Impact Stories from Environmental Sustainability Policy Area

Fellows collaborate on paper addressing crop threat

Fellow(s): Flora Asibe (Nigeria, 2020-2021) Edith Mugehu (Zimbabwe, 2018)

Country: Nigeria, Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2018, 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellows Flora Asibe (Nigeria, 2020-2021) and Edith Mugehu (Zimbabwe, 2018) recently collaborated in the publication of, “Status and management strategies of major insect pests and fungal diseases of maize in Africa: A review.” Combating food insecurity caused by threatened maize crops, the review examines pest and disease management practices in the region and provides integrated recommendations to mitigate the threat. Edith is a research fellow at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Flora is a research fellow at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the co-founder of EduChamps. “Through our work, we have demonstrated that borders cannot hinder our impact,” Flora wrote in a letter to TechWomen. “Instead, they become bridges that transform our communities and the global village.”

Report Date...: 08/07/2023

Fellow awarded for Covid-19 Medical Library Guide

Fellow(s): Diala Al Samarani (Lebanon, 2022)

Country: Lebanon

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow awarded for Covid-19 Medical Library Guide

“COVID-19 USEK Medical Library Guide,” a digital guide created by fellow Diala Al Samarani (Lebanon, 2022), has won the 2023 PR Xchange Award in the materials promoting collections, services and resources category. Her guide connects Holy Spirit University of Kasilik (USEK) students and faculty with the online resources, services and tools available in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Diala’s guide was selected among over 215 entries in print and electronic formats, submitted from over 100 institutions, including libraries from the public, academic, school, state and specialty sectors. The PR Xchange Committee coordinates the annual awards competition under the direction of the Awards and Scholarships Subcommittee of Core, a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The competition was decided by 15 jurists and winning entries were displayed at the PR Xchange Event on Sunday, June 25 at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.

Report Date...: 07/03/2023

Fellow earns hydropower assessor accreditation

Fellow(s): Asligul (Mavluda) Mamadatoeva (Tajikistan, 2017)

Country: Tajikistan

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow earns hydropower assessor accreditation

Fellow Asligul (Mavluda) Mamadatoeva (Tajikistan, 2017) recently announced her completion of the Accredited Assessor training organized by the Hydropower Sustainability Training Academy based in London. Asligul works as a Senior Environmental and Social Officer at Pamir Energy Company (PE), where she has held a leadership role in the yearslong process of securing the Sebzor hydropower project as the first project of its kind to be certified by the Hydropower Sustainability Standard, as announced on March 22, 2023. In her areas of expertise, Asligul held direct responsibility for 10 out of 12 topics assessed by the International Hydropower Association.

Report Date...: 06/19/2023

Mentor-conceived Climate Smart Women Energy Leaders program launches at Berkeley National Lab

Fellow(s): Mentor Reshma Singh

Country:

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Mentor-conceived Climate Smart Women Energy Leaders program launches at Berkeley National Lab

Mentor Reshma Singh recently took part in the formal launch of the Climate Smart Women Energy Leaders program (CS-WEL) as part of the Net Zero World (NZW) Initiative. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where Reshma works as a Senior Advisor and Program Director, the new initiative serves to empower women leaders in the energy sector from partner countries through intensive training, peer learning and ongoing coaching and mentoring. The launch included leaders from seven countries, including India, for which Reshma serves as the Country Co-Coordinator for the NZW. The NZW initiative was launched in 2021 by DOE Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, with the aim of transitioning to net zero energy systems across multiple sectors, including transportation, industry, buildings, carbon capture and geologic storage, energy storage and the power grid. Berkeley Lab contributes leadership and technical expertise in the recently established NZW Action Center, which is part of a network that promotes global net zero emission energy systems that are inclusive, equitable and resilient.

Report Date...: 06/05/2023

Fellow(s): Sebay Momoh (Sierra Leone, 2018)

Country: Sierra Leone

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Sebay spoke on behalf of Sierra Leone’s oil and gas sector during the Country Showcase at the Africa Energies Summit this May.

Fellow spoke at the Africa Energies Summit in London, GB this May, where she shared the stage with the heads of petroleum agencies from The Gambia, Liberia and Senegal. During the Country Showcase, she addressed the current investment prospects in the oil & gas industry of Sierra Leone, highlighting favorable fiscal terms that make the market competitive, the transparent legal and regulatory frameworks that support it, and the abundance of data available across the Sierre Leone basin. “These and much more are reasons why Sierra Leone is a great nation for energy investment,” she shared in a recent post. Sebay is a petroleum engineer at the Petroleum Directorate Sierra Leone, the regulating authority for all upstream oil and gas activities in Sierra Leone. The Africa Energies Summit curates stakeholder insights on the continent’s role in global energy.

