Remarks by Minister of Science and Technology Mosibudi Mangena at the launch of the National Institute for Theoretical Physics

Programme director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

The National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP) is the result of the recommendations made by an international panel of experts in 2004 on the future of physics in South Africa. Among others, the panel found that although the state of the South African theoretical physics was internationally competitive in some areas, it was generally fragmented and it recommended the establishment of a National Theoretical Physics Facility.

In response, my department has been working with the theoretical physics community to establish such a facility. Today we celebrate the fruits of our efforts, and join a growing number of countries that have recognised the importance of creating structures to support theoretical physics, which include, among others, Italy, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India and China.

You may wonder how South Africa, as a developing country, with so many pressing infrastructural and social needs, can afford to put money into supporting theoretical physics. The answer simply is: we cannot afford not to. In the past, South Africa relied heavily on the richness of its mineral resources to drive the economy. From now on we must rely on the richness of the minds of our people to do this.

In today's knowledge and information age, South Africa must produce a steady stream of well-educated and highly skilled citizens, especially in mathematics and science, in order to meet her social and economic needs and compete internationally.

If we are to mature as a democracy, we must develop citizens who are capable of analytical and critical thought. Physics is the most fundamental of the sciences, the cornerstone of all technology. Studying physics both requires and develops analytical and critical thinking skills.

That is why we firmly support the development of physics in South Africa, and theoretical physics is one of its central components. In fact, in financial terms, theoretical physics is a bargain, almost all the money we provide goes directly into supporting people, since theoreticians need very little equipment.

Ladies and gentlemen, physicists divide themselves into two broad groups, experimentalists and theoreticians. Experimental physicists create new knowledge by gathering and analysing data about the physical world. Theoretical physicists, on the other hand, work in two main ways. They either use the data collected by experimentalists to create mathematical models to explain the observations made by the experimentalists, or create mathematical models to predict phenomena, and suggest new experiments to be done.

A dramatic example of this second way of working was described in an article in this year's April edition of Time magazine. According to the article, in 1964, Peter Higgs, a British physicist, predicted the existence of a new particle, named the Higgs boson. If the particle was found, it would explain how everything in the universe comes to have mass. After 25 years of planning, experimental physicists in Geneva are hoping to find the Higgs boson later this year using the largest particle accelerator ever built.

Now, what kind of person would want to study theoretical physics? The Nobel Prize winning physicist, Gerard 't Hooft, says theoretical physics is for people like him who "are thrilled by the challenges posed by real science, and who are determined to use their brains to discover new things about the physical world that we are living in." For Gerard 't Hooft and many other scientists, the joy of discovery is its own reward.

In addition, theoretical physics is also for people who are thrilled by using their brains to help describe and solve many of the complex problems in the world. The skills and knowledge used and acquired by those who study theoretical physics can be applied to a vast range of problems, such as mapping the spread of infectious diseases, understanding traffic flow, predicting the patterns of bird migration, explaining trends in financial markets, and forecasting the alarming effects of climate change.

One of the strategic goals of NITheP is to provide a source of expertise that can feed into broad national science and technology policies and goals.
Therefore, the activities of the Institute will be focused on providing theoretical underpinnings for existing national programmes, such as quantum optics, soft condensed matter and interfaces with biology, various quantum technologies, including communication and cryptography, as well as aspects of cosmology and astrophysics.

The Institute will be well-positioned to collaborate with existing experimental facilities, such as the Southern African Large Telescope, the nuclear facilities at iThemba LABS, the National Laser Centre and, if South Africa wins the international bid to host, the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope.

As most of us here know, NITheP consists of a central "hub", located here at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, and two "spokes", located at the Universities of KwaZulu-Natal and the Witwatersrand.

In addition, the Institute has formal associates at both institutional and individual level. Postgraduate students may register at their home institutions while participating in NITheP's programmes and activities.

In order to provide long-term structural support, the Institute will fall under the National Research Foundation in the same way as other national research facilities, such as the South African Astronomical Observatory and our nuclear research facility, iThemba Laboratories. As with other national facilities, the Institute intends to be "user facility", which means it will be accessible to scientists across the country and beyond.

Furthermore, the Institute will undertake a variety of activities, including postgraduate and postdoctoral research and training, summer and winter schools, support visiting scientists and facilitate cutting-edge research by senior South African scientists.

The structure of the Institute will provide opportunities for young scientists to grow, and seasoned scientists to flourish. The interactions between South African and international scholars, and between young and old scientists, promise to generate a wealth of new knowledge and intellectual activity and produce creative solutions to pressing problems.

We believe the Institute is poised to achieve multiple goals, all equally important, including:
* Building capacity among talented young people from South Africa and the rest of the African continent, thus preparing a large pool of an African future generation of intellectual leaders.
* Supporting cutting-edge research facilitating collaboration and communication among existing centres of expertise in South Africa, the African continent and internationally.
* Contributing solutions to technological, environmental, social and health problems that affect South Africa and the world.
* Providing a platform for the exchange and stimulation of new ideas and creative insights.

So far, the Institute has already accepted 48 postgraduate students, 16 of whom are black and eight female, with R1,8 million having been committed in bursaries. In 2007, posts were advertised internationally, and a director, five researchers and eight postdoctoral fellows have now been appointed. The interim director, Prof Hendrik Geyer and his colleagues, have much to be proud of.

In closing, allow me to convey my heartfelt congratulations to the National Institute for Theoretical Physics on its official entry onto the world stage.
I am confident it will not be long before it joins the ranks of world-renowned facilities such as the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Italy and the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in the United States America (USA) as a highly respected centre of excellence.

It is now my singular pleasure to launch the National Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Thank you for you attention.

Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
13 May 2008