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Mak-Western Sydney Univ. Discuss Collaboration

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Makerere University on Thursday, 1st August 2019 hosted a delegation from the Western Sydney University (WSU), Australia as a precursor to collaboration especially in the area of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Led by the Vice Chancellor and President WSU, Prof. Barney Glover, the delegation was received by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Dr. Umar Kakumba and Members of University Management.

The WSU delegation which also consisted of Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) Assoc. Prof. Linda Taylor, Prof. Andre Renzaho and Prof. Athula Ginige, accompanied by Dr. Paul Bukuluki was on a two-week visit to Africa, which took them to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and finally Uganda.

Prof. Barney Glover (Left) receives a Mak mug from the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (Right) during the meeting

“We are honored to start this partnership with Makerere University which is not only one of the oldest academic institutions in Africa but also famous for its research and publications. Since Western Sydney University is also a research led university, I believe that this partnership will benefit both institutions,” said Prof. Glover.

He further noted that they seek to build on their relationship with Makerere University to engage the Government, NGOs and other partners both in Africa and Australia in capacity building, using technology to influence lives and finding solutions to Non-Communicable Diseases.

Assoc. Prof. Linda Taylor (Left) shows of a Mak scarf as received from Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (Right)

Emphasizing on research, Prof. Glover listed some of the research institutes owned by Western Sydney University which include;

  • Health Research Institute
  • Environment Institute
  • Culture and Society Institute
  • Brain, Behavior and Development Institute

Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe welcomed the Vice Chancellor and his delegation to Makerere University and thanked them for deciding to collaborate with the premier University in the region. Reflecting on the fact that both universities are research-led, Prof. Nawangwe said that “this partnership will yield to more research publications, joint publications and also play an important role in societal development.”

Prof. Andre Renzaho, an ARC Future Fellow and Professor of Humanitarian and Development Studies, WSU (Left) could not hide his enthusiasm about receiving the Mak necktie

In his presentation, Prof. Nawangwe revealed that Makerere University is the 8th largest university in Africa with the largest Library which holds over 200,000 volumes and a sitting capacity of 4,000, ranked 2nd top research university in Africa. He added that Makerere generates 90% of research publications in Uganda and accounts for 50% of university enrollment nationally.

Western Sydney University was founded in 1989 under the terms of the University of Western Sydney Act, 1988. In 2015, the university underwent a rebranding which resulted in a change in name from the University of Western Sydney to Western Sydney University. The University consists of an amalgamation of campuses which include; Bankstown, Blacktown, Campbelltown, Hawkesbury, Parramatta and Penrith. The university boasts of its design to unlock the potential of youths and the largest nursing school which is ranked 4th in the world.

Prof. Athula Ginige, Professor of Information Technology, WSU (Left) receives his Mak necktie from Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (Right)

Also in attendance from Makerere University were; Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi, Mr. Walter Yorac Nono, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, Prof. Tonny Oyana, Prof. JYT Mugisha, Dr. Josephine Ahikire, Dr. Gorettie Nabanoga, Dr. Samuel Majalija, Dr. Paul Muyinda Birevu, Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, Prof. Eli Sabiiti, Dr. Richard Edema, Dr. Moses Galukande, Mr. Paul Agaba, Mr. Matia Kabuye, Mr. Darius Muwanguzi, Ms. Martha Muwanguzi, Ms. Ritah Namisango, Mr. Gordon Murangira and members of the Public Relations Office.

Article by: Esther Joyce Nakibombo, Volunteer, Mak Public Relations Office

Mark Wamai

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Special Exam Results -Diploma in Performing Arts 2025/26

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The results for the 2025/2026 special entry examination for the Diploma in Performing Arts held on Saturday 17th May, 2025. Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the Examination and have been recommended to the university’s Admissions Committee for consideration.

Mak Editor

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Mature Age Scheme Exam Results for 2025/2026

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The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released full results for the Mature Age Entry Scheme Examinations for the Academic Year 2025/2026 held on Saturday 14th December, 2024.

The Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the examination and have been recommended by the Pre-Entry & Mature Age Committee to the University’s Admissions Board for Consideration.

The Aptitude Exam  Results for 2025/2026 Academic Year released in February 2025 can be found here.

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Call for Application: 2025 SNRM session 4 Summer School

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Participants in focused group discussions. Leiden-Delft-Erasmus East Africa Research Network (LEARN) in collaboration with the Urban Action Lab at Makerere University a workshop to deliberate strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change in urban centres in the East African Region, Theme: “Resilient Urban Futures: Adapting Livelihoods to Climate Change”, 4th-5th September 2024, School of Public Health Auditorium, Kampala Uganda.

