AfricaArray: Establishing an academic programme

Paul Dirks, Head, School of Geosciences, Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa

IRIS Worskhop, Boston, Feb. 18, 2008

www.africaarray.psu.edu

Staff & students:Staff & students:• 24 full time staff; 20 associate 24 full time staff; 20 associate

staff; 25 support staffstaff; 25 support staff• 360 undergraduate students360 undergraduate students• 49 honours students49 honours students• 95 PhD and MSc students 95 PhD and MSc students

(many part-time mine related (many part-time mine related projects) & 40 MSc coursework projects) & 40 MSc coursework studentsstudents

Programmes:Programmes:• GeologyGeology• Mining GeologyMining Geology• Environmental GeologyEnvironmental Geology• GeophysicsGeophysics• GeochistryGeochistry• PalaeontologyPalaeontology• PalaeoanthropologyPalaeoanthropology

SOME SOME FACTSFACTS

School of Geosciences,School of Geosciences,

Aim of presentation

Share our experience at Wits, South Africa in support of the AfricaArray programme

Maybe some of this can be applied elsewhere.

Achievements at Wits (2005-2007)

– New Research Projects (Angola Craton, Superplume, Deep mines etc.; $700K)

– Sandwich program for MSc and Ph.D. students registered in GEOP at Wits

– Funding for students and post-docs ($150K)

– Funding for computers and geophysical field equipment ($200K; 48 channel seismograph; broadband sensors)

– Established an international field school for geophysics

– Established a Research Chair in seismology ($1.1 Million)

– Re-establish technical and administrative support positions in Geophysics

– Re-designed and revitalised teaching curriculum

– International recognition to the School of Geosciences

– AfricaArray is now a high-profile programme at Wits

– Tremendous potential for growth into other areas: database development; Geology; Geochemistry; climate change etc.

Status before AfricaArray

Existing programmes:

- Department of Geophysics- BPI Geophysics Research Institute

by 2003:- very low student numbers (0-2

Honours/yr)- very low research output- low morale

Lessons learned (1)

Kaapvaal experiment:- Great scientific effort with fantastic results, but…….

- Not embedded in African institutions- No long-term strategy towards sustainability- No administrative coupling between research and

teaching

Result: 10 years after the experiment: few tangible results remain

Lessons learned (2)

2003 Academic reviews at Wits:

Outcome: Closure of the BPIgeophysics

- Lack of vision- Poor leadership- EXPENSIVE

Result: Geophysics almost disappeared as a training programme in SA

(NOTE: University of Pretoria closed GEOP in 2005)

Lessons learned (3)

EXPENSE:Expected student/staff ratio:>13.5Actual student/staff: ~5

- Gov’nt subsidy to Univ: ~60%- student fees: ~30%

Geosciences is expensive but………GEOS(Wits)….

- International rankings: highest ranked School at Wits; 2nd highest in Africa across all

disciplines- Long tradition (Wits started as a School of Mines)- Excellent contacts with Industry (GEOS has one of the

best fundraising records at WITS)- Established reputation !!!!!!!

Geophysics in Africa: the

Challenge

Create an exciting vision to reinvigorate the existing programmes

– Quality research– Grow student numbers– Attract new staff– Raise the local and international profile– Link geology, palaeontology and geophysics– Obtain support from the University administration

This was our position in late 2003 when AfricaArray was first

conceived

Context

• Huge manpower shortages– 2002 Mining Charter, S. Africa– Competition for well-trained scientist - affecting academic

and gov’t institutions– Aging scientific population

• South African government’s willingness to engage and invest• Brain drain• Financial pressures – closure of specialist training programs• Booming Natural resource sector in Africa

– Petroleum, mining, water

Context

• Huge manpower shortages– 2002 Mining Charter Act, S. Africa– Competition for well-trained scientist - affecting academic

and gov’t institutions– Aging scientific population

• South African government’s willingness to engage and invest• Brain drain• Financial pressures – closure of specialist training programs• Booming Natural resource sector in Africa

– Petroleum, mining, water

Geoscientists trained per year

Geophysicists trained per year

The Challenge:

What is needed to run a good geoscience project ?

Some ingredients:

1. The right people (deep commitment)

2. Good science

3. Up-to-date instrumentation

4. technical skills

5. Managerial skills

6. Free data sharing and ready access to data

7. a clear and common vision

8. a sound and secure financial base

Think long-term and strategically !

STEP 1: the Vision

1. to support in-situ training and research programs to help build a scientific workforce -initially in geophysics

2. As part of the training and research programs, create a network of shared scientific observatories (initially broadband seismic stations) to promote education, research, and community building

3. Call it AfricaArray

We placed the existing Geophysics training programme at the disposal of AfricaArray

STEP 2: find the right

partners

• Honorary staff to supplement teaching & research

• Engage partners that can contribute through established programmes: Wits, Council, CSIR

• Engage Industry for support

STEP 3a: adjust existing

programmes

Redesign the existing teaching programme to accommodate:

- Innovations: i.e. the field school- flexible staffing- flexible student supervision- flexible time-tabling to accommodate i.a.

the field-school- Invest in infrastructure

Field School

International field school:

- Basic training in geophysics

- Mine setting in South Africa

- Participants from across Africa

- Run by Wits and Penn State

•Expand recruitment base•High-quality hands-on training•Intercultural exchange•Cost-effective

STEP 3b: START

Attract students: - broaden intake levels (PHYS; APPLIED MATH;

MATH; COMP; GEOS)

- Broaden recruitment base in SA and Africa

- Very actively engage HDSA’s

STEP 4: lobby and

engage

- Embed AfricaArray witin the School structure and promote linkages to other disciplines

- Align AfricaArray with University policy and vision

- Align AfricaArray with Gov’nt policy and vision

- Engage broadly and advertise the new programme

Student geophysics society (SEG); newsletter; web-page

STEP 5: find funding

Leverage funding (e.g.):1. In kind support from Wits, Council and Penn State: 2 million2. Use (1) to obtain NSF support (e.g. PIRE) and support

from METF (SA mining industry); institutional reputation is important as is an excellent proposal3. Use (2) to obtain NRF support in SA (e.g. equipment grants, bursaries and SARCHI)4. Use (3) to bring in partners from Africa to provide direct support5. Use the success of (2), (3) and (4) to establish public-private partnerships through projects addressing local needs6. Next challenge will be to convince African Governments to recognize the success and provide sustainable funding……

STEP 5: find funding

- Write many proposals

- Know your principle stake holders and make them part of your vision (in SA this is CSIR, the Council and the Mining Industry)

- Create a diverse scholarship base to essentially bring students into the programme

Challenge: find embedded long-term funding

Requirement: proof the concept works (perseverance)

STEP 6: build staff

complement

- SA Research Chair in Seismology: Ray Durrheim

- Get post-docs

- Engage support staff to the AfricaArray programme

- Engage technical staff

STEP 7: work towards sustainibility

- Get endorsements by politicians

- Get endorsements by political organisations (e.g. African Union; DST; DME etc.)

- Place programme within strategic initiatives in the University: e.g. mining thrust

- Lobby and find funds from organizations embedded in country structures

- Development community vs local government !?

Some thought on Angola: a different scenario

• Weak management

• Generally poorly trained staff

• Appalling infrastructure

• Book knowledge, but no practical experience

Some comments

Why is AfricaArray successful:1. Embedded in existing structures2. Very effective in leveraging funding3. Exiting science coupled to innovative training

structures4. Etc.

- South Africa is in a position where it can take the lead in Africa.

- The African academic seismology community is small and can be easily united

A final word of advice