Participant Support Costs subproject for SP0032553

The first school of the Joint US-Africa Materials Institute (JUAMI) was held in December 2012, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This two-week school, which focused on materials for energy technologies was, as measured in terms of lasting impact on participants and the development of new collaborations, a resounding success. We propose here to build on that success by offering a second JUAMI session and strengthening JUAMI's presence as a standing, virtual institute. The overall goal of JUAMI will remain the development of joint materials research and education activities between universities in Africa, the US and Europe, and the primary activity will remain the organization of intensive two-week schools in Africa, dedicated to materials research and education with courses offered by world-renowned instructors. In addition, JUAMI will serve as a resource through which African researchers can connect to their counterparts in US and Europe, and vice versa. The new name, Joint Undertaking for an African Materials Institute, readily lends itself to broad international participation, but retains the now recognized brand, JUAMI. While we envision ultimately a permanent JUAMI with broad geographic reach and topical scope, here we specifically propose to organize a single two-week session that is held in Arusha, Tanzania in June 2016 and focuses on materials for energy technologies. This venue and coverage will allow us to solidify connections made in 2012. We propose participation by 18 instructors and 65 students (60% from Africa), where the latter are identified through a competitive process. Hands-on group activities will facilitate communication across cultural boundaries while directly enhancing the learning experience. Formal assessment of student learning will be performed on site over the course of the two-week school, via daily surveys and group discussions, and that of the success in developing collaborations will be performed via follow-up surveys and through a standing on-line web portal.