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Impact of PIRA Grant on Sharks, Whales, Coral, Students, and South Africa’s Largest Marine Park

I’ll never forget hitting the submit button for our PIRA proposal, Bridging the Gap: Strengthening Conservation, Community, and Education, in South Africa’s Largest Coastal Marine Protected Area. After months of meetings, discussion, and zoom calls which led to weeks of writing and rewriting, we felt excited and hopeful. We were thankful that Michigan State had an opportunity for projects like this but were also concerned because our project was so unique and different. The hard work paid off when we were named as one of the recipients of this funding. Not only were our main partners, the University of Pretoria, and the South African NGO SharkLife Conservation thrilled, but three other universities in the United States and two in South Africa were ready to help make a difference. The main objectives of the project were to hold several zoom sessions to allow collaboration between the different entities, and also to have three workshops in Sodwana Bay in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province of South Africa. The workshops had two main goals. First, to bring together researchers that work in the area to monitor, protect, and conserve the iSimangaliso marine park and World Heritage site. Second, to engage the community in order to recognize the importance and impact of this marine park on their lives.The work with the community has been one of the highlights of this project. Overall, the Zulu culture is focused on farming and raising cattle. Their interaction with the ocean by which they live is minimal. Each year, thousands of tourists from Europe and North America come to their area to scuba dive on one of the healthiest coral reefs left in the world. Yet, the local communities have not yet been exposed to the value of this resource. This project helped to change that. Being able to take a boat full of Zulu school children out on the ocean to listen to whales and dolphins and to watch these magnificent marine mammals leap out of the ocean was incredible. It was a life changing experience for all of those on the boat, me included. A few days later when we took the same children to snorkel in the tide pools, we were again able to witness more firsts for the students. The first time using a mask, the first time seeing a fish swim, the first time appreciating the underwater world. Encouraging the students to put on a mask and lay in the water in their soccer uniform while another student held their feet in 24 inches of water for safety was the barrier. The reward was to see their faces as they stood up in the water and spoke about a hundred words of Zulu with a big smile on their face and then turned to me to say “I saw beautiful fish” in English. What was meant to be a 30-minute activity in the tide pools, turned into over an hour. Each student wanted multiple turns, and I continuously consulted my Zulu-English guide to marine organisms. We later heard that the students told their families and everyone at their school about their experience so when we asked for volunteers for the next workshop, we had a plethora. Among the scientific researchers, we had similar positive results. For the second workshop we hosted professors from Michigan State University, Texas A&M, Mississippi State University, and North Carolina State University. In addition, we had South Africans researcher from the University of Pretoria, Nelson Mandela University and several marine focused NGOs. The governmental and monitoring entities from South African and Kwa-Zulu Natal were also present. It was the first time that such a diverse group came together to protect this World Heritage site and shared their expertise to advance the research and address issues that impact the site. In particular, it was critical for the South African governmental organizations to see how the various university researchers and NGOs were all working together toward a common goal. Following this workshop, several of the pitfalls that were preventing licensing and permitting seemed to evaporate because trust was built between the groups. Data sharing agreement were made and friendships were forged. We still have one remaining workshop to build upon this strong foundation. It will be a pleasure to return to Sodwana Bay again with all the progress of the previous two workshops for more engagement with the community and outputs from the scientific partners. It is one of those rare moments in life as a conservationist when you are optimistic and sure of the win-win-win. It is a win for the community because of the spark of curiosity and scientific knowledge we have started. It is a win for the organisms in the hugely biodiverse marine park to have more people caring about the future. Finally, it is a win for scientists and NGOs who study and want to protect this World Heritage Site.

