Africa Science Week Research and Innovation Showcase 2018 - Call for Applications

Ghana will be hosting her first Africa Science Week (ASW) in September 2018. ASW is an initiative of the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) aimed at engaging members of the general public with scientific information and activities. This will enable them to appreciate the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as part of everyday life.

2017-2019 NEF Ambassador Peter Asare Nuamah is leading this effort with support from AIMS Ghana, Ghana Science Association and other stakeholders in the Ghanaian STEM space. The theme for Ghana is 'Accelerating Growth and Development through STEM'. Series of activities are being planned for ASW Ghana 2018 including:

• Conversations in mainstream and social media on the importance of STEM to national development
• A National STEM Forum/Conference to project local science and make a case for greater investments into STEM
• Field Visits by Basic School Pupils to the Ghana Planetarium and other interesting locations

During Africa Science Week, the relevance of science and technology for national development would be brought to the fore. We would hear from leading Ghanaian and African scientists and innovators including AIMS Ghana President Mrs Lucy Quist and Ghana's first Next Einstein Forum Fellow, Dr Aku Kwamie.

As part of the festivities, scientists, storytellers, and other innovators would be given the opportunity to showcase their work through a special Research and Innovation Showcase segment. Successful applicants would be given the platform to present to a live audience including policymakers, academics, business leaders, and potential funders. They would receive extensive publicity through both mainstream and social media, reaching audiences across Africa and beyond.

Applications are welcome from any STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) field, including the humanities. If you're interested in being one of the featured scientists and innovators during ASW Ghana 2018, kindly fill this form.

Raise Public Understanding of Science in Africa

As you may know, I have been involved with the Next Einstein Forum and have been working to help promote science in Africa and inspire the next generation of African scientists and innovators. For the past few weeks, I and colleague Ambassadors from other African countries have been leading a crowdfunding campaign on Fiat Physica. We are inviting you to join us in our efforts to increase public understanding of science to advance development in Africa. 

We feel that low public interest in science is slowing down Africa's development. While some scientists are able to undertake useful research on the continent, public skepticism makes it difficult for their discoveries to move from the lab to the community. Our youth stand at a disadvantage if they are not empowered with adequate skills and knowledge to reverse the status quo.

With our campaign, we want to draw attention to scientific advances in our countries by creating platforms through which scientists engage with the public.Our goal is to demystify science so that it becomes a bigger part of the cultural fibre of African societies.

We need YOU to join us in our effort by raising $8650 to help support the Public Understanding of Science for Development (#Sci4D) project.

Help us to connect Africa's scientists to the community and advance progress on the continent. Support us as we work toward changing mindsets and building a community of public engagement with science. Thank you!

Please take a minute to check out the full suite of NEF Ambassadors crowdfunding campaigns.

NEF Ambassadors Share on Expectations and Experiences - #NEF2016

The Next Einstein Forum, hosted by Senegal in Dakar, brought together various stakeholders including presidents, scientists,technologists, policymakers, entrepreneurs and activists to deliberate on the future of African science and how it can be applied to benefit society. During the global gathering held from 8th to 10th March, some NEF ambassadors took time to share on their expectations and experiences. Find out more in the video below.

Also, fellow ambassador Yassine Harzallah from Tunisia made a brilliant video that captured how the ambassadors interacted with the event. His video evoked the sense of friendship, cooperation, happiness and positivity that pervaded the NEF ambience. 

We look forward to support the work of NEF in order to raise the profile of African science and encourage more young Africans to enter into the sciences. We are all keen to work with the fellows, volunteers, and mentors within the NEF network, as well as colleagues in our own countries and all over the world, to realise the above objectives.