Net-work it

Former Botany Department

This week is the Biodiversity Southern Africa conference at UCT. About a year ago the former Botany (which officially formed in 1903 after starting in the late 1800's) and Zoology (also started in 1903 but with only one person and one room it wasn't something to brag about) departments merged to become the all new Department of Biological Sciences. What did this mean for me and my fellow 'botzoos', not that much, well at least not until the new tea room opened; now we all mingle at 10:30 over restorative tea or coffee from the neon green coffee machine (environmentally friendly - but I haven't used it yet because frankly it's a little intimidating). Until this conference which is to showcase the fab new department and all the amazing work we are doing... No really...

Former Zoology Department
(My office window is the one
with the fab balcony above
the arch! - AWESOME)

I have mentioned before in "added bonus" that conferences are an opportunity to remind yourself how exciting and awesome your field really is. There are people doing really cool, sexy research, and you know, there are probably people that will think you are doing really cool, sexy research because they don't have to deal with the nitty-gritty, brain-numbing, data-punching, 1000-dissections repetitiveness. The conference had a number of really brilliant, inspiring talks. 

Marcus Byrne and the cooler-than-you-would-think dung beetle

After one of the public lectures I was so excited about the work that had been presented I was just buzzing. Marcus Byrne from WITS University gave a presentation entitled "'Jika ne Langa' - Turn with the Sun - Like a Dung Beetle". I was gushing about dung beetles like a teenage girl with a crush after his talk. He has a real gift for making science exciting and engaging his audience. What I particularly like about his research is how real it is. I know that sounds weird, but one of the things that I have always loved about science is the sexy experiment, manipulate the environment this way or that to find out what's causing the patterns you see.

Recently I have felt a little more removed from that so it was nice to see some great experimental research.

Beautiful (but not indigenous) Jacaranda.

Another aspect of it is hearing all the things that still need to be done. It is a different kind of inspiring when you realise that there is so much exciting and (from a conservation point of view) urgent work to be done. People need to do science, good science!!! There is so much we need to know. I took away from the one of the talks is that although we feel frustrated by a lack of changes resulting out of research, some things require patience. John Hoffman of UCT spoke of various biocontrol methods being used to mitigate the spread of alien plant species. From where I sit, we still have a huge problem with alien vegetation, but he convinced me that there has been a remarkable change, it is just that people forget how things were before. My laboured point is, conferences really are a great way to remind yourself how cool your field is. 

Of course, the thing about conferences is, you can't really just sit and soak in other people's work. Chances are, you are going to have to present your own work at some stage too, which many people find to be a nerve-wracking occasion. This may seem like a bad thing, but there are unexpected positives: having to present your work means you will have a hard deadline by which you have to do your work, always useful in a world of procrastination. It also means that  people will finally cotton on to what you are doing (and in my case, hopefully realise that I am no longer working on African Penguins - come on people, it has been 5 years!!!) and maybe even have ideas for you or will remind you that your work is exciting too! If nothing else, I suspect that the more often you present the easier it becomes. There are people better suited to telling you how to ace a talk. (Check out thesis whisperer) I am still trying to figure out how to struggle through these things myself. Of course, the usual hints are redundant because you should know them by now... practice, make eye contact, ooze enthusiasm, avoid slang, don't put too many words on a slide etc. 

I think the biggest unforgivable presentation faux pas is to go over time. Chances are you will be rushing towards the end so are more likely to make mistakes/mumble and no one will be listening to you after your time is up anyway because they are watching the reaction of the session chair or wondering how they can sneak out quietly. Having listened to dozens of presentations, your audience will have little sympathy for you if you trespass on their time for longer than you are allowed. If you practice anything, practice timing.

After the talk, avoid the "I should've...", "I meant to... " self abuse, it is finished and  probably went well. Organise to go to the pub and have a glass of wine (completely out of character I actually had hot chocolate instead but that was because my smart "presenting-dress" was ill suited for the ridiculously cold evening - unexpected in southern hemisphere December.) I tend to agonise over what I should have said, and what I forgot to mention, it isn't a healthy practice. I think, the best is if you have a friend that you can trust to tell you in a nice, non-critical, constructive way whether or not you have any bad habits, but other than that, just put all your post presentation angst in a bubble and blow it away...

