Meraka Institute contributes to Open Source in scientific teaching and research

The Meraka Institute, in association with the Go Open Source Coalition, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), Martin King and Cheryl Grunbock are jointly hosting a course entitled Winter School in GNU/Linux as a Tool for Science during July and August this year at the AIMS premises in Cape Town. The course hopes to encourage the use of open source solutions for educational research in the mathematical and scientific fields.

Participants in this course are 20 lecturers from South African universities, 15 from other countries, but who lecture in South Africa, and eight from African universities outside of South Africa. The course provides an intensive practical environment for experienced academics in the mathematical sciences, who have qualifications from Masters level and up. Preference is given to those who lecture undergraduates and have teaching experience.

Kim Tucker of the Meraka Institute’s Open Source Centre notes, “By introducing the participants to the capabilities and potential of free and open source software, we hope they will go beyond simply adopting it in their own
departments, and become active participants in the thriving communities
around this software. Our aim is for Africa to become a respected and
sought-after source of contributors to free and open source software,
and a living example of extreme progress on account of the associated
culture of collaboration and sharing for the common good." The course is envisaged as an annual event, based on the success of this year’s pilot programme.

For technical details of the course and for registration, visit http://www.aims.ac.za/docs/winter-information.pdf.