Na t i o n a l Yo u t h S c i e n c e F o r u m South Africa
Although I’ve been determined to be a person who makes things happen, I never thought that an opportunity could take me half way across the world to South Africa, a place that has always fascinated me. It was a dream to have the opportunity to visit this magnificent continent and an experience I will treasure for a long time. The National Youth Science Week Program in South Africa involved the top 100 African students from a Science Olympiad, along with eight Australians. It allows students to explore potential careers in science and consists of lectures, industry visits and fascinating discussions.The places we visited included the Botanical Gardens and Pretoria Zoo animal pathology lab, aquarium quarantine area and kitchens. Other site visits included the Cullinan Diamond Mine, the Johannesburg Observatory, the Pelindaba Nuclear Reactor and Denel, a company that produces defence equipment. I particularly enjoyed discussions about the ethics behind some of the scientific applications. Science Week was also an amazing opportunity to network with other young scientists. Our free time included playing card games, baking a cake in our hotel rooms, playing music and dancing. It made me realise how people from completely different cultures can be united by a common interest. It was soon time to say “Totsiens” to our new friends and head off for the safari which saw us drive through three different countries, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia, in just one week. I have many people to thank for supporting me with this trip. I must thank the whole St Francis Xavier College
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