The Open Doors Fellowship Program for women researchers in Africa is open for application. The program targets female African researchers with the aim of imparting the necessary hard and soft skills. This will ultimately enhance their leadership ability and visibility within their hosting institutions, thus, avoid the dropout attributed to the leaky STEM pipeline. The Open Doors program intends to address the needs of early and mid-career women scientists researching at (inter)national research centers and
Gladys Ng’etich is a mechanical engineer and an athlete. None of these came easy! She stubbornly stayed focused on her goal, her dream to become an engineer. She is currently studying her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oxford. Here is her story. Why did you choose engineering? Engineering became familiar to me from a really young age. My dad worked for Kenya Pipeline as an engineer for over 30 years. I grew
Meet Rosina Maku Matey. Different, challenging and life-changing are the words she uses to describe her career. Find out why she enjoys being a sound and transmissions engineer. You can also find her on Facebook. Why engineering? I had a lot of support from home. In the beginning, I wanted to study medicine which I considered a ‘big’ course. My brothers were very forward-thinking; they taught and “took me along”. I held onto this dream
Someone once said “The study of Engineering is for those who want to dedicate their career path to it, however, everyone, that is both men and women, can use and practice Engineering.” I would say this phrase begs for some provocative deliberation. That being said, in my effort to share some of my own experiences, this International Women in Engineering day (INWED 2018), I decided to put down a few recommendations (there are more than
Neddy Tanga is a second year Industrial & Manufacturing Student at Harare Institute of Technology, Harare, Zimbabwe. She tells us of her ongoing journey as an engineering student, and what encourages her to stay in an engineering career. She can be found on LinkedIn. As we celebrate International Women in Engineering Day, I choose to reflect on my ongoing journey as an engineering student. Being an engineering student is like a roller coaster. There are mixed
The steps to greatness emerge from small beginnings. Her story is one of a little girl’s dream, carefully nurtured into an unquenchable passion, that has led her to an exciting career with endless opportunities. The sky is not even the limit! Be encouraged by the Bonolo Mpabanga‘s grit and determination, as you find out what it takes to be an aerospace engineer. What made you consider aerospace engineering as a career? I fell in love
Why should Africa care about climate change and how can we stem the effects? These are the questions that we ask Marie Sophie Tsinampoizina, an Ocean and Climate Dynamics scientist from Madagascar. What motivated you to study science? Before attending University, I didn’t know what I really want to do. In Madagascar, parents have a strong influence on the choice of their children. I was good at Mathematics and Physics in secondary school. I was
Meet Selina Naana Egyir, a vocal advocate for natural resource management. This interview is a conversation about Africa, and why getting involved changes our perspective on the broader narrative! How do we get cheap, clean, quality water to households all over Africa? How do we ensure that people whose livelihood depends directly on water resources are using it appropriately for future generations? How do we reach out to rural areas to ensure that they have
Fridah Kamau is the founder and lead artist at Udaka Pottery, an organization that designs and makes handcrafted ceramic pottery. She is also a trained chemist. Our chat illuminates how she uses principles of chemistry to make exquisite art pieces. Read on. Chemistry wasn’t your first choice at the university? No, it wasn’t my first choice. Both my parents were land surveyors, so I wanted to be a land surveyor like them! Anyway, I ended
I am a young professional in STEM. Specifically, I promote STEM among African youth through my work at Global Minimum Inc. Very often, I meet young people who love science and technology and are eager to create solutions for the challenges they encounter in their communities. I have continually observed that more girls are diving into STEM-related fields and it is exciting for sure. “Empowering the Girl Child” is currently among the popular topics in