Delheim's un-irrigated vineyards. 

As an aside, I was part of the organising committee for this conference which was great because I met and worked with people I wouldn't have otherwise known. It was also good during the conference because on the evening of the cheese and wine I was pouring wine so many more people came to speak to me than I would otherwise have spoken to.

WWF - BWI doing great stuff!

Yummy lunch at Delheim

It also meant that I could suggest/organise (I forget who actually suggested it, but I ended up organising it - with help of course) a field excursion to the winelands as an official outing. (We learnt about the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative and what Delheim is doing to be more sustainable and environmentally conscious, but we also got to drink wine!!!) Actually, I was really impressed with what they are doing, they seem to really care about their impact on the world and aren't just ticking boxes. It is a family farm and they seem very passionate about the environment, and I didn't realise how complicated making wine could be. I would have been convinced that they were cool people just by the number of very happy looking dogs and cats that had the run of the place. So I will leave you with the suggestion that you really should drink more Delheim wine - and since it is Friday afternoon, you may as well start now...

Yummy, guilt-free wine!

Last night I "Waka Waka"-ed with Freshly Ground

This post is named after the text I sent my friend +Monica  this morning, still buzzing with enthusiasm from last night's activities. This post (refreshingly) has nothing to do with my PhD, but since today is graduation day, and I am working hard on bottling the bitterness that I am not currently in a red gown glowing with happiness in my parents' photos, I think I will allow myself a bonus blog this week and gush about how awesome last night was. 

Mandela in Pink on the fan walk

We caught a train from Rondebosch and headed through to town. It was certainly reminiscent of the 2010 World Cup, a sense of anticipation, friendly camaraderie and an excessively full train from the southern suburbs to town. We even walk the fan walk (now re-dubbed the "walk of remembrance") from the station to the stadium. A fantastic traffic policewoman told us it was our right to cross the road with a big grin as she stopped the flow of cars - amazingly she kept this enthusiasm going all night when we spotted her on our return journey at 10:30pm still smiling. 

Once at the stadium the security was really relaxed, everyone seemingly more interested in being friendly than thorough. The crowd was also a really relaxed, friendly crowd, with people striking up conversations with random strangers sitting close to them. I think that is a general characteristic of South Africans at sporting venues (or at least it has been in my experience). 

"Sell out" crowd of 53 000 - rumour has it... 

We were sitting near the top of the stands and the sound wasn't awesome, so I was checking the twitter feeds to see if I was missing anything important and to tell me who some of the VIPs were that were speaking, because I couldn't quite catch the names. (I didn't really care that much about the sound because I was so happy to be there and it was an entirely free event hosted at short notice, and later we moved to where the sound was better anyway). Twitter mentioned something about boo-ing, but I didn't hear any, and I thought the atmosphere was generally friendly, celebratory, joyful and proudly South African! (I am anti booing; I was really disappointed to hear what happened in JHB, it wasn't the time or place, show your dissatisfaction with your votes.)

The first time I really identified as being "South African", and PROUDLY so, was during the 1995 Rugby World Cup - I was 12 years old. It was the last time I knew every single player on the national team, and what positions they played. I knew more about rugby then than I do now. I get goose bumps when I hear "Shosholoza", STILL! I can still picture the streets of northern suburbs Johannesburg after the final, and it brings a lump to my throat! It was fantastic to hear the then captain of our victorious rugby team still bring in the enthusiatic, voice-drowning cheers. Francois Pienaar, you beauty! 

Trevor Manual and Patricia De Lille
lapping up the crowd's cheers. 

You can check out the different articles online, and so won't go through everything. (Although my experience differs to what has been reported in some press e.g. this Mail and Guardian article which suggests that Annie Lennox was a welcome relief... And you can see photos here, including a selfie of Francois and Shado Twala referencing the selfie of Barack Obama, David Cameron and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, (and some people from my department in the center of the photo 4). I thought Helen Zille gave a really brave, enthusiastic speech, I loved Francois of course, and I have always liked Trevor Manual and he didn't disappoint last night. What really stands out is the 11 year old poet, Botlhale Boikanyo she spoke with such passion and confidence, I was blown away. 

