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Welcome to M3, the newsletter for globally-connected faculty and researchers at MIT.
Because you have research interests in Africa or have been a friend to MISTI or the Center for International Studies you are receiving this email.
We have heard that many of you would like to know more about the work of colleagues across MIT with shared research interests in a particular location or topic. Once a semester, we’ll bring you news from across the Institute on Africa-focused research in all disciplines and research topics, but especially around global challenges such as climate and sustainability, health, AI and computing, democratic stability, inequality, and human development. Our hope is that this information will enable you to strengthen ties with colleagues in a way that will enhance your own research and understanding of the region.
Please share this newsletter with others in our research community who might be interested in joining. They can sign up for the newsletter here. Do you have questions or news to submit? Contact our Africa/MIT Lead Ari Jacobovits at arijaco@mit.edu.
Thank you for being a part of our community!
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MIT Global Seed Funds in Africa | |
MIT-Africa Seed Fund deadline is
December 10
Apply for the MIT-Africa Seed Fund by December 10, 2024!
The MIT-Africa Seed Fund supports innovative projects that lay the foundations for new research and education initiatives between MIT and African collaborators. This fund is offered annually by the MIT-Africa Program in partnership with the Office of the Vice Provost for International Activities and awards grants of up to $35,000.
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Past MIT-Africa Seed Fund winners
See past winners of all Seed Funds here, and navigate to the MIT-Africa section to see some of the recent projects that have come out of these partnerships all across the continent!
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2023–2024 MIT-Africa annual report
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The 2023–2024 academic year was bustling with activity for MIT-Africa. Placing over 100 students into our different programs, student engagement was at its highest level since our founding in 2014. We received our largest ever pool of MIT-Africa Seed Fund applications, covering all five of MIT’s schools, and disbursed more funds, across more countries, than ever before.
Our annual report is now available here. Read about the great work and learning that our students have been doing, as well as the other initiatives of MIT-Africa on-campus.
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Vittorio Colicci,
Knight-Henessy Scholar
Vittorio completed an MISTI Africa internship in the summer of 2024 in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He worked with the UN Development Programme as a technology and innovation intern with the Accelerator Lab. His goal was to document the waste management landscape in Freetown and recommend new technologies to address some of its challenges. After graduating from MIT with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and physics, as well as a master’s degree in planetary science, he is now pursuing a PhD in earth and planetary sciences at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability as a Knight-Henessy Scholar. Read more about him here.
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Wilhem Hector, Rhodes Scholar
MechE senior Wilhem Hector is one of four MIT students selected as a 2025 Rhodes Scholar. He participated in MISTI’s Global Teaching Labs program in South Africa in January of 2023, where he taught mechanical engineering topics in renewable infrastructure to high school students in Gqeberha. He will pursue at Oxford a master’s in energy systems followed by a master’s in education, focusing on digital and social change. His long-term goals include pioneering Haiti’s renewable energy infrastructure and expanding hands-on opportunities in the country‘s national curriculum. Read more about Wilhem and this distinguished opportunity here. Congratulations to Wilhem and the other new Rhodes Scholars!
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African Graduate Association
Several African MIT graduate students are piloting a new student organization — the African Graduate Association (AGA) — to provide a space and voice to African graduate students and postdocs on campus. They held their first meeting in late November to begin establishing a collective vision for the group and to gauge interest from the community. To connect with club leaders, contact Abimbola Oluwade (aoluwade@mit.edu) or Jonas Sogbadji (jonassog@mit.edu).
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African Students Association Impact Fund
Launched in the 2023–2024 academic year with seed funding from MIT-Africa, the MIT African Students Association (ASA) Impact Fund provides financial support to ASA members working on underfunded community building and social impact projects in Africa. In its inaugural cycle, the fund awarded over $14,000 to four members towards projects in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, & Kenya. The Impact Fund fosters resilience, economic growth, and empowerment in African communities.
The fund is administered by MIT-Africa but overseen by a board of ASA alumni that select proposals, mentor grantees, and ensure financial sustainability. To support this initiative, give here.
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Rambax MIT performance
Saturday, December 7, 2024
8:00 PM
Thomas Tull Concert Hall, MIT Building W18
Rambax MIT is an ensemble dedicated to learning the art of sabar, a vibrant drum and dance tradition of the Wolof people of Senegal, West Africa. Come join us at MIT's brand new Thomas Tull Concert Hall and experience the magic of Senegalese drumming and dance! More information here.
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Midday Music and Soup:
Lumanyano Mzi Quartet
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
12:15–1:00 PM
Kendall/MIT Open Space
Acclaimed drummer-vocalist Lumanyano Mzi returns to the Midday Music series with his unique brand of South African-infused jazz. While you listen, enjoy a delicious hot cup of soup from Souper Roll Up Cafe (on us, while supplies last!). To keep things sustainable, we encourage you to bring your own mug or bowl. If you do, you’ll get a special sweet treat! More information here.
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Save the date: MIT Sloan Africa Innovate Conference
Saturday, March 1, 2025
8:00 AM–7:00 PM
Building E51, Wong Auditorium
The Africa Innovate Conference (AIC) is the flagship event of the MIT Africa Business Club, bringing together over 250 entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, policymakers, and industry leaders from around the world. Hosted by MIT Sloan students, AIC fosters networking, learning, and collaboration around advancements in technology, business, and social impact within Africa. Through multidisciplinary panels and showcases of groundbreaking initiatives, AIC addresses interconnected challenges and celebrates projects driving positive change on the continent. More information here.
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CIS Global Research & Policy Seminar: The Next 50 Years of Global Anti-corruption featuring John Githongo
John Githongo, the Robert E Wilhelm Fellow at the Center for International Studies, is among the world's leading voices on anti-corruption in the context of development and poverty in the modern world. He spoke on November 14 about the future of global anti-corruption efforts amidst geopolitical realignments and the rise of alternative global power centers. He examined the history of anti-corruption work and posed questions such as: How will anti-corruption movements evolve in a world where Western dominance is fading, and new global powers promote alternative governance models? What strategies will activists need to adopt in response to the increasing influence of non-Western geopolitical actors who may not prioritize transparency, accountability, or democratic freedoms in the same way?
We look forward to engaging in similar discussions with the academic community with future seminars.
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Silent Voices: The Invisibility and Inaudibility of African Languages in Intellectual and Professional Discourses
Global Languages is proud to celebrate the official launch of MIT’s Swahili Studies Initiative. To mark this occasion, Harvard University Professor John Mugane, author of The Story of Swahili (Ohio University Press, 2015), delivered a talk entitled “Silent Voices: The Invisibility and Inaudibility of African Languages in Intellectual and Professional Discourses” on November 7 in the Nexus at MIT’s Hayden Library. Global Languages also shared more information about MIT’s upcoming Swahili program during IAP this winter.
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The World at MIT series
“The World at MIT” videos underscore MIT’s distinctive nature as a community that is at once profoundly American and deeply connected to the world. In brief, three-minute interviews, faculty members recount the experiences and circumstances that drew them here and how and why they came to adopt MIT as their professional home.
MIT-Africa faculty director Professor Mai Hassan and Empowering the Teachers faculty director Professor Tayo Akinwande were both featured in “The World at MIT” series earlier this year. Watch to learn more about their research interests and how they learn from their students.
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Interested in developing a collaboration with colleagues in African countries? Email Africa/MIT Lead Ari Jacobovits at arijaco@mit.edu to let us know if we can help! | | | | |
