The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (abbreviated as NM-AIST) is a public institution located in

Arusha Arusha is a city in Tanzania. The city is the Capital city, capital of the Arusha Region. It has a population of 617,631 people.

, a city in northern

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. It forms a part of the network of Pan-African Institutes of Science and Technology spread across the continent. The NM-AIST Arusha is accredited by the

Tanzania Commission for Universities Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) is the statutory and regulatory organization established in 2005 by the Tanzanian Government to oversee university education in Tanzania. It is the body whose recognition, approval and accredidation is ...

(TCU) and is actively being developed as a research-intensive institution focused on postgraduate and postdoctoral studies and research in Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET).

Academics

While emphasizing

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, and

Technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

, the curriculum at NM-AIST Arusha also incorporates significant elements of humanities and business studies. The institution's specializations include life sciences and bio-engineering, which are being cultivated due to the region's rich biodiversity. An important mission of NM-AIST Arusha is to stimulate and advance agricultural production, leading to increased output. Additionally, the institution places a strong emphasis on value addition to natural products, such as agricultural and mineral resources, within Tanzania and the broader Eastern African region. The thematic areas of focus also encompass Energy, ICT, Mining, Environment, and Water. The PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund provides grants and scholarships for many students of African higher learning institutions, including NM-AIST.

Initiatives

In a collaboration between the

University of Plymouth The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

and NM-AIST, researchers experimented with a portable gamma ray sensor to assess agricultural soil quality in Tanzania. By gathering data about soil health, farmers can make more informed decisions in order to sustainably improve crop yields and climate resilience. Data scientists at NM-AIST developed a

machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of study in artificial intelligence concerned with the development and study of Computational statistics, statistical algorithms that can learn from data and generalise to unseen data, and thus perform Task ( ...

program called BakiShule (

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

for "stay in school") to improve school attendance and educational outcomes. BakiShule is used by secondary schools to identify risk factors for dropping out of school and recommends strategies for early intervention. Scientists at NM-AIST developed a mobile phone application which uses artificial intelligence to accurately analyze chest x-rays and detect cases of pneumonia.

People

Faculty and Staff

Notable members of NM-AIST faculty and staff include: * Verdiana Masanja,

fluid dynamics In physics, physical chemistry and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids – liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including (the study of air and other gases in motion ...

specialist and the first Tanzanian woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics. * Neema Mduma, data scientist specializing in machine learning. Dr. Mduma received her doctorate from NM-AIST and is now a senior lecturer at the university. She developed the BakiShule machine learning model. * Daniel Madulu Shadrack, prolific biomedical researcher pursuing postdoctorate research at NM-AIST. * Dr. Mashamba Lucas Philipo, plant breeding expert and lecturer at NM-AIST. Dr. Philipo earned his doctorate from NM-AIST's Department of Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation.

Alumni

* Ruth Lorivi Moirana, winner of 2024

L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards The L'Oréal-UNESCO ''For Women in Science'' International Awards, created in 1998, aim to improve the position of women in science by recognizing outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scientific progress. The awards are a resu ...

in Sub-Saharan Africa for her research in soil science. Dr. Moirana completed her PhD thesis at NM-AIST. * Dr. Tusekile Alfredy, hydrologist who earned her MSc and PhD at NM-AIST.

References

External links

*
Institutional Profile
{{Authority control Public universities in Tanzania Universities in Arusha Educational institutions established in 2010 2010 establishments in Tanzania