This award supports 17 participants (four US and 13 African) in the US-Africa Workshop on Collaborative Research Opportunities in Chemistry, to be held in Pretoria, South Africa, April 1999. Representatives of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Chemical Society, and the Chemical Manufacturers Association will meet with their counterparts from the chemical societies in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania, and with representatives from the African Association of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and the Chemical and Allied Industries Association. The co-organizers are Dr. Richard Getzinger and Mr. John Schoneboom, of the Directorate for International Programs at AAAS, and their counterparts with five African chemical societies. Participants include active researchers, society administrators, and representatives of chemical industrial associations.
Africa has the potential to produce significant scientific discoveries in the areas of medicine, agricultural applications, and environmental chemistry. But few African chemists know about the research being conducted outside their own countries, nor are US chemists cognizant of the research activities of their African peers. The objectives of the workshop are to identify specific ways that US and African chemical societies can work together to enhance their respective capacities and impacts, and to create important new collaborative research opportunities for US and African chemists. The participants will identify topics of mutual importance for international collaborative research, and the manner in which the participating societies can encourage and facilitate such activities. Additionally, this workshop will aid in the establishment of more regular communication mechanisms, which will enable the societies to exchange information on important scientific and management issues. The Division of International Programs and the Division of Chemistry are jointly supporting this workshop.
