African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

MEDIA KIT

NEXT EINSTEIN FORUM’S AFRICA SCIENCE WEEK

7-30 June 2017

Sudan, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, South Africa, Cameroon, Ivory

Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria and the Republic of

Congo

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

About the Next Einstein Forum

Launched in 2013, the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) is an initiative of the African Institute for

Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with Robert Bosch Stiftung. The NEF is a platform that

connects science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world – with the goal to leverage

science for human development globally. The NEF believes that Africa’s contributions to the global

scientific community are critical for global progress. At the centre of NEF efforts are Africa’s young

people, the driving force for Africa’s scientific renaissance.

The NEF is a unique youth-driven forum. Our headline biennial scientific events, NEF Global Gatherings’ participants are 42 or younger. Far from an ordinary science forum, the NEF Global Gatherings position science at the centre of global development efforts. The next NEF Global Gathering will be held in March 2018 in Kigali Rwanda under the patronage of H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda. In addition, through our Communities of Scientists, we showcase the contributions of Africa’s brilliant youth to Africa’s scientific emergence through its class of NEF Fellows who are Africa’s top scientists and technologists, all under the age of 42 and NEF Ambassadors who are the NEF’s 54 science and technology Ambassadors on the ground. The NEF is also working, together with partners such as the African Academy of Sciences, Ministers’ of Education, Science and Research across Africa and other global scientific and private sector companies, to build an African scientific identity. By bringing together key stakeholders, the NEF hopes to drive the discussion from policy to implementation by leveraging buy in and best practice results from Africa and the world. Have a look at our benchmark Dakar Declaration. Finally, the NEF is telling untold stories of scientific research and innovation across the continent through our various platforms. We want to recalibrate what ‘innovation’ means in Africa. We want to make the link between science and technology, even basic sciences, to everyday life. This year, we are stepping up our public engagement through the launching of the NEF Africa Science Week.

About the NEF Africa Science Week

The purpose of NEF Africa Science Week is to promote the discovery of science and technology in

Africa and the rest of the world and encourage participation in coordinated science events across

the continent.

NEF Africa Science Week will be Africa’s annual three to five day celebration of science and

technology. Our goal is to encourage thousands of individuals – from students, to scientists to

technologists –to get involved in activities promoting science and technology. We hope to awaken

the imagination of children and young people to the potential that science offers and retain them in

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and social science fields. But also to get

public and private sector involvement with investments going to research and development. Finally

we want to work hand in hand with the media to promote scientific endeavour.

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Led by NEF Ambassadors, this signature program is designed for many age groups and provides an

opportunity for citizens to engage in everyday science. NEF Ambassadors will work with local

partners both in the academic and private sector to make it a success.

The NEF Africa Science Week will be held throughout June 2017 in 13 African countries: Cameroon,

Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan,

Tanzania.

The event is funded by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Google and local sponsors in the each

country.

Looking to the Future

The NEF hopes to extend Africa Science Week to at least 30 countries in 2018 and all 54 by 2020. It

is our hope that building strong partnerships with existing science organisations and pooling

resources, we can create a truly meaningful and sustainable program that encourages entry and

retention in STEM fields.

Read more: nef.org/asw

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Press Release

Next Einstein Forum launches first-ever Africa Science Week in 13 countries

KIGALI, Rwanda, 6 June 2017,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an

initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with Robert Bosch

Stiftung, today announces the launch of NEF Africa Science Week in 13 African countries throughout

June 2017. NEF Ambassadors, local science and technology champions, together with support of

local academic, public and private sector stakeholders and sponsors, will lead the three to five days

of events in their countries.

“The NEF Africa Science Week is the first coordinated science week across Africa. Our primary

objective is to develop tomorrow’s scientists and technologists by engaging children and young

people in scientific activities like science caravans and hackathons. Our activities will also

demonstrate the critical impact of science to daily life. In the long term, we hope to catalyse

investment in research and development and popularize science,” said Thierry Zomahoun, AIMS

President and CEO and NEF Chair.

June 2017 will witness exciting sessions in Sudan, Rwanda, Senegal, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya,

Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, South Africa and Tanzania. Each country will

have specific activities, designed to enable citizens to engage with everyday science and scientists. In

the line-up are exciting events like hackathons, technology discovery through coding, focus on

entrepreneurship through the lens of science and mathematics, science knowledge street trivia, a

caravan of science and events which focus on women scientists.

