Host
Anne Chisa
Anne Chisa is an award winning science communicator who is passionate about amplifying the voices of Africans in STEM across the globe. She is also a scientist currently pursuing her PhD in Crop Science.
The Root Of The Science Podcast
The podcast airs biweekly on Mondays and is hosted by Anne Chisa, also known as Anne with an E. The show revolves around interviews with individuals involved in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) from across the globe, all united by the hashtag #AfricansInSTEM. The guests have the opportunity to share their personal stories, highlighting the "ROOT" of their science and engaging in profound conversations beyond the scientific realm. The goal is to create a premier global platform for Africans in STEM, highlighting their invaluable contributions and showcasing and humanizing their experiences. Through these conversations, we challenge stereotypes about the appearance of scientists, promote the richness of diversity within STEM fields, educate the world, and most importantly, inspire the generations to be motivated to get into science.
*Disclaimer: The views expressed by the guests in the podcast episodes do not reflect my own*
*Disclaimer: The views expressed by the guests in the podcast episodes do not reflect my own*
Contributors
Producer
Treezer Michelle Atieno
Treezer Michelle Atieno is an award winning, multimedia health and science journalist. She interacts with podcast guests and a community of science writers across Africa who contribute to the meaningful science related discussions at Root of Science Media.
Editor
Kasuba Chimbala
Kasuba specializes in multimedia production with expertise in post-podcast production, video creation, and social media strategy bringing innovative ideas to life.
Guests
Guest
Asante Chisa
Asante Chisa, is a BSc student in Biomedical Engineering and a passionate innovator dedicated to creating practical solutions for healthcare challenges in resource-constrained environments. Her current project, the design and fabrication of an IoT drip monitoring system, is set to revolutionise patient care in Malawi by providing real-time monitoring and optimising healthcare workers' efforts.
Guest
Dr. Cornelia Osim Ndifon
Dr. Cornelia Osim Ndifon, MBBCH, MPH, MResearch is a medical practitioner and public health expert who has travelled for studies and work in Nigeria, UK, USA, Mozambique, Guyana and Namibia over the past 29
years. Her training, beyond core medicine and surgery, covers international public health and research in maternal and fetal health. Until recently, she was Project Director, overseeing four projects funded by both CDC and USAID. From
2019 to June 2023, working with JHPIEGO Corporation, she lead the Cervical Cancer Prevention under HW21; Global Health Security (GHS) which
provided policy support to Namibia’s Ministry of Health on COVID-19 rapid response and preparedness; Reaching Impact Saturation and
Epidemic Control (RISE) which spearheaded the promotion of COVID-19 vaccine uptake; as well as Maximising Options to Advance Informed Choice for HIV Prevention (MOSAIC) responsible for promoting and providing PrEP for HIV prevention.
Guest
Dr. Nihinlola Tomi Mabogunje,
Dr. Nihinlola Tomi Mabogunje, a dedicated healthcare professional from FCT State, Nigeria. Dr. Lola has been instrumental in the fight against polio in Nigeria and has played a pivotal role in increasing polio vaccine access, building trust in the vaccine, and ultimately contributing to Nigeria's success in eradicating wild polio. In 2023, she received an excellence in service award for her contribution in primary healthcare access in Nigeria.
Guest
Dr. Samuel Usman
Dr. Samuel Usman is the Global Senior Technical Advisor at Core Group Partners Project CGPP and former Secretariat Director at CGPP Nigeria where he served for 10 years while spearheading transformative initiatives in public health and community engagement.
Guest
Neil Watkins
Neil Watkins leads policy, advocacy, and communications for the foundation’s agricultural development, nutrition, climate change, development finance, and global education efforts. Before joining the foundation in 2012, Neil led advocacy and policy efforts on a range of global poverty issues in Washington, D.C., most recently as director of policy and campaigns at ActionAid USA and earlier as executive director of Jubilee USA Network, an alliance of more than 75 faith-based organizations, development agencies, and human rights groups advocating for debt relief and global poverty eradication. Neil currently serves on a number of boards and steering committees, including at Stronger Foundations for Nutrition, the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, and Scaling Up Nutrition.
Guest
Nthabiseng Dhlamini
Nthabiseng Dhlamini, student and tree breeder at Sappi Research. She
embodies the intersection of passion and purpose in sustainable forestry. Hailing from South Africa, her MSc project focuses on devising a cold tolerance screening method for Eucalyptus, crucial for the nations forestry industry.
Guest
Tamuda Chimhanda
Tamuda Chimhanda is a Software Engineer at Dell Technologies and startup
founder. While he talks a lot about the impact of emerging technologies in Africa,
he has extensive experience in the tackling online scam and educating the public
about digital threats through his work as a member of the Microsoft Council for
Digital Civility.