AIMS South Africa Newsletter February 2025

[African Institute for Mathematical Sciences]

Advancing African Early-Career Women in Mathematical Sciences       From 28 February to 01 March, AIMS South Africa House of Science, in partnership with African Gong, convened a second Women’s Advancement Forum: International Exchanges, Research & Academia (WAFIRA) workshop in South Africa. WAFIRA is a capacity-building programme that is uniquely centred on the contexts, realities, challenges, opportunities and strengths across the landscape of African Women’s indigeneity. WAFIRA is conceptualised to foreground and empower African women as leaders and agents for the advancement of their studies and career progressions across academia, research, and industry.    Under the theme Advancing African Women in Mathematical Sciences, the workshop brought together 40 young and emerging researchers from AIMS South Africa, the Universities of Cape Town and the Western Cape, and the African Astronomical Society. There were also three WAFIRA alumni from the 2023 cohort, experts in gender equity in STEM, role models, and mentors for a transformative capacity-building experience.    Read more       Onboarding Week at AIMS South Africa – Exploring the Stars!    As part of the Onboarding Week at AIMS South Africa in January 2024, new students embarked on a journey of exploration, space, and astronomy through a series of thought-provoking documentaries. One of the highlights was A Look at the Stars: Bringing Astronomy to Remote Nepal, a documentary created by students from the Pokhara Astronomical Society in Nepal.       Read more       SU/LMU Workshop    AIMS researchers had the pleasure of participating in the Stellenbosch University – Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) Workshop, held at Stellenbosch University on 25–26 February. The event brought together experts across disciplines to explore topics ranging from mathematics and music to biological systems and artificial intelligence.         As part of the workshop, Prof. Ulrich Paquet presented a thought-provoking talk on "What Do Superhuman AI Agents Know That We Don’t?",       while Dr Ryan Sweke delivered insights on "Quantum Computing – Challenges and Opportunities." Their contributions sparked engaging discussions on the impact of AI and advanced mathematical concepts.      We also had the opportunity to showcase the AIMS Mathematics Hotel, share insights into the work happening at AIMS, and host a Research Connect session—taking full advantage of our breathtaking beachfront location.      A huge thank you to Prof. Sibusiso Moyo for the invitation to take part in this exciting workshop, providing a fantastic platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and new partnerships.    Researcher Updates    On 24 February 2025, Dr Ryan Sweke, German Research Chair at AIMS South Africa gave a NITheCS Colloquium 'Quantum Computing: Challenges and Opportunities' at Stellenbosch University. The talk is available to view at  https://buff.ly/4gXphoV. Forty AIMS Master’s students also attended the talk.    During a two weeks visit to the AIMS Research and Innovation Centre in Rwanda, Dr Lorène Jeantet conducted a three-day workshop on Deep Learning for Wildlife Monitoring. During the workshop participants explored deep learning methods for analysing acoustic recordings and time series data from onboard sensors to detect the presence of specific species and study their behaviours. The workshop helped them develop skills in data processing, model training, and transfer learning while providing a hands-on introduction to integrating deep learning into wildlife monitoring    NITheCS Colloquium attenddees       Wildlife Workshop attenddees    AIMS Seminars    On 12 February, Prof. John Mackenzie, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde gave a seminar titled: ‘“Modelling and Inference of Nonheritable Variation in Bacterial Population Growth.’       On 19 February, Prof. Jean-Philippe Uzan, Research Director in Theoretical Physics at CNRS, specialist in cosmology and gravitation, who works at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics gave a seminar titled: ‘The fundamental constants at the heart of measurement and physics.’ This talk was organised Prof. Amanda Weltman, AIMS Visiting Professor, South African Research Chair in Physical Cosmology and Director: High Energy Physics Cosmology & Astrophysics Theory (HEPCAT) Group          Student Updates    Students on the Mathematical Master's stream completed the following courses in February:  Mathematics and Art in Africa (Steven Bradlow, Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); Industrial Modelling (Neville Fowkes, Western Australia, & Dr Erick Mubai, Wits);     Problem-Solving in Physics (Roger Fearick, Cape Town); Statistics Skills (Jane Hutton, Warwick); and Combinatorics (Balázs Szendröi, Vienna).    