The SA women smashing science stereotype - Neuroscientists Rachael Dangarembizi and Ursula Rohlwink

The Neuroscience Institute in Cape Town linked to Groote Schuur Hospital that secured a place in history with the world’s first heart transplant is a forward thinking institute aimed at ensuring that science in Africa does not get left behind and is adapted to suit the continent. It is a field not known to be populated by women and in particular black women. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, less than 30% of the world’s researchers are women as girls are less likely than boys to choose STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematic) subjects. Alec Hogg chatted to Dr Ursula Rohlwink and Dr Rachael Dangarembizi at the institute who are eager to push neuroscience forward and to increase understanding of the brain. Well, we all know that brain surgeons are put in the same category as rock scientists at the top of the intelligence tree and he found they were no ordinary scientists. – Linda van Tilburg