Joint Undertaking for an African Materials Institute (JUAMI)

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: 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. The December 6-18, 2020 school in Nairobi, Kenya on "Materials for Sustainable Energy" will enable participants to explore shared scientific challenges and to co-generate new knowledge and innovative solutions with colleagues who bring different national, cultural and institutional perspectives. World-renowned experts 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 by not only providing access to these same top scientists, but also because it immerses the US participants in a rich, transcontinental network of collaborators. TECHNICAL DETAILS: Motivated by the need to develop and sustain positive international scientific relationships between the scientific communities in the United States and Africa, JUAMI employs a unique format to address three 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, and the value to the United States of remaining a desired collaboration partner for African counterparts. 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. In addition, a graduate student in Northwestern’s acclaimed media arts program is recruited to document the activities for subsequent public dissemination of JUAMI activities. The 2020 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.