By: Yasmine Ben Slimane

Thursday, Jun 4, 2026

WATER, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
+2

Empowering Black Youth: From Listening to Learning to Meaningful Action

Black children and adolescents hold valuable knowledge about what supports their well-being and positive development. It’s this understanding that influences much of my research, which focuses on engaging Black youth’s voices to inform how families, schools, and communities understand youth thriving. My commitment to youth-engaged research approaches stems from the belief that young people know how to name their needs, experiences, and hopes for the future—we just need to listen. Listening to Black Youth to Reimagine the Contexts They Navigate bell hooks (1991) reminds us that theory emerges from lived experience. In this spirit, Black youth theorize as they navigate the relationships, systems, and environments that shape their growth. Recognizing young people as experts challenges adults, including researchers, educators, and community leaders, to take seriously the insights they can offer about their lives and well-being. One way this perspective has informed my work is through my involvement with the Family Voices Project, led by Dr. Emilie Smith, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and College of Social Science Distinguished Scholar. Through focus groups with Black children ages 5–12 in mid-Michigan, our team explored youth’s experiences of racism and coping, as well as what they identify as necessary for their success in school, family, and community contexts. Even at early ages, Black youth in our study offered thoughtful and deeply perceptive reflections on what they need to thrive. Perhaps most importantly, their responses pointed to tangible policies and programs that could better foster their positive development. For example, participants consistently emphasized the importance of strong relationships and supportive environments. They described how caring family members, encouraging teachers, positive peer connections, and mentors would positively contribute to their sense of well-being and belonging. Many shared that more individualized attention and encouragement at school would strengthen both their motivation and confidence to do well in class. At the same time, children identified several barriers to their well-being. Bullying and teasing surfaced frequently, alongside a desire for more effective adult intervention and support. Concerns about community safety also emerged, particularly fears related to gun violence, highlighting a need for coordinated community safety efforts and responsive firearm policies. In addition, several children described a need for improved food access, underscoring the importance of universal school meals, summer and after school meal programs, community gardens, and other place-based initiatives that promote food security among youth and families. Listening Responsibly, Acting Responsively When Black youth articulate their needs and desires, they offer a roadmap for reshaping the environments that matter most in their lives. Their perspectives provide important insight into the conditions that support their success, as well as the barriers that may hinder their growth and well-being. Creating intentional opportunities for young people to share their experiences and perspectives helps us move beyond adult assumptions and toward programs, practices, and policies that are more responsive to the realities they navigate every day. Even so, listening alone isn’t enough. While creating space for Black youth voice is an important step toward empowerment, it is equally important that their perspectives meaningfully inform the decisions adults often make on their behalf. When youth insights are taken seriously and translated into action, we move closer to creating school, neighborhood, and community environments that are aligned with their lived experiences and developmental needs. Centering Black Youth Expertise to Create Thriving Developmental Contexts As they navigate family, school, and community life, Black youth are continually making sense of who they are, how they relate to others, and how the world responds to them. In doing so, they generate insights that can transform developmental contexts into environments that affirm their identities, respond to their needs, and support their holistic well-being. However, these possibilities can only be realized when adults commit to intentional listening and engage young people as partners in change. Through my scholarship, I aim to affirm Black children and adolescents as active contributors to envisioning healthier and more equitable communities. I’m guided by the belief that when we recognize youth expertise and act on the knowledge they share, we move closer to creating environments where young people—and the communities around them—can truly thrive. ____________________________________ Reference hooks, b. (1991). Theory as liberatory practice. Yale Journal of Law and Feminism, 4(1), 1–12.

By: Yasmine Ben Slimane

Thursday, Jun 4, 2026

CULTURE AND SOCIETY
+2

Growing Opportunities: Empowering Youth & Women Through Horticultural Value Chains

