News and Events
Ms. Dimakatso Maheso Graduates with Masters in Physics with Distinction
Ms. Dimakatso Maheso, under the supervision of Prof. Soebur Razzaque, has graduated with a master’s in physics, receiving a distinction for her dissertation. Congratulations Dimakatso, we eagerly anticipate the remarkable achievements you will accomplish in the future!
CAPP Team Building Lunch 2024
The CAPP team hosted their final team-building lunch for the year on August 20th, 2024, at Pizza e Vino in Melville. This gathering was also a special send-off for our Research Administrator, Ms. Anna Larmuth, who will be leaving at the end of September to further her career. We were also
honoured to have Ms. Salmoli Ghosh as our guest speaker. The afternoon was filled with engaging conversations and camaraderie, making it a memorable occasion for all.
Salmoli Ghosh seminar talk on further understanding radio emissions from radio quiet, active galactic nuclei.
on the 21st of August 2024, Salmoli Ghosh presented her talk in which she delved into the mysterious radio emissions of radio-quiet AGNs, revealing how radio-polarimetric imaging uncovered kpc-scale radio structures in Seyfert and LINER galaxies. She shared her discoveries of bent jets, magnetic fields, and AGN feedback through VLA observations. Additionally, she provided valuable insights into the power of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in capturing these cosmic phenomena.
Ms. Salmoli Ghosh Seminar talk on Further understanding Radio emission from radio-quiet (RQ) active galactic nuclei (AGN)
Salmoli is a 2nd year PhD student at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), working with Prof. Preeti Kharb.
On the 21st of August 2024 She will be presenting a seminar talk, exploring the mysterious radio emissions of radio-quiet AGNs, and revealing how radio-polarimetric imaging uncovers kpc-scale radio structures in Seyfert and LINER galaxies. The seminar talk will go into bent jets, magnetic fields, and AGN feedback through VLA observations. She will also be providing insights into the power of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope.
Dr. Ann Njeri’s talk addressing education and gender disparity in rural areas of Kenya and Uganda.
Dr. Njeri’s powerful session on education and mentorship left us all inspired. Her program, “Elimisha Msichana Elimisha Jamii” (EMEJA), is making waves in rural Kenya and Uganda by addressing gender disparity and promoting equality in education among young schoolgirls. Through astronomy outreach, mentorship, and STEM workshops, EMEJA tackles critical socio-economic issues like early marriages, teenage pregnancies, and poverty. Dr. Njeri’s dedication to empowering these communities is truly commendable.
Dr. Gopolang’s latest talk dives into innovative strategies for detecting dark matter beyond the elusive WIMPs.
On the 29th of July 2024 Dr. Gopolang’s held his latest talk which dived into innovative strategies for detecting dark matter beyond the elusive WIMPs. He spoke about future discoveries of dark matter and how new approaches and cutting-edge experiments are bringing us closer to unravelling the mysteries of dark matter.
Mr. Luyanda Mazwi Graduates with a Master’s in Physics with Distinction
Mr. Luyanda Mazwi, under the supervision of Prof. Soebur Razzaque, has graduated with a Masters in Physics, receiving a distinction for his dissertation. Congratulations Luyanda, we eagerly anticipate the remarkable achievements you will accomplish in the future!
Outreach Talk: Dr. Ann Njeri
Dr. Njeri is a Post Doctoral Research Associate (PDRA) in Extragalactic Astrophysics at Newcastle University. She is currently working on the Quasar Feedback Survey, using radio observations from various facilities to understand how quasars influence their host galaxies.
In addition to her research, Dr. Njeri is passionate about education and mentorship. She founded and leads the program “Elimisha Msichana Elimisha Jamii, EMEJA” (Swahili for “Educate a Girl, Educate the Entire Community”). This mentorship program addresses gender disparity and promotes equality in education among young schoolgirls in rural areas of Kenya and Uganda. The program also tackles socio-economic issues like early marriages, teenage pregnancies, and poverty through astronomy outreach programs, mentorship, and STEM workshops.
You can read her article titled ‘Helping more girls complete basic education in Kenya’ here: https://is.gd/ZoYTEy
Seminar Talk: Dr. Gopolang Mohlabeng
Dr. Gopolang Mohlabeng, an Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University, specialises in theoretical astroparticle physics and cosmology. His research spans a wide array of topics in new physics beyond the standard model of particle physics, with a particular focus on unraveling the mysteries of dark matter.
