The African Women in Science program is a transformative initiative for early-career African women scientists from the African Great Lakes region. The program aims to build capacity and offer mentorship opportunities for African women scientists who are actively engaged in African Great Lakes and freshwater research.
AWIS supports and guides African women scientists to catalyze positive change on the African Great Lakes and their tributaries. The program provides mentorship, networking opportunities, and professional development to female scientists who are citizens of African countries bordering the African Great Lakes (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia)
Participants will be a part of a 11-month cohort of African women scientists and become the next generation of African women scientists catalyzing positive change in the African Great Lakes. The AWIS Program:
- Builds capacity for African women in science through professional development, that enhances their endeavors and progress as scientists
- Advances science on the African Great Lakes and their tributaries by adding more women scientists’ perspectives and knowledge to the scientific community.
The African Women in Science (AWIS) program is a joint program through the International Institute of Sustainable Development and the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education.
Flagship Initiative
AWIS is a eleven-month program that integrates learning experiences from a cohort of peers and a variety of experts and mentors. The program is hybrid, with many components taking place online, and a one-month international immersion experience in North America. Participants have ongoing assignments related to core components. Program components include:
Trainings:
- Leadership Development
- Scientific Skills
- Communications Techniques
- Networking Strategy
Networking:
- Take part in events at international symposia, which includes meeting other early-, mid-, and late-career women scientists to build a supportive community and mentor-mentee relationships
- Attend international conferences to present work and integrate into the larger scientific community
Mentorship:
- Connect individually with senior scientists, and other experts for insights, advice and problem-solving related to research and careers
International Connections. Each participant will be invited to attend the annual International Association of Great Lakes Research, which is held, alternately, in the United States and Canada annually. This conference allows for:
- Increased the global view of freshwater resources, for themselves, and others
- Gaining input on their research, writing, and scientific approaches
- Enhances their network of expertise to solve issues they face
- Strengthening future opportunities for research, careers, and knowledge
- Offer solutions and input to other global freshwater experts
In Field Training. Some participants will be invited to the “world’s freshwater laboratory” Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) located in North West Ontario. This remote location harbours 58 experimental lakes where participants will engage with world-class scientists conducting in-lake studies.
Project-Based Learning:
- Work on a project in a small group or individually that may be related to their current work, or another topic they can explore through the program
- Develop end products that may include a short paper or journal article on their topic, a funding proposal or presentation that compares aspects of different lakes with input from peers and mentors
- Present recent projects at the end of the program
What Participants Give:
- Commit to full participation in monthly programming over the course of 11 months
- Use the experiences to build your current work
- Complete assignments based on core program components
- Map in their progress journey along the way to share with the group
- Have opportunities to present work/research at an international forum and to the larger freshwater scientific community
What Participants Get:
- Make peer connections in a trans-boundary cohort
- Build their professional network, locally, regionally, globally
- Receive feedback from the larger scientific community
- Grow their professional network
- Take part in relevant skills training
- Gain insight to grow leadership