Creating jobs especially for youth and women is a top priority for many African countries. Africa’s rapidly growing population where over 70% are youth has driven significant rural-to-urban migration, as young people seek employment opportunities in urban centers. However, the industry and service sectors in Africa are still growing and unable to absorb the huge influx of youth. Furthermore, the youth are resource constrained with limited access to finance and productive land which increases their vulnerability to poverty. These constraints are exacerbated by the youth’s declining interest in farming. As such, horticultural value chains provide alternative employment opportunities in processing, logistics, transport, wholesale and retailing. We conducted a survey in Nigeria to assess the extent to which the two rapidly expanding horticultural value chains (tomatoes and Green Leafy Vegetables (GLVs)) provide employment to women, men, and youth in Nigeria. Nigeria is the fourteenth-largest tomato producer globally and the second in Africa, and it grows a wide variety of green leafy vegetables (GLVs) across all regions. The study was conducted in two economically and culturally distinct regions of Nigeria, the northern region (Kaduna state) and the Southern region (Oyo state). These states were purposively selected because of their prominent roles in Nigeria’s tomato production. Kaduna state is a major supplier of tomatoes to markets nationwide, while Oyo state is a leader in regional production (for the south west) and primarily serves local and neighboring markets. Our study presents new empirical evidence from more than 4,000 agrifood enterprises spanning micro, small, and medium enterprises. The analysis of employment data from these agrifood enterprises reveals that horticulture value chains generate substantial employment opportunities in both states, not just at the farm level but across processing, transport, wholesale, and retail. Importantly, employment outcomes vary sharply by state context, meaning governors have a decisive role to play. We highlight five key findings and their implication for Nigerian states. Most horticulture farmers hire workers: about 85% of tomato farmers and 70% of GLV farmers employ non-family labor including youth. Off-farm enterprises in vegetable trading, transport, processing, and input supply commonly employ 2–3 permanent workers and about 5 casual workers each month, and these are mainly youth. Across nodes, 25% to over 90% of enterprises hire labor, making horticulture a major state-level employment engine for the youth. Permanent agrifood jobs pay ₦38,000–₦115,000 per month, comparable to semi-skilled formal jobs in Kaduna and Oyo. Casual jobs pay less and are less secure but remain critical for youth and seasonal workers. Together, these results challenge the perception that agrifood value chains are dominated by family labor and highlight their importance for employment both as entrepreneurs and as hired labor in Nigeria for youth and women. In both Kaduna and Oyo, horticulture can contribute to state government efforts to reduce poverty and increase employment. Next steps: We are developing a proposal to generate insights into the role of the horticultural sector in reducing youth unemployment in East Africa and strategies to improve the youth’s interest in farming, with a case study from Uganda and Kenya.

