Neil Turok's Wish: Celebrate an African Einstein
My wish is that you help us unlock and nurture scientific talent across Africa, so that within our lifetimes we are celebrating an African Einstein.
Help grant Neil Turok's wish >>
How TED can help:
- Based on a highly successful existing prototype, attract support to build centers of excellence in Africa, recruiting outstanding students from all over the continent and the best lecturers from all over the world. The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Cape Town is a proven model for the Next Einstein from Africa initiative. Recruiting 50 students a year from across Africa, its innovative course teaches cutting-edge skills and provides exposure to a wide range of science and technology disciplines. At the same time, it serves as a vehicle for cultural understanding and learning among the diverse student population.
- Launch the Next Einstein from Africa program, at the opening of the new Research Centre at AIMS on May 12, 2008. Confirmed attendees so far include Stephen Hawking, David Gross (Nobel Prize for Physics, 2004), George Smoot (Nobel Prize for Physics, 2006), Mike Griffin (head of NASA), and the South African Ministers of Education and of Science and Technology.
- Build a Next Einstein from Africa web community highlighting successful students like the AIMS graduates, providing inspiration and encouragement to others. Likewise international lecturers and tutors will be able to describe their experiences.
- Create a concerted, concentrated campaign to raise support for building a high-skills community in Africa, from governments, universities, companies, foundations and nongovernmental organizations, mayors, state governors, rock stars.
- Develop an entrepreneurship training program to develop an innovative course enabling students to develop and implement wealth-creating projects.
- Publicize a Next Einstein from Africa endowment, to permanently fund scholarships at AIMS centers and to leverage matching funding for running costs from local sources.
- Create a sponsorship program for named endowed bursaries at AIMS centers, to be featured on the Next Einstein from Africa website.
- Create a sponsorship program for lecture programs, student exchanges, and individual tutors at AIMS centers.
Help grant Neil Turok's wish >>
What we are looking for:
- Individual and corporate commitments of expertise to help build the proposed network of AIMS centers, including project management and management consultancy, academic/teaching, legal, financial/auditing, IT, PR, property development, diplomatic expertise/connections, design.
- A team to build the Next Einstein from Africa website, maximizing use of simple or open-source technologies and designed to be fully operable by AIMS.
- A production company to travel to Cape Town to film and interview young African scientists (around the May 12, 2008, launch) to create core content for the website
- Vital material support in the form of computers, communications and Internet equipment, books, software, office equipment, security equipment.
- Help getting governments, universities, companies, foundations, rock stars, etc. on board the campaign
- Marketing and creative campaign help
- Media partners
- PR
- Endowments, sponsorships, funding
