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Saturday, February 04, 2012

UN Alliance of Civilizations Fellowships Available



The objective of the Fellowship programme is to contribute to enhance knowledge and understanding between peoples and societies from Muslim-majority countries, mainly from the Arab World, and from Europe and North America. The programme creates an opportunity for emerging leaders from these societies to get acquainted with the diverse realities and cultural, political and religious environments of the others.

A group of 12 young leaders from the Middle East and North Africa visit 3-6 countries in Europe and the States in the U.S and a group of 12 young leaders from Europe and North America visit 3-6 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The duration of each trip is around 18 days. During their trips, fellows are given the opportunity to meet their counterparts in other regions, and to visit governmental, media, educational, civil society and business institutions.

Applications must be submitted no later than than 12 February 2012.


Laura W. Bush Traveling Fellowship


Application Deadlines:

  • Spring 2012: Monday, February 6, 2012
  • Fall 2012: Monday, September 24, 2012
  • Spring 2013: Monday, February 25, 2013
The fellowship will help fund a proposal designed by the applicant to conduct brief work in a foreign country related to the mandate of UNESCO – using education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and/or communication and information to build strong ties among nations.

The fellowship is intended for American college/university students who express an interest in international collaboration but as of yet had not been afforded many opportunities to travel abroad.

The length of time for the travel is expected to be between 4 and 6 weeks and should include interaction with individuals from other nations. During his/her travel, the recipient should be willing to participate in public diplomacy events arranged with the pertinent U.S. State Department Consulate, Mission, and/or Embassy.



IEEE and UNESCO sign partnership to promote engineering education in Africa


UNESCO and the world’s largest technical professional association, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), today signed an agreement to implement projects to support the engineering community in Africa.


The agreement, signed at UNESCO’s Headquarters, outlines initiatives that support the common goal of mobilizing engineering education outreach for both students and educators in Africa, a region both organizations regard as a priority.  The combination of IEEE’s core strengths as a professional association (with the technical expertise of its global membership); paired with UNESCO’s overall objective to mobilize science knowledge and policy for sustainable development, should contribute to the partnership’s effectiveness.

IEEE President and CEO Gordon Day, who signed the agreement for IEEE said, “Everywhere in the world, quality of life and prosperity depend on the application of technology. “That means that every country needs to have and sustain a strong high-tech workforce. Through this partnership, IEEE and UNESCO will be better able to help countries in Africa and elsewhere do just that.”

Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, added. “If engineering’s role is more visible and better understood, more people would be attracted to it as a career. Now and in the years to come, we need to ensure that motivated young women and men concerned about problems in the developing world continue to enter the field in sufficient numbers. It is estimated that some 2.5 million new engineers and technicians will be needed in sub-Saharan Africa alone.”

The United States’ and United Kingdom’s Ambassadors and Permanent Delegates to UNESCO, David Killian and Matthew Sudders, attended the signing.

 UNESCO and IEEE agreed to collaborate on several projects and initiatives including accreditation programmes, faculty training and initiatives encouraging the participation of women in engineering.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

UCSB grad student Alejandra Jaramillo wins UNESCO-L'Oréal Fellowship


Jaramillo, who is from Panama, is able to fund some of her important Ph.D. research as a result of being awarded a prestigious fellowship with the UNESCO-L'Oréal Fellowships for Young Women in Life Sciences for 2011.

Every country can nominate as many as four top young women scientists for these awards, according to the organizers. The selection process includes over 1,000 women each year.

Each Fellow must be based at a host institution outside her native country. There have been 165 fellowships awarded since 2000. The winners receive $40,000 over two years. They are required to attend a six-day awards ceremony in Paris, which Jaramillo attended last spring.

“It was a great honor to receive this award,” said Jaramillo. “I was very excited and proud to be the first Panamanian scientist to receive it. I was also very excited because it allowed me to fund some of my Ph.D. research.”





Armand Kuris, professor of zoology, and ecology, evolution and marine biology at UCSB, said: “Alejandra has developed a deeply intellectual thesis project, melding immunology and ecology to study the impact of parasites on the behavior and survival of fishes. This has implications for human parasites, some of which also modify our behaviors. She is also an outstanding teacher and is as adept in the field as she is in the lab. Also, she already is among the authors of a high profile paper on the ecology of parasites. In other words, she is a very well-rounded young scientist who is a rapidly rising star.”