AFRICA: New head for mathematical institute

The new director of the Africa Institute for Mathematical Sciences, distinguished mathematician Professor Barry Green, took office this month. He intends to ensure that the institute keeps promoting maths and science while building capacity for African initiatives in education, research and technology.

The former head of mathematical sciences at Stellenbosch University for eight years takes over from Professor Fritz Hahne, who has retired. The research interests of Green, who was born in Kimberley and obtained his PhD at the University of Cape Town in 1984, include algebra, number theory and its computational applications.

Green's life revolves around maths in Africa. His numerous hats include being managing editor of Quaestiones Mathematicae, the journal of the South African Mathematical Society, and a member of the editorial board of the journal Afrika Mathematika.

He has been closely involved with AIMS since it was established in 2003 to recruit and train talented African students and teachers. In the past seven years more than 250 students from across Africa have graduated from its postgraduate diploma programme, and many have successfully continued with masters and PhD degrees in South Africa and abroad.

"Some of these students have already returned to their countries of origin and are making a contribution to development," Green told University World News.

As part of a research team at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, Green spent 10 years abroad before returning to South Africa in 1996 to take up a position as mathematics lecturer at Stellenbosch. He received the South African Mathematical Society's Award for research distinction in 2007.

"I believe AIMS is very well positioned to play a key role in the continued development and growth of the mathematical sciences in South Africa and Africa," he said.

Green says with a recently opened research centre, AIMS is providing an environment for collaborative research activities and attracting researchers from Africa and elsewhere.

"This is helping to build networks within Africa too, with universities where many of our students come from, and so also contributes to the NextEinstein Initiative," said Green.

The non-profit, donor-funded NextEinstein Initiative seeks to educate Africa's brightest graduates in mathematical problem-solving and computing skills with a hope to discover an 'African Einstein' within the next decade.

A roll-out plan for 15 AIMS across Africa under the umbrella of the NextEinstein Initiative (AIMS-NEI) has been developed. Several other countries - Benin, Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda - are part of the project to create a web of AIMS Centres. AIMS Senegal will launch in 2011 followed by Ethiopia and Ghana.

Green said plans are set to make the Cape Town-based AIMS' active involvement in the NextEinstein Initiative turn into greater support for the project. AIMS will contribute to the initiative's management structure, identify common goals and strategies, and help to set and deliver on time frames and quality assurance.

"We want to share our experience, but be mindful of the different circumstances which each new institute will face as well as help to create new and strong synergy within the network by coordinating joint initiatives within the training programme and research centre."

The AIMS project is supported by Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town, the University of the Western Cape, Oxford University, Cambridge University and University Paris-Sud-XI. It has a pan-African recruitment of around 60 students a year and teaches a nine-month postgraduate diploma in mathematical sciences, a biomathematics honours, and studies to the masters, doctoral and postdoctoral levels.

Green said the challenge was to effectively invest in Africa's future by providing higher education that empowers talented young people, and to consolidate the AIMS research centre as a place of excellence. Also on the agenda is to attract students into a competitive environment with strong established universities, and to build partnerships.

"We want to make effective use of the new opportunities provided by the internet, relating to virtual presence, for instruction, research collaboration, supervision and networking," Green added.

With AIMS providing bursaries to all its students, most of whom could not otherwise afford the opportunity, Green said funding remained another persistent challenge.

AIMS - founded by Neil Tourok, who holds a mathematical physics chair at the University of Cambridge - received a donation of US$1million in February. Green said its use is still to be decided, but said among the activities it might help to fund are AIMS bursaries and partial scholarships, and concrete plans for the NextEinstein Initiative.

Science and technology have been identified as powerful forces for progress in global society and the economy. Green concluded that for Africa to benefit fully from these forces, it must build a strong indigenous capacity in both.