Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program has awarded a fellowship to Dr. Erasme Uyizeye, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies. Dr. Uyizeye will travel to Karatina University in Kenya and work with other scholars on building research and management capacity for the controlling of microplastic pollution in the Nairobi River.
This project includes research on microplastics in the river. Goals of the project include creating awareness of microplastics in Nairobi by facilitating and delivering a series of training workshops on microplastics pollution.
“It’s an important project because addressing microplastics begins with understanding them, and then sharing that information,” said Dr. Uyizeye. “After I go next summer, I’ll be very excited to bring back what I have learned to share with my students at Brevard College as an environmental citizenship opportunity.”
The Karatina University project is one of 60 new projects that pair African Diaspora scholars with higher education institutions and collaborators in Africa. Participants work together on curriculum co-development, collaborative research, graduate training, and mentoring.
“I am very thankful for the instrumental support received from Brevard College and Karatina University during the application process for the fellowship,” Uyizeye said. “I will be honored to contribute to knowledge about plastic pollution in rivers of one of the most progressive countries in Africa when it comes to plastic waste management.”
The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program, now in its tenth year, is designed to strengthen capacity at the host institutions and develop long-term collaborations between universities in Africa, the United States, and Canada. Carnegie Corporation of New York funds the program, which is managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with the Association of African Universities (AAU). Nearly 650 African Diaspora Fellowships have now been awarded for scholars to travel to Africa since the program’s inception in 2013.
“We are extremely proud of Dr. Uyizeye’s prestigious award, especially so early in his career at Brevard College,” said Dr. Jennifer Frick-Ruppert, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. “His expertise on microplastic pollution will benefit communities in Kenya and the United States as part of this fellowship program.”