As part of Africa Science Week-Kenya (ASW-Kenya 2019), we celebrated six Kenyan women who are 30 and under, and breaking barriers as young, female, scientists. Meet the 2019 Breaking Barriers women who include a policy engineer, a software designer, and a microbiologist.
Read MoreMawazo’s two days at Mpala were packed with sights to see and science to learn. From what we know, Mpala is gearing up for many more years of strengthening Kenyan science, as shown by the recent completion of their genomics lab which will help contribute to the wider effort to turn Kenya into a country known not just for its field sites, but also for its original contributions to conservation science.
Read MoreShifting gears, Professor Mary Abukutsa- Onyango, was asked about her opinion on men’s responsibilities in addressing gender imbalance in places of leadership within academia. The solution she suggested was quite simple. “Stop looking at women as women inside the boardroom,” she addressed the men in the room pointedly. “Treat me the way you would treat any other professional.”
Read MoreThrough this exhibit, YSK is strengthening the ecosystem for STEM and STEM education in Kenya. Building on a history of other successful science fairs, YSK’s Exhibition Week links youth to government, academia, private sector, civil society, and others to help them upscale both their research, and their projects.
Read MoreMawazo partnered with DAAD to create a specialized two-day training that would give attendees a deeper understanding of what leadership within the sciences looks like and help scholars develop the tangible skills required to be leaders within their fields. Over two days, experts led trainings in topics that included leadership, communication, conflict management, personal branding, and networking. These were coupled with insightful panel discussions on issues relevant to local researchers.
Read More“Chemistry is Cool,” we certainly agree. Which is why we were thrilled to host five young girls at the Mawazo office in May as part of their “Chemistry is Cool” class. The students, ranging in ages from 9 to 11 years old, were taking part in a home-schooled Chemistry class in Nairobi when they came across Mawazo CEO, Dr. Rose M. Mutiso (a Material Scientist), as they searched online for African scientists.
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Melisa’s work has brought her to the attention of HEVA Fund’s new initiative. The Cultural Heritage Seed Fund is intended, “to support the seeding of dynamic creative industry projects, which pioneer new ways of creating inclusive and sustainable growth through the sharing and preservation of Kenya’s cultural heritage.” Which is exactly what Melisa’s interrogation into the use of VR and animation is doing.
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Our 2018 PhD Scholars represent a diversity of fields, with each of them focused on tackling areas of research that are crucial to our Kenyan and African identities and livelihoods.
Read More“As we look back, 2018 ASW-K marked an important step forward for science in Kenya. Encouraging and supporting scientists who have come before us and creating room to nurture aspiring scientists who will one day impact Kenya and the world in significant and powerful ways. “
Read More“April 25th marks National DNA Day, a day commemorating the completion of the Human Genome Project and the discovery of DNA's double helix structure in 1953. Sixty-six years on from this initial groundbreaking discovery, and sixteen years after the completion of one of the most ambitious international scientific research projects, what have we learned about ourselves through genomics, the study of DNA?”
Read More“Equality begins with giving women the same opportunities to succeed (or fail) as their male counterparts. Mawazo not only supports women researchers and scholars in developing academic and professional skills but also engages with women in all areas of our work.”
Read More“In the last year, Mawazo did just that: They selected an inaugural cohort of 10 Mawazo PhD Scholars out of a pool of over 170 applicants, a group of talented women all under the age of 40 who are currently completing doctoral studies in Kenya.”
Read More‘“According to the National AIDS Control Council, about 18% of people living with HIV in 2015 in Kenya were adolescents and young adults, aged 15 – 24 years, and they contributed to about 51% of new HIV infections among adults and the prevalence was twice as high amongst women than men.”
Read More“There is an urgent need, therefore, to establish strategies for reducing the risks associated with climate change in every aspect of our economy. My research seeks to shed light on how weather and climate variability affects the travel behaviour of commuters in Nairobi and the various ways they use to cope with the impacts.”
Read More“A specific threat to coffee crop cultivation in Kenya is the infestation of the Antestia bug, a pest native to Africa.”
Read More“Poor farming methods, overgrazing and deforestation are the most common cause of catchment degradation in Kenya.”
Read MoreThe Conversation Africa’s Natasha Joseph asked researchers working in fields as varied as physics, technology law, palaeontology and biomathematics to share their lessons and experiences as women in STEM – and what those who want to follow in their footsteps should expect.
Read More“As a computer scientist, I am passionate about transforming Nairobi into a smart city. Transportation is a sector that is well suited to predictive tools such as those developed in my research, and can yield significant benefits by reducing traffic congestion in the city and empowering Nairobi residents to make better travel choices.”
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“The Government of Kenya, through its ‘Big Four’ agenda , is keen on providing universal health coverage by 2022 to guarantee quality and affordable health care for all. While such an initiative goes a long way in redistributing health resources, Kenya is struggling to cope with the burden of traditional communicable diseases, which continue to account for a sizeable share of health spending.”
Read MoreMy research on storytelling through experimental animation explores the use of animation techniques and emerging technologies as a medium for relaying works of African oral literature (“orature”).
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