Tutu Fellow Lade Araba, who is a founder of the Visiola Foundation, saw a small measure of the fruits of that organisation's efforts when she accompanied two science scholars to the Next Einstein Forum for their 2016 Global Gathering in Dakar, Senegal. It was the first time the two scholars, Rachael Asaolu and Omolara Kassim, had been on a plane, their first time traveling outside of Nigeria, and their first time at an international conference.
The Visiola Foundation promotes STEM education (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) as a way of empowering young women in an increasingly technical global economy. Students pursuing careers in the STEM fields have better employment opportunities, as their skills are critically required to stimulate Africa's growing industrial and manufacturing base. The foundation supports an increasing number of ethical female entrepreneurial leaders with cutting-edge technical skills to lead Africa's long-term socio-economic transformation.
The Next Einstein Forum is an initiative of the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences, which was founded by the leading South African physicist, Dr. Neil Turok. Together with Stephen Hawking, Neil Turok developed the Hawking-Turok Instanton Theory, which describes the birth of an inflationary universe, asserting that, big bang or not, the universe came from something, not from nothingness. Dr. Turok founded AIMS as a pan-African network of centers of excellence for postgraduate education, research, and outreach in mathematical sciences.
The Next Einstein Forum is a convener of thought leaders in science, policy, industry and civil society from across Africa and the international scientific community to leverage science and technology to solve global challenges. NEF was launched by AIMS and the German Foundation, the Robert Bosch Stiftung in 2013, as a global forum for science in Africa.
The 2016 Global Gathering took place in Dakar, Senegal on March 8 - 10, 2016 and brought together more than 800 people from across the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. It further showcased the talent of African scientists and innovators, highlighting the laudable achievements of 15 of the continent's top young scientists and NEF Fellows.
Two presidents were among the line-up
The group with local dignitaries
Lade Araba, Dr. Neil Turok and the two Visiola Foundation Next Einstein scholars
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