SGO is carrying out two collaboration projects in Ethiopia. We have mentioned these projects in web log previously, but maybe it is time to check out the projects in more detail.
For SGO, the most interesting thing in Ethiopia is that the geomagnetic Equator crosses Ethiopia. Hence this makes the Bahir Dar University an ideal spot for Equatorial studies. Our future plan is to both install instruments in the country (riometers, tomography receivers,...) and to make scientific collaboration with the BDU departments of mathematics and physics. The cunning plan is to educate the Ethiopian staff to carry out methodological research, which is based on rigorous mathematical modelling of geophysical measurements and to implement these methods in practice with modern measurement tools, such as software radios (USRPs) and the like.
Our Ethiopian projects are actually part of two big projects coordinated by the Department of Mathematics and Physics of Lappeenranta University of Technology. The third Finnish partner is the Department of Mathematics of Tampere University of Technology. The other African partners are from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. The projects are:
- Mathematics education and working life relevance in East Africa 2013-2015 (funded by Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland)
- East-Africa Technomathematics 2009-2015 (funded by Centre for International Mobility of Finland)
We have a project website at http://www.mafy.lut.fi/HEI-ICI/.
Of course going to Africa has many positive aspects for Finns, such as being in a nice climate during the slushy seasons or dark period "kaamos". Actually the Bahir Dar weather is just like best Finnish summer weather, very pleasant indeed.
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| Admin block at the main campus of the Bahir Dar University. |