By: Yasmine Ben Slimane

Thursday, Jun 4, 2026

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
+1

Immersive Ocean Narratives: Advancing Impact Through XR Storytelling in Tanzania

Along the coastline of Tanzania, the Indian Ocean has shaped civilizations, livelihoods, spirituality, trade, language, and memory for centuries. From the Swahili fishing communities of the coast to the coral ecosystems surrounding islands such as Zanzibar and Kilwa, the ocean has never merely been water. It has always been an identity. Yet despite its importance, much of what is happening beneath the ocean surface remains invisible to the public eye. Coral reefs bleach silently. Fish populations decline gradually. Coastal communities struggle quietly with changing tides, rising temperatures, and unsustainable fishing pressures. Unlike floods or wildfires, the destruction of marine ecosystems happens out of sight. And because it is unseen, it is often ignored. This is precisely the urgency behind Heroes Of The Indian Ocean, one of Tanzania’s first immersive underwater XR documentary films, and Just Because You Don’t See, an immersive exhibition experience developed by Tanzanian multidisciplinary artist Alex Mkwizu through his studio SEEDE XR. Together, the XR film and exhibition that brought over 350+ ordinary citizens to the launch signal the emergence of a new creative movement in Tanzania — one where immersive storytelling, cultural heritage, documentary practice, environmental activism, and emerging technologies merge into a single emotional experience. At a time when immersive arts are transforming museums, cinemas, and cultural institutions globally, Tanzania is beginning to define its own voice within this new frontier through stories rooted in local communities, coastal realities, and African perspectives.A New Era of Storytelling in Tanzania For decades, environmental storytelling in Africa has relied heavily on traditional documentaries, photography, journalism, or policy reports. While these approaches remain important, they often struggle to emotionally connect audiences to environmental realities they rarely witness directly.Immersive storytelling changes that relationship entirely.Instead of merely observing a story, audiences enter it.Through XR, VR, spatial sound, interactive exhibition design, documentary photography, and sensory installations, immersive experiences create emotional proximity between people and distant realities. The audience no longer stands outside the narrative. They become part of it. Heroes Of The Indian Ocean and Just Because You Don’t See embrace this philosophy by inviting audiences to emotionally experience the realities of the Indian Ocean and the communities whose lives depend on it. The project asks a critical question:How do we create urgency for protecting our oceans? Its answer lies in immersion itself — allowing audiences to witness fragile coral ecosystems, hear firsthand coastal narratives, and emotionally engage with the consequences of climate change and marine destruction before it becomes irreversible.This marks a major shift in East African creative practice. Rather than separating art, science, activism, and technology, immersive storytelling combines them into one interconnected ecosystem.The Ocean as Cultural Heritage When discussing heritage in Africa, conversations often focus on architecture, archaeology, language, textiles, or oral traditions. Yet marine environments themselves are also archives of cultural memory.The Swahili coast has historically depended on the Indian Ocean for trade, food systems, navigation, spirituality, music, cuisine, and economic survival. Fishing communities possess generations of ecological knowledge — understanding tides, seasons, coral behavior, fish migration, and weather patterns through lived experience passed down over centuries.When coral reefs collapse, cultural memory disappears alongside biodiversity. Since coastal communities that have been dependent on fishing for generations and generations can’t continue their traditions. This is why immersive arts matter. They preserve not only visual records, but emotional memory, lived experience, and cultural relationships with nature. The exhibition Just Because You Don’t See follows the journey of a fisherman across seven stages of daily life: preparing equipment, sailing into the sea, setting traps, catching fish, returning to shore, and selling the catch within the community. This narrative structure is deeply significant because it centers coastal communities not as background subjects, but as protagonists of the story.Rather than presenting conservation as an abstract scientific issue, the exhibition grounds environmental change within the everyday realities of Tanzanian fishermen and coastal families. In many ways, this reflects the future of African heritage preservation: documenting living cultures through immersive media before environmental and social transformations erase them.Why Immersive Arts Create Stronger Emotional Impact Traditional media informs. Immersive media transforms perception.Unlike conventional documentaries or static exhibitions, immersive experiences activate multiple senses simultaneously. Audiences do not simply absorb information intellectually; they embody it emotionally. These layers create immersion not only technologically, but psychologically and physically. A visitor hearing the voices of fishermen while experiencing underwater imagery inside an immersive environment is far more likely to internalize the reality of marine collapse than someone scrolling through statistics online.This emotional activation is essential for conservation work because environmental crises often suffer from what psychologists describe as “distance fatigue.” People struggle to emotionally process issues that feel geographically or visually distant.Immersive arts reduce that distance.They allow audiences to feel present inside realities they would otherwise never encounter.Ocean Conservation Through Empathy One of the most powerful aspects of Heroes Of The Indian Ocean and Just Because You Don’t See is the understanding that conservation begins with empathy before policy.Society reacts immediately when forests burn or trees are cut because those events are visible. Yet coral bleaching, marine ecosystem collapse, and underwater biodiversity destruction often happen silently beneath the surface.The ocean becomes invisible infrastructure — essential to human life, yet emotionally disconnected from daily public awareness. Immersive storytelling changes this relationship by making the invisible visible.The projects highlight how oceans support food systems, oxygen production, tourism economies, and marine biodiversity while simultaneously revealing the fragility of coral ecosystems under climate pressure. Importantly, the work does not frame conservation purely as environmental protection. It frames it as cultural continuity, economic survival, intergenerational responsibility, and human connection.That distinction matters enormously in African contexts where environmental narratives have historically been disconnected from local communities and lived realities.Conclusion The significance of Heroes Of The Indian Ocean and Just Because You Don’t See extends far beyond technological innovation.They represent a new philosophy of storytelling — one where art becomes activism, memory becomes immersion, and conservation becomes emotionally personal.These projects remind audiences that the ocean is not separate from human life. It is intertwined with food systems, heritage, identity, labor, spirituality, and survival itself.Most importantly, they challenge society to confront a difficult truth: Just because we do not see environmental destruction happening beneath the ocean’s surface does not mean it is not happening. Immersive arts give us the rare ability to finally look beneath the surface — and perhaps, for the first time, truly feel the urgency before it is too late.

