The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences Division invites applications for Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians to stimulate collaboration in the field primarily through the funding of travel and related expenditures.

The current way of developing batteries is mainly based on trial-and-error processes, which are time-consuming, costly, and do not always lead to the best product design. It is particularly the case when it comes to testing batteries to assess their performance, lifetime, reliability, and safety.

Commonly occurring space weather events (SWE) have the potential to affect the performance of critical space and ground infrastructure by disrupting operations and communications in multiple sectors of society. In addition, “extreme SWE” could have devastating societal and economic consequences with potential costs for disruptions and damages estimated in tens or even hundreds of billions of Euros.

With an integrated modelling approach, the integration of new observational data becomes a driver for further enhancement and improved realism of the already existing production chains, assimilation systems and coupled models.

Europe has been at the forefront of climate science and should retain its leadership position to support EU policies as well as international efforts for a global uptake of climate action in line with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including biodiversity objectives. Advancing climate science and further broadening and deepening the knowledge base is essential to inform the societal transition towards a climate-neutral and climate-resilient society by 2050, as well as towards a more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030.

PhD Research Presentation webadmin Fri, 09/17/2021 - 12:59

Mr. Adaku Christopher, a PhD student at the Department of Chemistry will be presenting his PhD research on Wednesday 29-09-2021 at 10:00 am. This will be virtual and the link will be provided in due course.

Download his abstract below.

ABSTRACT-Adaku (1).pdf

CoNAS Students Virtual ICT Support Room for Examinations readiness webadmin Fri, 09/10/2021 - 08:50

In addition to various intervations around the University to bring every student to speed in readiness for exams, the CoNAS ICT Team will be running a virtual ICT support room for students from 09/09/2021 to 12/09/2021 between 2:30PM and 4:30PM.
The students who still have issues with their emails and muele accounts login credentials as well doudts on how to navigate and do tasks on muele will be joining into the room virtually, be assisted and get out at will.

Issues to be handled may include;

· How to reset muele and student email login credentials

· Cleaering doubts on navigating and accessing exams on muele

· Clearring doubts on how to attempt and submit tasks on muele

· How to convert word documnents (Exam scripts) to PDF for easy upload

· How to compress PDF documents (Exam scripts) easy upload

· How to scan/take snap shots of your exam scripts using your mobile smart/Android phone · ETC.                                                            

There will be room to escalte all issues we cannot handle to DICTs experts for further assitance.

Below is the zoom link for the virtual room

 

Join Zoom Meeting: CoNAS Students Virtual ICT Support Room

https://zoom.us/j/98352999207?pwd=Sm1OcEZ5NEsvRnkrN2lzdE9rNks2Zz09

Meeting ID: 983 5299 9207

Passcode: 111222

   

Press Release on Completion of Semester One 2020/2021 Examinations webadmin Tue, 09/07/2021 - 15:32

At the time H.E President Y.K.T. Museveni declared a lockdown effective Friday 18th June 2021, Makerere University students were doing examinations.

Subsequently, several meetings were held as well as consultations with stakeholders to come up with alternative modes of assessment for completion of Semester One 2020/2021 examinations.

The University Senate and Council have approved the Alternative Modes of Assessment for the completion of Semester One 2020/2021 examinations.

College/School Academic Boards have met, reviewed, selected and submitted the most appropriate alternative modes of assessment for the respective programmes/course units.

The University has scheduled the Examinations to start on 13th September, 2021 and run up to 30th September, 2021. First Year and Continuing Students who have pending Semester One examinations are informed accordingly and should prepare to sit the examinations.

Colleges/Schools have drawn-up and published detailed examination schedules and timetables. College Registrars have been requested to work with Deans, Heads of Departments and Examination Coordinators to display and publicise the detailed examination schedules and timetables.In addition, Deans/ Heads of Department/College Registrars should provide relevant information and sensitise students on these examination modalities.

Students who have not completed payments of relevant fees should contact the respective College Bursars to be guided on the new payment procedures. Those who have not registered should contact the College Registrars for guidance.