In February the AI for Science stream finished CUDA Programming for GPUs (Mike Giles, University of Oxford).       Mastercard Foundation Scholars Council Meeting          Council Scholars with the Country Director for Uganda Ms Tsiry Meva Sisih Rakotondratoetra, represented AIMS at the 2025 Mastercard Foundation Scholars Council Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, from 31 January to 2 February 2024, alongside a representative from AIMS Ghana. As the Scholars Council Representative for AIMS, this meeting was an opportunity to collaborate with peers, exchange ideas, and contribute to shaping the future of the Scholars Program. “We engaged in discussions on transformative leadership, career transitions, and networking with Scholars and Alumni while also representing AIMS.”       Ms Rakotondratoetra       2025 Africa Scientifique Programme Kicks Off at AIMS South Africa: Leadership, Knowledge and Skills for Impactful Science Communication    The 2025 3-phased Africa Scientifique programme kicked off, continuing its mission to equip young and emerging STEM scholars and researchers with the skills and knowledge. The educational outcomes thereof sought to enable these scholars and researchers to effectively communicate their research ideas and results with wider audiences using different platforms and tools.        Since its inception in 2020, delivered in partnership with African Gong, the programme has evolved into a transformative experience for AIMS    South Africa students and researchers. In 2024, it expanded to include Honours students and lecturers from the South African Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs) in line with the national transformation agenda. In 2025, in addition to the traditional offerings, a dedicated Africa Scientifique (AS) programme will be delivered for Mastercard Foundation Scholars at AIMS South Africa.       Read more       Great Minds Collaborate to Rethink Learning       On 8 February 2025, a spirit of innovation and collaboration filled the air as five AIMS Master’s students from AIMS South Africa and two Postdoctoral researchers from Heidelberg University teamed up with the AIMSSEC team. They dedicated their time and expertise to empower STEM learners from Masibambane High School and Molo Mhlaba Primary School, nurturing critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills.        Through hands-on engagement in algorithmic and mathematical challenges, these mentors left a lasting impact on young minds, inspiring a future generation of innovators. Special thanks are extended to Geoff Stead (and his dad!) for witnessing firsthand this transformative journey as we continue #TurningTownshipsIntoTowns—building a brighter future, one equation at a time!          Bringing Mathematics to Life: Connecting Algorithmic Thinking to Mathematics       On 22 February 2025, AIMSSEC engaged with eager students from Levana Primary School and Lavender Hill Secondary School, who embraced the joy of mathematics with enthusiasm and curiosity despite challenging circumstances. The visit was thoughtfully tailored: primary school learners explored the concept of space by creating squared shapes - sparking their imagination and deepening their           understanding, while secondary school learners enhanced their cognitive skills by investigating multiples within polygons and circles through visual proofs and hands-on activities. This inspiring engagement highlights AIMSSEC’s commitment to making mathematics accessible and enjoyable for all, as we continue our mission of #TurningTownshipsIntoTowns—one mathematical concept at a time.          Teaching tip for lecturers!       Pointing Towards Generality (Particular, Peculiar, General)    Students can also be led to generalization by asking for a particular then a peculiar example. Once they develop fluency in locating peculiar examples, they can also be encouraged to try in what way an example is generic and to express the form of a general example.       ANNOUNCEMENTS Apply NOW, applications close soon       APPLY       APPLY    Quantum Perspectives: WITS IBM Seminar Series       REGISTER       We are hiring!       A Machine Learning Researcher: Earth Observation & Ecology (open until filled.)     Read more       Click here to unsubscribe from our mailing list.