By: Yasmine Ben Slimane

Wednesday, Jun 10, 2026

WATER, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
+1

Youth Entrepreneurship Ecosystems: Driving Change Through Integrated Support Systems in Africa

It has been reported that Africa has the youngest population in the world, with about 400 million youth aged 15 to 35 years. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to a youthful population, with more than 70% under 30. Growth projections demonstrate that the youth population is expected to double to more than 800 million by 2050. Such growth requires significant contributions to developing initiatives that support youth in actively addressing complex societal issues and advancing economic development. More recently, youth entrepreneurship has been a topic of interest as a mechanism for encouraging the identification and exploitation of opportunities to launch ventures that contribute to innovation, job creation, social welfare, and economic growth. Given the complexity of entrepreneurial support, a range of actors work together in an ecosystem to support youth entrepreneurship. Despite the challenges of resource scarcity and uncertainties in the African context, ecosystem actors demonstrate early successes in their youth entrepreneurial development. First, while entrepreneurship education is still in its nascent phase, actors are providing generic business management tools to enable youth to run sustainable businesses. Second, despite limited financial resources, some youth entrepreneurs received small grants to develop their businesses. Of course, there is still more to be done in this regard. Third, there is an emerging opportunity for integrated partnerships to support large-scale youth entrepreneurial activity. Such an emerging approach can do away with the solo approach in entrepreneurship support. Lastly, the youth ventures that emerged address social issues and provide employment opportunities, though most are seasonal. While youth entrepreneurship is materialising, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. At the core is entrepreneurship education and training. The approach to educating and training entrepreneurs should be designed to articulate the different levels of focus. At the grassroots level, entrepreneurship education needs to be integrated into the school curriculum across primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions. Outside of the formal educational system, entrepreneurship education requires further development to better align with entrepreneurs’ needs. In most cases, the training is generic and fails to acknowledge the different entrepreneurial phases. As a result, some outcomes are not realised. Another challenge is the absence of youth entrepreneurs' voices in the design of programmes meant to help them. Consequently, the programmes designed often do not align with the requirements of the youth. While entrepreneurs still show up for these activities, they end up moving from one intervention to another, for the sake of benefits (e.g., access to a laptop) rather than the actual development. Access to finance is also a challenge facing ecosystem actors, both supporters and entrepreneurs. Some actors, such as non-governmental organisations, are also under-resourced and therefore compete with entrepreneurs for financial resources. As entrepreneurs report, being young and without a track record of financial success and collateral increases financial risks, making access to early-stage start-up funding a challenge. Therefore, blended financing and crowdfunding platforms can be instrumental in supporting impactful youth entrepreneurship projects. As much as interventions can be designed, business environment factors, such as a lack of a supportive legislative framework for youth businesses, will deter efforts to build sustainable businesses. In many countries, stringent tax requirements are cited as one of the challenges entrepreneurs face that the ecosystem still needs to address. In the business entrepreneurial environment, access to mentorship, markets, information, and networks within the ecosystem remains unattainable for many youth entrepreneurs. It is acknowledged that most youth entrepreneurial activity takes place in the informal sector and townships, complex business environments that are often harsh for businesses. However, entrepreneurs in these contexts do not have adequate support to function effectively, and forcing them to transition to formal settings is not an option. It should be acknowledged that some entrepreneurs will operate in township settings and should be supported accordingly. These emerging business environment challenges require a targeted approach. It is evident that work is being done, but most of it is disjointed and in silos, resulting in duplication of efforts. An integrated approach amongst the key actors is therefore recommended to drive the entrepreneurial initiatives towards the common goal. The key questions are: what the integration should look like, who the key custodians are, and how the integration should be implemented and funded. Is it possible to have a continental youth entrepreneurship integration platform? Can digital technology be leveraged to better support the integration? Can these platforms support high-growth firms owned by youth? Can they support internationalisation of youth-owned enterprises? The benefit of better integration is that it spans multiple disciplines, enabling entrepreneurs to leverage diverse thematic areas to solve complex problems with innovative solutions. All these questions are a call to collective action to effectively support youth entrepreneurship.