Context:
Natural resources in Africa are being depleted at an alarming rate due to several factors, including unsustainable human activities, climate change, and population growth. A primary condition of sustainable development is to ensure that the pressures do not exceed the environmental limits, and that demand for the resources does not exceed levels that can be sustainably provided by nature. Therefore, there is a pressing need for transformative, systems-thinking approaches and tools that can tackle the diverse challenges facing these systems. In Africa, this need is compounded by a lack of data and monitoring, which significantly hinders sustainable decision-making.

Investing in young scientists who are committed to take lead in sustainable management of Africa’s natural resources is very important. Capacity building of young scientists will enhance their knowledge and skill on sustainable natural resources and their involvement for implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDG’s) in Africa. To this effect, SNRM summer schools have been implemented in three sessions in 2019, 2020, and 2022 with support from Volkswagen Foundation; to build a critical mass of skilled and competent young natural resource scientists in Africa through training, capacity building and mentorship. Session 4 (2025) will target competent young scientists (MSc and PhD students) in Africa and Germany to further develop their knowledge and skills in systems thinking, advanced data collection and analysis, and application of emerging digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), internet of things (IoT), and embracing transdisciplinary approaches. In addition, we include an ideation workshop where students can work on real problems to come up with solutions for sustainable transformations in natural resource use.

Organizers: Leibniz Universität – Hannover (Germany), University of Antananarivo, University of Abomey Calavi (Benin), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Ghana (Ghana), University of Parakou (Benin), The Technical University of Kenya, with financial support from the Volkswagen Foundation (Germany).

Venue and dates: Nairobi, Kenya, 16-28 November 2025

Target: MSc and PhD students, early in the program of less than 35 years of age from any university/research institution in either sub-Saharan Africa or Germany with an interest in natural resources management.

Participants and Scholarships: The course is fully funded and open to 20 MSc and PhD students from Africa, and 5 from Germany. Funding will cover the costs of air ticket, accommodation, meals, visa, and transportation. However, participants will cover the cost of their travel health insurance.

Topics

SNRM Summer School Session 4: Transformative pathways in biodiversity management and conservation.
This summer school is designed to deliver four modules over a two-week period. The modules are designed to enable the students to acquire new ways of designing data collection protocols and analysis for transformative sustainable natural resources management.

Module 4.1: Data collection I
Skills in data collection for a transformative and sustainable management of natural resources (water, wildlife, forest, land, livestock, crops) monitoring and data collection techniques; remote monitoring tools, earth observation system data, e.g. satellite data sources, LIDAR, and UAV aerial images. Collect and analyse In-situ data on biotic and abiotic parameters, map and analyse data using R or Google Earth Engine, field data collection and retrieving data from online databases.

Module 4.2 Data management and processing
Introduction to tools and methods of managing large and diverse data sets of natural resources such as time series, spatial, directional, and multivariate data. Practicals will include data storage, organization and conversion into various formats using databases such as PostgreSQL and statistical programming software such as R and Python; scripts.

Module 4.3 Ecological monitoring, modelling and management
This module aims to teach participants how to anticipate and validate trends that can be observed in various ecosystems. Lectures include ecological monitoring and its design; population monitoring studies; metrics in population monitoring; methods for monitoring and assessing marine ecosystems; human ecology to socio-ecological systems; climate change impact of ecosystems; suitability assessments; overview of the principles underlying wildlife monitoring and prediction systems for climate change adaptation. Practicals will include field data collection (individual and group); ecological data analysis using R or PAST; modelling and experiencing the behaviour of complex systems using Vensim.

Module 4.4 Natural habitat restoration ideation lab
This module is designed to spur students’ innovation and creativity, and to help students comprehensively identify interdependencies across the 17 SDG goals. Participants will be trained on ideation processes for solutions and intervention for transformative natural resource management. They will work collaboratively in small groups on case studies and develop pathways of transformative sustainable natural resource management. Examples of projects include forest (mangrove) ecosystem and habitat restoration, improved technologies for agricultural production, nature-based solutions for improving water quality, and reversing land degradation.

Language: The course will be delivered in English. Participants are expected to be fluent in writing and speaking the English language.

How to apply

Applicants are kindly requested to fill in the application form available from https://snrmafrica.com/ and submit the following documents in English through the system.

  • a curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages)
  • a letter of motivation (maximum 1 page)
  • a confirmation of university enrolment
  • a reference letter from the academic supervisor
  • project summary of MSc/ PhD project (1 page including objectives, methodology
    and key findings or expected outcomes).

Important dates
Application deadline: 30th June 2025.
Announcement of accepted applicants: 15th August 2025.
Confirmation of attendance by selected participants: 12th Sept 2025.
Summer school held: 16 – 28 Nov 2025.

Further information is available from

The secretariat info@snrmafrica.com
Dr Lydia Olaka lydiaolaka@tukenya.ac.ke
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Stuetzel stuetzel@gem.uni-hannover.de

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