The University of Venda’s Vuwani Science Resource Centre, under the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture recently received a brand-new car (BMW X3 M40i) from BMW South Africa for exhibition.
The new BMW car to be used for exhibition at Vuwani Science Resource Centre
Vuwani Science Resource Centre always host science awareness campaigns in different fields including science shows, science exhibitions, science talks to illustrate, inform and educate learners hailing from primary and secondary schools within the surrounding communities. The main exhibition hall at the science centre has several exhibition items which demonstrate different science ideas from energy, power, life sciences, chemistry and environmental sciences.
One of the main exhibits is the BMW car which is used to demonstrate the automotive engineering of BMW cars. There are several education-related topics which learners are taught through the BMW exhibit. Vuwani Science Resource Centre has formulated a memorandum of understanding with BMW South Africa to support the science awareness through the car exhibit in the cycle of two years. Currently the cycle of the previous two years has elapsed, and the centre has received a new black BMW car and the old white car has been taken back to the BMW car dealership.
The science awareness strategy needs the exhibitions to be as interactive as possible for the learners and public participants to understand how cars function. The learners are expected to acquire a motivation to purse engineering as they progress in their studies. These learners would then be able to reflect on questions such as their experience about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as they would have gone through different exhibitions inside the exhibition hall. The main purpose of the exhibition hall at Vuwani Science Resource Centre is to introduce STEM education to learners and to the public at large.
Even though the car cannot be used for driving around, it is a major centre of attraction at Vuwani Science Resource Centre for learners and the public. The other aim of the exhibition hall is to develop and use the pre- and post-surveys to obtain the level of understanding of STEM before and after learners visit the exhibition hall. The pre-surveys are meant for the learners to give information on how they understand the STEM and if they are familiar with STEM education so that they could pursue STEM careers at the institutions of higher learning.
The Executive Dean of Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, Prof Ntebogeng Mokgalaka-Fleischmann has on behalf of the University expressed that she appreciate the gesture of BMW South Africa by always making sure that communities are empowered through the University of Venda’s Vuwani Science Resource Centre. She further thanked BMW for its generosity.
The old BMW car that has been collected from Vuwani Science Resource Centre and taken back to BMW South Africa
The old BMW X3 exhibition was taken back when the centre received the new car. This is the third donation cycle by BMW South Africa by means of which a car is replaced every two years.
Issued by:
Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication
University of Venda
Tel: (015) 962 8525 / 8710
Date: 27 June 2022