By: Yasmine Ben Slimane

Wednesday, Jun 3, 2026

CULTURE AND SOCIETY
+1

Transnational Student Collaboration: Driving Change Through Democratic Dialogue & Peacebuilding

When we began discussing the idea of a COIL dialogue project in early fall 2025 on peacebuilding and democracy in Mali and the U.S., we knew we had a lot in common in terms of our research and teaching, a significant amount of institutional support and social capital to build upon, and also many logistical obstacles to overcome. Our common interest in empowering students to become active participants in peacebuilding and democracy was reflected in the two courses we would be teaching in spring 2026. The limitations that the students would face in terms of time and internet connectivity would be significant, but hardly insurmountable. We also knew that the political world was changing very rapidly and so we may have to adjust the form and content of our collaboration to meet unexpected challenges. All of this turned out to be very true. What also was true was the enthusiasm the students developed for the project and its success. This may seem like an odd thing to say about a peacebuilding and democracy project which over the past six months has encountered new levels of anti-democratic political violence in both Mali and the U.S. But rather than be discouraged, the students saw these obstacles as reasons for participating in this COIL project. The centerpiece of our COIL project was a bi-weekly online discussion between four MSU students from a graduate seminar on democracy and 15 UYOB students in a course taught in English entitled American Civilization: What is history? The making of America. The texts were articles Niambélé, Esquith, Sheldon Wolin, and Achille Mbembe. These were critical – albeit in different ways. – of the relationship between economic power and democratic politics in both the U.S. and Mali. Our online discussions were complemented by participation by the UYOB students in an ongoing community engagement project in one of 10 camps for displaced persons in Mali. While the UYOB students were joining the concluding round of a photovoice project for youth in one of these IDP camps and then helping to plan the opening round of a political simulation, the Malian Peace Game, there, the MSU students were studying the potential value of artistic community engagement interventions such as these within dangerous conflict zones. Our COIL project became a three-way collaboration between UYOB, MSU, and young people living in Mabile, a camp for internally displaced persons. Some of the online meetings combined the students from the two university classes with former UYOB students who had worked in the IDP camps as mentors since 2022 on the photovoice project and now served as senior mentors for the current UYOB students in the creation of the new peace game. Hybrid (face-to-face and in-person) meetings in Bamako between MSU students, the new UYOB mentors, and the returning senior mentors, were conversations in both English and French. Three Team Leaders who had supervised the recently concluded photovoice exhibits in the IDP camps were joined by the two faculty instructors to facilitate these bilingual conversations to prepare the new (UYOB) and returning mentors for the peace game simulation. Here is a picture of one such hybrid meeting held at the office of the International Sports Alliance in Bamako on a Sunday afternoon as the two groups of mentors prepared to launch the peace game and to discuss online the obstacles to peacebuilding and democracy with their MSU partners.Two weeks before the final COIL presentations and three weeks before the UYOB students visited Camp Mabile to meet their young mentees whom they would introduce to the peace game simulation, we asked these new mentors and their MSU COIL partners to reflect on the COIL project. Here is a small sample from those comments. UYOB student (1): “This COIL project has been a bridge between Bamako and Michigan, allowing us to see that the challenges of democracy are universal. It has been an eye-opening experience to share our Malian perspectives with MSU students.” UYOB student (2): “It has permitted me to know that democracy and politics are concepts that not only the leaders must know how they function, but the citizens, even those who are living in the very distant areas, also must know how they function: Tell them that the democracy and politics are part of their everyday life. Tell them that the way they organize meetings and ask the consent of all the community members to solve a collective problem of their community is also democracy, and tell them that democracy and politics simply mean the contribution of every single citizen to the betterment its community, country, continent, and the world in general because the more understanding they have on the rules and the different functions of democracy and politics the better society we have. This program has been an opportunity for me to understand the misunderstanding that exists between the representatives and the citizens: the representatives who supposed to act as servants to meet the need of those who they represent, once the power they become master who forbid any uttering from their subjects. Through the program, I have discovered that the young people are the main pillar of democracy and politics, and I also understand that my role goes beyond studying and working for my own interest: it is to be so active, to understand the rules and being able to explain them to those who do not have access to them.” MSU student (1): "Participating in the COIL project has been an amazing opportunity. It has provided me with the space to discuss issues of global importance with folks whose perspectives I would never otherwise have heard. It has been immensely helpful for the ability of my colleagues and I to think through the crises of democracy as they are manifesting around the world, something that feels increasingly urgent in our current international political climate." The final COIL presentations on Zoom on May 3, 2026, by UYOB and MSU students reflected the richness of the theory and practice of their study of and work on democratic peacebuilding within a zone of conflict, whether a low-income country like Mali or a higher income country like the U.S. Limited internet connectivity made it difficult for all the participants to keep their cameras on for the whole meeting, and some participants had to connect via cell phones. Nevertheless, they were able to discuss the limits that aspiring democratic societies face and whether the state in these societies may ever threaten the life of persons within its borders, including those considered to be full citizens. This was followed by a discussion of the relationship between a democratic society’s commitment to majority rule its terms of membership. These theoretical questions were discussed and debated in the contexts of Mali and the U.S. where violence against displaced persons, immigrants, refugees, and legal citizens is part of the everyday reality of many persons.

