Science and technology (S&T) initiatives that contribute to national priorities will be showcased at the CSIR’s biennial conference from 31 August to 1 September 2010. The open conference, titled 'Science Real and Relevant', will be held at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria. Read more.

He was only 26 when appointed as acting manager of CSIR Modelling and Digital Sciences’ information security competency area last year – and this at an age when many researchers are still cutting their proverbial (scientific) teeth. Now Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo leads the biometric research group as a senior research scientist.

South Africans now have the opportunity to use a mother language of their choice when interacting with technology, thanks to the research of Aditi Sharma. Her work in the human language technology (HLT) research group of the CSIR Meraka Institute, supports the use and promotion of mother language. The use of mother language is endorsed by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Many fibre reinforced rubber composites, especially those used in applications such as gaskets and rubber seals are often exposed to liquid environments containing organic solvents. The need exists to understand how these composites will behave under those conditions, particularly with regard to swelling, temperature, the type of solvent and more. The CSIR's Maya John investigated this as part of her PhD                                  studies.

People from all walks of life need to feel comfortable using interactive systems to realise the value of such systems. This paper looks at the the design of interactive voice response (IVR) interfaces for the developing world. Factors taken into consideration for the design are literacy and social-cultural, linguistic, and domestic challenges, amongst others.

A review of historical agricultural practices in southern Africa demonstrates evidence of drought evasion strategies going back hundreds of years. European settlers to the arid regions of South Africa quickly recognised the necessity of these evasion options to survive drought, and adopted the transhumance practices of inidigenous farmers. Today, however, with climate change predictions suggesting an increase in drought, CSIR researcher Dr Patrick O'Farrel argues for the adoption of mitigation strategies as a matter of urgency.

Information about Africas role in the global carbon cycle is sparse. It remains unknown whether Africa, as a whole, represents a net sink or source of atmospheric carbon, and how carbon exchange varies temporally and spatially at the continental scale. Africa supports a large variety of terrestrial ecosystem types, reflecting differences in climate, geology, and species composition, as well as land use and land use change taking place all over the continent. This study reports carbon and water fluxes between the land surface and atmosphere in eleven different ecosystems types in Sub-Saharan Africa, using eddy covariance technology in the first two years of the CarboAfrica network operation.

The Living Lab approach focuses on community-driven innovation and has the potential to change the perspectives and practices of various role-players involved in information and communications technology for development (ICT4D) initiatives. This paper includes lessons learnt by researchers at the CSIR's Meraka Institute on ICT4D and outlines the role of Living Labs in the South Arican innovation system.