Scientific Research

Last year, I and two colleagues launched a course called Scientific Research, where we exposed students to cutting edge scientific investigation. As their final project, students wrote science review papers that were put together into the inaugural Journal of Scientific Research, and they presented their work at the Scientific Research Symposium. Their presentations can be viewed in the videos above.

Below you can find a more detailed description of the course from the introduction to the Journal of Scientific Research:

The 2009-2010 school year marked the beginning of the Scientific Research course at African Leadership Academy. The goal of the course is to expose students to current research in the various fields of science, to teach them to fully analyze and interpret journal-level science writing, and to allow them to become experts in a particular area on the frontiers of scientific knowledge. The students began by reading widely about current developments, meeting weekly in small groups with an instructor and a few peers to share about their reading. They then focused on a topic of special interest, where they quickly surpassed the knowledge even of the instructors, and they began to teach each other from their fields of expertise.

It was an exciting time as the students shared their progress in fields ranging from superconductivity to gene therapy to piezoelectricity. Over the course of the year, students taught each other and learned from each other through a process of review by discussions and presentations as they continued to develop their understanding. At the end of the year, they compiled their research into comprehensive review papers on their field (and one original research paper from Spencer based on a psychology experiment). The year culminated with the first ever Scientific Research Symposium where the students shared abstracts of their work with the greater community, while Spencer, John, Kylie, and Mehdi gave keynote addresses about their research.

This journal is a compilation of the papers from the inaugural class of Scientific Research. We hope you enjoy glimpsing the journey of this past year!

Read the full Journal of Scientific Research here.

ALA on NPR

Click here for the original story.

Snails!

Each year I kick off the Biology class by having the students observe snails. It's so easy to get lost in molecular structures and sliced up organs that we forget that Biology is really about living things - and this is a good way for me to remind the students of this. Plus, I have fun watching them scream as they touch their new snail friends ;)

Coburwas

My student Joseph and friends of his at Kyangwali camp in Uganda formed an amazing organization called Coburwas (www.coburwas.org). In July I had the privilege of visiting Kyangwali and seeing for myself what Coburwas is doing. Below are some reflections of mine from a recent email . . .

In the 1990's, eastern DRC erupted into a brutal war fueled by intense tribalism and competition for Congo's rich natural resources. As a young boy, Joseph fled from the fighting in DRC, and he and his family became refugees in Uganda. The refugees were taken to what became Kyangwali, then a dense forest on the shores of Lake Albert. They were given some seed and basic tools and told to survive. In the early days, many died of starvation and disease, and the deep-seated tribalism from Congo was just as present and insidious in the camp. In the resulting hopelessness, many left for the Congo, deciding to face the devastation there rather than die in the camp.

It was from this situation that Coburwas arose. In Kyangwali, Joseph connected with another young man named Benson, and the two of them and some other youth from the camp dreamed of a society where people were not divided by tribal or national lines, where lives were not shattered by war. They formed Coburwas (the name comes from the different nations represented in the camp), and they began to work together in the fields to raise just enough funds for a few to go to school. Everyone in the camp said they were crazy - and with some reason, for 40 youth working for several weeks in the fields would only earn about $150 for all of them combined. But they persisted, and the fruit of their work now is astounding. They have built 2 hostels in the town of Hoima where 80 boys and girls live and are able to take advantage of Uganda's universal secondary education; they care for 30 young orphans, with their own preschool, and even their own primary school that Joseph raised funds for while at ALA (expected to open later this year); they also do great work fighting malaria and other diseases, and combating rape and violence against women. Now they are highly respected in the camp, and are regularly invited by the camp commandant to help make policy decisions. All of this from a group of young refugees with no rights and nothing to their name except determination.

I had heard all the stories about Coburwas and Kyangwali, but seeing it was something else altogether - meeting the students at the hostel, seeing the almost-finished school that Joseph had been raising funds to build. There was a deep sorrow for the intense pain that the people in Kyangwali have suffered. But for me, the dominant emotion was a deep joy and gratitude that I get to play a small role in the culture of hope that Coburwas has created. There was a sense of walking in the shadows of giants - of Joseph, who has made such a massive impact as a teenager, and Benson, who has faced atrocities that I can't even fathom, yet now is a pastor and the leader of this vision of hope and peace. Seeing Coburwas, I felt like I had a picture of what the church is meant to be - Coburwas has created a true counter-culture, a vision of hope in the midst of Kyangwali's hopelessness. While I was there, I met a man who had traveled from deep in the Congo because he had heard of Coburwas' vision of a non-tribal community, and he had to see it for himself. I learned later that he had once been a general in one of the rebel armies; now he is returning to DRC to form a new branch of Coburwas there. And by God's incredible goodness, I have gotten to be a part of achieving this vision, through befriending, teaching, and learning from Joseph these past two years.

On the last night in Kyangwali, we killed a goat to celebrate and watched the World Cup final by generator. Early the next morning, we said our goodbyes to Joseph and the Coburwas crew, but my hope is that the "til we meet again" will come sooner rather than later.

