The School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) and the Department of Statistics hosted a public seminar as part of their 'Afternoons with SPMS' series. The event, held on May 2, 2024, focused on the topic of “Recent Developments in Symmetries of Differential Equations and their Role in Mathematical Modelling of Natural Systems”. The speaker was Prof. Sibusiso Moyo from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, who serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Postgraduate Studies.
Prof. Sandow Mark Yidana, the Dean of SPMS and chairman of the program, welcomed attendees and stressed the importance of ongoing collaboration across faculties, departments, and universities. He urged support and cooperation for such events.
During the seminar, Prof. Moyo highlighted Africa's potential that remains largely untapped due to challenges like poverty, unemployment, and high crime rates. She also noted the continent's limited capacity in leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) for scientific purposes. Prof. Moyo mentioned initiatives such as the Mastercard Foundation and the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) aiming to boost AI capacity and doctoral graduates across Africa.
Efforts are underway to address global and African challenges through AI, data science, and computational thinking, with a call to promote STEM education. Prof. Moyo emphasized the need for mathematical researchers to collaborate across disciplines, citing potential joint projects and resource sharing between universities.
In particular, Stellenbosch University proposed collaboration with the University of Ghana's School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, including joint programs and student/staff exchanges. Prof. Moyo stressed the importance of immediate follow-up to initiate these collaborations.
The seminar concluded with positive engagement from attendees, highlighting existing partnerships and opportunities for further collaboration. Prof. Yidana expressed enthusiasm for ongoing joint degree initiatives and encouraged more departments to foster similar collaborations, particularly urging research assistants to pursue advanced studies through these networks.