Trent U Delegation Has Great Series Of Meets In Kenya And Rwanda

With a goal to further strengthen Trent University’s growing connections to institutions and students in Africa, a delegation of faculty led by Dr. Neil Emery, Vice President of Research & Innovation, attended a series of meetings and events in Kenya and Rwanda. 

“The visit generated dynamic discussions about our common strengths and interests, as well as collaborations on common areas of programming and research,” says Professor Emery, “We were impressed with the focus in Rwanda and Kenya on sustainable development—particularly as it relates to wildlife conservation, water quality, and agriculture.”

Left to right (front row): Trent’s Dr. Holger Hintelman, Dr. Neil Emery & Dr. Shaun Watmough (picture courtesy Trent University)

Prof. Emery was joined on the excursion by Dr. Holger Hintelmann, dean of Arts & Science, Science, and Dr. Shaun Watmough, director of the Trent School of the Environment. In Kenya, the Trent delegation met at the Canadian High Commission with Nancy Bernard, regional senior trade commissioner, and Charity Kabaya, trade commissioner assistant, to discuss opportunities for Kenyan students interested in pursuing international education in Canada and at Trent.

Meetings in Kenya followed up on discussions started by the previous Trent delegation at Strathmore University and University of Nairobi. At Strathmore University, the Trent team met with the University’s vice-chancellor, deputy vice-chancellor and with other academic leaders to explore synergies between academic programs and research areas, and toured of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, which highlighted green and sustainable technologies.

Photo courtesy Trent University

At the University of Nairobi, the delegation met with the vice-chancellor-designate, Dr. Vincent Ogutu, and other academic leaders to discuss a potential memorandum of understanding on research with the Wangari Matthau Institute for Peace & Environmental Studies with a view to collaborating on future academic programming.

In Rwanda, the Trent team met with the Canadian High Commission trade commissioner, Marcelline Mukakarangwa, and officials from the Rwandan Development Board (Conservation Dept.) and the United Nations Development Program to discuss ties to the country’s government and industry initiatives.

Photo courtesy Trent University

They also visited the University of Rwanda, where the delegation met with vice-chancellor, Dr. Philip Cotton, and his senior team members. Discussions emphasized an overseas articulation that would build collaboration between Rwanda’s richness in wildlife resources and Trent’s faculty expertise in wildlife and conservation biology, as well as learning opportunities for Trent’s Bioenvironmental Modelling and Assessment and Conservation Biology field courses.

This Trent in Africa visit also included opportunities to connect with high school students at events in Nairobi and Kigali, where more than 100 prospective students were in attendance.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.