I wasn't sure about Annie Lennox, but I loved, will always love Johnny Clegg - the man is a legend and I wish he had stayed on stage for longer. The crowd were all on their feet for the Bala Brothers who were goose-bump brilliant. I haven't seen them before but I will definitely be trying to see them again. 

Somehow, we wangled our way on to the field once the sun was down and the dancing started in earnest. (The sound was infinitely better from there). I have wanted to see Freshly Ground live for years, and somehow or other I have never managed to coordinate my schedule and budget to their performances. I think that it was worth the wait that last night's magical celebration was the first time that I ending up seeing them; dancing to "Waka Waka" (+Dayne!!!!!!!!!) on the pitch of one of the World Cup 2010 Stadiums will be something I never forget. I was jumping up and down too much to get a photo. The evening ended with Ladysmith Black Mambazo's hauntingly beautiful voices. Well, and a train trip back to the southern suburbs with a lovely group of fellow train go-ers, and glimpsing the green lazer Mandela on the side of Table Mountain. What a night... What a magical way to remember and celebrate the life of the most extraordinary South African, the most amazing human. 

RIP Madiba

Today, I was going to chat about UCT's Biodiversity Conference and maybe that post will still come at some stage, but there is only one real piece of news today. 

I found out about Mandela's passing through a Whatsapp message from my sister +Tessa Hampton close to midnight last night. I checked Twitter, and you can imagine every post was carrying the same, breaking, heartbreaking news.

He was old, and has worked harder than anyone throughout his life to achieve something miraculous in South Africa. He was frail and the world has been expected this news for months already (he was in hospital in Pretoria while my family was going through its own personal tragedy, so it didn't really sink in at that time). He, more than anyone, deserves to rest in peace. And yet I can't help feeling completely saddened by the news.  And I have been trying to think why. 

I am going to try explain my own feelings of loss, however undeserved, with a story from years ago. In 2005, the first year of my MSc on African Penguins, I was very excited to have the opportunity to take my parents across to Robben Island to show them what I do. Unfortunately the Robben Island ferry was delayed, as it so often is. This time, however, no one in the world would have been annoyed by this inconvenience because the ferry was cancelled so that Mandela could meet the staff of the Robben Island Museum at the Waterfront offices. 

2005. The closest I have ever been to the great icon. 

My mom, dad and I were thrilled to be at the Waterfront for the occasion, well, hardly an occasion, he literally just walked through towards the office from the parking lot surrounded by body guards and admirers. I literally glimpsed his head and my dad managed this (treasure) photograph by holding the camera high above his head. 

I can't adequately describe the excitement I felt at glimpsing the top of an old man's head. And I think I can explain why. This is not the kind of mania surrounding other famous people, movie stars or sporting heroes. For me anyway, this man is the personification of hope. 

I think that one of the things that makes South Africans amazing people, and I unashamedly state that we are, despite what some of my foreign friends that have had to deal with Home Affairs think, is that we live in HOPE. We have had to. We have gone through an enormous change in this country, in politics, ideologies, economics, even being allowed to play sport with the rest of the world, and honestly it could have gone completely wrong. I suspect, that many people are still waiting for it to go completely wrong, but I hazard the majority of people continue to live in hope that this great social experiment, brought about by the vision of this extraordinary man, will work. South Africans are strong, resilient, positive people who have maintained hope through dark days of apartheid and (persistently) tumultuous days of forming a new country and he personified all of that. (Incidentally, we are also very good at laughing at ourselves and each other which is a very useful trait). 

So, I think that I feel sad for all the people that won't get to glimpse Mandela's head and that this living beacon of hope is no longer with us. I don't foresee that it will fundamentally change anything, but it is still a deeply sad day. Of course, I feel sad for his family and loved ones, but that sadness is the same, more distant sadness that I would feel, in passing, for the family and loved ones of any other person I don't personally know. 

That's my two cents worth of what I am sure will be the most spoken about topic for weeks to come. 

RIP Madiba!

PS UCT just had a gathering to mark the passing of Mandela. The Vice Chancellor said one thing that really stood out to me. (I may have the quote wrong but the just...) "The way you live your life will pay greater tribute to Mandela than anything we say today"