On 26 September, AIMS hosted the second event in the “Talking Recycling Solutions” series, continuing the conversation on waste management and recycling in the Greater Muizenberg community. The event featured a screening of The Oracle of Mokattam, a film about waste management in Cairo. This was followed by insights from waste experts and members of the local informal recycling community. The event followed the success of the first event, Talking Rubbish-The Muizenberg Recycling Collective, held on 1 August, which focused on informal waste pickers and solutions to improve recycling practices.
To kick off these discussions, AIMS students utilised this community platform to present and showcase their public mathematics communication/outreach projects, illustrating the role of mathematics in solving real-world community challenges as part of their Africa Scientifique Programme. The projects addressed critical issues such as:
- Fairwater distribution in township & rural villages by Ingrid Thandeka Kabinde & Siphosethu Lucas Manthosi
- Sanitary pads and school dropouts by Helen Tizazu Fekede
- Predicting online scams by Blessing Adetayo Ogunlaran
- Powering the community with electricity from waste by Vincent Ondima Kongo
- Safety science for skilled workers by Benvollens Maluleke
- Modeling for health by Natasha Chola
- Boosting taxi Business by Esau Moyoweshumba
These projects illustrate and demonstrate the power of mathematics in solving community challenges and reflect the students’ transformative experiences. Helen Tizazu Fekede shared her reflection after the event:
“Presenting your ideas to friends or peers may not be difficult, but when you share your ideas with established experts and the general public, it can be challenging. Despite this, I was able to present my ideas without fear, thanks to the Africa Scientifique programme. It helped me build my confidence and sharpen my science communication skills, teaching me how to present math ideas to solve sanitary issues for girls clearly and concisely. I found this skill important when I was engaging the audiences during the poster presentation.”
Esau Moyoweshumba echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the importance of both technical knowledge and soft skills:
“In most cases, we focus on acquiring knowledge, both technical and practical. On the other hand, we neglect soft skills, which are essential in ensuring that the knowledge we acquire will effectively benefit the intended recipients. That’s when Africa Scientifique comes into play, ensuring that we learn and practice the necessary skills required to deliver back to the community. At first, I was uncertain of whether I will deliver in the right way of or not. However after the first presentation, just felt like I should have been doing that over and over again. Without communication, even the best ideas mean nothing to everyone of us.”
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