National Science Week in South Africa

This year, the annual Science Week in South Africa was from 4-9 August 2025. During this week, some imaging facilities in South Africa hosted events that will certainly take Science forward in SA.

The Mycology Bioimaging Initiative workshop, presented through a partnership between the African Microscopy Initiative and the University of Cape Town's IDM Microscopy Platform, University of Edinburgh and the University of Exeter MRC was a joint event that ran over National Science Week. The 4-day Mycology Bioimaging course offered foundational and hands-on advanced training in fluorescence microscopy for studying pathogenic fungi and disease pathology.

Participants had the chance to use the microscopes in the AMI Imaging Centre.

The Workshop was an inspiring collaboration between UCT, University of Edinburgh, University of Exeter MRC, supported by Wellcome Trust and FAILSAFE.

The Africa Microscopy Initiative (AMI) also brought the wonders of the microscopic world to life for high school learners in Atlantis, Western Cape. Students had the opportunity to look beyond what the eye can see, exploring cells, structures, and materials through microscopes.

But this wasn’t just about cool gadgets. It was about planting seeds of curiosity. By giving young South Africans a chance to step into the shoes of real scientists, AMI hopes to spark an interest in careers in science, technology, and innovation. These learners could one day be the researchers tackling big challenges in health, agriculture, and the environment.

Students from Atlantis in the Western Cape had the opportunity to use the microscopes to see the world beyond what the eye can see.

At the University of KwaZulu Natal, Grade 10, 11 and 12 scholars from Silver Heights Secondary School were introduced to various research areas in Life Sciences and got a quick peek at how Scanning Electron Microscopy is used to advance our understanding.

Students from Silver Heights Secondary School paying a visit to the University of KwaZulu Natal