Magazine 2018

L e a r n e r s M a k i n g W a v e s Q&A Session Thé Musical Scientist The Scientist Every science teacher dreams of contributing to the development of young scientists who will go out and make the world a better place through inquiry and innovation. To see a young scientist like Frank Smuts develop since his arrival at Parklands College has been a true privilege for all of us in the Science Department. His accolades speak for themselves: 1. In 2015 as a Grade 9 learner he won first prize in the SAASTA National Natural Science Olympiad 2. In 2017 he won a silver medal for the Grade 11 Physical Science Olympiad, and was invited to participate in successive rounds for the International Physics Olympiad 3. In 2017 he placed 24th out of 84 participants in the German Young Physicists’ Tournament 4. In 2017 he won a gold medal at the Cape Town Regional Science EXPO and was selected to participate in the International Science Fair (ISF) in Johannesburg where he won:  • a cash prize of R1 200 from the South African Institute of Electrical Engineering • the Dr. S. Meiring Naude Award for the most inspiring project at ISF • a gold medal, with a cash prize of R500 • the physics category award, with a cash prize of R1500 5. In 2018 he participated in the largest and most prestigious Science Fair in the world at the Intel Science Fair in the USA. With the above record it is little wonder that Frank plans to pursue his tertiary studies in science. – Don Duffield The Musician Frank began his musical journey at a young age. In Grade 1 he started piano lessons before joining the choir in Grade 2. His first lessons in stringed instruments came in Grade 4 when he started lessons in double bass and cello. From there he continued to excel in this three-corded strand of cello, voice and bass guitar. A natural leader, whose loyalty to the College’s Cultural Department has been exemplary, Frank has made a significant impact on the life of the College. He has been a core member of three College musicals: Fame, Oliver! and Alice in Wonderland, and served as either member or leader of the Parklands College Orchestra, Choir, Rock Band, Jazz Band and his own learner-lead ensemble, the Real Club. Frank’s laser sharp focus also gives him a competitive edge in music exams and Eisteddfods. While reaching a Grade 8 musical level would be an impressive feat for any learner, Frank has attained a Grade 8 Trinity College in two instruments (cello and voice) and Grade 6 in a third (bass guitar). He received Highest Honours in the Cape Town Eisteddfod for cello (2016, 2017, 2018) and voice (2016, 2017), winning both the Cello Trophy (2016, 2017) and Vocal Trophy (2017). At the end of his Grade 11 year Frank was duly awarded Parklands College Music Honours in recognition of his musical achievements. He plans to continue music lessons next year with his current cello teacher, Mr Chernev (principal cellist of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra), while studying Physics at UCT. Being the capable learner he is, I am convinced that he will excel at both. – Dean Flanagan Who is your favourite scientist and why? One of my favourite scientists is a man who I met in person! Every year, Parklands College hosts a science week, organised by Mr Duffield, where a smorgasbord of lectures and workshops are held on the school's campuses. In 2015, one of the main guests was Dr. Francis Thackeray - an anthropologist from WITS, whose main research focus was on defining prehistoric species through statistically analysing their bone structure. I found this very interesting, because it was an abstract application of science. The next night he discussed a completely different investigation he was working on: did William Shakespeare, the classic English writer, smoke marijuana? The man revealed adventures of how he searched for smoking pipes in Shakespeare's garden, and attempted to get permission to steal the playwright's teeth from his grave. Truly a wonderful application of science! What field of science do you plan to pursue? I'm currently choosing between three BSc majors - Physical Science, Applied Mathematics and Statistics. I'm currently more interested in the last two majors, because I am interested in the general application of science to analyse data - almost more so than any particular field of science! How was your experience at ISEF? ISEF was an overwhelming experience, that made me realise just how vast and competitive the world of science is. Firstly, the event was just huge - about one thousand eight hundred participants had their projects set up in two massive convention halls. There were high school students doing research in artificial intelligence, astronomy and planet detection, robotics, medicinal sciences, etc. and all of them were working at an extremely high level. A number of previous competitors have won Nobel prizes, just to provide some indication of the skill level at ISEF. There were various opportunities to meet people from nearly a hundred different countries, and naturally a lot of research organisations and businesses attend the public viewings (I met with representatives from NASA and Boeing!) 118. 21st Edition