ATC130128: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology: Visits to the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences (iThemba LABS) in Faure, the Department of Science and Technology (DST)/Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) low-cost housing project in Kleinmond, and the South African National Space Agency’s (SANSA) Space Science Directorate in Hermanus on 4 and 5 September 2012, dated 14 November 2012
Science, Technology and Innovation
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Science and
Technology: Visits to the
iThemba
L
aboratory
for
A
ccelerator-
B
ased
S
ciences (
iThemba
LABS) in
Faure
, the Department of Science and
Technology (DST)/Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) low-cost
housing project in
Kleinmond
, and the South African
National Space Agencys (SANSA) Space Science Directorate in
Hermanus
on 4 and 5 September 2012, dated 14 November 2012.
1.
Introduction
The
Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology visited
iThemba
LABS, the
Kleinmond
low-cost housing project and the
Space Science Directorate on 4 and 5 September 2012.
Delegation:
Ms L
Dunjwa
(Acting Chairperson - ANC)
Ms P
Mocumi
(ANC)
Ms H Line
(ANC)
Ms Z
Ndlazi
(ANC)
Ms S
Plaatjie
(COPE)
Dr J Kloppers-Lourens
(DA)
Accompanied
by:
Ms
Shanaaz
Isaacs (Committee Secretary)
Dr Renée
Osborne-Mullins (Committee Researcher)
Mr
Sydwell
Mahlabela
(Committee
Assistant)
2.
iThemba
LABS Visit:
The Portfolio Committee on Science
and Technology visited
iThemba
LABS, which is a
unique national facility, and business unit of the National Research Foundation
(NRF).
iThemba
LABS
vision is to be the leading African organisation for research, training
and expertise in accelerator-based sciences and technologies. Its mission is to
provide state of the art facilities and programmes for high quality research,
training and services in the nuclear sciences and its applications for the
benefit of the people of
The
laboratories provide facilities for the following activities:
-
Basic and applied
research using particle beams;
-
Particle radiotherapy
for the treatment of cancer; and
-
The supply of
accelerator-produced radioactive isotopes for nuclear medicine and
research.
As a
national research facility it is the intention of
iThemba
LABS to achieve the following strategic objectives:
-
Grow the research
facilities to increase training, human resource development, international
collaborations (especially with Africa) and the science and technology
(S&T) profile of South Africa; and
-
To develop economic
units that are self-sustaining and benefit from the skills, sciences and
technologies available at
iThemba
LABS.
As part of
the visit, Members were shown the major research and development platforms,
which included:
-
A variable
energy Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC), which produces a wide variety of
high-energy
particle
beams. Proton energies of up
to 200
MeV
can be produced. The SSC is augmented
by two additional injector cyclotrons and supplemented by the (HMI) ECR
Ion Source.
-
A 6 MV Van de
Graaff
Accelerator with a Nuclear Microprobe, used
primarily for Materials Research and supplemented by an X-ray
Diffractometer
(XRD) unit as well as an Atomic Force
Microscope (AFM) and a Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS).
-
A
dedicated 11
MeV
cyclotron for the production of
18
F, used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
-
Specialized
Particle Therapy facilities, which include a 66
MeV
Neutron Gantry, a 6 MV Medical Linear Accelerator, a 200
MeV
Proton Therapy nozzle, and a Multi-slice wide-bore
Computed
Tomographic
Scanner. Patients
undergoing particle therapy can be accommodated in a 27-bed on-site
hospital.
-
Production
facilities for the manufacture of
radionuclides
for both the local nuclear medicine community and the export market (Hot
Cells,
Targetry
Stations,
Clean
Rooms).
-
Specialized
detectors and spectrometers for experimental nuclear physics experiments.
-
Laboratories
for research in radiobiology, mainly in support of the particle therapy
programme.
Officials
briefed Members on:
·
The internationally approved in-house research programmes
·
Local and international research collaborations
·
Training partnerships with higher education institutions
·
Role as supplier of accelerator-produced radioisotopes and
radio-pharmaceuticals; and
·
Capabilities and expertise in particle therapy
The long
term strategy of
iThemba
LABS is to investigate and
vigorously pursue all possible means of expanding the current accelerator and
research facilities in order to revitalize all the core activities with the
view of ensuring a vibrant and internationally competitive research and
development platform that will be sustainable for at least a further 20 years.
