Science is for everyone

In its 90th year the Namibia Scientific Society still wants to provide a platform of exchange and information to local and foreign scientists, scientifically interested layman, students and tourists.
Waltraut Fritzsche, Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Scientific Society, said that they are not affiliated with any political party or cultural sector and that they are a non-profit and non-governmental entity.
“We have books and artifacts from pre, post and present day Namibia, because we want to be current and valid too.

Because we do not just concentrate on the past we offer presentations on a vast variety of topics, she emphasised.
She said that they want to maintain the cultural heritage of Namibia and focus on both the pro’s and con’s of any situation and not to choose side, but supply the facts and give the public something to debate, discuss and think about. “We are not an exclusive club like most people might think, every public talk, lecture or event that we have is open for the public and everyone who is interested can attend, become a member, visit the library, participate in field trips, give input and contribute ideas,” she added.
“We want to tell Namibia’s stories no matter the era and to advocate and curate our cultural heritage, and we want to offer science for society, because knowledge empowers and connects, and it can also be a platform for students and young professionals to network,” she stated.
Fritzsche also informed The Economist that they have the largest private collection of old title books in the Namibiana library which is publicly accessible, and that they also have photos and slides as part of the society’s  reference library.
The events they have planned for this month start with a presentation by Holger Kolber of the Namibia Bird Club on “The early History of Namibian Ornithology,” on 11 March 2015 at 19:30.
On 18 March 2015 at 19:30 Lize Brown, Ecologist and Herpetologist will present the amazing amphibian diversity of Namibia.  Fritsche said all events are open to the public and the venue is the Namibian Scientific Society’s house in Robert Mugabe Avenue in Windhoek opposite the National Theatre.