| | AIM South Africa welcomes new Academic Director and student intakes |
| In January 2024, AIMS South Africa welcomed Dr Karin-Therese Howell, the new Academic Director for the Structured Master’s Stream. She holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of the Free State, South Africa. As a scholar, she has published in international peer reviewed journals. Her area of specialisation is in abstract algebra, with a focus on structures called near-vector spaces. Her current research interests also include Algebraic Biology, where biological problems are analysed through an algebraic lens. |
| | She is passionate about teaching mathematics and during her fifteen years at Stellenbosch University she was awarded fourteen Vice-Rector’s Awards for Excellence in First-year Teaching. Her long term goals include contributing to the development of mathematics in Africa, supporting women in mathematics and raising awareness around inclusivity for neurodiversity. |
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| | On 29 January 2024, AIMS South Africa welcomed the 2024 January Intake. This intake includes 24 students (6 women) in the Structured Master’s stream, hailing from South Africa (14), Nigeria (2), Zimbabwe (2), Niger, Ethiopia and Zambia. The new AI Master’s stream students totalled 26 (4 women), from Benin, Cameroon, DRC, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan. |
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| | | | | | The Structured Master's stream students completed: Computer Algebra (Gerhard Pfister and Wolfram Decker, Kaiserslautern); Mathematics and Art in Africa (Steven Bradlow, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); and Fluid Dynamics (Richard Katz, University of Oxford) | | The AI for Science stream students completed the following courses: AI for Quantum and Quantum for AI (Ryan Sweke, IBM Research, Almaden); AI, Mind and Brain (Martin Butz, University of Tübingen); and Simulation-based Inference (Jakob Macke and Cornelius Schroeder, University of Tübingen and Pedro Goncalves, VIB-Neuroelectronics Research Flanders). | | |
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| | Unveiling the Nocturnal Secrets of Madagascar's Lemurs |
| | | Dr Emmanuel Dufourq and Dr Lorène Jeantet collaborated with an international team of scientists from the City University of New York, the University of Antananarivo and Centre ValBio in Madagascar, where they leveraged the power of deep learning to transform an approach to primate conservation. Through the innovative use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) paired with machine learning, the team has not only streamlined the process of studying the critically endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur in Madagascar, but have also unveiled the first quantitative, published evidence of their nocturnal vocal activities. | | These lemurs are one of the world's most endangered mammals. | |
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| | The study took place in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar over several months. The figure below provides a spectrogram, a snapshot of sound, which reveals the vocalisations of the ruffed lemurs. The machine learning models were tasked to find these vocalisation events within over a terabyte of audio data. | | |
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| AIMSSEC Courses January 2024 |
| | AIMSSEC, the school enrichment department of the AIMS South Africa has done it again. The year 2024 has started with a bang! Jan Mouton Learning Centre (JMLC), at Stellenbosch University was a hive of activity as the mathematics Senior phase (SP) and Further Education and Training phase (FET) teachers converged at the centre for a prestigious undertaking. |
| | Two courses ran concurrently, namely, a Mathematical Thinking (MT33) course (sponsored by NSF) and a Differentiation and Inclusion in the Mathematics Classroom (sponsored by Standard Bank South Africa). |
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| | Prof. Steven Bradlow taps into potential of teachers |
| | In January 2024, teachers specialising in mathematics from rural areas throughout South Africa generously dedicated their holiday period to immerse themselves in learning and teaching mathematics. These professional development courses were organised by AIMSSEC, the school enrichment department of AIMS South Africa. |
| | AIMSSEC holds a strong commitment to ethnomathematics, and during this period, Prof. Steven Bradlow, a distinguished faculty member from the mathematics department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, graced the event as a special guest. Prof. Bradlow delivered an insightful talk on "Mathematics and Art in Africa" |
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| | The presentation aimed to reconnect teachers with the rich mathematical heritage embedded in our African roots. Beyond imparting knowledge, Prof Steven Bradlow's talk served as a source of inspiration, encouraging educators to recognize their untapped potential and pursue Master's qualifications with confidence. |
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| | Teaching tip for lecturers! |
| | | Offering feedback to students is crucial! Providing constructive feedback on assignments and assessments serves as an effective means to pinpoint areas where students may be facing challenges. It is beneficial to highlight both their strengths and areas for improvement, aiding students in comprehending their errors and deriving valuable learning lessons from them. A helpful strategy to address mistakes is to present the incorrect solution on the board. Encourage students to articulate why the solution is incorrect, and observe the insightful discussions that ensue. |
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| | | | | | Applications for the 2024/25 intake of the AIMS Structured Master’s in Mathematical Sciences are now open. Applicants should hold, or anticipate completing by the start date of the AIMS course, a 4-year university degree in mathematics, or any science or engineering subject with a significant mathematics component. |
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| | Applications for the AI for Science Master’s Stream 2024/25 are now open. It is a fully residential one-year taught Masterss with a research component. Applications are open to students from across Africa who are passionate about mathematics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. |
| | Please note the application process for the AI for Science Master’s stream is different from the standard AIMS Master’s. |
| | | | | | | | The Quest for a New AIMS Slogan |
| | We would like to invite you to contribute to the creation of the new AIMS slogan by submitting slogans. |
| | The competition is open to all current students at the AIMS centres (i.e., Masters and PhDs). Suggestions are also welcomed from anyone in the AIMS community, including staff, lecturers, chairs, visiting lecturers, and alumni. |
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