DNA Day 2020: Understanding Zoonotic Diseases in the Era of COVID 19
Let’s start with the most basic question, what is a zoonotic disease? I would define a zoonotic disease as a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Those animals can include, both large, and small mammals, and also birds. Over 60% of known human diseases originated in animals (WHO, 2018). While it has […]
Women and Science in Africa: A Documentary Film on the Silent Revolution
In South Africa, Dr. Nyokong, who has received national honors from the South African government for her ‘outstanding contributions in the field of science,’ is a Chemist and Professor with an unshakeable pride in what she believes the African continent has to offer. “Our science is as good as anywhere else,” she says at one […]
Celebrating Two Years of Public Engagement at Mawazo
At Mawazo, we wanted to complement our core work supporting local researchers tackling development challenges with a robust science engagement programme, helping to close the loop between academic, public, and policymaking spheres. By building these linkages between science and society, we wanted to promote evidence-based policymaking and encourage public participation in informed, solutions-focused, conversations. However, […]
The Travelling Telescope Hosts Mawazo at Kenya’s First Public Planetarium
The Travelling Telescope is a social outreach programme dedicated to promoting science and technology with astronomy, but on this day, they would be giving us a sneak peek into Kenya’s first planetarium. The planetarium is a passion project that Susan Murabana (also a 2018 Faces of Kenyan Science awardee) and Chu Owen, the organisation’s co-founders […]
How Mawazo is Improving the Odds for Young Girls Using Education
The Mawazo Institute is doing its part by providing scholarships to two secondary girl students at the Kenya High School, and by funding another promising young girl to attend the 2018 London International Youth Science Fair (LIYSF). The Kenya High School has been in existence since the early 1900s and was the highest performing school […]
The Nairobi Ideas Night ‘Works On It’; Presenting Solutions to Local Challenges
Dr. Eddine Sarroukh, Senior Advisor for Innovation & Technology, SDG Partnership Platform, UN Kenya Resident Coordinator’s Office. Dr. Eddine Sarroukh brimmed with energy as he spoke of the potential for innovation that exists on the continent and in Kenya specifically. As a Senior Advisor for Innovation and Technology with the SDG Partnership Platform under the […]
Mawazo Co-sponsors a Girls in STEM Career Day
The keynote speaker for the Career Day was Dr. Damaris Parsitau, a lecturer at Egerton University and the Executive Director of Let Masaai Girls Learn Foundation, an organisation dedicated to empowering young Masaai girls to complete their education. Dr. Damaris herself is a Masaai girl from a small town who defied the odds and became […]
Nairobi Ideas Explainer: Plastics
What is plastic? At their most basic, all plastics are polymers. From the Greek word ‘Polumeros’ meaning ‘having many parts’, polymers are large molecules made up of smaller units that are joined together to create a long chain. In the ‘Meet Our Host’ episode of the Nairobi Ideas Podcast, Dr. Rose Mutiso, a polymer scientist, […]
Meet the Mawazo Board: An Interview with Board Chair, Rachel Strohm
In October of this year, the Mawazo Institute board met for its first annual board meeting, culminating a months-long recruitment and induction process. Chaired by Mawazo co-founder, Rachel Strohm, the board will enable Mawazo to move forward decisively in its vision, while ensuring we achieve our goals. We spoke to Rachel about how the board […]
2019 Breaking Barriers: 30 And Under Women In Stem
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, in the Breaking Barriers e-book available to download on the Mawazo Publications page.