In her own words: a Kenyan computer scientist explains the importance of Conferences
Image Credit: Mawazo Institute
Author: Dr. Elizabeth Mutua
Mawazo Voices, part of the Mawazo Institute’s Public Engagement programme, houses Mawazo Connects. It comprises of a network that includes all of our past Fellows, providing networking and public engagement opportunities, as well as a Fund dedicated to support our researcher’s innovative Ideas. In August 2024, Dr. Elizabeth Mutua, a 2018 Mawazo Fellow, attended the Emerging Ventures Unconference through Mawazo Connects. She explains how attending conferences can be vital to the career of a researcher.
I learnt about Emergent Ventures and its funding opportunities through Elaine Mungai, the Strategic Partnerships Lead at Mawazo Institute. After applying for the funding, I was fortunate to receive an award of 5000USD. This funding has enabled me to start the process of commercializing a system I developed during my PhD research, a Deep Learning model for diagnosing an eye disease that affects newborn babies. With this financial support, I am currently now collaborating with eye specialists in Kenya to bring this system to the market.
Image Credit: Dr. Elizabeth Mutua
Emergent Ventures announced an opportunity to attend the Unconference in Dublin, Ireland from 12th to 14th August as part of their funding support. Several Mawazo Fellows who have received funding through Emerging Ventures were eager to join. Our group consisted of Dr. Cynthia Umuhire, a Space Science Analyst from Rwanda, Caroline Apondi Ochieng a Health Scientist at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Dr. Sylvia Mutinda a Kenyan Molecular Biologist, Dorcas Mwigereri a solar energy entrepreneur and computer scientist in JKUAT, and myself.
Image Credit: Dr. Elizabeth Mutua
The Unconference concept allows participants to create the agenda, facilitate panels, and select topics of discussion upon arrival. This approach aims to maximum participation ensuring that the topics covered are relevant and important to attendees. I arrived in Dublin on 11th August, and attended the opening ceremony on 12th where we were tasked with networking in groups.
Image Credit: Dr. Elizabeth Mutua
I proposed a topic on the second day of the conference centered around work- life balance, specifically addressing the balance between family, career, and research. The primary objective of this conference was to foster networking opportunities, and I successfully gained new insights into fundamental life issues. During the event, I conducted a session with Tyler Cowen, the CEO of Emergent Ventures. In this session, I posed a series of questions on career development, family dynamics and financial management. His responses were very inspiring, he emphasized the importance prioritising family, work ethic and effective networking.
I left the conference feeling motivated and ready to continue my efforts in developing innovative applications aimed at improving global conditions. Although this conference did not focus specifically on computing conference, the strategies I learned for navigating my career, and the networks I established, were invaluable.
Image Credit: Emerging Ventures
In my role as the General Chair of Deep Learning Indaba 2024, I have recognised the immense value that come from researchers connecting across nations within their respective fields. The Emerging Ventures Unconference solidified my belief in the critical importance of networking. This experience has not only reaffirmed my convictions but also motivated me to strategically continue to build my career.
Dr. Elizabeth Mutua is a 2018 Mawazo Fellow and the Founder of Joasher Technologies and Consultancy, a Tech company that runs the mentorship programme Rural Young tech. She also serves as the General Chair of Deep Learning Indaba.