Who? What? Why???

Hi there - welcome to my new blog! This blog will become a virtual diary for the best part of a year in order to document the process of developing my BTech design proposal and hopefully inspiring others interested in the same or similar design fields. I have always been in awe of space and the vastness of it. 

There is so much for us to learn about space and so many things we still need to discover as our technologies improve and become more and more advanced, allowing us the opportunity of exploring different planets, stars and even galaxies. Anyone who is interested in astronomy or cosmology will know that, in order to enter this field of work, one must excel in both mathematics and science as they are the foundation and core of the technologies used, the discoveries made and answering all the questions asked about space and its different facets.

The Emission Nebula GC6357

The Eagle Nebula also known as the Pillars of Creation

The starburst galaxy known as Messier 82

Our own Milky Way galaxy showing a "hypervelocity"
star, which is a super-hot blue star which has been
hurdled out of the galaxy by the giant black hole within the
Milky Way and is travelling at incredible speeds
(All photos above were taken by NASA's Hubble telescope)

My proposal will focus on bringing passion and excitement back to those core subjects by targeting children from the ages of 6 and older. What better way to get kids excited about maths and science than by allowing them to interact with it?? That is why my focus for the year is to develop and propose a Phase 2 for the current UDDI's (Uitenhage Despatch Development Initiative) Phase 1, namely the Nelson Mandela Bay Science and Technology Center in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape. Phase 2 will comprise of a Planetarium and a Cosmic Museum showcasing aspects like SALT (The South African Large Telescope) in Sutherland, SAAO (South African Astronomical Observatory) in Cape Town and the NASSP (National Astrophysics and Space Science Program) hosted at UCT for those who are interested in entering into that career path.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Science and Technology Centre
in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape

The main aim of this proposal is to create awareness in the Eastern Cape of the dwindling numbers of students taking maths and science in high school as core subjects and how astronomy and the right kind of exposure to maths and science can be a catalyst to get children to become more motivated and determined to tackle the harder subjects and pursue a career which will benefit both the student and the country alike. Join me in my journey to fusing design and astrophysics... and hopefully a very happy and successful ending!