Half a year in Africa: AI, AIMS and opportunities
In the middle of my tenure track as assistant professor, I decided to take a leave for an entire year. I
was frustrated to not have the time to learn, especially the AI tools I was using in my own research. I
was also perturbed by climate change and biodiversity collapse. What's the point of doing high
energy physics on a burning and dying planet?
In this colloquium, I will explain why I decided to go teach in Africa, why designing my dream course
(Machine Learning in Particle Physics) reduced my impostor syndrome and how AIMS, the African
Institute for Mathematical Sciences, is giving young talents the opportunities to excel. I will share the
stories and findings during these six months spent in eight different countries, giving lectures and
presentations in front of attentive and knowledge-thirsty students. Above all, this was a journey
reflecting on white privilege, on the obstacles Africans face, and on the ways they should be tackled.
This brings me to the last point: opportunities. I will conclude with all the ways you can get involved,
from undergrads to retired physicists. The international scientific community needs Africa, and Africa
needs... you! See also: my sponsor, the Art McDonald Institute, wrote about my special year in this article.
Bio
Dr. Claire David, the first McDonald Institute Ambassador, has recently completed her six-month journey through eight African countries. She’s been collaborating with research colleagues and teaching one hundred graduate students the mathematics behind artificial intelligences while also presenting the ATLAS and DUNE collaborations she works on to thousands of university and high school students. Her recent work has taken her to university campuses in South Africa, Senegal, Benin, Togo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Rwanda and Ghana.
She’ll be returning in the fall to take up a new full-time position in Cape Town leading the development and delivery of post-graduate artificial intelligence training at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS).
Dr. David previously held joint appointments as an Assistant Professor of Physics at York University and a Research Scientist at Fermilab.