Alfred Masikye Namoah
ACADEMIC REGISTRAR

Makerere-AR-Press-Release-Completion-of-SemI-2020-21-Exams-7thSept2021.pdf

MAK-RIF Refurbishes CoNAS Aquarium Under the Ornamental Fish Project webadmin Tue, 09/07/2021 - 15:12

Ornamental fish is the coloured fish that can be reared indoors and is mostly used in aquariums for beautification purposes. “For many years, countries have been importing ornamental fish. This kind of fish is expensive and can boost a country’s economy if invested in,” says Dr. Juliet Nattabi, a lecturer at Makerere University’s Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences. “We have ornamental fish in Uganda, but unfortunately, people have not exploited the natural resources to their full potential,” she says.

Dr. Juliet Nattabi and Kluivert Namutete at the CoNAS refurbished Aquarium at ZEFs

Dr. Nattabi says that through funds acquired from the first Makerere Research and Innovation Fund (Mak-RIF One) project for the potential of utilization of ornamental fish species for training and business development in Uganda, the Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences refurbished the university’s dilapidated aquarium.

This was done in order to train students and the public in how to look out for other fish species and take care of them indoors. With the training, Dr. Nattabi hopes that Uganda’s ornamental fish can attract the international market.

Fish Collection and Preservation with Hanna Instrument

Dr. Nattabi says that each year, a team of students and staff conduct fieldwork at Lake Nabugabo to collect samples of fish, both passively and actively. “We use the Hanna instrument to take the oxygen, conductivity, and temperature to be used when transporting the fish,” she says. The fish is transported using a tank and an inverter, and later placed in the receiver for observation and selection.

Challenges

Kluivert Francis Namutete, a former student in the department,  says some fish died because the team had not yet devised means to breed mosquitos that some species feed on.

“While in the field, they did not have licenses and equipment. We ended up using fishermen’s equipment at a fee,” says Dr. Nattabi, adding that delayed procurement of equipment was a problem and that the team had needed to be creative to achieve their goals. 

Continuity after the project

“With the aquarium refurbished up to 80% , we shall keep collecting fish and maintaining the 18 ornamental fish species; and we shall train both students and members of the public in how to look after indoor fish,” Dr. Nattabi says.  She adds that findings of Namutete’s research will also provide guidance on caring for the species. For his undergraduate research in 2020, Namutete documented the potential ornamental fish species from samples collected from Lake Nabugabo ecosystem. 

Recommendations

The team desires to extend their project, and they particularly encourage women to join and promote the ornamental fish trade, since it is indoor and convenient.

Source: https://jocom.mak.ac.ug/multimediahub/makerere-university-train-students-public-ornamental-fish-breeding

Efficient and effective network management is the key to the integration of renewables in an efficient way that ensures cost-effectiveness and affordability, security of supply, and grid stability. Real-time monitoring and optimization are necessary to increase the flexibility, through solutions such as storage, demand response, or flexible generation among others, to integrate higher shares of variable renewable energy.

The component models and the system modelling/optimisation tools need to be a properly documented and open source development allowing the EC, the Member States and Associated Countries and other public authorities or private organisations to use the tools for their planning needs, or to develop additional add on modules.

In line with the “do not harm” principle for the environment, actions for all renewable energy technologies aim to also improve the environmental sustainability of the technologies, delivering products with reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved environmental performance regarding water use, circularity, pollution, and ecosystems.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

To achieve the goals of climate-neutrality by 2050, renewable energy sources installations will have explosive growth. Wind energy, in particular, will play a large role in supplying clean energy to the electrical grid. Nevertheless, this growth must be done in a sustainable manner and following the principles set out in the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials.

Wellcome Trust has announced its Early-Career Awards scheme providing funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The call is open for organizations based in UK, Republic of Ireland, Low- or middle-income countries (apart from India and mainland China).

The cost-effective integration of advanced biofuel technologies in existing industrial plants will contribute to increase the competitiveness of these technologies and overcome the costly scaling-up of advanced biofuel production which requires heavy new infrastructure and investments and impedes their capacity building.

