A far cry from carefree days on the beach as a child, Faith February is now a top scientist in the field of oceanography.
Her pioneering research to determine the effects of atmospherical particles on the Earth’s climate is pivotal in understanding the atmosphere in the quest to global warming.
Born and raised in Kraaifontein, February is not only the first person in her family to graduate from university; she obtained her PhD in physical oceanography from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in December.
The awe-inspiring mother of three made the tough decision years ago to give up her lucrative day job as a scientist to go back to pursuing her academic dreams. This, she said, would not have been possible without the support of her husband, Stanley, and her family.
Her doctoral dissertation investigated the influence of microscopic particles in the air above the ocean to determine the role it played in the Earth’s climate.
These are tiny, airborne particles of dust, salt and other organic material suspended in liquid or air above the ocean, which scatter and absorb heat and light, or energy.
Faith’s explorations took her to False Bay, where winds from far south and Antarctica carry aerosols uncontaminated by land, pollution or other aerosol sources.
These particles were captured and analysed by Faith to be included in climate models.
Her work was supervised by Dr Katye Altieri of UCT’s Department of Oceanography and co-supervised by Professor Alexander van Eijk, principal scientist at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research and professor at the École Centrale de Nantes, France, and Professor Jacques Piazzola of the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography at the University of Toulon, France.
More research needed
Speaking to TygerBurger following the graduation ceremony in the Saartjie Baartman Memorial Hall on 15 December, she said it still felt very unreal that her PhD was now behind her.
“But I do think the grad ceremony has finally stamped it in my brain: it’s over and done with! It was quite a journey.”
With an MSc in physics and mathematics from Stellenbosch University February landed a job at the Institute for Maritime Technology, where she was based for 16 years, progressing to the role of chief scientist.
It was in this period that the first European-South African experiments studying the action of aerosol particles from the atmosphere in False Bay were conducted, and she realised there was a need for more research into this.
February became convinced of the potential role these particles played in modelling climate change. “We can now provide the broader scientific community with new data on atmospheric aerosols,” she said.
“In the Southern Hemisphere there is very little observational data that can contribute to the impact or inputs on these prediction models. With the new location in Simon’s Town, False Bay, where we’ve measured results, we can now provide the broader scientific community with new data on atmospheric aerosols.”
Support system is key
Of her support system at home February said: “I cannot express my gratitude enough.”
When she returned to academia the roles in the family had to change drastically, with husband Stanley taking over responsibilities such as school drops, meals and homework.
And when she was invited to travel to France and the Netherlands, where her co-supervisors are based, her husband did double duty with the children.
As one of a growing number of black women entering the field of oceanography she counted herself fortunate to have “fallen into” the field.
“Yes, she enjoyed the beach as a child and liked playing in the water, but oceanography didn’t register on me rather during my childhood.“
Writing her thesis acknowledgements, February said: “When I resigned my job to become a full-time PhD student, it inevitably came with financial challenges.
“I am grateful to Katye Altieri who immediately stepped in with grant holder bursary funds to alleviate the financial strain.
“Later on, the Advancing Womxn postgraduate fellowship in Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences followed, but did more than just help with the finances.
“The OceanWomxn group became a source of strength during the difficult Covid-19 pandemic and served as motivation also reach out to other struggling women through Project Kuongoza.”
She added: “It’s of the utmost importance to have programmes such as Womxn4Womxn and Ocean Womxn, and she would like to see it continue beyond its five-year term, to benefit other black women who enter the field.”
Moreover she was appointed a mentor for the Kuongoza project to mentor women from across Africa in different research fields. At home in Kraaifontein she may already be known as a Super Scientist, a South African non-profit CodeMakers project to inspire young people.
“I am happy to be seen as a role-model, not only to my family, but to others in the community.”
