DST/NRF professor in Medicinal Chemistry and Nanotechnology at Rhodes University and director of the DST/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Center for Sensors, Professor Tebello Nyokong, will represent Africa and be one of the National Center for Research on Human Evolution (CENIEH), located in Burgos, Spain, "12 NAMES TO CHANGE THE WORLD."
CENIEH is a non-profitable venture, being developed as a tribute to women scientists who develop generous work for a better world. This exhibition will focus on the solidarity and social commitment of women scientists from around the globe.
Prof Nyokong is pleased that her presence in the exhibition will increase awareness of Africa, and the serious scientific work being done on the continent. It counteracts the many images of Africans starving, or at war, providing rather an image of Africa which women working in science can aspire to.
She says, it is important to deal with the basic needs of housing, hunger and poverty alleviation, but it is equally important, to provide role models of success for African women.
The exhibition in Spain will consist of a photograph of Prof Nyokong, a short biography, and an inspiring video presentation in which she discusses her upbringing and her work, and pays tribute to her father, the source of her confidence in herself and her belief that anything is possible if you work hard enough.
Always modest, Prof Nyokong’s initial reaction was amazement that: “someone in Spain knew about me and my work,” and she was both honoured and surprised to be included in such a select group of women.
Discussing her own commitment to the empowerment of women, and her sense of solidarity with those in the sciences, she sighs. “By the time you get to the level that is called success, you are so busy! I give time to my students, but what about other women who are trying to get into academics, who have passed the student stage? It would be nice to do more of that.”
The CENIEH exhibition, which will run during the month of March 2012 and coincides with the celebration of the International Working Women’s Day, will allow her work to reach and inspire many such women.
One of CENIEH’s aims is the communication of science and its dissemination to society through various activities throughout the year. The twelve women scientists selected for the exhibition have been chosen for their excellence in research combined with their strong social vocations. Prof Nyokong is the perfect fit for such an endeavour, as her frequently stated goal of uplifting women in the sciences affirms.
Prof Nyokong’s research involves the development of photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy, a cancer treatment that uses a combination of a dye, laser light and oxygen.
This year, Prof Nyokong has been honoured as a Distinguished Professor by Rhodes University, a rank inaugurated this year to recognize academic staff of outstanding scholarly reputation and productivity, who have brought great distinction to the university through their academic work.
http://www.ru.ac.za/nanotechnology/resources/news/videoreleases/
By Jeannie McKeown
Photo: Professor Tebello Nyokong with her postgraduates' students.