We participated to a winter school organised by the Faculty of Statistics, University of Padova, Italy from 12 December to 17 December 2011. We were residing at Santa Caterina residence and the venue of the winter school.

The school consisted of lecture sessions and case study sessions. During the lecture sessions, specialists in the domain gave courses about census and survey data quality, demography transition theory and analysis in relation with urbanisation, migration, health, etc. The lectures were interactive and covered demographic issues for both rich and poor countries. Some preselected participants (PhD students) presented their research related to the topic of winter school (case studies). These sessions allowed us to better understand the subject and learn from other students, their researches in the domain and their methodological choices.

Siaka presenting his work at the Winter School

We benefited from the winter school in terms of network, scientific knowledge and experiences. Indeed, participants at the winter school came from everywhere in the world: Europe, Asia, America and Africa. We met students from different disciplines of applied statistics (Economy, Demography, Social sciences, Mathematics-statistics, etc.). The interaction among participants was fruitful and the atmosphere was friendly.

At the end of the Winter School, our knowledge of demographic issues from all over the world and the link between demographic transition and others population issues was considerably improved.

Methodologically, we got enormous knowledge about different ways of applying demographic transition theory in Africa and in others regions of the world. In addition, we presented a case study titled “Situation of maternal mortality in the process of demographic transition in Burkina Faso” and got very good feedback from the participants and lecturers. Comments made on our presentation will definitely help us in our research

This presentation was also the opportunity for us to share our experience at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). Participants were very impress and interested about AIMS programme. Currently busy with their PhD, many of them are very interested with tutoring at AIMS after completion of their study. They were enthusiastic about sharing the information about AIMS with their friends, colleagues, relatives back home.

The school participants

To summarise, we learnt a lot during this winter school. We cannot finish this report without mentioning that we were impressed to learn that the current financial crisis in Europe has an important demographic aspect and that China could face the same problem in the near future and maybe Africa in long term if we do not learn from the experience of European countries.

We finish this report by acknowledging our immense gratitude to AIMS and Next Einstein Initiative (NEI) for the grant that we benefited because our participation to the winter school would have not been possible without it.

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Siaka Lougue benefited from the AIMS-NEI alumni travel grants to take part in this winter school. For more information on the grants, see this page on the AIMS-NEI website.

The Director of the AIMS-Senegal Institute is Professor Mamadou Sanghare, one of Africa’s most distinguished mathematicians and formerly head of the Doctoral School in Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal’s largest public university.

AIMS-Senegal is the second African Institute for Mathematical Sciences centre, joining AIMS-South Africa, which has operated in Cape Town since 2003. The plan to expand AIMS across Africa is known as the AIMS-Next Einstein Initiative (AIMS-NEI) and grew out of a wish first expressed by AIMS founder Professor Neil Turok, now Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, that “the next Einstein be African.” That wish has evolved into a plan to create a pan-African network of 15 AIMS centres over the next decade, including the centres in Senegal and South Africa.

At the Grand Opening celebrations, AIMS-Senegal’s first 36 students, including 10 women, from 14 countries were joined by dignitaries from approximately 15 countries representing the centre’s many supporters and partnering academic institutions. These include the Universities of Cheikh Anta Diop, Gaston Berger, Thies and Ziguinchor in Senegal, the University of Ottawa in Canada, Universities Pierre et Marie Curie and Paris Sud in France, Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany, and the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in China.

Cédric Villani with AIMS-Sénégal students at the opening ceremony.

Speakers at the opening ceremony included Tidiane Ba, the Senegalese Minister of Higher Education and Research; local dignitaries, including the Mayor of Mbour; representatives of AIMS-Senegal supporters, including the Ambassador of Canada to Senegal, the President of the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), and Tidiane Deme of Google; and preeminent international scientists, including Nobel Prize winner Klaus von Klitzing and Fields Medallist Cedric Villani.

Tidiane Ba, Minister of Higher Education and Research of Senegal said, “AIMS-Senegal will enable our most talented students, Senegalese and from across the continent, to receive a fully-funded world-class education here in Senegal. We are proud of AIMS-Senegal and support it strongly.”

“The opening of our second centre, AIMS-Senegal, is a major milestone towards our dream of a truly pan-African network of scientific centres where the continent’s bright minds can shine,” says Neil Turok. “As AIMS expands, thousands of talented Africans will acquire the skills they need to build Africa’s future economic, educational and technological self-sufficiency.”

Supporters of AIMS-Senegal planted trees to celebrate the opening of the new centre.

