Overview

The JUAMI schools are the central activity of JUAMI. They are run as two-week, live-in advanced study institutes, featuring tutorials on cutting-edge energy materials topics, hands-on experiments and learning activities, and research seminars by top materials scientists. The theme of materials for sustainable energy reflects the pressing need for global access to carbon-free energy. Through the intensive learning activities, JUAMI fellows come to appreciate the complementary strengths their colleagues bring to addressing research challenges. Students teams, spanning international boundaries, work together to develop new research directions spawned from these intensive interactions. The JUAMI schools culminate with group presentations of research proposals. In many cases, the collaborations continue well beyond the formal end of the two-week school. Creating this sense of community and comradery requires that all JUAMI fellows participate fully in the two week program, including activities on the weekend in the middle of the session.

Through support of the US National Science Foundation, JUAMI fellowships fully fund US and African students to attend and participate in the entire two week program. The number of participants ranges from about 55 to 65 (depending on availability of funds and space), with about half from the US and half from Africa. Gender balance amongst both instructors and students is a key JUAMI priority.