The Iimbovane Outreach Project held a training session for learners from one of their partnerships schools, to help these learners develop microscopy skills.
Iimbovane took part in this year’s Science Expo that was held on Friday 5th August 2011 at Swartberg Primary School. Several schools from the Overberg district were also present at the Expo and they showcased their projects which consisted of interesting topics such as recycling, human sense of smell, how to keep cut flowers fresher for longer, to name but a few.
The Iimbovane Project is a science education project that uses ants as a model species to teach high school learners about biodiversity science. By using “ants” as the focus species, Iimbovane, hopes to spark learners’ interest in local biodiversity and to help them understand the science that supports the conservation our rich natural heritage.
The data collected in the Iimbovane Outreach Project has many potential uses in biodiversity or conservation biology. It gives the baseline on which other projects can build.
Did you know that ants have hair on their heads? Or that some species of ants loot the eggs of other ant species, bringing them back to their own nests and then forcing them into slavery? These were among the fascinating facts that were part of hands-on workshop entitled “Antastic!” held at Scifest Africa by team members of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology’s Iimbovane Outreach Project.