USA Charge-de-Affaires Launches UB Node of AMSEN
USA Embassy in Botswana Charge-de-Affaires, Mr. Scott Hamilton officially launched UB Node of African Materials Science and Engineering Network (AMSEN) on October 13, 2009 at the Old UB Staff Lounge. The other member universities are University of Namibia, University of Nairobi, Witwatersrand University, South Africa and Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria.
The objectives of AMSEN are to build research and training (R&T) capacity in materials science and engineering, and to train manpower for staff positions in the participating universities. This objective is met through MPhil/ PhD training of potential candidates who shall be supervised by a team of supervisors from the home institution and at least one from another AMSEN member university. This shall promote collaborative research and will also build supervision capacity. Publications, conference presentations with emphasis on multi-disciplinary broad based research, research visits by staff and students are other components supported by the network. Relevant fundamental research and industrial participation for relevancy and to attract additional funding are also encouraged.
AMSEN project has recently been awarded US$800,000 by the Carnegie - IAS Regional Initiative in Science Education (RISE), in the United States of America for two and a half year period.
Launching the AMSEN-UB Node, Mr. Scott Hamilton said that they treated Africa and Botswana as a modern, technologically capable environment. This can be enhanced by quality partnerships with western entities, governments, private sector and the academia to strengthen local knowledge and industrial base. Linkages with other scientists in the region and beyond under the AMSEN can only be a positive development. UB is no stranger to partnerships with USA as excellent relationship exists through Fulbright exchange program, and through the Motswedi Wa Thuto (Fountain of Knowledge).
The funding is also used to provide students bursaries, purchase of new equipment, maintenance and repair of existing equipment, consumables, R&T operational costs, staff and students visits, conference/ workshop attendance and hosting, literature and database procurement, salary replacement for faculty release time, staff inducement through rewards for publications produced, and administrative operational costs.
The Node Coordinator, Prof. Pushpendra Jain informed the audience at the launch that three AMSEN sponsored graduate students, one PhD and one MPhil students in the Department of Physics, and one MPhil student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering are currently registered at UB. A fourth candidate is under consideration, and is expected to start his studies in January 2010. Some equipment, research reference books, and materials have been purchased to support their research.
The University of Botswana has excellent facilities to undertake research in some aspects of materials and aspires to make contribution to the region in those areas. At the same time UB stand to benefit from regional partners where they lack skills, resources and facilities, said the Coordinator.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the AMSEN Bursary Award Committee and Dean, Faculty of Science Prof Motsoptse Modisi, acknowledged the role of AMSEN in promoting linkages with other scientists in the region and beyond for collaborative research and capacity building in interdisciplinary areas of regional importance. On the hand Prof Lesley Cornish, Academic Director of AMSEN, Wits University, South Africa introduced the broad objectives of AMSEN and said that they have been working on the AMSEN concept since early 2008. University of Botswana through Prof. Jain and Wits University had already been involved in collaborative research in materials, and one student graduated with a MPhil degree from UB in 2008. The opportunity to broaden the network and to source funding arose when Carnegie-IAS RISE announced their scheme to fund a number of networks in Sub-saharan Africa.
As part of his keynote address, the UB Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Professor Frank Youngman said UB took pride in its participation in the AMSEN project and seeks to be recognized internationally for the quality, quantity and relevance of its research contributions. One way to achieve this, he said, is to develop strategic areas of research supported by the provision of excellent research facilities. Prof Youngman said it is clear that the aims and objectives of AMSEN are strongly supportive for the UB goals. AMSEN Bursary Award Certificates were presented to three AMSEN sponsored UB students to mark the launching of the Node.