SciFest 2006

The annual "Science Festival" held in Grahamstown every year has become a firm date in the BFRU calendar. Dr Alison Bentley was invited to deliver a guest lecture a few years ago and since then the BFRU s involvement in the Festival has expanded, involving guest lectures and exhibitions, as well as workshops. This year Dr Bentley, along with three MSc students, was responsible for running the "Confusing your brain" workshop, which has earned a serious reputation with festival-goers in a very short space of time.

The workshop begins with a short interactive lecture by Dr Bentley on the basic structure and function of neurons. Kebab sticks, marshmallows and smarties make up the crucial components of the brain as the scholars are encouraged to build their own neuron. Once all the sweets have disappeared, the scholars are invited to take part in a number of activities designed to illustrate how easily our brain is confused (Dr Bentley has accumulated an astounding number of optical illusions and "cool tricks" and she always manages to find one to capture the attention of even the most determinedly unimpressed high-schooler).

As one of the members of the team this year I can honestly say that it is an event not to be missed. I was enormously impressed by the scale of the Festival, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Students had come from as far as the North West Province to take part and as any teacher knows a car trip that long with a number of scholars is no small undertaking! It was fantastic to see the support from industry (Sasol is the main sponsor) as well as academic institutions from all over the country and the genuine desire and commitment of the folk involved to stimulate an interest in science in our country s young people. It is a privilege to be included in the quest to demystify science generally, and biology specifically, hopefully making some contribution to the cultivation of science into the future.