Report Date...: 06/05/2023

Mentor bestowed highest honorary doctorate from Universite de Rennes I

Fellow(s): Mentor Deb Agarwal

Country:

Policy Area(s): Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Mentor bestowed highest honorary doctorate from Universite de Rennes I

This spring, mentor Deb Agarwal received an honorary doctorate from the Université de Rennes I in France. She was awarded the insignia of Docteur Honoris Causa, the university’s highest academic distinction, for her extensive contributions to the field of data science as well as her advocacy for the inclusion of women and minorities in STEM. Deb currently serves as the interim Scientific Data Division Director and a Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, where she has worked in various roles for nearly 30 years. She recently completed a long sabbatical as International Chair of the Inria Research Center of Rennes. On the day prior to the April 4 graduation, Deb gave a lecture on her lessons learned in data science research in physical and environmental science.

Report Date...: 05/22/2023

Team Pakistan launches seed grant-funded mobile app & campaign to address climate change

Fellow(s): Team Pakistan 2022

Country: Pakistan

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Team Pakistan launches seed grant-funded mobile app & campaign to address climate change

Fall 2022 Team Pakistan, made up of fellows Amara Dar, Sadaf Gul, Ramla Hassan, Sadafi Shah, Anum Sadiq and Shehnaz Zakia, has recently launched their climate change awareness campaign as part of their TechWomen seed-grant winning initiative. The project, AGAHi, seeks to help people understand, prevent and protect themselves from the devastating effects of climate change following the catastrophic floods that took place in Pakistan last summer. The cornerstone of the campaign is the AGAHi SOS mobile application, available in the Google Play store. It provides real-time flood warning notifications, location risk tracking, local emergency and service contacts, safety tips, and the option to report floods, road blockages and other climate-based hazards. The campaign includes in-person events, such as a recent visit and clean-up project hosted at a girls’ middle school, the distribution of physical literature teaching how to take action and reduce one’s carbon footprint, and a social media push featuring photos of Pakistani women, men and children holding signs with messages such as, “global warming isn’t a prediction, it is happening,” and “the earth is what we have in common.”

Report Date...: 05/15/2023

Fellow podcast to be broadcast on VIU streaming

Fellow(s): Thulile Khanyile (South Africa, 2022)

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow podcast to be broadcast on VIU streaming

“Let’s Talk Science with Thuli”, a podcast developed by fellow Thulile Khanyile (South Africa, 2022), is now available as a televised show on the VIU video streaming platform, which is available in 16 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. With a three season distribution deal, Thulile aims to communicate the relevance of STEM to mainstream society through relatable stories of the innovations and solutions of scientists, engineers and technologists. Season 2 of the show features TechWomen fellows Dilnoza Ibragimova (Uzbekistan, 2022) and Emna Harigua (Tunisia, 2022). The podcast version is also still available on most popular audio streaming platforms, with new episodes coming out this summer.

Report Date...: 05/15/2023

Fellow & founder of agritech company named Young Global Changemaker

Fellow(s): Chinwendu Nweke (Nigeria, 2022)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow & founder of agritech company named Young Global Changemaker

Fellow and CEO Chinwendu Nweke (Nigeria, 2022) and her Aladinn Project recently won first place out of 15 finalists among 50 semifinalists for the 2023 Young Global Changers (YGC) Recoupling Awards. The Aladinn Project is spearheaded by Bridge Merchant Enterprise, an agritech company founded by Chindwendu in 2019. It is based on a social impact model that works to eliminate post-harvest waste and promote food security with an online application connecting small holder farmers with local and international markets. Through Bridge Merchant Enterprise, Chinwendu hopes to “see hunger and poverty eradicated using technology and people-empowered solutions,” YGC related in a recent post. Chindwendu received her award at the Global Solutions Summit 2023 in Berlin, Germany from May 15 to 16, during one of many powerful networking and development opportunities afforded to annual winners. YGC is a project of the Global Solutions Initiative. Founded during the 2017 German G20 Presidency, it proposes policy responses to major global problems addressed by the G20, the G7 and other global governance assemblies.

Report Date...: 05/08/2023

Fellow NGO collaborates with Riga TechGirls in Latvia

Fellow(s): Fellows: Elena Selezneva, Saida Yusupova

Country: Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow NGO collaborates with Riga TechGirls in Latvia

Tech4Iimpact, an NGO founded by fellows Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova (Uzbekistan, 2016) recently sent a delegation to the TechChill conference in Latvia, April 26 to 28, as part of their program, “Female Founders Across Borders (FFAB),” which was co-organized with Riga TechGirls and funded by the Ministry of foreign affairs of Latvia. The delegation of finalists from the FFAB program, including startup founders and mentors, participated in panel discussions, pitch sessions, master classes and networking opportunities with global contemporaries. A cornerstones of the trip was the “Women in Tech Community Networking” event, held in Riga Castle, the official residence of the President of Latvia, which was attended by the First Ladies of Latvia and Estonia, Andra Levite and Sirje Karisas. Tech4Impact was founded in 2019 to support innovation, IT entrepreneurship and green tech among youth and women in Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region.

Report Date...: 05/08/2023

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