AFRISNET HONORS SCHOLAR

ACADEMY (HSA)

[email protected]
www.afrisnet.org

June 2023
Introduction

The participation of Africans in global scientific research is low. However,

scientific development will be of paramount importance for Africans to
face the challenges of food insecurity, infectious diseases, climate
change, and fast population growth, to name a few. It is crucial that
Africans play a significant role in the continent's scientific development,
and this requires the engagement of young African generations in
modern and competent research. Understandably, the engagement of
Africans in research also benefits the global scientific enterprise in
general. Through its current programs, Afrisnet continues to motivate
and support young Africans who demonstrate interest in research.
Afrisnet has noted an increasing need to identify and connect with
African students early in their undergraduate or master's training in
order to guide them toward research opportunities available across the
globe. There is also a need to make competent African students visible
to research institutions. To address these needs, the Board of Directors
of Afrisnet has approved a new program named Afrisnet Honors Scholar
Academy (HSA), in which academically strong undergraduate and
master's students, who have shown a strong interest in research, will be
identified, and mentored on an ongoing basis to guide them toward
research-based doctoral education programs. HSA also provides a
platform for Afrisnet to spotlight brilliant African students and make
them more visible to graduate programs and vice versa.

Undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, and master's students across African

campuses are elected as Afrisnet Honors Scholars through a nomination
process. Any African undergraduate or master's student can also
nominate themselves for consideration for HSA election. Self-nominated
students are vetted by a dedicated Afrisnet committee in consultation
with the student’s academic institution. Afrisnet Honors Scholars are the
primary beneficiaries of Afrisnet's mentorship and training programs
including, where applicable, Afrisnet's Summer Undergraduate Research
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Experience (SURE) program. They are also prioritized in the Afrisnet
graduate application mentorship program, where students receive
individualized guidance through their application to research-based
graduate programs. The scholars receive free invitation to all Afrisnet's
informative events such as research webinars, discussion panels, and
other information sessions pertaining to research in general, graduate
school, and career development. They also have the opportunity to
participate in virtual coffee chats (VCC), where they engage in brief
interest discussions with leaders of research groups from around the
world. The scholars create a dynamic network of proactive and
academically competent African students who, with the support of
Afrisnet, seek and share academic and research opportunities available
to them in the world. They form an honors club of intellectually engaged
students who promote the culture of research and scholarship within
and without the Afrisnet network.

Objectives

• Identify, inform, and support competent African students earlier

and more frequently
• Make competent African students visible to research graduate
programs and vice-versa
• Promote exchange between competent African students and
leaders of research groups
• Build an Africa-wide network of proactive students who have
interest in research and graduate school
• Enhance the culture of scholarship among African students who
have interest in research

Activities

• Participation in Afrisnet informative webinars and training

workshops
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 • Virtual coffee chats with research faculty
• HSA Research Colloquiums
o Research discussions led by invited faculty, postdocs, or PhD
students who present their research and their academic
journeys
o Research presentations among the scholars themselves
o Journal clubs
• Professional development training
o Scientific writing
o Scientific literature review
o Oral and written communication
o Networking
o Career discussion panels
• Special topic information sessions:
o Information session by graduate program recruiters
o Presentations from the providers of scholarships, fellowships,
and other academic opportunities
• Other activities conceived by the scholars and proposed through
the HSA committee. All activities must be reviewed and approved
by Afrisnet's Program Coordinator

Leadership and operation

A dedicated Honors Scholar Committee (HSC) has been formed to

oversee and steer the activities of the Afrisnet Honors Scholar Academy.
The committee is composed of a minimum of 20 members. Committee
members are selected through an application process. The committee is
composed of PhD students within the Afrisnet Graduate Community and
undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, or master's students in Africa, who
are themselves HSA members. The committee is headed by four chairs,
two males and two females. Two co-chairs are PhD students based
anywhere in the world, while the other two are HSA members based in
Africa. The chairs are responsible for organizing and convening the
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committee's meetings in collaboration with Afrisnet's Program
Coordinator.

In collaboration with Afrisnet's Program Coordinator and the President,

the HSA committee organizes HSA activities. Committee chairs are
responsible for delegating tasks to other committee members to ensure
successful completion of HSA activities. The Program Coordinator
maintains the roster of HSA members, and s/he organizes the Virtual
Coffee Chats.

HSA Member Election and Requirements

Afrisnet seeks nominations of candidates from faculty and academic

administrators in Africa. Students can also self-nominate for election.
Regardless of the nomination process, all nominated students must
present the following material to Afrisnet to be considered for election:

1. Transcript (official or unofficial)

2. CV or resume
3. A one-page statement describing current and future academic and
research interests
4. Completed and submitted online application.

Submitted application material will be reviewed on a rolling basis by the

HSA Committee in consultation with the Program Coordinator; the latter
makes the final election decision. The elected students will be notified
via email within two weeks after submitting all the required material.

Conclusion

Motivating and supporting young people who have a passion for

research is one sure way of preparing the future research task force.
HSA’s objectives and activities outlined above are meant to cultivate and
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enhance a scholastic culture in African undergraduate,
postbaccalaureate, and master's students who are interested in
research. Those activities allow students to interact with successful
researchers and challenge them to engage with research literature on an
ongoing basis. Exposure to researchers and research literature not only
increases the research knowledge of HSA members but also helps them
define their own research interests. By discussing and interacting with
each other through HSA research colloquiums, HSA members exchange
and learn from each other directly. HSA is therefore a cohesive group of
academically brilliant, informed, and proactive African students who are
appropriately mentored and motivated to do research.

Motivated students work hard to gain admission into research-focused

graduate programs, where they equip themselves with the necessary
skills to embark on long-term careers in research. Globally outstanding
graduate programs in countries like the United States attract students
from all countries of the world. Historically, however, African students
have had a severely low representation in these graduate programs. On
one hand, graduate programs do not have widespread and direct access
to competent African prospective graduate students. On the other hand,
African graduate students who are interested in graduate school suffer
from a lack of critical and timely information about graduate programs
and research laboratories. Through HSA, Afrisnet honors, and spotlights
competent African students in a manner that makes the students more
visible to graduate program recruiters and research faculty. By ensuring
that competent African students attain research graduate degrees,
Afrisnet achieves its mission of increasing the overall participation of
Africans in global research enterprise, while preparing them to
contribute efficiently to the solutions of the major challenges that Africa
and the world are facing.