{"id":1243,"date":"2024-11-14T19:41:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T19:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saip.org.za\/WIPISA\/?page_id=1243"},"modified":"2025-07-12T13:08:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T13:08:58","slug":"history-of-wipisa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wipisa.saip.org.za\/index.php\/history-of-wipisa\/","title":{"rendered":"History of WiPiSA"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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As a means of addressing the under-representation of Women in Physics internationally, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) funded the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) to start the Women in Physics in South Africa (WiPiSA) Project. The Women in Physics Project was launched in November 2005 in Durban and it became known as WiPiSA. The launch conference of WIPISA was a great success. International speakers and attendees of the World Conference on Physics of Sustainable Development (WCPSD) and the US-Africa Advance Studies Institute on Photon Interaction were able to attend. The WIPISA launch conference was sandwiched in between the two international events, which made it easy for the participants of both conferences to attend the launch conference of WIPISA without incurring additional costs. A working group was selected at the launch to lead WiPiSA. Members of the working group met regularly throughout 2006 to deliberate and make progress on issues that affect women in physics. <\/span><\/p>\n

Aims<\/b><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The following aims have been developed for WIPISA, which embrace the international aims of Women in Physics, but are also unique to the South African situation, as identified in the prelaunch workshop: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To stimulate an interest in physics amongst girls and women <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To encourage girls and women to study physics <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To encourage and support girls and women to work in physics-related careers <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To assist in removing or overcoming obstacles and barriers for girls and women to study physics and work in physics-related careers <\/span><\/p>\n

Objectives <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In the same pre-launch workshop, the following objectives were identified: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To attract girls into physics <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To support women embarking on careers in physics <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To promote women in physics in leadership roles <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To break stereotypes that discourage women from studying physics and working in physics-related careers <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To support women in physics who need to balance family and career <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To promote the creation of flexible jobs (not only full-time) that will allow women in physics who have families to follow meaningful career paths <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To promote funding criteria that take into consideration women who have families (and may interrupt their career for a time) <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To improve institutional structures and climate for women in physics <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 To challenge gender discrimination in selection procedures and the workplace In achieving the aims the following activities were undertaken:<\/span><\/p>\n

Working Group Meetings <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The Working Group had meetings on the following dates: <\/span><\/p>\n

2006:<\/b><\/span> 8 February, 20 April, 9 June, 28 July, and 1 November 21 <\/span><\/p>\n

2007:<\/b><\/span> 23 February, 12 April, and1 June <\/span><\/p>

The meetings of the working group were characterised by harmony and growth in the personal lives, and that on its own is an achievement in addressing the issues that affect women in physics in South Africa. Some of the WiPiSA working group have experienced some setbacks in our personal lives and the group was good at nurturing each other. <\/span><\/p>\n

The working group members were: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022  Ms Mmantsae Diale \u2013 University of Pretoria (Chair) <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Prof Diane Grayson \u2013 Andromeda Science Education CC <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Dr Igle Gledhill \u2013 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Dr Jackie Nel \u2013 University of Pretoria (Treasurer) <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Ms Patience Segonyane \u2013 Nuclear Energy Council of South Africa <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Dr Sharmila Goedhart \u2013 Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Ms Sarah Buchner \u2013 Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (Secretary) <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Dr Nnenesi Kgabi \u2013 North-West University (Mmabatho) <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Dr Zinhle Buthelezi \u2013 iThemba LABS <\/span><\/p>\n

The working group achieved a special addition to women with PhDs when Nnenesi Kgabi graduated from North-West University in Potchefstroom in Environmental Science, a very important study and relevant to the era.<\/span><\/p>\n

Refer to the 2007 SAIP Annual Report<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a means of addressing the under-representation of Women in Physics internationally, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) funded the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) to start the Women in Physics in South Africa (WiPiSA) Project. The Women in Physics Project was launched in November 2005 in Durban and it became known as …<\/p>\n

History of WiPiSA<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1243","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wipisa.saip.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wipisa.saip.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wipisa.saip.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wipisa.saip.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wipisa.saip.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1243"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/wipisa.saip.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1325,"href":"https:\/\/wipisa.saip.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1243\/revisions\/1325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wipisa.saip.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}