MIT-Africa

CIS is honored to announce that Dr. Dafna Hochman Rand and Ambassador Harsh V Shringla have been selected as Robert E. Wilhelm Fellows for the 2025-2026 academic year. Dr. Rand served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor until January 2025. Previously, she directed the U.S. State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance, overseeing $70 billion in annual U.S. foreign aid. Ambassador Shringla is a former Foreign Secretary of India and Chief Coordinator for India’s G20 Presidency. He has also served as India’s Ambassador to the United States, Bangladesh, and Thailand, and represented India at the United Nations. Evan Lieberman, Director of CIS, expressed his enthusiasm about welcoming Rand and Shringla. “We look forward to Dr. Rand and Ambassador Shringla joining our academic community and engaging with them in their areas of expertise. They bring experience at the highest levels of global leadership and will enrich the intellectual life of our scholars and students in world affairs. We hope that they will find their time at MIT equally rewarding,” said Lieberman. The Robert E. Wilhelm Fellows Program, supported by a generous gift from MIT alumnus Robert E. Wilhelm ’62, is the Center’s most prestigious fellowship. Since its inception in 2004, the program has brought esteemed leaders to campus, including heads of international non-governmental organizations, national security advisors, U.S. military leaders, senior diplomats, and retired cabinet ministers. Welcome to MIT Dr. Dafna Hochman Rand and Ambassador Harsh V Shringla! Learn more about the distinguished fellows here: https://lnkd.in/eF7gxMyf MIT SSP (Security Studies Program) MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives (MISTI) MIT-South Asia Mihaela Papa MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences MIT Political Science

1 is an exception. 2 is a coincidence. But 7? That's hard to ignore! In just four years of alumni graduating, the Rwanda Mathematics Olympiad Program has produced seven students (3 women, 4 men) who have earned full scholarships to MIT: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Each of these is worth about $350,000. It suffices to say that the return on investment of the program measured on this alone is incredible. ?? And that’s just MIT. Our alumni have also gotten full scholarships to places like Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Caltech just to name a few. Moreover, the vast majority of our students are from public Rwandan schools, with little formal university prep, proving that raw talent and determination can shine through, even in a system where money and access too often dictate opportunity. Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting these students in Cambridge, MA, a full-circle moment for me after seeing their journeys unfold over the years. It was heartwarming to reconnect and hear about their experiences firsthand. Thank you to Honorine Munezero, Nadine Akimana, Abayo Joseph Desire, Salvi Mucyo, Pascal Roger Nikobimeze, and Alain Irakarama for showing me around, and to Fatou Fall for joining us! I’m already looking forward to catching up with incoming freshmen KWIZERA Samuella and Hirwa Believer Gall on my next visit! ?? A big part of what made this possible is the work of Ari Jacobovits and the MIT-Africa team. They've been a great partner over the years bringing MIT Olympiad students to Africa who work with our coaches, train our top students & make the pathway feel more real! Huge thanks to them ?? I'm excited to continue building on this success & partnership at the African Olympiad Academy, where in a few years, I'm sure we'll have many more African Olympiad alumni taking advantage of opportunities at world-leading institutions! This is just the beginning. ?? Talent is universal. Opportunity is not. Let's change that. #MathOlympiad #AfricanTalent #MIT #Education #RwandaMathOlympiad #AfricanOlympiadAlumni

Join the MIT 24-Hour Challenge by supporting MIT-Africa's programs! For every 20 donations to MIT-Africa, we will get a $1K match, and once 200 donors make a gift to MISTI, two generous donors will contribute $10,000 each for a total gift of $20,000 to our global programs ?? For just 9 more hours, support MIT-Africa and MISTI by gifting at misti.mit.edu/mit24 #SupportMISTI #MIT24HC #goMISTI #MIT25

?? The eighth annual MIT 24-Hour Challenge is on! Join thousands of MIT alumni, parents, students, and friends in celebration this Thursday, March 13, 2025! Your support for MISTI is crucial. It enables over 1,200 students annually to extend their learning beyond borders, address the world's most pressing challenges through practical application, and build bridges with diverse cultures. ?? MISTI's micro-challenge this year is to receive contributions from 200 donors, and two generous benefactors will match it with an additional $20,000! Get involved and make a difference this March 13, 2025, by supporting MISTI at misti.mit.edu/mit24.

?? Big congratulations to Markey Freudenburg-Puricelli and Abigail Schipper on being selected as 2025 Gates Cambridge Scholars! "Working at SAGA gave me a view to the international space and architectural scene that I would not have been able to get in the U.S. It was one thing to encounter diverse sets of people at MIT, and it was an entire other to have to navigate a metro in two different languages or have dinner with clients from three different continents just to get through work each day," Abbie shared with MISTI. Both Markey Freudenburg-Puricelli and Abigail (Abbie) Schipper participated in three or more MISTI programs in various countries—MIT-Denmark (MISTI), MIT Southern Cone, MIT-Africa, MIT-South Asia, MIT-Spain (MISTI) Read more about their MISTI experiences below or at https://lnkd.in/ejSFr6wx

And we are very excited to continue working with you!

St John’s College proudly hosted the MIT-Africa/ISASA Mathematics & Science Seminar, welcoming 106 students from 44 schools across South Africa and Eswatini. This year's theme was?"Technical Topics in Quantum Mechanics",?delving into the world of Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics, Quantum Theory, and Quantum Technology. #QuantamPhysics #ThriveIn2025 #Beyond125 #LuxVitaCaritas https://lnkd.in/dwdh6Ua3

As President of the Cabo Verde Stock Exchange, I am immensely proud to announce the successful conclusion of the MIT App Inventor Program, an outstanding initiative in partnership with TechPark CV and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This program, held from January 6 to 31 at the Cabo Verde Technological Park in Praia, provided our young learners with the opportunity to develop essential skills in mobile app design and development. Throughout this month, participants learned not only about technology but also cultivated critical problem-solving and creative thinking abilities. I firmly believe that these skills are vital for driving the digital future of Cabo Verde. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved in this project, especially the instructors from MIT and the TechPark CV team, who made this transformative experience possible for our youth. The Cabo Verde Stock Exchange remains committed to supporting initiatives that foster education and technological development in our country. Together, we are building a solid pathway for the future! ?? #MITAppInventor #Innovation #TechEducation #YoungEntrepreneurs #CaboVerdeStockExchange #CaboVerde

Another clip featuring one of our Global Teaching Labs programs in C?te d'Ivoire! Check out Le Grand Talk [in French; starting at 57:25], where our colleague Mini Kouamé discusses some of the advantages of developing and supporting International Mathematical Olympiad programs. https://lnkd.in/gbQHfSrR? ?