JUAMI (Joint Undertaking for Africa Materials Institute)

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: The Joint Undertaking for African Materials Institute (JUAMI) is an Advanced Studies Institute that serves to connect materials researchers in Africa with those in the United States and other parts of the developed world, primarily from Europe. The December 9-21, 2018 school in Kampala, Uganda on "Materials for Sustainable Energy" will enable participants to explore shared scientific challenges and to help co-generate new knowledge and innovative solutions with colleagues who bring different national, cultural and institutional perspectives. World-renowned experts drawn from the United States, Africa and Europe will teach courses and provide opportunities for hands-on learning. The Institute promises to strengthen the capacity of the African Materials Science community by providing short-term graduate level training of African students and researchers by some of the world's top scientists during a two-week school. It benefits U.S. participants because it immerses them in a rich, transcontinental network of collaborators from Africa and Europe. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: Motivated by the need to develop and sustain positive international scientific relationships between the United States and African scientific communities, JUAMI employs a unique format to address four primary concerns: the creation of new knowledge and innovative solutions through cross-cultural collaborations, the need for U.S. graduate students and faculty to be engaged in international research collaborations and networks, the value to the United States of remaining a desired collaboration partner for African counterparts, and the need for graduate level training in materials science in Africa. This two-week school, which follows on earlier such schools, focuses on "Materials for Sustainable Energy", a topic at the frontier of materials research, with lectures offered by world-renowned experts recruited both internationally and locally. The curriculum includes directed hands-on activities, lectures, and the preparation/presentation of group proposals that give rise to ongoing cross-cultural collaborative research projects. Experts from the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching at Northwestern University provide ongoing assessment to quantify educational outcomes and improve pedagogy and program structure. The 2018 school takes advantage of JUAMI's existing clearing house, a virtual gathering place, to connect researchers and resources across international boundaries. The institute's unique format, essentially a hybrid between a state-of-the-art conference offering advanced seminars and a school with hands-on learning opportunities, is key to achieving mutual benefit for the United States and Africa. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.