A group of South African matric learners who aspire to become scientists are getting a chance to learn from the best.
The University of Cape Town reports that it has welcomed nine young women from schools across Cape Town to the 2024 STEM MentHER programme – a countrywide initiative to produce a pipeline of South African women scientists.
‘The world needs us to be different kinds of scientists. We need to be activists for science, and we need to be scientific activists. We need to show that what we are doing [is] evidence-based, and we actually need to go out there and fight for what is required,’ Professor Liesl Zühlke, a cardiologist and a lead researcher in the UCT Faculty of Health Science, told the young scientists.
UCT says the initiative, which is run by UCT, the University of Johannesburg and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, pairs the learners with academics, who will guide them in choosing their field of study, applying to universities and making the transition from school to university.
A former mentee, Mishka Maharaj, a first-year medical student at UCT, told the new cohort of learners that as well as preparing her for university life, the programme provided her with insight into the various streams of medicine and potential research opportunities.
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