The National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences

On this day in science 14 August In 1777, Hans Christian Ørsted was born. He later discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields, helping unite electricity and magnetism.

NITheCS Colloquium: ‘1st & 2nd Papegaaiberg iNaturalist BioBlitzes: Seeding the Nexus Between Community Interaction, Good Governance and Conservation in Stellenbosch’
🎙️ Prof Ruan Veldtman (SU & SANBI)
📅 Mon, 24 August 2026
🕓 16h00–17h00 SAST
📍 Attend in person or online
https://buff.ly/H5HWhpm

On this day in science 13 August In 1814, Anders Jonas Ångström was born. He became one of the founders of spectroscopy, the science of studying light to understand matter.

Congratulations to NITheCS Associate Dr Yaseera Ismail (SU) on being named a finalist in the DSTI’s 2026 South African Women in Science Awards.
The awards honour exceptional women researchers, scientists and students. The winners will be announced at a special ceremony in Sandton on 20 August.
We congratulate Dr Ismail on this outstanding achievement and wish her every success.

This Women’s Month, NITheCS celebrates the women who pursue bold questions, open new frontiers of discovery and inspire others to believe in their scientific potential.
Join our Wi-NITheCS events to explore how women have shaped – and continue to shape – the theoretical and computational sciences.

Join us for the next NITheCS Colloquium - the Wi-NITheCS Women’s Month Panel Discussion, “Women Shaping the Future of Science”.

Hear from panellists Prof Nokwanda Makunga, Prof Amanda Weltman, Dr Chevarra Hansraj and Dr Yaseera Ismail, with Dhiya Dharampal as chair.

📅 Monday, 17 August 2026
⏰ 16:00–17:00 SAST
📍 Attend in person or online
https://buff.ly/MP9wvcF

On this day in science 12 AugustIn 1887, Erwin Schrödinger was born. He became one of the founders of quantum mechanics and developed the famous Schrödinger equation.

Why it matters: His work gave scientists a mathematical way to describe quantum systems, shaping modern physics, chemistry, and computation.

Join NITheCS and UKZN for a seminar by Prof Eduardo Bittencourt (UNIFEI, Brazil):

“Recent Advances in Nonlinear Electrodynamics (NLED) and Analogue Gravity”

📅 Thursday, 13 August 2026
⏰ 11:30–12:30 SAST
📍 Attend in person or online
https://buff.ly/wobiMGN

On this day in science 11 August In 1950, Steve Wozniak was born. His work on early personal computers helped move computing from specialised laboratories into homes, schools, and workplaces.

Why it matters: Accessible computing changed how people learn, analyse data, build models, and solve problems.