By: Yasmine Ben Slimane

Wednesday, Jun 3, 2026

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
+1

Student Development: Transforming Futures Through Mathematical Research

Undergraduate research in mathematics has one of its profound impacts on the development of students’ critical thinking skills. Traditional mathematics education often emphasizes solving well-defined problems with known methods. Research, however, presents open-ended questions where the solution is uncertain and the path forward is unclear. Students are required to analyze patterns, test hypotheses, and create logical arguments. This process strengthens their reasoning abilities and teaches them how to approach complex challenges systematically. As students engage deeply with mathematical problems, they learn not only to find answers but also to question assumptions, evaluate evidence, and refine their thinking. These intellectual habits are valuable in every aspect of life, including science, technology, business, and public decision-making. Guided by these underlying principles, a pilot initiative was launched in Spring 2025 at United States International University-Africa. The TI-Analytics Program was a four-week intensive undergraduate research experience that engaged twenty-one undergraduate students from USIU-Africa, including eleven female and ten male participants. The program was supported through a Transforming Institutions (TI) grant from the Alliance for African Partnership. Four faculty members served as research mentors: Aklilu Zeleke from Michigan State University, alongside Gabriel Okello, Leah Mutanu, and Verrah Otiende from USIU-Africa. Prior to the launch of the program, the faculty mentors held regular planning meetings to design the day-to-day activities, establish student selection criteria, and identify appropriate research topics. The twenty-one participants were selected based on their academic performance, demonstrated work ethic as reflected by faculty recommendations, and their interest in using research to address pressing challenges facing Africa. For many of the students, this was their first experience working on open-ended research projects in which the outcomes were unknown. To encourage independence and innovation, the faculty mentors intentionally provided minimal direction, allowing students to explore ideas creatively and shape the direction of their research. All research groups conducted literature reviews relevant to their projects. Some teams modified existing mathematical models to create authentic research experiences, such as the dynamical systems group. Others applied existing models using different algorithms and analytical tools to compare their findings with established results, including the recommender systems and sepsis research groups. Another team worked with a unique institutional dataset to develop recommendations for assessing student performance through the Learning Management System (LMS). Undergraduate researchers participated in applied projects that required advanced mathematical, statistical, and computational techniques. Four research groups were formed, each guided by a faculty mentor. The projects focused on modeling the life cycle of red blood cells using dynamical systems, analyzing recommender systems for the aviation industry that generate booking options for airline passengers, applying analytical methods for the early prediction of pediatric sepsis-related mortality, and investigating student academic performance using data from the Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS). The groups worked intensively from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day for four weeks, with a half-hour mid-morning break and a one-hour lunch period. At the conclusion of the program, each group delivered a research presentation to invited guests from USIU and Mt. Kenya University, including college deans, faculty members, graduate students, and fellow undergraduate students. Student engagement extended beyond the formal program period. For example, the group studying red blood cell life cycle modeling continued refining its work by incorporating advanced concepts from dynamical systems, including Lorenz attractors. The group later presented its enhanced findings at the 4th International Mathematics and Statistics Student Research Symposium. Overall, student