Professor’s project selected for funding by Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Dr. Mariam Konaté, an African-born scholar and professor of Intercultural and Anthropological Studies at Western Michigan University, worked with Kenyan counterparts this summer as part of the 2022 Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program. 

Konaté was awarded the fellowship in collaboration with her Tennessee Technological University colleague, Dr. Queen Ogbomo, and University of Nairobi host, Dr. Josephine Wairimu, to examine teaching, mentorship and gender equity in STEM at the University of Nairobi. 

“The motto (of the fellowship), ‘transforming the continent’s brain drain into brain circulation,’ really resonated with me,” says Konaté, who acquired all her formative education in her home country of Burkina Faso before coming to the United States to pursue graduate education. “The fellowship gives me the opportunity to give back to Africa by sharing my knowledge, abilities and skills with my colleagues on the continent.” 

The fellowship project is intended to foster a collaborative partnership with Konaté’s Kenyan counterparts and to encourage African students to pursue STEM careers. Konaté and Ogbomo led training and mentoring sessions intended to help instructors develop and strengthen more inclusive approaches to online instruction to encourage and empower elementary and secondary students, especially girls, to study and excel in STEM. They also provided mentoring to faculty and graduate students focused on conducting STEM research and provided training to graduate students in STEM, especially women, to become peer mentors. 

Aside from the skills and experiences that the project will bring to those at the University of Nairobi, Konaté hopes that the project will help to strengthen the bond between WMU and her host university, leading to opportunities for study abroad, faculty and student exchanges, and the development of international and collaborative curricula that will produce more globally-aware and intellectually-empowered students and faculty.  

This story is published as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Annual Magazine—view the 2022 Magazine online.