Mission
The mission of the Masamu Institute for Research, Training, and Advanced Studies (MIRTAS or simply the Masamu Institute) is to serve as a platform for the Masamu Program to elevate the human infrastructure and enhance research collaboration in the mathematical sciences and related areas within Southern Africa Mathematical Sciences Association (SAMSA) and US institutions and beyond.
Historical Background
The Masamu (masamu means mathematics in Southern Africa) Program was established in 2010 through a grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF). The primary goal of the program is enhancing research in mathematical sciences within Southern Africa Mathematical Sciences Association (SAMSA) institutions through promotion of international research collaboration. A key component of the Masamu Program is the Masamu Advanced Study Institute (MASI) that was created to provide a platform for such collaboration. The first institute was held in Livingstone, Zambia in 2011. Since then, the institutes have been held in person each year except for 2020, 2021, and 2025 when they were held virtually (see here). These institutes are 10-day research-intensive convenings held in conjunction with the 4-day annual SAMSA research conference each Fall. Other activities during the ten days include Research Workshop, Career Development Workshop, High Performance Computing Workshop, STEM Education Workshop, and Department Heads and Chairs and Senior Research Scientists Workshop. The target audiences of MASI are graduate and undergraduate students and early career faculty (rank less than associate professor) while the workshops are open to students, faculty, and other researchers in the mathematical sciences.
In 2012, the Masamu Program with the support of the US National Science Foundation created the US-Africa Collaborative Research Network (CRN) to promote US-Africa research collaboration in mathematical sciences and related areas in order to effectively use MASI and Research Workshops. The network now consists of over 100 research mathematicians and scientists and their mentees from around the world that are grouped into research teams in pure and applied mathematics that work together throughout the year and attend MASI and SAMSA Conferences annually.
After the highly successful virtual MASI in 2020, the Masamu Program initiated the virtual CRN Colloquia Series in 2021 that continues to meet weekly throughout the year. And after the pandemic, in 2022, Masamu Program launched the annual One Health Symposium under the theme “Mathematics Connecting to One Health”.
In 2026, the Masamu Institute for Research, Training, and Advanced Studies (MIRTAS or simply the Masamu Institute) was established under the NextGen STEM Pathways Foundation to house and administer all SAMSA Masamu Program activities that currently include US-Africa Collaborative Research Network, Masamu Advanced Study Institute (MASI), Workshops, Colloquia Series, and Symposia. The NextGen STEM Pathways Foundation will provide a mechanism for partnering with stakeholders for Masamu Institute sustainability and resilience.