Joseph in Kyangwali

Joseph

Joseph was one of my students at ALA for the last two years where he lived on my hall and studied hard for my Biology class. He has also become one of my heroes. Originally from DRC, Joseph grew up as a refugee in Uganda in a large camp called Kyangwali. In a hopeless situation, Joseph and his friends created a culture of hope through forming Coburwas, an organization that has transformed the camp through education, health, women's empowerment, care for orphans, and much more. Even at ALA, Joseph continued to work those in the camp, raising money to build an elementary school - the school is now almost done and can be seen behind Joseph in the picture. In July, I had the privilege to visit Joseph in Kyangwali and see for myself all the work that he and his colleagues have done there - amazing!

To learn more about Joseph's story, watch the videos below of the speech he gave at ALA's Inaugural Graduation. (Or read the transcript.)

Part 1:


Part 2:

World Cup South Africa

ALA's First Graduation

On June 5, 2010, the African Leadership Academy graduated its first class of students. The night before, I threw a party for my hall, and we recounted favorite memories from the 2 years together. On the Saturday morning, a number of students gave speeches about their stories and their visions for the future covering a wide spectrum from health care to education to alternative energy to opportunity for people living with disabilities.

The most powerful speech was from Joseph of the DRC (whom I have introduced to you before). He recounted again his story and the impact of the Coburwas club and his rich identity as so much more than just a refugee. It was moving when I first heard it, and even more so now after I have traveled to Uganda and visited Joseph at the refugee camp. I strongly encourage you to watch the speech: Part 1 and Part 2.

In the afternoon, the students crossed the stage and received their diplomas in a beautiful ceremony, and that night we feasted and danced in celebration. As one teacher put it well, my heart felt very "full" - incredibly happy for the students and proud of what they have accomplished, and also sad to say goodbyes to these individuals that I had built such close ties with. I also felt deeply grateful to God for bringing me to ALA, and allowing me to play a role in shaping these young men and women that I really do believe will be the leaders of tomorrow.

The Green Machine

I am now riding in serious style with the the purchase of the Green Machine, a '99 Toyota Corolla.

ALA Grand Opening Video

On February 6-7, 2009, African Leadership Academy hosted its Grand Opening, celebrating the establishment of this school seeking to transform Africa. I have been busy uploading videos from the weekend to the ALA YouTube Channel, including this one which gives an overview of the entire event.

Hiking Club

One of my great joys at ALA has been to lead the Hiking Club. This past weekend, I took the students out for our third hike to Mountain Sanctuary, hiking through fields of red rock and splashing in the canyon streams. It is particularly fun to see kids who have never hiked before now become excited to come on every trip! 

These are a few of the excellent photos taken by my colleague Alex.

Elephant Chase

I had the privilege of taking eight students out to a private game reserve owned by one of our board members. It was my first safari and was very cool! We got to watch a cheetah on the hunt, and later, we were chased down by a frustrated elephant.

Back to the Drakensbergs

Just over a week ago, I went back to the Drakensberg Mountains. In July, they were golden and austere. Now, with all the rain, the mountains were bright green - absolutely stunning!

Accolades from theSNIPER

Adding to the excitement of finishing out the term, we had a rogue student newspaper that appeared on campus called theSNIPER. (Forgive me, it made no claims to be a newspaper, because it was stapled, not folded.) It basically poked fun at everything on campus while providing precious little news - quite entertaining. ALA is starting to become a real high school. And I was a fan because I got a shout out:

Yeah, at last the Grand prize goes to . . . Did I just hear someone shout Mr. Scudder? Talk of dedication, coolness, wonderful lessons . . . I mean, talk about cool Dave Scudder. He came, sang, he conquered! Singing in class is just another reason to make up another award for him! And the performance at the Talent show, wow! Who else literally lives in the Biology lab apart from the S.I. unit of dedication himself? And that cool shave came at just the right time! Vive Le Grand Prize Winner!

Summer Rain

I love summer rain. I loved California and the people there and the natural beauty, but I really missed two things: fall leaves and warm summer rain. The smell, the refreshing mist, the color, the memories of playing soccer games as a kid in the front yard during a torrential downpour . . .

And Joburg gets some great summer rain. I'm sitting in the lab now grading exams, but I can't help but stare at the falling sheets outside, listening to the rush of its descent and feeling the building shake with the thunder.

Introducing the ALA YouTube Channel

We've just launched the ALA YouTube channel, starting with this video taken on the first day of school. You can follow the channel here.

Late Night E-mail and Pizza

Late night e-mail checking and pizza eating in the lab. Two things South Africa does right: amazing avocados, and an incredible pepper-like thing called a peppadew - a little sweet plus a little spicy equals perfect. Tony's Thai chicken pizza brings the two together in edible bliss.

Camping with folks from GodFirst

Last weekend, I went camping with folks from my church, GodFirst. It was really good to get away and see that there are beautiful places near Joburg, and to get to know all these people a bit better. And there was a killer water slide!

Hailstorm

Summer comes to Johannesburg, and with it thunderstorms. Last week, we had a brilliant (I'm starting to talk like a South African) storm that not only dumped rain, but spit out large chunks of hail. In the end, the quad was covered with a beautiful frosting of white balls of ice, which soon became mixed in the laughter a dozen students who used them for the next best thing to a snowball fight.

Jacaranda

The jacaranda trees turn a beautiful purple and rain down their purple petals on the ALA campus.