By Mandisa Rasmeni
The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) is set to launch its fourth United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Chair.
The launch will take place on 9 July, starting at 09:00, at the High-Tech Transfer Plaza Select (HTTPS) on the NUST campus.
A UNESCO Chair is an academic position established at a university or research institution, and NUST is currently the holder of three such Chairs. This new addition further solidifies the institution鈥檚 commitment to international academic collaboration and research
NUST stated that the latest addition is centred on Digital Technology Design with Indigenous People, and the Chairholder is an award-winning researcher, Professor Heike Winschiers-Theophilus.
鈥淭his UNESCO Chair aims to foster technology design practices in collaboration with Indigenous and marginalized communities, to create alternative learning ecologies for both communities and students. Previously developed interactive technologies such as Augmented and Virtual Reality cultural experiences, among others, will be exhibited,鈥 they added.
They said during the launch that they will have a conference to shed light on the Indigenous Peoples鈥 Knowledge Fair, taking place from 5 to 18 September, and it will involve Indigenous representatives from across the world, including Brazil, Canada, and Tanzania.
鈥淭he Fair will be co-hosted by the OvaHimba and Ju/鈥橦oansi communities and will promote collaboration on key areas such as Indigenous knowledge and education, ocean literacy, climate change, sustainable development, and emerging technologies,鈥 they concluded.