Many people were fortunate enough to witness the amazing spectacle of the total eclipse of the sun in June 2001- the amazing near-darkness effect in the middle of a sunny afternoon. The excitement continues this year, with many people looking forward to the forthcoming eclipse on December 4^th 2002. Information on the December eclipse is presented in this issue together with some reports of scientific investigations carried out over the June 2001 eclipse period. These latter investigations were organized by Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe and we are indebted to this organization for allowing us to reproduce some of their work. Particular thanks go to Shirley and Ian Cormack for facilitating the use of the material. The first of these articles describes micrometeorological changes measured over the eclipse period by Prof James Milford. The second article describes observations made on different animal species over the same period

This issue also contains a paper on the contribution of engineers to sustainable development in Africa by Prof E Wright, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at UZ, presented at the 99^th AGM of the Zimbabwe Scientific Association (ZSA) in November 2001.

Books are the lifeblood of all those involved in scholarly work and in this issue, we celebrate the launching of the Africa’s 100 best books, an initiative of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF). The books were chosen after much groundwork and hot debate in three different categories; literature for children, creative writing and scholarship/non-fiction. Congratulations are extended to all the Zimbabwean authors included in the list. Of interest is the fact that only 25 out of the 100 books were in the scholarship/non-fiction category, and no Zimbabwean author featured in this category. Additionally, although I am not familiar with all the publications, it appears that no books of a scientific nature were included in the final list, although some received special mention. Is this because we as scientists do not produce books of note, or is it because good scientific books were not nominated to the committee? Perhaps there is also the incorrect perception that scientific writing is not truly scholarly in comparison to historical, political or social commentary. Whatever the reason, I hope that we as scientists will endeavor to change this status, putting our energies into producing quality books (as well as journal and other publications), marketing these and making sure that these are as widely distributed, respected, and used, as possible.

Happy reading.

On Wednesday, 2002 December 04, a total eclipse of the Sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor which traverses the southern part of Africa. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in the South Atlantic and crosses southern Africa. After traversing the southern Indian Ocean, the path sweeps through southern Australia where the eclipse ends at sunset. A partial eclipse will be seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of Africa (excluding the north), parts of Indonesia, Australia and eastern Antarctica. The southern part of Zimbabwe is expected to be one of the best localities for viewing the eclipse. This article gives details about the best viewing locations, likely weather conditions, time and duration of the eclipse, the sky during the eclipse and safety aspects of eclipse viewing.

Microclimatology is the science of measuring and predicting our immediate atmospheric environment. Within microclimatology the opportunities for controlled experiments in the open air are relatively rare, which is a problem for a physical science. However, the occasion of the total solar eclipse over northern Zimbabwe on 21 June, 2001 provided one such opportunity. At this time Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe (WEZ) mounted an ethological experiment at Mana Pools, on the south bank of the Zambezi in northern Zimbabwe (15.7 °S, 29.4 °E). The aim was to study the reaction of wildlife to a total eclipse, with teams of two or three people making observations of different species, from bees to elephant, over the three days, 20^th to 22^nd June. To provide the microclimatic background to the observations of wild life, three meteorological stations were set up in the area. Air and soil temperatures, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed and direction, and soil heat flux were recorded over the three days and are reported in this paper. Meteorological conditions were very similar over the three days allowing some comparisons with conditions during the eclipse. Air temperature was reduced by almost 5^oC during the eclipse and there was a reduction of about 1.99 MJ m^-2 radiation, compared to the two days before and after the eclipse.

The first total solar eclipse of the 21st century attracted large numbers of scientists and spectators to the African sub-continent, but it wasn't just the sun - or lack of sun - that kept them occupied. For wildlife enthusiasts, the eclipse meant the chance to take part in a  unique research project, initiated, designed and organised by Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, under the leadership of their then president, Shirley Cormack, in collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management. Over the centuries, accounts of eclipses have repeatedly mentioned altered animal behaviour - gulls taking to the skies,  insects falling silent — yet there have apparently been no large-scale,  scientifically robust studies of animal eclipse behaviour - until now. The eclipse of 21 June 2001 saw the first such study, with 250 members of the voluntary group Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, both amateurs and professionals, camped in the Mana Pools National Park in northern Zimbabwe, with  lion, hippo and vulture for company,  right in the path of the eclipse.  The research was developed to observe and record the effects of the total solar eclipse on the behaviour of wildlife in the park, and covered a period of 3 days in order to provide comparisons between normal and eclipse conditions. The data is still undergoing comparative analysis, and the results will be submitted to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management, but various personal reports were filed for Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe and are presented in this article.

Globalisation is a reality. As such, the saying that "no man is an island" is as true today as it has ever been. Hence, whether we like it or not, the next several decades will continue to see man being judged by his/her contribution to global progress. In passing the inevitable judgement one would also have to look to the past, and, in a way, also judge man’s past achievements. Sadly, it appears that the African has not taken the lead in contributing to modern trappings of human progress - the motor vehicle, telecommunications, the computer, wonder drugs, air and space travel, electrical power, etc. The question then is: why is this so? There are of course several reasons for this. One in particular comes in the form of another question: are African engineers being educated to be able to make meaningful contributions to sustainable development in the continent, and for that matter in the global arena? This paper will examine some contemporary thoughts directed at not only highlighting some major reasons for the absence of "flamboyant" contributions from African engineers, but also discuss some initiatives launched to address these issues. Overall, the paper will pose several important challenges to the African engineer, including the determination of value and "the African engineer in society".

To mark the beginning of the 21st century, and encouraged by Professor Ali Mazrui, the Zimbabwe International Book Fair launched at ZIBF2000 the international compilation of Africa's 100 Best Books. This project was organized in collaboration with the African Publishers' Network (APNET), the Pan-African Booksellers Association (PABA), African writers' associations, book development councils, and library associations. This article presents the objectives of the initiative and the process of selection. The list of the top 25 scholarly/non-fiction books is presented.