SUNY’s Dr. Maurice Odago Completes Kenya Fellowship

Dr. Maurice Odago, of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at SUNY Oneonta, completed a Carnegie fellowship program in Kenya in summer 2019, where he worked with faculty and students at Tom Mboya University College in Homa Bay, Kenya. Dr. Odago’s project was part of a broader initiative that paired 51 African Diaspora scholars with one of 43 higher education institutions and collaborators in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda to work together on curriculum co-development, research, graduate teaching, training and mentoring activities from May 24 to August 14, 2019.

Dr. Maurice Odago worked on various projects including but not limited to:

i. Participated in the curriculum revisions and development of various programs at the host institution in Biochemistry, Forensic Science, Medical Laboratory Science and Health Records and Information Systems Management.

ii. Presented at and attended the 13th Multi-disciplinary International Conference at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), Kakamega, Kenya, June 19- June 21, 2019.

iii. Held training sessions for both faculty and students on modern approaches and pedagogies to molecular visualization in teaching organic chemistry.

iv. Dr. Odago was also selected and interviewed by the Association of African Universities (AAU) at the conclusion of his fellowship. See the link provided for the full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXVQfqOwEFU&t=34s

The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program, now in its sixth year, is designed to increase Africa’s brain circulation, build capacity at the host institutions, and develop long-term, mutually-beneficial collaborations between universities in Africa and the United States and Canada. It is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) in Nairobi, Kenya, which coordinates the activities of the Advisory Council. A total of 385 African Diaspora Fellowships have now been awarded for scholars to travel to Africa since the program’s inception in 2013. See full list of 2018 projects, hosts and scholars and their universities.