The visit illustrated
iThemba
LABS present and
future role in the NSI through presenting the status of and future strategies
for research, development and training at
iThemba
LABS.
3.
Kleinmond
Housing Project
The DST,
recognising that sustainable, quality low-income housing is a national
priority, commissioned the CSIR to investigate technology possibilities for
improved low-income housing. The CSIR produced a demonstration house, which was
more comfortable, durable, faster to build, easily extendable and less
dependent on municipal services than the standard low-income houses provided by
the Government.
The CSIR
demonstration house has been certified by
Agrément
South
The
Committee visited the 440 pilot units, which were built in
Kleinmond
and which, incorporated many features of the CSIR-developed low-income
demonstration house. Local authorities of the
Members went
on a walk-about and interacted with the occupants of these units.
4.
The South African National Space Agency
(SANSA) Space Science Directorate
On 1
April 2011, the
Hermanus
Magnetic Observatory (HMO)
changed its name to SANSA Space Science and migrated from the National Research
Foundation (NRF) to the SANSA.
The SANSA
Space Science Directorate is the primary division for Space Science within
SANSA and is responsible for basic and applied Space Science research, human
capacity development, science advancement and public engagement. It functions
as an active participant in the International Real-time Magnetic Observatory
Network (INTERMAGNET), which monitor and model variations of the Earths
magnetic field (also known as the geomagnetic field). SANSA Space Science is
also one of 13 Regional Warning Centres globally that forms part of the
International Space Environment Service (ISES) network. Specifically, SANSA
Space Science is appointed as the Regional Warning Centre for Space Weather in
SANSA
Space Science consists of the following four operational groups:
-
Space Physics;
-
Geomagnetism;
-
Technology; and
-
Science Outreach.
A key
goal of SANSA Space Science is human capacity development in the earth-space
science area and the creation of a pool of South Africans with transferable
skills in electronics, radar technology, instrumentation and measurement,
signal processing, software development and data management. This is
accomplished through training schools for Space Physics, supervision of
postgraduate students, and lecturing at Universities that have Space Science
programmes.
SANSA
Space Science also aims to advance science literacy in general and earth-space
science literacy in particular among learners, educators, young people, the
general public and policy-makers. The majority of activities are hosted within
SANSA Space Sciences Science Centre.
5.
Conclusions and Recommendations
iThemba
LABS
-
The Committee
welcomed the improvements of the governance structure at
iThemba
LABS, which resulted in good audit outcomes and
findings.
-
The Committee
was pleased to learn about programmes in place for outreach, though for
practical reasons, only the surrounding local communities were targeted.
-
The Committee
was satisfied with the role SAASTA played in promoting the activities at
iThemba
LABS, to the extent that at research level,
the visibility of the facility was very high.
-
The Committee
would like to see more female nuclear experts/physicists as part of the
new generation of scientists.
-
The Committee
encouraged the collaboration
iThemba
LABS had
with the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA).
-
iThemba
LABS houses a 27-bed hospital where cancer patients are treated
using proton and neutron beams. The Committee hopes that with the
intervention of the DST these services can be extended.
Kleinmond
Housing Pilot
-
With the huge
backlog and poor quality of government subsidised housing provision, the
CSIR-developed alternative technology for low-cost housing proves to be a
solution.
-
The Committee
undertook to work with its counterparts in Parliament to encourage the
Department of Human Settlements to replicate the model, which could
effectively address the challenges experienced in the provision of decent
housing.
-
In the same
manner, the Committee would be working towards encouraging the Department
of Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs to promote similarly
the CSIR housing model within their local government structures.
-
These houses, which
have a solar geyser, a photovoltaic panel for indoor LED lights, a rainwater
harvesting tank and insulated materials used for the roof, thus
controlling temperature, can be viable housing options in areas where
there is a lack or absence of municipal services. Technology was in effect
used to assist municipal infra-structure in
Kleinmond
.
-
The Committee
is pleased that the DST has commissioned the CSIR to do follow-up
monitoring and evaluation of the pilot houses in
Kleinmond
to assess the viability of the building standard and the impact these
houses may have on the quality of life of the occupants.
SANSA Space Science
-
The Committee
was generally satisfied with the briefings they received on the SANSA
overview and the Space Sciences strategic programmes.
-
The major part
of the visit was to view the facilities and meet with the scientists, whom
through using their knowledge and capabilities, inspire innovation in an
attempt to respond to national priorities.
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