1st National Policy Forum for STI Held: Academia Encouraged to Take Lead in the National STI Ecosystem webadmin Tue, 08/31/2021 - 12:26

The 1st National Policy Forum for Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) ended with calls for academia in Uganda to take lead in the STI ecosystem by identifying talent, knowledge management as well as creation of links with industry to support innovations. This is based on the effective models witnessed across the world as associated with the universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford in the United States of America, and University of Cape Town in South Africa. It was reiterated that a better STI ecosystem will help catalyze national development for Uganda.

Makerere University through its College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) organized, hosted, and virtually held the 1st National Policy Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovations (STIs) Advancement for Development on the August 26th and 27th, 2021 under the theme “Positioning STI to address emerging threats to national development”. Makerere University deemed it strategic to initiate a national multi-stakeholder dialogue with an aim of contributing to the discourse on the role of STI in socio-economic transformation of the country even in the face of global and national challenges such as Covid – 19.

In the opening remarks delivered by the Deputy Vice Chancellor/ Academic Affairs, Makerere University Prof. Kakumba Umar on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Makerere University; Prof. Nawangwe Barnabas, he said ‘Makerere is well positioned with capacity to support STI for national development in Uganda’. He thanked H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for the vision in establishing the Presidential Initiative for Science and Technology that benefited various colleges of Makerere University and enabled staff as well students to initiate innovations like the KIRA E.V. at the College of Engineering, Design, Art, and Technology. ‘The Government of Uganda has further committed 30bn Uganda shillings towards the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (MakRIF) that has supported over 700 projects since 2019’, as an institution, Makerere University is very grateful for this support, the Vice Chancellor noted.

The forum was officially opened by Hon. Dr. Monica Musenero – Minister for Science and Technology, who was the Chief Guest of the conference. In her speech, she thanked the Vice Chancellor, Makerere University and CoNAS for taking lead in the direction of STI especially during the Covid19 pandemic which has affected nations greatly. The Minister advised that ‘publication of research papers is good however, written material is not enough. We need action from government institutions, academia, students and general population otherwise Uganda will not change’. She further noted that ‘research, science and innovation has become too elitist ignoring the simple man/woman in the village reiterating that there has to be a mindset change otherwise nothing will happen’. We must involve the simple man, mother down in the village who is the client for a better Uganda, and I am hopeful that a detailed report of the discussions from this forum will be shared to guide us going forward, the Minister advised.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Fred Muhumuza from Makerere University, College of Business and Management Studies highlighted the most pressing challenges affecting role of STI in national development and the link the in addressing these challenges in Uganda’s STI ecosystem. The challenges highlighted included: Poor coordination and facilitation of training for STI professionals; the increased salaries of science teachers are welcome but should be supported by investment in the leaners and facilities; facilitation of research and development; general and specific financing for all activities in the STI space; and visionary leadership, strategic planning, coordination of policies as well as implementation.

Prof. Eliab Lugujjo, the Vice Chancellor, Ndejje University delivered a presentation on skills and education needed for a modern knowledge-based economy. He noted the need to balance vocational skills and higher education for STI advancement; at what stage/ level of education a scientist or innovator is made, and the gaps in the education system hindering STI advancement. This was a thought-provoking presentation and garnered a lot of discussion.

Multiple exciting presentations by speakers during the forum were delivered and discussions on topical issues of Uganda’s STI ecosystem including skilling our population, pharmaceutics and healthcare systems, agro-industrialization, knowledge economy, e-Commerce, governance, policy, and incubation ecosystems were held during the forum. Participants at the forum included policy makers, researchers, academicians, government leaders, students, and the public. Some of the key issues noted during the forum deliberations are attached in the download links below.

NewsArticle_Mak1stNational STI Forum.docx NewsArticle_Mak1stNational STI Forum.pdf

 

National Policy Forum on Science, Technology and Innovations Held at CoNAS webadmin Sat, 08/28/2021 - 18:52

The Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) is an African-led initiative with the goal of strengthening skills in the Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology to further socio-economic transformation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) is the flagship program of PASET. RSIF focuses on transformative technologies that have a far-reaching positive impact on society.