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It’s
“All Systems GO!” for the winners of the fourth edition of the
DStv
Eutelsat Star Awards
to be announced at the awards ceremony in Lusaka, Zambia on February
10. This unique pan-African schools competition has attracted over
3000 entries from 19 countries across the continent and has
invigorated a passion for science amongst the younger generation. The
top entries from each country will be judged by a distinguished jury
that will select a winner and a runner-up for each category.
For
the 2014 edition, MultiChoice and Eutelsat have once again enlisted
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli to lead the
continental awards judging which will take place in Livingstone,
Zambia on February 9. Nespoli, an aerospace engineer from Italy, is
an astronaut of the European Space Agency, and flew in space twice:
with NASA on the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2007 in a 15-day mission
to build the International Space Station, and again in 2010-2011
when, after a launch with the Russian vehicle Soyuz, he spent five
and a half months in space carrying out a variety of scientific,
technological and educational activities.
With
astronaut Paolo Nespoli there will be a panel of distinguished
industry and education experts from across Africa, including: Dr.
Jacob O Ashong, Director (also Higher Education Consultant) at the
Ghana Science Project and Planetarium; Christine Mugimba, Head of
Spectrum Management at the Uganda Communications Commission;
Professor Steve Simukanga, Vice Chancellor of the University of
Zambia as well as a representative from MultiChoice Africa and
Eutelsat.
Commenting
on his second year of chairing the jury, Paolo Nespoli said:
“It was an uplifting experience last year to engage with African
students and to discuss their ideas and optimism with the jury
members of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards. I look forward to this
year’s event in Zambia and to helping inspire students to dream big
and reach for the stars.”
Zambia,
the host country, is hoping for a repeat of last year’s awards
ceremony in Ghana where Zambian teenager Francine Mazala scooped top
honours in the essay category. She has since gone on to visit a
rocket launch site in French Guiana as part of her prize. Prior to
entering the competition, the 18 year old former Mpelembe Secondary
School learner had little knowledge of satellite technology but was
encouraged by the fact that her school produced a country winner in
the 2012 competition. This, coupled with her passion to enter led her
to do a lot of research on satellite technology to increase her
chances of capturing the jury’s attention.
About
the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards
The
DStv Eutelsat Star Awards encourages 14-19 year-old students to write
an essay or design a poster on a satellite-related topic. Country
winners from across Africa then compete in the overall awards for a
trip to the Eutelsat facilities in Paris, with the essay winner
travelling onwards to witness a live rocket launch. Runners-up win a
trip to South Africa as guests of MultiChoice Africa and
the South African National Space Agency at Hartebeesthoek.
Schools attended by the overall winners also receive a DStv
installation, including dish, television, state-of-the-art PVR
decoder and free access to the DStv Education Bouquet. Winners at
national levels win prizes such as computers or tablets.
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