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The programme has supported:
101 postgraduate students
15 postdoctoral fellows
27 honours students
51 undergraduate students
39 students from other African countries
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Capacity building
The SKA South Africa Project, including the MeerKAT
telescope, is one of the biggest science and engineering
projects in South Africa. The SKA therefore represents
an unrivalled opportunity for the development of very
high level skills and expertise in Africa. This will allow
Africa to be a significant contributor to the global
knowledge economy.
SKA technologies include, amongst others, the construction
of large precision structures using modern composite
materials, novel designs for wideband antennas
and receivers, high-speed digital signal processing and
transport, reconfigurable and parallel computing
platforms, and low-cost, high reliability control and
monitoring systems for large scientific infrastructures.
In 2005 the South African SKA Project initiated a
targeted “Youth into Science and Engineering
Programme” to develop highly skilled young scientists
and engineers. The young people supported by this
programme will serve South Africa, and our African
partner countries, in the future in key areas of economic
development in addition to their participation in “blue
skies” scientific research.
The programme offers comprehensive bursaries to
students in engineering, mathematics, physics and
astronomy at undergraduate and postgraduate
level. Bursary holders benefit from regular workshops
and student conferences, where they interact
with the world’s leading astronomers. To date more
than 80 postgraduate students (from South Africa
and the rest of the African continent) and about
40 undergraduate students are studying or
have studied with SKA bursaries and are on
their way to being a part of South Africa’s
exciting future in radio astronomy.
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