Science in and for Developing Countries: *Feature Index*

Technologies for Human Development

S. Fukuda-Parr, director of the United Nations Development Programme, tells us about the benefits and risks of technology transfer and scientific collaboration with developing countries.

Getting Rid of Unnecessary Suffering: Schistosomiasis Control

Next Wave?s UK editor, Elisabeth Pain, explores a new partnership involving Imperial College, the World Health Organization, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that is setting out to bring treatment to the countries that need it the most. To flexible and interested scientists, the initiative represents an excellent opportunity to bring humanitarianism into their work.

The Road Less Travelled

Never think you?re pigeonholed by what you studied at the undergrad or even graduate level, writes Nadine Robitaille in a profile of IDRC intern, Shilpa Tawari.

The International Trachoma Initiative

Singapore-based freelancer writer Linda Lim interviews scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who share their experiences working toward the elimination of trachoma in the Third World.

Science in the Developing World: Building Partnerships for the Future

To give back to their countries some of the expertise they were able to obtain as scientists working in the "North," Josefina Coloma and Eva Harris founded the Sustainable Sciences Institute, which specializes in technology transfer to Latin American countries.

Boosting Physics in Latin America

Next Wave Canada editor Lesley McKarney portraits "FeLaSoFi," the Federation of Latin American Physical Societies, and reports on the efforts of organizations across the Americas that have teamed up to strengthen physics research and education in Latin American countries.

Bringing the Light

Ashton Applewhite, contributing editor of the IEEE Spectrum magazine, profiles Swedish engineer Sten Bergman, who, as a representative to the World Bank?s Africa Rural and Renewable Energy Initiative, is bringing electricity to remote African villages.

The Road Less Traveled

Fourteen years ago, Stuart Shapiro took a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in Nairobi, Kenya, working on tropical disease parasites. He hasn?t looked back since.

Conserving Monkeys in the Ivory Coast's Tai Forest

Johannes Refisch, a biologist from Germany, reports on a challenging engagement in Africa that called for knowledge of social geography, communications, and intercultural affairs--in addition to his specialist scientific knowledge.

Driving Development

As Nadine Robitaille discovered when she interviewed him, South African-born engineer Wardie Leppan initially saw his professional training as a ticket out of Africa, but once he settled in Canada he retooled and now applies his skills to facilitating research in developing countries--when he's not racing cars, that is.

Médecins Sans Frontières

For medical doctors, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides an opportunity to spend time in developing countries and work intensively and directly with patients. Next Wave Germany editor Eick von Ruschkowski talked with Dr. Thomas Finkbeiner from Tübingen, who has been in Africa with MSF.

Health in the Pacific: Support for Development Down Under

Keri Page explains how the Wellcome Trust is presenting scientists in Australia and New Zealand with a veritable cocktail of travel and training opportunities, along with the chance to improve health in South Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Passage From India: Research, Respect, and Return

Science in India is a mixed bag, says Kamala Tirumalai. The research environment is very supportive, but layers of bureaucracy stymie the research enterprise. And many scientists who do postdocs outside of the country find it difficult to navigate the system when they return. A new Fogarty grant program is intended to help by unlocking some of the doors.

"Thank You India": The Experience That Changed a Life

Canadian sociologist Brenda Cranney, who was interviewed by Marianne Wightman and Nadine Robitaille, encountered many initial hurdles in her research in India. But in the long run, she found that the rewards of work in development were immeasurable

(Bio)Technologies in and for Developing Countries

Vibha Dhawan, Director of India's TERI-istitute at New Delhi, describes how high-tech approaches and technologies can help developing countries tackle issues like the supply of food, vitamins, and energy, as well as deforestation and environment-friendly agriculture.

Knowledge Sharing in Developing Countries: A Personal Account

Promoting the public understanding of scientific advances in crop biotechnology, you can witness science and technology making a difference in the lives of people, says Margarita Escaler, whose work with the ISAAA is aimed at ensuring the consistent availability of sufficient quantities of food, feed, and fiber for people and animals in developing nations.

Science and Technology--The Way Forward

Atta-ur-Rahman, UNESCO Science Laureate and Federal Minister for Science and Technology in Pakistan, reflects on the prerequisites for ?Development? in developing countries and describes the impressive changes for the scientific community in a country that boosted its science and technology budget by 6000%.

The Fogarty Award

Earlier this year, GrantsNet editor Katie Cottingham took a close look at grants and fellowships available through the U.S. National Institutes of Health's John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences (FIC), many of which fund research in developing countries.

In an accompanying interview with GrantsNet, FIC director Gerald Keusch discussed his views about training abroad in the biomedical sciences and the center's plans for the future.

Resources

The Next Wave staff has gathered a collection of useful Internet resources: funding programs, research institutions, governmental and nongovernmental organizations and more.