“The weeklong signature event will highlight best practices for attracting and retaining young

people, especially girls and women, in the sciences, and on the academic side, strengthen research

networks and communities of scientists across Africa. We expect that the next few editions will see

technology facilitate coordinated regional activities. We would like to thank our partners in the

public, academic and private sector for supporting this initiative. Africa will only compete globally if

there are coordinated sustainable investments in building the pipeline of researchers and

innovators,” said Mr. Zomahoun.

Looking to the future, the NEF will expand the reach of its Africa Science Week to 30 countries in

2018 and all 54 by 2020. Beyond numbers, the NEF hopes that Africa Science Week will grow to

include major activities in schools and universities, and result in concrete collaboration between the

research community and private sector.

In line with the NEF’s Dakar Declaration, issued at the first biennial NEF Global Gathering 2016, held

in in Dakar, Senegal, Africa Science Week will place public engagement at the heart of advancing

Africa’s scientific agenda. The next edition of the NEF Global Gathering will be held in Kigali in March

2018 under the patronage of H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda.

Africa Science Week is made possible by support from Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Google and

local sponsors in the each country. Find out how to participate and support Africa Science Week at

www.asw.nef.org.

About the Next Einstein Forum

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Launched in 2013, the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) is an initiative of the African Institute for

Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with Robert Bosch Stiftung. The NEF is a platform that

connects science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world – with the goal to leverage

science for human development globally. The NEF believes that Africa’s contributions to the global

scientific community are critical for global progress. At the centre of NEF efforts are Africa’s young

people, the driving force for Africa’s scientific renaissance. The NEF is a unique youth-driven forum.

At our headline biennial scientific events, NEF Global Gatherings’, participants are 42 or younger. Far

from an ordinary science forum, the NEF Global Gatherings position science at the centre of global

development efforts. The next NEF Global Gathering will be held in March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda. In

addition, through our Communities of Scientists, we showcase the contributions of Africa’s brilliant

youth to Africa’s scientific emergence through its class of NEF Fellows who are Africa’s top scientists

and technologists, all under the age of 42 and NEF Ambassadors who are the NEF’s 54 science and

technology Ambassadors on the ground.

The NEF is also working, together with partners such as the African Academy of Sciences, Ministers’ of Education, Science and Research across Africa and other global scientific and private sector companies, to build an African scientific identity. By bringing together key stakeholders, the NEF hopes to drive the discussion from policy to implementation by leveraging buy in and best practice results from Africa and the world. Have a look at our benchmark Dakar Declaration. Finally, the NEF is telling untold stories of scientific research and innovation across the continent through our various platforms. We want to recalibrate what ‘innovation’ means in Africa. We want to make the link between science and technology, even basic sciences, to everyday life. We believe the next Einstein will be African. The NEF has been endorsed by the African Union Commission, the United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Governments of Rwanda, Senegal and South

Africa, the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and a growing number of private sector and civil

society partners from across the world who are passionate about positioning Africa's scientific

community as an influential member in the global scientific community, which will ensure

sustainable human development in Africa and other parts of the world.

More at nef.org Twitter: @NextEinsteinFor Facebook: NextEinsteinForum

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Events Dates and Ambassador Profile

Sudan 7-11 June 2017

NEF Ambassador: Dr. Amna Abdalla Mohammed Khalid

Dr. Amna Abdalla Mohammed Khalid is a Biophysicist currently doing her postdoc at the Georg-August-Universität Fakultät für Physik, Drittes Physikalisches Institut – Biophysik in Germany after completing her PhD at Trieste University in Italy. Her research focuses on the protein complex (MCM), which is not only relevant from a biophysical point of view, but it can be considered as a potential cancer biomarker and possible drug for cancer. She holds a B.Sc. in Physics from the Sudan University of Science and Technology and two postgraduates diploma in general Physics and in Condensed Matter Physics from the Abdu Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). Most recently, she has been collaborating with the research group at the Georg August University- Germany and participates in research projects on the protein-DNA complex using fast Atomic Force Microscopy. Activities for NEF Africa Science Week Sudan include a research conference, Women in STEM event,

motivational talks from successful scientists, a connections in science panel etc.

