Paterne Gahungu

Burundi

Paterne Gahungu is an AIMS alumnus, doing a PhD research on stochastic modelling at the African Excellent Centre for Mathematics and Applications, in Benin. Previously, he has worked as volunteer at Centre de Recherche en Didactique des Sciences au Burundi and together with four other students, established a science club that trains students in use of technology, and motivates young people to embrace scientific fields. It started as a small group of students acting only on the campus by training students to the use of technologies and scientific debate and presentations among them.

They worked with secondary schools in motivating young people to embrace scientific fields. As some schools do not have enough laboratory equipment for teaching, they decided to go with the available equipment of the University in those schools. Today, former members are doing well in science and have established other organizations like the Burundi Council of Young Scientists  http://www.burundiyoungscientists.bi/, to broaden their ideas at the national level.