Joint Undertaking for an African Materials Institute (JUAMI)

非技术描述：非洲材料研究所联合事业(JUAMI)是一个高级研究所，服务于连接非洲和美国的材料研究人员。2020年12月6日至18日在肯尼亚内罗毕举办的“可持续能源材料”学校将使学员能够探索共同的科学挑战，并与带来不同国家、文化和机构视角的同事共同创造新知识和创新解决方案。世界知名专家将授课，并提供动手学习的机会。该研究所承诺加强非洲材料科学界的能力，在为期两周的学校期间，由一些世界顶尖的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。它不仅为美国参与者提供了接触这些顶尖科学家的机会，还因为它让美国参与者沉浸在一个丰富的、跨洲的合作者网络中。技术细节：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，JUAMI采用了一种独特的形式来解决三个主要问题：通过跨文化合作创造新的知识和创新的解决方案，美国研究生和教师参与国际研究合作和网络的需要，以及保持非洲同行理想的合作伙伴对美国的价值。这所为期两周的学校是在早期此类学校的基础上开设的，重点是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提供持续的评估，以量化教育结果，改进教学方法和课程结构。此外，西北大学广受好评的媒体艺术项目的一名研究生被招募来记录这些活动，以便随后公开传播JUAMI活动。这所2020年的学院利用JUAMI现有的信息交换中心--一个虚拟的聚集地--来连接跨越国际边界的研究人员和资源。该研究所的独特形式，本质上是提供高级研讨会的最先进会议和提供实践学习机会的学校的混合体，是实现美国和非洲互利的关键。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: The Joint Undertaking for African Materials Institute (JUAMI) is an Advanced Studies Institute that serves to connect materials researchers in Africa with those in the United States. The December 6-18, 2020 school in Nairobi, Kenya on "Materials for Sustainable Energy" will enable participants to explore shared scientific challenges and to co-generate new knowledge and innovative solutions with colleagues who bring different national, cultural and institutional perspectives. World-renowned experts will teach courses and provide opportunities for hands-on learning. The Institute 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 a two-week school. It benefits U.S. participants by not only providing access to these same top scientists, but also because it immerses the US participants in a rich, transcontinental network of collaborators.TECHNICAL DETAILS: Motivated by the need to develop and sustain positive international scientific relationships between the scientific communities in the United States and Africa, JUAMI employs a unique format to address three 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, and the value to the United States of remaining a desired collaboration partner for African counterparts. This two-week school, which follows on earlier such schools, focuses 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 provide ongoing assessment to quantify educational outcomes and improve pedagogy and program structure. In addition, a graduate student in Northwestern’s acclaimed media arts program is recruited to document the activities for subsequent public dissemination of JUAMI activities. The 2020 school takes advantage of JUAMI's existing clearing house, a virtual gathering place, to connect researchers and resources across international boundaries. The institute’s unique format, essentially a hybrid between a state-of-the-art conference offering advanced seminars and a school with hands-on learning opportunities, is key to achieving mutual benefit for the United States and Africa.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.