IAEA Winning Team Receives Prizes

On October 19, 2023, the University of Malawi students that emerged victorious in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) competition received their prizes from Mr. Felix Omonya Wanjala, the Project Management Officer of IAEA. The gift presentation ceremony took place at the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) headquarters in Blantyre. Apart from the winning students, present during the gift presentation ceremony were Professor Cosmo Ngongondo, the Executive Dean of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Dr. Jonas Mwatseteza, the UNIMA Director of Student Affairs, and Mr. Vincent Peheliwa, the students’ Physics lecturer.

In his remarks, Mr Wanjala praised and congratulated the UNIMA team for their achievement. He emphasized that the UNIMA students performed exceptionally well out of the 67 entries in the competition, placing them in the top 5. Because of the students’ brilliant and excellent performance throughout the entire competition, Mr. Wanjala mentioned that IAEA is interested in collaborating with UNIMA and is excited about the curriculum review of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences. He further stated that IAEA promotes the peaceful use of nuclear science and commended the students for their demonstration of this use.

The Executive Dean of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Professor Cosmo Ngongondo, delivered remarks on behalf of the Vice Chancellor and expressed his delight at the students’ success in winning the competition against other international universities. He also requested Mr Wanjala for more collaborations with IAEA, including internship opportunities for science students within and beyond the country. Furthermore, he announced that the University is introducing a new nuclear science programme.

In an interview with one of the participants, Enita Ebiyamu, she expressed her excitement over the success. She mentioned that she was delighted to have had the opportunity to participate in the competition. Ebiyamu explained that her passion for modern technological advancements, particularly in analysis, motivated her to take part in this competition. She also pointed out that, despite being a Chemistry student, she takes a nuclear science course from the Physics department because it is closely related to her interest in various analytical methods.

“Being the only female in the team, I was very excited to represent the population of girls who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes but lack platforms to showcase their potential,” she said.

The three students received certificates and gifts which included branded IEAE materials.