AIMS – NEI Director of Academic Development awarded prestigious Science Education prize by Science Magazine.

 

Cape Town, 25 August 2011: The Science Prize for Online Resources in Education (SPORE) is awarded to Dr. Carolina Ödman-Govender, director of academic development of the AIMS – Next Einstein Initiative (AIMS – NEI).

 

Carolina has worked in science for development for many years. Before joining the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and the African Institute for Mathematical Science (AIMS) in 2010, she developed an international astronomy and education programme ‘Universe Awareness’ (UNAWE), for which she was awarded the prize. During the course of her work as UNAWE international project manager, she came to South Africa a number of times and was a frequent visiting scientist taking part in the SAAO’s outreach efforts.

 

Science Magazine introduced the SPORE award as a means to showcase the best educational resources that are available on the Internet and to bring them to a wider audience.  UNAWE uses the beauty and grandeur of the Universe to inspire young children, particularly those from an underprivileged background. The programme uses astronomy to cultivate a sense of perspective, foster a global citizenship and stimulate interest in science at a crucial age in a child’s development.

 

“One of the key features of UNAWE is its openness. It is a form of crowd-sourced education; a vast network of educators contribute educational materials and resources, which are uploaded to the UNAWE website. They can then be distributed, adapted and translated for use in other countries”, says Carolina who is passionate about openness and availability of education.

 

AIMS in South Africa and in Senegal rely on lecturers from around the world to deliver a top-quality postgraduate education in the mathematical sciences to outstanding, fully funded students from all over Africa. AIMS – NEI seeks to open 15 such centres across the continent within a decade. The AIMS – NEI philosophy of making world-class science education available to the best young African minds echoes with Carolina’s passion for equal opportunities.

 

You can find out more about Universe Awareness in the SPORE Series Winner essay published in Science Magazine on August 26, 2011.

 

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Notes for Editors

 

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) 

AIMS South Africa was established in 2003 as a partnership project of the following 6 universities: Cambridge, Cape Town, Oxford, Paris Sud XI, Stellenbosch, and Western Cape. Every year, between 50 and 55 students graduate from AIMS-SA. AIMS offers a 9-month postgraduate diploma (PGD) course to science graduates from all over Africa every year.

The AIMS – Next Einstein Initiative (AIMS-NEI)

The AIMS-Next Einstein Initiative was set up in 2008 to build a critical mass of scientific and technical talent in Africa, capable of initiating growth across the continent. Some of the best graduates from African Universities will be trained in AIMS centres based on the model of academic excellence developed at AIMS-South Africa since 2003. The second independent AIMS Centre, AIMS Senegal, is set to open in September 2011.

 

South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO)

The SAAO is the National Facility for optical/infrared astronomy in South Africa, administered by the National Research Foundation (NRF). Its prime function is to further fundamental research in astronomy and astrophysics at a national and international level. The SAAO contributes to the future development of South Africa through the creation and dissemination of knowledge; through human resource development; through provision of research infrastructure, and through providing an interface between science and society.

 

Contact Information

 

AIMS

Ms. Linda Camara
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences
6 Melrose Rd, Muizenberg, 7945, South Africa
Tel: + 27 21 787 9263
Fax: + 27 21 787 9321
linda@aims.ac.za

 

AIMS - NEI

Ms. Vicky Mbalo
AIMS – NEI Secretariat
5 Hillcrest road, Muizenberg, 7945, South Africa
Tel: +27 21 709 0617
vickyn@nexteinstein.org

 

SAAO

Dr. Enrico Olivier
SAAO, PO Box 9, Observatory, 7935, South Africa
Tel: +27 21 447 0025
olivier@saao.ac.za