It’s important that South African teachers, lecturers and professors develop curricula that build on the best knowledge skills, values, beliefs and habits from around the world.
In the wake of the Flint water crisis and with a new notably anti-science president, U.S. scientists are reevaluating how to navigate the tension between speaking out and a fear of losing research funding.
What’s left when Obama walks off into the sunset?
Jason Reed/Reuters
Innovation is a huge part of economic growth – and the White House needs to be well-informed on science and tech issues when setting goals and budgets. Here’s how presidents get up to speed.
Scientists do science to improve society. Africa’s challenges are a golden opportunity to demonstrate its value.
Shutterstock
Connie Nshemereirwe, The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR)
Africa’s complex and seemingly insurmountable social and economic problems are a golden opportunity to demonstrate the value that research can bring. Scientists need to rise to the challenge.
Academic researchers need funding – especially as the federal government devotes less to basic research.
Check image via www.shutterstock.com
With federal support for on-campus R&D dwindling as a percentage of GDP, keeping basic research afloat is a challenge. Schools and researchers are left to try to fill in the funding gaps.
One thing they seem to agree on: Not prioritizing science in their platforms.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Neither major party has made science and engineering issues a big part of its platform. But research – and its funding – are crucial if the U.S. wants to maintain status as a global leader.
South Africa needs some universities that focus on teaching, and others that concentrate on research.
Shutterstock
South Africa must examine how science funding is allocated to universities. It also needs to acknowledge that not all universities should be focusing on research and development.
Research in the humanities has come under attack from the Daily Telegraph in recent days.
shutterstock
The decision to refuse the ARC and academic researchers a right of reply appears to be a straightforward breach of the News Corp Australia code of conduct.
Getting up close and personal with science has huge benefits – for the scientist, too.
Steven Lang/https://about.me/steven_lang
Financial incentives alone won’t increase research collaboration between universities and business. Academics say they need time, support and an environment encouraging of engagement.
Good science loses out when bad science gets the funding.
Shutterstock/Looker Studio
New studies on the quality of published research shows we could be wasting billions of dollars a year on bad science, to the neglect of good science projects.
The new government’s existing research policy framework is pretty thin.
from www.shutterstock.com
Africa’s universities must avoid collaborative programmes with the North that become mere tick-box exercises that only benefit Northern researchers and organisations.
CSIRO has received significant cuts to its budget over the past several years.
David McClenaghan
How does Australia fare in science and research funding? Where have recent cuts been made? This infographic shows the state of science funding in Australia.
There needs to be a frank discussion about how the government spends its education dollars.
from www.shutterstock.com
Director, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute & Professor of Medical Biology, and an honorary principal fellow in the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
Previous Vice President of the Academy of Science of South Africa and DSI-NRF SARChI chair in Fungal Genomics, Professor in Genetics, University of Pretoria, University of Pretoria