A terrific idea suggested by Dean Gideon (now UNAM PVC: Academic Affairs) and his team early in 2013 was the establishment of the Faculty of Science (FoS) Annual Research Conference. The proposition was tabled and overwhelmingly approved by the faculty.  The cardinal aim of the conference was the creation of a platform where UNAM science students and their supervisors, pure and applied scientists in Namibia and scientists from abroad, could come together and share the results of their research outputs. It was also proposed that the conference discussions will include how research products in Namibia could get to the markets (consumers).

Headed by Prof. Gideon, the organizing committee for the first FoS Annual Research Conference began preparation in March 2013. Financing the conference was a bottleneck but Dean Gideon and his dedicated team worked hard to obtain funding from organizations, companies and individuals. On October 25-26 2013, the FoS held its first Annual Research Conference at the UNAM main campus library, under the theme “Contributing to Capacity Building through Research.” It was a very successful event with over 170 papers presented in the two-day event. Presentations by the final year undergraduate students and M.Sc/PhD postgraduate students formed the core of the conference. Faculty academic staff made immense contributions at the premiere conference and there were quite a few invited speakers from Namibian industries and abroad.

Since 2013, the FoS Annual Research Conference has taken place annually. There have been over one thousand presentations made in five years. In 2017, the FoS Management Committee agreed to incorporate the final year project presentations as part of the annual event, thus strengthening the quality and attendance at the conference. This year, the leadership of the organizing committee changed hands. Petrus Shanika is the current Chair and the Deputy is Margadalene Lang. Following in the footsteps of tradition, the 2018 committee comprises of at least two representatives from each of the departments/schools that make up FoS.

In conclusion, it is fit and proper to thank all who have devoted their time and energy in making the annual FoS conference a success. Specifically, special thanks go to Dr. Heike Wanke and Mandene Morkel for heading the organizing committee in the period 2015-2017. The support of Dean Ndeyapo Nickanor and the FoS Management Committee for continuity is acknowledged. And many thanks to our sponsors!