Natural Sciences
DRIAR Project Field Training School – 11th-22nd July 2022
Dry-Rifting in the Albertine-Rhino Graben (DRIAR) Project
Makerere University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Virginia Polytechnique Institute and State University, the leading institution of the consortia of universities participating in the Dry-Rifting in the Albertine-Rhino Graben (DRIAR Project), to conduct geophysical, geochemical and geological studies of the Albertine-Rhino Graben in Uganda.
As part of the activities, the DRIAR Project in conjunction with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development – Uganda is conducting a two-week field training school for staff and students from the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies and the Department of Physics at Makerere University. The training taking place at Botany-Zoology Lecture Theatre, College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) was officially opened by the Acting Principal, Prof. Juma Kasozi today, 11th July 2022.
It will cover modules including; GNSS Geodesy, Magnetotellurics, Active Seismology, and Passive Seismology. Fieldwork will be conducted in; seismology, structural geology, geochemistry, and magnetics. Trainers include: Dr. Sarah Stamps, Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech, also Principal Investigator, DRIAR Project; Dr. Fola Kolawole, Assistant Professor at Columbia University; Prof. Rob Evans, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; and Prof. Suzan van der Lee, Northwestern University, USA.
About the Dry-Rifting in the Albertine-Rhino Graben (DRIAR) Project
The DRIAR project funded by the United States National Science Foundation is an international collaborative group aimed at addressing geological questions surrounding magma-poor continental rifting in the Albertine-Rhino grabens. The three-year project (December 2020 to November 2024) consists of leading geoscientists from multiple disciplines across the United States and around the world. The project goal is to apply geophysical, geological, geochemical, and geodynamic techniques to investigate the Northern Western Branch of the East African Rift System in Uganda.
Under the project, a wide range of geophysical, geological, and geochemical observations will be collected, and numerical modeling of the region will be performed to advance understanding of how the magma-poor rifts form and evolve. The project team seeks to unravel the physics leading to the new breakage of the earth’s crust in the region, in addition to better understanding of continental rifting. Additionally, the project seeks to improve data on estimates of carbon dioxide transfer into the atmosphere that occurs during continental rifting, advancing rifting models used for exploring natural resources, and creating new insights into seismic hazards associated with active faulting. The project will involve analysis of Global Navigation Satellite System data collected in Uganda. The scientific results of this project will be communicated, in part, through short educational videos geared towards public audiences.
The Project supports three Ugandan PhD students based at universities in the United States namely: Ms. Asenath Kwagalakwe, Virginia Tech; Mr Hillary Mwongyera, University of Kansas; Mr. Albert Kabanda Northwestern University.
Makerere University activities on the project
- Assist in the recruitment of MSc and PhD students for training in the US
- Participate in data sharing, processing, and interpretation
- Contribute to manuscript writing
- Help with the installation and download of geophysical data
- Provide field vehicles for use during project fieldwork
- Recruit guides and drivers
- Participate in the evaluation of the project
- Support for obtaining research permits for USA collaborators
Project partners;
- Makerere University
- Virginia Tech.
- University of Delaware
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- North-western University
- University of Kansas
- Midwestern State University
Details on the project at: https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2021/12/science-eastern_africa_fift_sarah_stamps_lab.html
By Dr. Alice Nabatanzi
As we train Scientists we ought to equip them with skills that will help them survive beyond the Laboratories, beyond University, and beyond Academia. Thus, the need to Bioprospect and acquire product development skills.
I am therefore proud of what my 2024 Biotechnology Product Development Class has been able to achieve.
Following bioprospecting and entrepreneurial training, students developed the following products: Exotic beard oil, Herbal cough mixture, Power candy, Laundry bar soap, Moringa snack bars, Prudy Organic hair dye, Hair food, Syphilis remedy, Cornstarch based bioplastic, Nash probiotic drink, Dental care herbal mouthwash, Rosemary – lemongrass infused vinegar, Tea tree hand wash, Scented candles, Aloe fruit jam, Herbal bloom shower gel, Custard, Beetroot yoghurt, Dewormer, Stomach pain killers, Liquid organic fertilizers, Face scrub, Mosquito repellant scented air diffuser, Underarm whitening oil, Essential oil deodorant, Ria hair conditioner, Shower gels, Crochet jacket among others.
I am confident that with subsequent incubation, start-ups will emerge.
Robert Greene
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.”
Sheryl Sandberg
“Build your skills not your resume.”
Dr. Alice Nabatanzi is a Lecturer of Phytomedicine and Nutraceuticals in the Department of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, School of Bio-sciences, College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), Makerere University.
Photo Gallery of some of the products
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