Dr Adrian Tiplady and Paul Manners of the SKA South Africa Project Office at the SASOL National SciFest.

South Africa's Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project participated in two major, national science outreach events recently.

From 22 - 28 March 2006 a stand on the SKA South Africa project was on display at the SASOL National SciFest in Grahamwstown, in the Eastern Cape. This festival attracts more than 40 000 visitors, most of them learners and educators. Adrian Tiplady and Paul Manners of the SKA South Africa project office staffed the display for seven days to engage the visitors about radio astronomy and South Africa's bid to host the SKA. A trailer, equipped with sophisticated instrumentation, that was used to measure radio frequency interference in the areas considered for the SKA, was on display outside the entrance to the main building of the festival. Prof Justin Jonas, SKA South Africa project scientists, also led a workshop and discussion session on South Africa's bid to host the SKA.

During National Science week (13 to 20 May 2006) the same display traveled to Kimberley in the Northern Cape, the province where the proposed SKA site is located. This time Marion West, an astronomer at the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory, accepted the challenge to answer questions of hundreds of enthusiastic learners who came to the SKA display.

For both events, special handouts and a set of questions were developed to allow keen visitors to engage with the project and find out more about radio astronomy in general.