Dr. Mohlabeng’s seminar talk titled ‘New Directions for Discovering Dark Matter Beyond the Weak Scale’ discusses novel theoretical directions and search strategies for detecting dark matter beyond the Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) paradigm.
Professor Mirjana Povics talk on the role of astronomy making the world a better place.
On the 21st of June Professor Mirjana hosted an outreach talk on the role that astronomy has in making the world a better place. She touched on subjects involving the mental health implications that many researchers face, specifically rethinking astronomy in conflict contexts and war anxiety.
Outreach Talk: Prof. Mirjana Pović
Prof. Mirjana Pović is a Serbian-Spanish astrophysicist, working as an assistant professor at the Space Science and Geospatial Institute in Ethiopia, an associate researcher at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia in Spain, and an honorary lecturer at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda. She obtained her PhD in astrophysics in 2010 from the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (Spain). Her main research interests include galaxy formation and evolution, particularly nuclear activity in galaxies, star formation, morphological classification of galaxies, and galaxy clusters.
Her outreach talk aims to give more visibility to the challenges we face when conducting research and teaching astronomy in conflict contexts. It also serves as a reminder that, in such contexts, astronomy must be used more than ever to constantly transmit the message that we all live under the same sky and to promote peace-building through science and its peaceful applications.
CAPP Journal Club
The Centre for Astro-Particle Physics (CAPP) is launching its very own Journal Club. This platform will give students the opportunity to share insights and ideas on new articles relevant to their work or recent scientific breakthroughs in the field of astrophysics.
Additionally, these sessions will provide a chance for participants to give weekly updates on their research progress. The aim is to facilitate advice exchange on research challenges, share ideas on current or potential projects—including collaborative ones—and stay updated with the latest advancements in the astrophysics research field.
Mr. Thabo Msiza Passed His Masters With Distinction
Mr. Thabo Msiza, under the supervision of Prof. Soebur Razzaque, has graduated with a Masters in Physics, receiving a distinction for his dissertation. In his own words, a brief overview of his dissertation can be found below:
My dissertation focused on utilizing a beyond the Standard Model (BSM) framework, specifically the revamped Babu-Ma-Valle model (Revamped BMV model), to obtain improved constraints on the poorly determined neutrino oscillation parameters of δ_{CP} and θ_{23}. To achieve this, I analyzed long-baseline neutrino experimental data from NOvA (NuMI Off-axis ve Appearance) and T2K (Tokai to Kamioka). These ongoing experiments are well-suited to provide precise measurements for these challenging parameters. The results of my analysis indicated an improvement in the constraint on θ_{23} from the NOvA experiment. However, there were no significant changes in the constraints for δ_{CP}. The results from T2K did not provide any new constraints, but it is worth noting that this may change as new data becomes available every few years.
Mr. Luyanda Mazwi mentioned in the ‘Citizen Maverick’
Mr. Luyanda Mazwi, a Master’s Student, has been in the spotlight in the ‘Maverick Citizen’ for his creation of a portable cooling system made entirely of recycled plastic that does not require electricity. This innovative design showcases his exceptional skills and provides street vendors with a practical solution to prevent their produce from spoiling within a day. Mr. Mazwi’s pioneering design is a testament to his ingenuity and unwavering determination to make a positive impact on society.
Mr. Mazwi boldly orchestrated and financed an evening of music and poetry, driven by a pure desire to inquire if anyone possesses a 3D printer with potential to aid in the development of his product. His noble goal is to share the intellectual property, enabling anyone to construct and market these innovative cooling systems.
If you can help Mr. Luyanda Mazwi gain access to a 3D printer that can print over 260 degrees Celsius and is not PTFE lined, please email info@theactionists.co.za.
Visit by Noble Lauriet in Physics 2022
Prof. Soebur Razzaque was invited to the High Commission of Canada in Pretoria where Dr. Arthur McDonald, Nobel Laureate in Physics 2015, was a guest speaker.
Science@UJ Series 2022
Professor Soebur Razzaque, Director at the Centre for Astro-Particle Physics (CAPP), on @ujfm as part of the Science@UJ series.