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Rwanda 9-13 June 2017

NEF Ambassador: Esther Kunda

Esther Kunda is a tech enthusiast with a passion for generating solutions that empower communities. She is currently working as the NEF Programs Coordinator (putting together the Africa Science Week). Previously, she was an Education Support Manager for Intel. She has extensive experience in the tech industry, having worked in product development for digital products for Tigo. She holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Carnegie Mellon University. She is actively involved in activities that encourage young girls to join ICT as a career through Girls in ICT Rwanda. She is also proud to have served as the support manager in deploying the SMART education plan in Rwanda, where all schools will have a smart classroom demonstrating the technology of the future. Activities for NEF Science Week Rwanda include a research conference, a coding workshop outside of the capital and the first science expo in Rwanda.

Senegal 10-18 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Assane Fall

Assane Fall is a librarian in training and studies in the graduate of the school of librarians, archivists and documentarists of Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. In November 2013, he launched the project "Feusseul" (make visible) with some of his colleagues to promote access to information and documentation among students and promote libraries. Akbar has integrated several programs such as the network of the open science in Haiti and in francophone Africa (SOHA) and BSF Campus of libraries without borders project which is a program of leadership and training for French-speaking librarians and cultural actors. Active on social networks, it is used to share its research findings through the practice of informational data mining.

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Activities for NEF Science Week Senegal include coding workshops, a conference on promoting scientific culture among young people, a panel on how science can help achieve the UN SDGs, a caravan of science etc.

Tanzania 17 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Aneth David

Aneth David is scientific academician and researcher at University of Dar es Salam (UDSM), Tanzania, and a PhD candidate at SLU/UDSM. Her research focuses on improving agricultural productivity in Tanzania using biotechnology and impact of scientific research in daily life of Tanzanians. Ms. David is also passionate about women empowerment and their role in social development. She enjoys sharing and imparting knowledge and experiences, and works closely with the younger generation. Activities for NEF Science Week Tanzania include a teaching materials exhibition and career discussion, and science kit demonstrations at three local primary schools.

South Africa 26-29 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Dr. Pelly Malebe

Pelly Malebe is a PhD candidate in biotechnology from the University of Pretoria. Her current research focuses on identifying and developing genetic markers for drought tolerance and yield in crop. Ms. Malebe’s focus is on increasing the understanding of the

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

genetic basis of drought tolerance in plants, which may lead to drought-tolerant crop varieties and improved food and job security. She has received several awards including the Department of Science and Technology Women in Science Award doctoral fellowship. She received the award for outstanding academic achievement from the University of Pretoria and obtained National Research Foundation innovation scholarships for her postgraduate studies. Her masters and doctoral studies are supported by the Southern African Biochemistry and Informatics for Natural Products Network and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. She is currently employed as a sales specialist for molecular and cell biology research solutions at Whitehead Scientific.

Activities for NEF Africa Science Week South Africa include the fun side of science (event for young students) and a scientific panel discussion.

Cameroon 27-30 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Arreytambe Tabot

Arreytambe Tabot is the Founder and CEO of the EduTeens Science Development Foundation, a nonprofit organization which works to improve student achievement, enhance teacher effectiveness and overall school quality through the implementation of technology-led initiatives. Prior to this, he was the Deputy Head of Department for Computer Science at the Nigerian Turkish Nile University where he served in volunteer roles as Android Student Club Facilitator, Google Computer Science First Advocate and capped it all by winning the highly competitive Google Computer Science for High Schools grant (one of the only four African Universities that won it globally that year). He was a former Google Student Ambassador, and now serves as an Ambassador for the Next Einstein Forum, and an Ambassador for Global Education at A World at School.

He was selected in 2016 as one of the Young Global Leaders to join the White House Emerging Global Leaders-Atlas Corps Fellowship program in the United States. He is currently serving as a Senior Software Engineer with Affinis Labs, a Virginia-based Social Enterprise where he builds digital platforms for community development. He is an alumnus of the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Program class of 2016. He most recently served as the UNESCO delegate representing Cameroon at the UNESCO Week for Peace and Sustainable Education in Ottawa, Canada.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physics with a minor in Computer Science from the University of Buea in Cameroon, and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the African University of

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Science and Technology, Abuja in Nigeria. He is currently rounding off his PhD in Computer Science at the same University where he was an African Development Bank scholar. He is a frequent speaker on various platforms nationally and internationally. Activities for NEF Science Week Cameroon include an ICT Women’s Workshop, a Tech Meetup, outreach to schools etc.

