, as vectors of biological material between Madagascar and South Africa.

An assessment of benthic biodiversity of Walter’s Shoal – Principal Investigator: Toufiek Samaai

Assessing the biodiversity on Walter’s Shoal to add to the understanding of how seamount communities are structured and function in order to aid in the identification of priority areas for protection within the high seas.

Bioregions as biodiversity surrogates in marine conservation planning – Principal Investigator: Jean Harris

Investigating the validity and robustness of habitat surrogacy approaches for biodiversity pattern mapping for offshore environments on South Africa’s east coast. This will provide new insight into categorisation of offshore biodiversity and refinement of offshore planning tools, required for priority areas of conservation.

Bentho-pelagic mechanisms of inshore coastal waters – Principal Investigator: Francesca Porri

To understand the inshore dynamics of invertebrate larvae and their relationship with small-scale oceanographic features in the region between Algoa Bay and St. Francis Bay.

Movement ranges and time scales in marine predators – Principal Investigator: Malcolm Smale

Investigating the environmental drivers that initiate both local movements (in Algoa Bay) and coastal migrations of two teleost and two shark species. Understanding the environmental influences on life histories and movement will contribute to a better understanding of the likely impacts of global climate change.

 Science communication: Conferences

SASAqS (South African Society of Aquatic Scientists)

The conference was held from 1-5 July in St Francis Bay. This years’ conference was the best attended conference thus far, with 100 delegates meeting under the theme Aquatic ecosystems, conservation and connectivity. SAIAB had a particularly strong presence with Alan Whitefield, Olaf Weyl, Nikki James and Darragh Woodford all giving presentations. Olaf was also involved in the organizing of the conference.  The conference was funded by the EC Development Corporation (ECDC) and the Water Research Commission (WRC), funding 25 EC students, seven of which were from SAIAB doing research in the EC. SAIAB student Bruce Ellender received an award for his presentation on assessing the consequences of non-native fish invasion to the endangered border barb barbus trevelyani in the Keiskamma River System.
Click here to visit the website.

SASSB conference

Five SAIAB students (Sisanda Mayekiso, Murray Duncan, Nosiphiwo Springbok, Christine Coppinger and Devin Isermonger) recently attended the South African Society for Systematic Biology (SASSB) Conference. All students presented papers and were  accompanied by Gavin Gouws who is the president elect for SASSB and supervisor Monica Mwale.

2nd International Conference on Fish Telemetry

This conference, which is a major scoop for South Africa, will be held at Rhodes University in June 2013 and will be spear headed by Dr Paul Cowley the first call has already gone out.