Afrisnet Activities

Research and Professional Training

We partner with funding bodies and competent research universities around the world, particularly American universities, to secure research internships for African undergraduate students that seek exposure to research. The objective of these research internships is to motivate and prepare undergraduate students to pursue research-based graduate programs. In addition to research internships, we train students in the critical review and discussion of scientific literature. We also prepare and organize regular training workshops aimed at increasing the students’ skills in self-advocacy, academic and professional communication, professional networking, preparation of professional profile documents such as CVs and resumes, and other aspects of professional etiquette.

Graduate Application Technical and Financial Assistance

Each year, we recruit a group of competent African students, to whom we provide step-by-step and individual guidance through graduate school applications. We help the students identify the appropriate graduate programs, communicate effectively and timely with graduate programs, navigate the complex funding schemes pertaining to different graduate schools around the world, and prepare application documents appropriately. In addition, we have established a fund to support competent African students who wish to apply to research-based graduate programs but are otherwise hindered by financial difficulties. The assistance is offered to highly qualified and selected students.

Research-oriented Courses

We invite and partner with research professors and professionals to develop topic courses to be taught to selected African students. These courses are focused on research-oriented themes or prepared in ways that offer practical research training to the recipient students. If you are a university professor, a university lecturer, or an industry professional who wishes to develop and teach a course through Afrisnet, please reach out to us at info@afrisnet.org. Our courses cover topics in computational sciences, environmental sciences, engineering, mathematical sciences, and more.

Empowering Mentorship of Minority Students

Successful mentoring of students from disadvantaged backgrounds requires unique understanding and perspective. We are always eager to share our experiences and train people who wish to become better mentors to the students from disadvantaged backgrounds, whether those mentors are themselves from disadvantaged background or not. In particular, successful students that we train each year eventually become mentors themselves, thus carrying the torch to younger generations while building a supportive and collegial community.

Facilitating Research Collaboration

Through our network, we connect African and American researchers with shared research interests. By facilitating research collaborations, we expose Africa-based researchers to the prolific American research enterprise, and we promote the awareness of American researchers regarding untapped research questions pertaining to Africa. The research collaborations are also established in a student-centered manner, such that the students working with the involved professors get first-hand participation in both the theoretical and practical aspects of the research projects.

Afrisnet Graduate Group

When students trained by Afrisnet get admitted into graduate school, they are enrolled into the Afrisnet Graduate Group. In this group, students receive ongoing instruction and mentorship from world-renown research professors. The objective of this continued mentorship is to help students maximize their graduate training and prepare for careers after graduate school.

Building a Strong Network of STEM Researchers

Through subscription to our website and through social media presence, we are building a strong network of STEM researchers from all over the world. Through this network, Afrisnet members support each other and share useful information about research opportunities and impactful research publications. The Afrisnet network includes professors, postdocs, students, engineers, and other professionals with interest and expertise in STEM research.