Côte d'Ivoire 27-30 June 2017

NEF Ambassador: Guiako Obin

A computer scientist by training, Guiako Obin has worked for about four years in the field of geolocation (real-time tracking of any mobile device by the GPS network). He is the Co-founder of the Baby Lab of Abobo (one of the most popular communes of Côte d'Ivoire), the first Ivorian Fab registered in the world network of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Baby Lab wants to make neighborhoods potential centres of technological innovation by facilitating access to digital education for those under 15 years, an effective way to fight juvenile delinquency. He is one of the 34 Young African Leaders of the BSF Campus Program of Libraries Without Borders, which aim to invent the libraries of tomorrow in Francophone Africa. He has several prizes, the most recent of which is the “Prix Jeunesse Francophonie 35 <35” in the ‘Entrepreneurship Support’ category, a prize that recognizes 35 young innovators under 35 who made an impact in 2016. Obin is a consultant in CSR and Social Innovation Policy. Activities for NEF Science Week Africa Ivory Coast include invention a mathematics for entrepreneurs’ discussion, workshops for kids, Fablab discovery sessions, a women in science panel etc.

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Kenya 27-30 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Sylvia Mukasa

Sylvia Mukasa is an ICT & Telecommunications Consultant and entrepreneur with a special focus on emerging enterprise technologies and Cloud Computing. She is actively involved in activities related to women empowerment, technology and entrepreneurship. She is a 2014 TechWomen Fellow of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs TechWomen Initiative. She holds a BA in Economics & Sociology from Egerton University and completed an MSc E-Business from the University of East Anglia. Sylvia is Country Co-Founder/Chapter Lead-Kenya of Women in Tech Africa, a Pan-African Network of Women in Technology. She has been a UNESCO Delegate within the framework of the 2015 Transform Africa Summit in a UNESCO organized workshop dedicated to the development of the YouthMobile Initiative project “Searching for Martha”, which aims to empower young African women in mobile apps development. She has been a speaker on various occasions including the VMware Women Talk Series in October 2014, Palo Alto, California, USA talking about the Technology Landscape in Sub Saharan Africa and the contribution of women. Sylvia has also been a panellist at the California Commonwealth Club in October 2014 talking about Advancing Women's Leadership in Africa & the Middle East. Activities for NEF Science in Africa Kenya include Hack4farming (hackathon), event to celebrate local science heroes/heroines and a women in science day.

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Malawi 26-30 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Rachel Sibande

Rachel Sibande is CEO and founder of Malawi's first technology hub and incubator space, mHub. The hub identifies, nurtures and incubates young technology start-ups. mHub champions the development of local technology solutions for local problems across sectors of development such as Education, Health, Agriculture and Governance. Rachel is passionate about enhancing female participation in science, technology and engineering fields. She has since established a Girls4Code initiative where girls between the ages of 9 and 18 are taught mobile application development skills. Rachel is an alumnus of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative of 2012. She is currently enrolled as a PhD candidate in Computer Science at Rhodes University in South Africa, where her research focuses on the use of mobile phones for citizens to engage with elected leaders, local government and civil society. In 2015, Rachel was the only recipient of the Google Scholar Award for outstanding computer science students from around the world. Activities for NEF Science Week Malawi include a creative design workshop, tech discovery through coding, digital skills for women activity, a science expo day and a hardware programming workshop.

