Julia Griffen, final year DTC student, undertook a one month internship way back in November at the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Here’s what she had to say about her experiences:
I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at the University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The experience was extremely beneficial to my professional and personal development and overall I found it thoroughly rewarding. Predominantly my time was spent preparing undergraduate lecture material on green chemistry. However I was also invited to give a departmental seminar to staff and postgraduates, and in my final week I attended the RSC Pan African Chemistry Network (PACN) conference on Agricultural Productivity Waste and Water.
While at the University, I was able to meet many staff and students, and to see different departments, laboratories, equipment and teaching facilities. From this experience I was able to gain an appreciation of how difficult it is to do chemistry (as we know it) in a developing country, with lack of resources, technical parts, and technical expertise. However these hindrances do not hamper their enthusiasm and passion for their dedicated fields.
Some of the benefits from this internship arose from preparing a lecture course which brought me up-to-date on current teaching methods, materials and current research in the area of green chemistry. I have kept the material for future use. Presenting the departmental seminar to an international audience, predominantly Ethiopian graduate students, gave me experience in this lecturing style. Finally the PACN conference gave me the opportunity to meet many individuals from across Africa, whom I was able to converse over science, sustainability and issues facing scientific development in Africa.
Overall it was an excellent experience, which I would recommend.
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