Posted by Dr Serena Coetzee on 11 May 2009, 21:56 (last modified on 11 May 2009, 21:57)

Project PumaScope is a community-based project running since 2003, coordinated by Prof Hein Venter at the Department of Computer Science. The project aims to contribute towards basic Computer Science knowledge transfer in historically disadvantaged and rural areas of Mpumalanga.

The project has reached thousands of school children and rural communities and has made a valuable contribution to the lives of those communities and schools. University students volunteer to take part in the project every year and normally the response is overwhelming with interest in being part of the project. In terms of the popularity of the project, 2009 will be no different! Students who want to participate in the project, started inquiring early in the year already, mainly due to word-of-mouth advertising by students who have participated in the project before.

Do you want to be part of it?

The project runs from 15-26 June 2009. Students who are selected for participating in the project will stay these two weeks at quality accommodation that is arranged by the Department of Computer Science on behalf of the students. At least two students are selected to go to each school. You will teach basic computer literature courses as well as very basic computer programming. A student will be required to teach two groups of people: In the mornings (8:00-12:00) you will teach a group consisting of grade 10-12 learners. In the afternoons (13:00-17:00) you will teach a group of after-school people that comes from the community surrounding the school. The particular curriculum will be discussed with you on a date that will be arranged somewhere in the week prior to departure.

The University will also reimburse students of all their meal costs, travel costs and any other costs that are incurred directly towards conveying the project. So what are you waiting for? This is an exciting all-expenses-paid trip and you get to give something back to the community at large in South Africa! Please read the attached code of ethics and fill in the attached 1-pager CV (please do not let it span more than one page after completing it). Then rename the file by placing your surname and initials with the "YourSurnameAndInitials" part of the file name. Finally email your CV to Prof Hein Venter; his address is hventer[.at.]cs.up.ac.za (replace the [.at.] part with an @ sign).