Scholarships have been provided by growing number of North American and European universities and companies through the One- for-Many scholarship program. The first students were selected from over 350 who applied through the joint admission process shared by the AIMS centres in South Africa and Senegal.

A highlight of the day was the arrival of the first shipment of solar cells which had been donated by the German company Q-Cells. The 90 cells will provide a total of 20kW of power, enough to cover the electricity needs of the centre.

Over the 2011-2012 academic year, the students will be taught by around 25 outstanding international lecturers along with 5 dedicated tutors, before receiving their Masters degrees (Maitre 1) next June.

Since its opening, AIMS Senegal has seen many illustrious visitors, including His Excellency President Wade of Senegal in October.

The presence of famous scientists is Senegal has led to some interesting events for Senegalese universities and the general public. Prof. Jean-Christophe Yoccoz (Collège de France, Fields Medal 1994) who came to teach at AIMS Senegal gave a public talk at the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar on December 23rd, 2011.

The year ahead will see many milestones in the first year of the second AIMS centre. More public talks from prominent scientists are expected. Probably the biggest milestone of a new centre: the first generation of students will graduate. We look forward to a fruitful and exciting year ahead!

Study at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences!

Click here to go to the applications: http://j.mp/AIMS2012

Si vous souhaitez étudier à l’Institut Africain des Science Mathématiques, saisissez votre chance! Les candidatures pour le cours débutant au mois d’août 2012 sont ouvertes jusqu’au 31 mars 2012. Cette année, vous pouvez choisir d’étudier en Afrique du Sud, au Ghana (à confirmer) ou au Sénégal.

Cliquez ici pour vous inscrire: http://j.mp/AIMS2012

Google Zeitgeist is a series of events at which great minds of our time share their inspiration.

The observatory is almost ready to open and the delegation came to learn about governance and to set up academic partnerships with South African institutions, including SAAO (South African Astronomical Observatory), UCT, UWC, NASSP (National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme), the Global Office of Astronomy for Development and AIMS.

Director Barry Green, IT Manager Jan Groenewald and Carolina Ödman-Govender from AIMS-NEI spent the morning with them showing them around and describing how AIMS is run, in particular administrative and IT aspects. The delegation had lunch with the Ethiopian students currently studying at AIMS. Before leaving, they made contact with Prof. Bruce Bassett of the AIMS Cosmology Group. They are keen to stay in touch to learn from the experience of setting up a small research group.

With the prospects of opening an AIMS Centre in Ethiopia, we were very glad to establish new contacts with the country’s scientific community. Although not directly involved with AIMS Ethiopia, they know our partners very well and are visibly enthusiastic about the prospect of an AIMS centre in Ethiopia, with whom they are likely to cooperate, like AIMS South Africa cooperates with local academic and research institutions.

The members of the delegation were:
- Dr. Baylie Damtie, Bahir Dar University President
- Prof Gezahegn Yirgu, ESSS Manager and, Dean School of Earth and Planetary Science, AAU representative
- Tesegaye Kassa, Bahir Dar University representative
- Dr. Solomon Belay, Chair, Research, Education and Public outreach Program and EAOSS, Technical Committee chairman, ESSS representative

Every visitor to AIMS get to sample the beautiful beach in Muizenberg. This is part of the beauty of this site.

The staff at AIMS Senegal have worked tirelessly to put everything into place and make everything work on time for this academic year. Their achievements are nothing short of miracles, and they are setting a remarkable example for the students, tutors, lecturers and future AIMS centres alike. We are infinitely grateful for their dedication and hard work!

Tomorrow the big party will take place, at which his Excellency President Wade of Senegal will officially open AIMS Senegal. May this be the beginning of great things!

The first AIMS Senegal student body from 14 countries!

This morning, Barry Green introduced Thierry to everyone at AIMS South Africa at tea.

After looking for the right person for a long time, we have finally welcomed our new Executive Director, Mr. Thierry Zomahoun from Benin.

We are going to publish a real news item about it soon but we are all so thrilled to welcome Thierry that we are ‘leaking’ the news on our blog…

Thierry officially started earlier this month and had come to visit the AIMS-NEI office before then as a consultant already, which gave us a hint of the great things to come.

For more about Thierry, stay tuned for the full announcement!

AIMS-Sénégal opens on September 6

As the new institute welcomes new students and tutors and its first academic year, everyone is preparing to welcome distinguished guests from a number of governments and organisations that have helped make this a reality, including from Sénégal, Canada and France and German company Q-cells whose solar panels will power the institute.

For more information on AIMS-Sénégal, you can visit its website here.