March 8 - 10, 2016 - For three days, Mastercard Scholar, Maxwell Adalago volunteered at first ever Next Einstein Forum Global Gathering (NEF) 2016 in Dakar, Senegal. The NEF is a forum which gathers government officials, policy makers, young scientists and leading professionals and authorities in the world of science, under one roof ,to discuss African-led development in science and technology. Maxwell in the story below shares his experience at the forum.
If you asked me what the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) was, on 18th January, 2016 (the day I got selected as a volunteer for the Next Einstein Forum, 2016), I would have said, “The Next Einstein Forum is an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftug Foundation. It seeks to give a voice to African scientists and create a Pan-African platform for young scientists to promote and facilitate innovation, science and technology on the continent.”
But if you asked me on 10th March, 2016 (the last day of the Forum) what the Next Einstein Forum was, I would have said almost spontaneously, “NEF 2016, the three day (8th-10th) first Global Scientific Gathering on the African continent in Dakar was fantastic and phenomenal!” I would have probably added, “The President of Rwanda, His Excellency Paul Kagami, leading personalities in science like Prof. Neil Turok, Prof. Allotey, Field Medalists, Nobel Laureates, the president of the US National Science Foundation, leading academicians and policy-makers were all present at the forum.”
The NEF’s mission is to make young African scientists visible with the long-term goal of realizing the next greatest scientific discovery in Africa by an African. However, this cannot become a reality without the full participation of everybody on the continent. The forum recognizes this and therefore advocates for increased participation of women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics fields. The forum is dubbed “the Next Einstein Forum” not only because Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists to date, but also more importantly because he had a disadvantaged background like most young scientists in Africa.
As a volunteer at the forum, the benefits were countless. Aside sitting under the same roof with Rwandan President Paul Kagami, whom I have admired for a long time, I got the opportunity to talk to distinguished scientists and professionals in academia about their professional and research journeys. Such opportunities are only few in a lifetime. I also got the opportunity to network with some of the young brightest minds on the continent, my colleague volunteers.
Being at the NEF gave me the honor and privilege of working to help propel Africa onto the global scientific stage and to be part of the efforts in producing the ‘next Einstein’ in Africa. My key takeaways are summed up in the words of Professor Neil Turowas the full realization that my hard and smart work, “outrageous” curiosity, innovation, leadership and collaborative spirit are central to bringing “science back home to Africa, the origin of man and Mathematics” – Prof Neil Turok, founder of AIMS.
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