20 Jun 2018

Opened less than a decade ago, the country’s sole science and technology university, Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) is already making a mark in the international astronomy arena.

The university’ space science enthusiast and second year PhD student, Ms Basuti Bolo is the one flying the BIUST and Botswana flag.

The Mathangwane-born Bolo is among names aboard the Mars Insight Lander Spacecraft to Mars, which took off on May 5.
Insight is a robotic lander designed to study the interior of the planet Mars.

Her names are also on NASA’s Historic Parker Solar Probe mission to the sun in the summer of 2018.

A chip containing the names will be installed onto the spacecraft before launch.

Parker Probe Spacecraft will swoop to within four million miles of the sun’s surface, facing heat and radiation with the aim to provide new data on solar activity and make critical contributions to man’s ability to forecast major space weather events that impact life on earth.

“I am happy to be featuring in the international astronomy arena and I would like to see myself contributing to the development of my country through space science,” she said.

The 48-year-old, who aspires to be a space scientist or researcher, encourages women to develop careers in space science or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Ms Bolo says through STEM, BIUST could help come up with solutions to challenges facing Botswana, thus improving the livelihood of Batswana and the economy of the country.

The United Nations appointed Ambassador for Women in Space says through space science, models and framework for managing geospatial and spatial information can be developed for environmental planning purposes.

Geo spatial information, she says can help monitor and manage water, agriculture, climate change, water borne diseases such as malaria, fire and drought.

Ms Bolo earned her recognition after her global presentation entitled: Earth Observation Technology: Sustainable Tool for Women to Monitor the Environment, which she made at the UN Space for Women Forum in New York last year.

She is of the belief that since more women are found in the area of environment, agriculture and biology, they can link their careers to space science.

She says women are equally capable as their male counterparts, hence can also join space science, adding, ‘this is not a difficult course to pursue’.

In addition, she calls for the promotion of STEM at primary level to encourage pupils to develop love for space science or science in general.

Ms Bolo’s interest in space science developed at a tender age after being inspired by a picture of a Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who became the first human to travel into space.

After seeing this picture, she said she never looked back and performed outstandingly in her entire education, which saw her graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geographical Information System from the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom.

After her return from UK, she enrolled for a Post Graduate Diploma in Space and Atmospheric Science and Technology Education in English in Nigeria.

In 2014, she joined BIUST where she is now in her second year of PhD in Information Systems and Data Management.

Her PhD research is on precise crop farming Geospatial Information System Model: Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle multi Spectral Imagery.

Ms Bolo is currently attending the UNISPACE symposium in Vienna, Austria.

BIUST is a national strategic initiative that is intended to serve as one of the key platforms for transforming the country’s economy from resource based to knowledge based through skills capacity building in Engineering, Science and Technology. Ends