Empower the Careers of 10 Young African Scientists

Thank you again to all of you who have donated and continue to donate as part of our GlobalGiving fundraising campaign.  

Along with the rest of world we have been adjusting to a new reality brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful that all of our alumni YoSA students are safe and well in their respective countries. The 62nd London International Youth Science Forum (LIYSF) which was due to take place this summer has been postponed to next July, but we are pleased to confirm that the stellar line up of speakers announced in our last newsletter will be contributing to the 2021 event. 

We are using this time to expand our network of African partners with whom we collaborate to identify and select talented young scientists who will benefit from our scholarships in the future. We are currently in discussions with:

We are also staying connected with our YoSA alumni students as they continue their journeys in science. Christa from Rwanda was awarded a YoSA scholarship to attend LIYSF in 2017 and whilst there was inspired by a chemistry lecture and a visit to the Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute to pursue a career in the health sector.  She completed a degree in pharmacy and started work at a Rwandan pharmaceutical company. Christa was invited back to LIYSF in 2018 and 2019 as a staff member and the management skills she acquired resulted in a promotion to COO of her company, sharing what she had learnt as examples of best practice for colleagues.  She has also returned to university to study for a Master’s in Business Administration and will graduate later this year.

Now more than ever we need a diverse community of scientists to address the global challenges we face. Thank you for helping us support young African scientists to achieve their potential in changing the world.

A BIG thank you again to all of you who have donated and continue to donate as part of our GlobalGiving fundraising campaign.  During the last quarter we have remained connected with our students as they have continued their development following their experiences at the London International Youth Science Forum (LIYSF). We have also have been working to expand our network with the African partners we whom we collaborate to identify and select talented young scientists who will benefit from one of our scholarships. 

To assist us with these endeavours we are excited to welcome Clare Thomson as a new Trustee onto our Board. Clare worked for over 30 years as a physics teacher and has a masters degree in Science Education. Until recently she was the Curriculum and Diversity Manager at the Institute of Physics where she played a pivotal role in a range of initiatives to encourage more girls to study physics. Clare has supported LIYSF for a number of years and is a regular judge at the Science Bazaar poster event. In her work with YoSA Clare will be developing new African partnerships including those with countries which have not previously been represented at LIYSF. She will also be focussing on opportunities for YoSA to sponsor more female students and will be pursuing a number of connections made recently at the World Science Forum in Budapest including the Organisation for Women in Science in the Developing World.

Meanwhile we are delighted to be working with our established partners who once again are running in-country selection processes to identify worthy recipients of a YoSA scholarship. These include:

Since our last update, the London International Youth Science Forum has secured the participation of a number of high profilescientists to engage with students at this summer’s Forum. These include Nobel prize winner Professor James Rothman from Yale University, Professor Dame Julia King (Baroness Brown of Cambridge), Professor Lord Martin Rees (Astronomer Royal and former President of the Royal Society) and Dr. Maggie Adherin-Pocock, MBE.