Page 63 - Thola Issue 17

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ABOVE: ‘Starry Starry Night’ by Dr Albe Carina Swanepoel, won the Science Close-Up category in the 2013 competition.
BELOW: This rare and interesting photo, ‘Kelvin-Helmholtz’ by Thomas Otto Whitehead, won the 2013 Science in Action category.
A photograph opens a window to the world of science, and creates the opportunity for further communication with an interested audience on topics relating to the picture.
photographs. They have generated
a lot of interest and hopefully some
of the wonders of science will have been shared successfully. The level of success of the exhibit will be evaluated
with the aim of improving the way in which photographs can be used to communicate science.
The Southern African Science Lens competition now runs every two years. The popular and consistent categories are Science as Art, Science Close-up and Science in Action, while additional categories are included each year to reflect a particular theme for the year.
In addition to drawing in fantastic products that can be used as tools
in communicating to a broad public audience, the competition also
hopes to encourage scientists to communicate their work through photographs. It also encourages photography enthusiasts to look
for and to connect with science in their environment. Opportunities
can be created to bring scientists
and photographers or photography enthusiasts together as artists
to produce an effective tool for communicating science.
We don’t know where the next great South African scientist will comes
from. But perhaps when asked what sparked his or her interest in science, they could tell a story of a photograph they once saw that incited their curiosity and appreciation for science.
thola: VOLUME 17. 2014/15