IRES: US-Uganda Undergraduate Research in Physical and Transport Properties of Materials in Support of Product and Process Development

这个奖项旨在通过在乌干达进行为期八周的国际研究和教育经历，扩大美国学生的国际意识和全球能力。学生的这种国际参与变得越来越重要，因为尽管世界变得更加相互依存，技术联系更加紧密，但参与国际体验的美国科学和工程本科学生的数量仍然少得令人不安。在该奖项为期三年的每一年里，四名美国学生和两名乌干达学生将以小组形式参与与威廉·基萨利塔博士（美国）和穆扬贾博士（乌干达）正在进行的合作研究有关的研究项目。这些项目的首要主题是描述天然矿物材料的物理和运输特性。例如，学生将描述用于低成本冷却器的原生沸石的特性，其应用范围从疫苗保护到没有电力供应的农村地区的牛奶保存。该项目将为学生提供工程研究原理和实践的良好介绍，从而提高他们在发达国家或发展中国家创建适当复杂或简单系统方面发挥领导作用的能力。在短期内，学生的研究成果将有助于开发产品、设备和工艺，以增加东道国的经济价值，同时也有利于美国经济。该项目将通过建立科学和个人关系来加强美国和非洲之间的合作；这种关系是建立一个更美好的全球社会的基础。

0528062KisaalitaThis award aims to expand the international awareness and global competence of U. S. students through an eight-week international research and educational experience in Uganda. Such international engagement of students is increasing important because although the world has become more interdependent and technologically linked, the number of U. S. science and engineering undergraduate students participating in international experiences has remained troublingly small. In each of the three years of this award, four U. S. and two Ugandan students will work in teams on research projects associated with ongoing collaborative research between Dr. William Kisaalita (U.S.) and Dr. Muyanja (Uganda). The overarching theme of these projects is to characterize native mineral materials with respect to physical and transport properties. For example, students will characterize native zeolites for use in low cost coolers with applications ranging from vaccine protection to milk preservation in rural areas where there is no access to electricity. This project will provide students with a sound introduction to the principles and practice of engineering research, thus enhancing their ability to play leadership roles in creating appropriately complex or simple systems in both developed or developing countries. In the near term, the results from the students' research will contribute to developing products, devices, and processes that can add economic value to the host country in ways that also benefit the U.S. economy. The project will strengthen collaboration between the U. S. and Africa by building scientific and personal relationships; such relationships are the foundation for a better global community.