researchers expressed strong enthusiasm for participating in the pilot TI Analytics initiative and emphasized the value of integrating research experiences into undergraduate education. Faculty mentors further advanced the initiative by securing an AAP grant to support a yearlong program that will embed similar research experiences into existing mathematics and statistics courses at USIU during the 2026–2027 academic year. Finally, we would like to highlight some of the program’s most significant impacts on individual student participants. One of the direct outcomes of the TI Analytics program was the development of strong mentoring relationships between faculty mentors and student researchers. These relationships extended beyond the program itself, with faculty mentors helping students identify and pursue additional research, internship, and educational opportunities both within Africa and internationally. For example, Dr. Aklilu Zeleke has continued to support participating students by providing mentorship and writing recommendation letters for academic programs and professional opportunities. Several student success stories illustrate the long-term impact of the initiative. Hermela Gizaw, a member of the sepsis research group, secured an internship opportunity in Switzerland. Snit Teshome, from the LMS research group, received the Generation Google Scholarship, and Haymanot Alemayoh was admitted to the Development Engineering graduate program at the University of California, Berkeley. Woldesenbet Aregay from the modeling red blood cells group writes “My participation in the TI Analytics and the IMSS international conference enhanced my presentation, teamwork and research skills. These experiences helped me build confidence in communicating ideas and collaborating effectively within a team”. Woldesenbet secured an internship at iCog, Labs, an AI and Machine Learning research organization in Ethiopia. Bethlehem Getachew mentioned that the TI Analytics training enhanced her skills in applying data analytics to healthcare challenges, particularly through the pediatric sepsis project. She feels prepared to apply what she learned to projects in data science and cyber security analytics. Particularly remarkable is that all these students are survivors of the recent civil conflict in their home country Ethiopia. Their achievements reflect resilience, determination, intellectual strength, and a commitment to overcoming adversity while contributing meaningfully to society. While these students have benefited from support provided through the Mastercard Foundation at USIU-Africa to excel in academic accomplishments, they have also returned to their communities and engaged in service initiatives aimed at empowering young women to pursue STEM education. By sharing their experiences with younger students, they have emphasized the importance of confidence, independence, perseverance, and resilience, qualities they further strengthened through their participation in the TI Analytics program. Their stories demonstrate how research experiences can foster not only academic and professional growth but also leadership, mentorship, and broader community impact. In conclusion, undergraduate research in mathematics is a transformative educational experience that significantly strengthens students’ intellectual and personal development. It cultivates critical thinking, creativity, resilience, communication skills, independence, and intellectual curiosity. Through research experiences, students move beyond passive learning to become active contributors to the creation and application of knowledge. They develop confidence in their abilities, learn to navigate challenges with persistence, and build habits of inquiry that support lifelong learning. More importantly, undergraduate mathematical research prepares students not only for academic and professional success but also for meaningful engagement in society. By investing in undergraduate research opportunities, educational institutions create pathways for students to become innovative problem-solvers, thoughtful leaders, and intellectually empowered individuals equipped to address complex challenges and contribute positively to their communities and the broader world.

By: Yasmine Ben Slimane

Wednesday, Jun 3, 2026

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
+1