A Bangladeshi scholar has won the 2018 OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early-Career Women Scientists in the Developing World for her work in nonlinear partial differential equations.
Dr. Hasibun Naher, associate professor of mathematics in the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at BRAC University, got the recognition in applied mathematics category.
She recently worked on tsunami simulation and conducted research on travelling waves, says a press release published in the Elsevier website on 15 February 2018.
Naher is one of five early-career researchers recognised for outstanding work in the physical sciences -- mathematics, physics and chemistry -- and for mentoring young scientists in their communities on overcoming formidable challenges themselves to become scientists.
The remaining four are Germaine Djuidje Kenmoe of the University of Yaounde 1 in Cameroon (physics), Silvia González Pérez of Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja in Ecuador (theoretical and computational chemistry), Dawn Iona Fox of the University of Guyana (in environmental and material chemistry) and Witri Wahyu Lestari of the Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta in Indonesia (organometallic and co-ordination chemistry).
The five conducted research ranging from improving predictions of tsunami behaviour, to using natural resources for energy storage, to developing water filters from recycled materials.
The awards were presented during the Minority and Women Scientists and Engineers Networking Breakfast at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas on Saturday, 17 February 2018.
The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) provides research training, career development and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world.
Headed by eminent women scientists from the South, OWSD has over 6,000 members and runs various programmes.
These include a Ph.D. fellowship programme with over 200 successful graduates from least developed countries and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as an Early Career Women Scientists fellowship programme launched in December 2017.
The Elsevier Foundation is a corporate not-for-profit funded by Elsevier, a global information analytics business.
It provides grants to knowledge centred institutions around the world, with a sustainability focus on innovations in health information, research in developing countries and technology for development.
Since 2006, the foundation has awarded over 100 grants worth millions of dollars to non-profit organisations working in these fields.
The awards are part of a seven-year partnership between OWSD and the foundation.
OWSD chairs a panel of distinguished scientists to select the winners, and the foundation supports a cash prize for each winner of US $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the AAAS Annual Meeting.
“This prestigious award makes me more confident that I will reach my goals, by doing research in various fields in collaboration with international scientists and researchers from developed countries,” said Naher.
“Since my childhood I have always thought about how to motivate female students in STEM to help them have prosperous lives in developing countries. I hope this award helps me to fulfill my dream.”
“These scientists are living proof that, if given the opportunities and support, women all over the developing world can become leaders in their field,” said Jennifer Thomson, president of the OWSD.
“I salute them all and commend them for their commitment to their fields of study and to the improvement of the lives of men, women and children in their communities,” she said.
“They serve as role models for all young girls and women aspiring to achieve success in their fields,” she added.
“From tsunami simulation to improving energy efficiency and the quality of drinking water, these scientists are actively tackling some of the biggest challenges facing their communities,” added Ylann Schemm, director of the foundation.
“The Elsevier Foundation is proud to partner with OWSD and AAAS in celebrating the successes of these women, persevering in the face of often acute resource and gender-related challenges,” she said.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.elsevier.com/connect/elsevier-at-aaasmtg-live-updates-with-women-in-science-winners