8. Prof Mike Bruton Q&A

Описание: How the basic sciences should be taught for environmental sustainability.

Prof Mike Bruton is currently the owner of Mike Bruton Imagineering, a consulting company based in Cape Town. He is also employed as a part time consultant by Formula- D in Cape Town. He holds a BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD and a DSC honoris causae from Rhodes University. Prof Bruton’s main research fields include ichthyology, aquatic ecology and conservation, indigenous knowledge systems, environmental education, history and development of museums and science centres, role of science and technology, history of Islamic and African contributions to science and technology.
He has prior experience in the development of museums, aquaria and science centres in the Southern Africa. This includes the development of the Two Oceans Aquarium, Knysna Angling Museum, Museum of Science and Technology in Islam, Sci-Bono Discovery Centre and many more. During his years of developments, he served in multiple positions including the Director of the Two Oceans Environmental Education Trust at the Two Oceans Aquarium, Founder-Director at the MTN ScienCentre, Founder at Old Mutual MTN ScienCentre, he developed business plans for the UDDI Discovery Centre and Sci-Bono Discovery Centre.
Prof Bruton is a renowned award-winner. He received his first award in 1979 from the Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, and his most recent award is from the Marloth Medal of the Royal Society of South Africa for outstanding contributions to science and science education over a lifetime in 2020. Between the two years he received recognitions worldwide, from Britain, France and South Africa.

Background:
Basic sciences are defined by the International Science Programme (IPS) at Uppsala University as the scientific disciplines of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. They are called basic sciences because they provide a fundamental understanding of natural phenomena. The IPS asks these questions on their website: “What is the justification for supporting basic sciences in low and lower- middle income countries? Will support to basic sciences contribute to poverty reduction?”.
There has been a debate in the science community and in society for some decades on whether it is valuable to pursue science for the sake of simply gaining knowledge or does scientific knowledge only have worth if we can apply it to solving specific problems or improving people’s lives? In other words, do we need both the basic sciences and applied sciences?
Basic sciences (also known as pure sciences) are about expanding knowledge regardless of the applications of the knowledge, which could be of a short-term nature. It does not focus on developing a product or service of public or commercial value. The main goal of the basic sciences is knowledge for knowledge’s sake. The knowledge so generated may (or may not) result in an application, whereas applied sciences aim to use basic sciences and/or other applied sciences to solve practical problems.
The NSTF made a Special Annual Theme Award for work in the Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development, as part of the NSTF-South32 Awards on 21 July 2022. We define basic sciences to be mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, but with the inclusion of astronomy and earth science.
A report by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) found that there is a complete lack of data on science education from low-income countries. The report, Deepening the debate on those still left behind, analysed primary and secondary education data from 120 countries, but only 28 of the 82 low- and low-middle-income countries were represented, and there was no assessment data for science in any low-income country. This indicates how under-valued science education is on our continent. In South Africa, the proportion of learners who take mathematics and physical science for matric continues to dwindle.
The basics of basic science subjects should be learnt at school. As these form the foundations of all sciences, it is critical that learners choose these subjects at FET level (Grades 10-12), especially mathematics.

Purpose and objectives:
This Discussion Forum provides a platform to share knowledge on the connections between the basic sciences and the solutions they have made possible. It will focus on areas that are important for Sustainable Development, as defined by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The discussions will highlight the importance of the basic sciences, including the critical importance of learning and teaching them at school level. We invite scientists from various fields of expertise to discuss these matters. The NSTF aims to raise awareness of the basic sciences, promote cooperation and networking, and encourage the sharing of best practice and experiences.