The US-Africa Advanced Study Institute and Workshop Series in Mathematical Sciences is a collaborative effort between US and African mathematicians. This program has three main goals: (1) strengthen the US and Southern African human infrastructure in mathematical sciences research, (2) increase and sustain research collaboration between US and Southern African mathematicians, and (3) improve research collaboration between US and Southern African colleges and universities. The Masamu Project (masamu means mathematics in Southern Africa) will be an ongoing professional development program that will enhance the capability of participants to continue to collaborate on research after the Institute and Workshop.
The 2011 US-Africa Advanced Study Institute will be held in Livingstone, Zambia on November 21 - December 1, 2011. The Advanced Studies Institute will focus on analysis, dynamical systems, and mathematical biology, and the follow-on workshop will center on mathematical modeling of biological systems. For 15 days, 13 US and 13 African advanced graduate students and early career faculty will undergo rigorous training and will work collaboratively on research under the supervision and guidance of 9 US, African, and European research mathematicians. Participants will also attend a panel discussion on careers in mathematical sciences. Furthermore, heads and chairs from US and Southern Africa will have an opportunity to attend a one-day workshop that will focus on cultivating sustained cooperation between and among US and Southern African Mathematical Sciences Departments.
Funding for this award is being provided by the Division of Mathematical Sciences, with co-funding from the Office of International Science and Engineering.
The primary goal of the Masamu Program (masamu means mathematics in Southern Africa) is to enhance research in mathematical sciences within Southern Africa Mathematical Sciences Association (SAMSA) institutions through promotion of international research collaboration. A key component of the Masamu Program is the US-Africa Advanced Study Institute and Workshop Series in Mathematical Sciences, a collaborative effort between African, United Kingdom, and US mathematicians which provides a platform for such collaboration. The Institutes consist of intense research activities and lectures by senior research faculty members. The Workshops are held following the institutes, and give participants time to brainstorm, work on problems, and give research presentations. The First Masamu Advanced Study Institute and Workshops in Mathematical Sciences were held on December 1 – December 14, 2011 in Livingstone, Zambia. 32 graduate students and early career faculty along with 10 senior research mathematicians attended the institute and workshops. Research was focused on the areas of Analysis, Dynamical Systems, and Mathematical Biology. The Institute also included a Department Heads, Chairs, and Senior Research Scientists Workshop, addressing topics such as faculty recruitment and retention, supporting research scientists, and identifying areas for institutional collaboration. A Career Development Workshop was also held, focusing on issues relevant to early career faculty. The Second Masamu Advanced Study Institute and Workshops in Mathematical Sciences were held on November 30 – December 2, 2012 in Lilongwe, Malawi. The area of focus for the research conducted was Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems and Biodiversity. Ten participants (graduate students and early career faculty) and eight faculty/research group leaders attended. These institutes and workshops have resulted in many productive research collaborations. Participants have produced six peer-reviewed publications, with three articles accepted pending revisions and one additional publication submitted. The research groups that were formed continue to work together on problems to obtain publishable results. Students who attended have completed dissertations and theses leading to PhD and MS degrees in mathematics and mathematical biology, and participants have received appointments to fellowship, postdoc, and faculty positions. Also as a result of the research conducted at these institutes and workshops, a Collaborative Research Network (CRN) has been formed, made up of 41 senior research faculty from Sub-Saharan Africa, the US, Canada, and Europe. These faculty members are from 28 universities and comprise research teams in both pure and applied mathematics. Teams will work year-round on several research problems. The first meeting of the CRN took place at the Masamu Advanced Study Institute and Workshop held at the Wallenberg Centre Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study in South Africa, November 23 – December 1, 2013.
