Launched on #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience Faith February is a PhD student at the University of Cape Town who studies marine aerosols. These are tiny particles created by wind and waves, that float through the air and impact the global climate - how much they do is a big part of her research.

Marine aerosols can start as sea spray, when you go to the beach you know it, that misty wetness that covers EVERYTHING. Those droplets contain salt, organic molecules, sulphur compounds even and water. Those misty drops you feel are huge in comparison to the aerosols they become as the water in them evaporates. If you think about how much ocean there is and how many waves are crashing out at sea or against the coasts, then the amount of marine aerosols is mind boggling.

So how are they involved in climate change? These aerosols absorb and scatter light and heat and they can drift high into the atmosphere and even be involved in forming clouds which also have a role in how climate is regulated. Given how many marine aerosols there are, it would be good to know a lot about them but with a lot of things, particularly in hard to reach places, we don't know enough about marine aerosols. Faith's work is hoping to change that and provide better information that can be used in climate change models.

Thanks to a group of translation students in France we will soon have almost 20 SuperScientists - their cards and profiles - translated into French! We’re busy trying to connect with organisations that can help get them out to French speaking learners. If you have connections please be in touch. You can download all 8 that are complete so far at bit.ly/3JzjV3b

We want young people to show us their creativity. Our first winner has been announced, who drew this awesome roboticist and her mech suit and won R250. We’ll have another for February and every month this year. You can draw us a scientist, real or imagined, write a poem or an essay, send a TikTok, or one of our colouring in pages. However you want to express your interest in science and technology. Open to all learners from grade 1-12. Email or WhatsApp or DM us to send your submission.

Thanks to our funder The Sage Foundation and individual donors we have been able to give thousands of SuperScientists activity books, calendars, and trading cards to young people across South Africa in the last month (over 10,000 in total) Partnering with organisations, schools, libraries, and clinics that have deep networks, honed logistics, or are a people and places that young people trust we have shared our materials far and wide. It makes us so happy to see the responses from people when they see what we’ve made and when they think about how the young people they work with will receive them. Even better yet has been to see kids pump their fists and do happy claps when we have gone to schools and shared the materials with them or when we’ve seen kids, after leaving a classroom turned to their neighbor comparing each others cards. It’s so affirming to meet the people and organisations that trying to do their part to improve young people’s lives and to be part of that greater mission.

We’re making our materials easier for young people to enjoy. Translating them into different languages and giving people what they want, a good story to listen to - podcasts are popular for a good reason.

Our 2022 calendar is completed, printed (5,000 copies) and almost completely distributed already. With some really helpful feedback on how to improve the calendar and now with riddles, quotes and a entry page for a creative competition for learners, we’re excited to see how it’s received. A huge thanks to the Sage Foundation for the funding of the creation, printing and postage of these materials. We’ve been lucky to find a variety of organisations that have distributed these to young people they work with or serve among them the Santa Shoebox Project, the Eskom Science Expo (see pic), and the schools, libraries and clinics we have given materials to.

We’ve made masks that kids and adults can colour in or just print out, use and imagine being a palaeoscientist. Inspired by Bones - Dr Keneiloe Molopyane - and Rocktor - Silindokuhle Mavuso - they are free to download and print along with all of our SuperScientists. Go to http://bit.ly/3fv1uzY

It’s been so fantastic to have SuperScientists picked up by local and international news recently and know that more and more people are learning about the scientists that we have profiled and our work to change how young people see science and scientists.

Below are a few of the different articles and interviews. As a scientist, we’re most proud of the article in the premier scientific journal Science but to reach young people and parents, mass media is where it’s at.

• Science - international scientific journal

• eNCA - South African national TV

• Business Insider - international

• University of Cape Town

• Sunday Tribune - South African newspaper

• eNORM - German magazine