Joint US-Africa Materials Advanced Studies Institute

美非联合材料高级研究所

• 批准号: 1539724
• 负责人: Sossina Haile
• 金额: $ 32.65万
• 依托单位: Northwestern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1539724&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Joint; US; Africa; Materials; Advanced

Non-technical Abstract: With support from the Office of Special Programs in the Division of Materials Research and the Office of International Science and Engineering, the Joint U.S.-Africa Materials Advanced Studies Institute is a two-week educational institute that serves to connect materials students and researchers in the United States with those in Africa and other parts of the developed world. It will benefit U.S. participants because it will immerse them in a rich, transcontinental network of collaborators from Africa and Europe. The June 2016 school on "Materials for Sustainable Energy" will enable them to explore shared scientific challenges and to help co-generate new knowledge and innovative solutions with colleagues who bring different national, cultural and institutional perspectives. World-renowned experts drawn from the United States, Africa and Europe will teach the courses and provide opportunities for hands-on learning. The institute, part of an ongoing effort called the Joint Undertaking for an African Materials Initiative (JUAMI), 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 the two-week school in Arusha, Tanzania. Technical Abstract: Motivated by the need to develop and sustain positive international scientific relationships between the United States and African scientific communities, the Joint U.S.-Africa Materials Advanced Studies Institute employs a unique format to address four 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, the value to the United States of remaining a desired collaboration partner for African counterparts, and the need for graduate level training in materials science in Africa. This two-week school, which follows on earlier such schools, will focus 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 will provide ongoing assessment to quantify educational outcomes and improve pedagogy and program structure. The 2016 school takes advantage of JUAMI's existing clearing house to connect researchers and resources across international boundaries. The institute's unique format, essentially a hybrid between a state-of-the-art conference, advanced seminars and hands-on learning opportunities, augmented with a virtual gathering place, is key to achieving mutual benefit for the United States and for Africa. This advanced studies institute will also tap into the rich talent pool in Africa, focusing that potential on a topic of great importance to Africa, the United States and the world. By building and sustaining links with African students, researchers and institutions, this institute and JUAMI's ongoing efforts could also prove valuable for recruiting excellent students to the United States for graduate study.

非技术性摘要：在材料研究部特别项目办公室和国际科学与工程办公室的支持下，美非联合材料高级研究所是一个为期两周的教育学院，旨在将美国的材料学生和研究人员与非洲和其他发达国家的学生和研究人员联系起来。它将使美国的参与者受益，因为它将让他们沉浸在由来自非洲和欧洲的合作伙伴组成的丰富的跨洲网络中。2016年6月的“可持续能源材料”学校将使他们能够探索共同的科学挑战，并帮助与带来不同国家、文化和机构视角的同事共同创造新知识和创新解决方案。来自美国、非洲和欧洲的世界知名专家将教授这些课程，并提供实践学习的机会。该研究所是正在进行的名为非洲材料倡议联合项目(JUAMI)的努力的一部分，承诺通过在坦桑尼亚阿鲁沙为期两周的学校期间，由一些世界顶尖科学家为非洲学生和研究人员提供短期研究生水平的培训，以加强非洲材料科学界的能力。技术摘要：出于发展和维持美国和非洲科学界之间积极的国际科学关系的需要，美非联合材料高级研究所采用了一种独特的形式来解决四个主要问题：通过跨文化合作创造新的知识和创新的解决方案，美国研究生和教职员工参与国际研究合作和网络的需要，保持非洲同行理想的合作伙伴对美国的价值，以及非洲材料科学研究生水平培训的需要。这所为期两周的学校是在早期此类学校的基础上开设的，将专注于材料研究的前沿课题--“可持续能源材料”，由国际和当地招聘的世界知名专家讲授。课程包括指导实践活动、讲座和准备/陈述小组提案，以促进正在进行的跨文化合作研究项目。来自西北大学Searle高级学习与教学中心的专家将提供持续的评估，以量化教育结果，并改进教学方法和课程结构。这所2016年的学院利用JUAMI现有的信息交换中心，将研究人员和资源跨越国际边界联系起来。该研究所的独特形式本质上是一种最先进的会议、高级研讨会和实践学习机会的混合体，再加上一个虚拟的聚会场所，是实现美国和非洲互利的关键。这家高级研究机构还将利用非洲丰富的人才库，将这一潜力集中在对非洲、美国和世界都非常重要的主题上。通过建立和保持与非洲学生、研究人员和机构的联系，该研究所和JUAMI正在进行的努力也可能被证明对招收优秀学生到美国攻读研究生课程很有价值。