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Mali 27-30 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Moussa Thiam

Moussa Thiam graduated from the National Engineering School of Mali and earned a Civil Engineer degree in 2011. After graduation, he worked in the position of junior engineer for the consulting company CIRA-MALI. He is a member of many youth associations (JCI, UNESCO clubs, ADENES) in areas of leadership and development. In 2009, he led a youth movement and initiative that trained young Malians in citizenship and leadership by applying the Ubuntu philosophy. In 2012, he continued his education for M.Sc. with full scholarship of African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in SENEGAL. After a short research period in applied mathematics for petroleum at AGH university of Krakow as UNESCO fellow, he joined the department of Civil Engineering of the University of Ottawa in 2013 as an Invited Researcher under the AIMS-HEADSTART Scholarship. Presently, he is a PhD student in civil engineering at the University of Ottawa where he has developed an innovative method to turn plastic waste into construction materials. This innovation has brought him global accolades. Activities for NEF Africa Science Week Mali include a blood donation with football drive, a spotlight event honouring local science heroes/heroines, an industry tour, a panel discussion on the challenges science and technology research in higher learning institutions and a design and entrepreneurship competition.

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Morocco 27-30 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Dr. Abdeslam Badre

Abdeslam Badre is a social scientist, with a strong research interest in policy development in the

fields of migration & economic transformation, women & media, youth education development,

especially in the context of MENA-EU Southern Mediterranean Cooperation. He has been a visiting

researcher and teacher at various international universities, including Alfred University (New York:

2006-2007); Monterey Institute for International Studies (California: 2010), Aalborg University

(Denmark: 2011), the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (Berlin: 2012-2013), the University of Babes

Bolyai (Romania: 2013-2014), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2014). Currently, he is a

professor at Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco. In 2013, he was among the founding

members of the Berlin-based Organization of Youth Education Development. Badre is an alumnus of

Fulbright, Carnegie, and Africa Science Leadership Program, and currently an active member at the

Global Young Academy; American Political Science Association, among others. He has spoken in over

300 international conferences; and currently he is co-leading the Africa GloSYS Project.

Activities for NEF Science Week Morocco include Science Completion Games, a conference on the power of science and science knowledge street trivia.

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Nigeria 27-30 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Dr. Sojinu Olatunbosun Samuel Setonji

Dr. Sojinu Olatunbosun Samuel specializes in petroleum and environmental geochemistry of oil basins. He works extensively on the pollution status and effects of gas flaring on the Niger Delta, Nigeria, and the potentials of higher plants as biomonitors and phytoremediators of organic pollutants, on forensic investigations of oil spills, and on passive sampling and emerging contaminants in environmental matrices. He has published over 35 scientific articles in internationally reputable journals. Samuel holds a PhD in Organic Geochemistry from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and has been collaborating with research groups in Uganda, South Africa, China, Germany and Canada. He has been invited for talks and also made presentations at scientific meetings in South Africa, China, Germany, Puerto Rico, USA, and Canada among others. He was recently involved in a joint project on Green Economy and Waste Management by the Inter Academy Partnership/Global Young Academy. He is also a member of the Global Young Academy. Activities for NEF Science Week Nigeria include cancer/hepatitis awareness walks, environment and health panels/talks and a day out with secondary school pupils.

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Republic of Congo 27-30 June 2017 NEF Ambassador: Dr. Charles Lebon Mberi Kimpolo

Dr. Charles Lebon Mberi Kimpolo is a Senior Program Manager for the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Industry Initiative. He has over 8 years of industry experience in Software Development, Iteration Management, Project Management, Business Intelligence and Data Analysis. Charles’s industry experience also includes skills in teaching and scientific research in the field of Computational and Applied Mathematics. He also has hands-on experience in Agile software development, delivery, consulting and client engagement working in Africa, USA and Asia. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg. After completing his doctoral studies, he worked as a short-term postdoctoral fellow doing research with the support of the MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) before working with ThoughtWorks. Charles is the Founder of the Knowledge Sharing Campaign (KSC), a community platform that brings together IT professionals and students in the African Diaspora, who want to share knowledge and experience with each other. Activities for NEF Africa Science Week Congo include a creative workshop using legos and construction materials to create projects for younger kids in primary schools. As well, Charles will use the Knowledge Sharing Campaign (KSC) that he founded to conduct a panel session on how science can support entrepreneurship. --

For detailed country programs: nef.org/asw

African Media Agency (AMA) – Africa Science Week - June 2017

Media contacts

Nathalie Munyampenda NEF Associate Director of Public Engagement nmunyampenda@nef.org Eloine Barry African Media Agency Eloine.barry@amediaagency.com Local inquiries: Rwanda: Arnold Kwizera akwizera@nexteinstein.org