1. Some thoughts for nurturing scientific talents
Mariane Diop Kane
Director of Meteorology, ANACIM
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

2. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
Outline
Introduction
Factors influencing early career scientists
Challenges & solutions
Gender equality
WMO public-private partnership
How to promote the use of new datasets and tools
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

3. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
Introduction
My definition: someone who can do certain things better, here science. Some people are born with those abilities, others are brought to be talents (through good training, assistance and supervision) . So there is a comparison and then a reference.
Wikipedia: aptitude & measure.
it was one of several ancient units of mass, a commercial weight, as well as corresponding units of value equivalent to these masses of a precious metal (wikipedia).
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

4. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
it was approximately the mass of water required to fill an amphora.[2] A Greek, or Attic talent, was 26 kilograms (57 lb),[3] a Roman talent was 32.3 kilograms (71 lb), an Egyptian talent was 27 kilograms (60 lb),[3] and a Babylonian talent was 30.3 kilograms (67 lb).[4] Ancient Israel, and other Levantine countries, adopted the Babylonian talent, but later revised the mass.[5] The heavy common talent, used in New Testament times, was 58.9 kilograms (130 lb)
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

5. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
There are different approaches to nurture scientific talent depending on where the talent live, his background and whether coming from a developing country or not
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

6. Factors influencing early career scientists
Personal desire + environment + funds
Desire to achieve more, to contribute to resolve tricky questions
Have a model (someone who fascinated you and you want to do as much as him or more)
A good supervisor (mentor)
Be among a good research group (as opposed to working alone)
Availability of research infrastructures
Availability of funds to further research
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

7. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
Challenges
inadequate research environment:
Lack of infrastructures (computational equipments, internet bandwidth),
Difficulty to access some data (even your own data), and to process the data
Lack of good IT support staff
Research done solely rather that within a group can lenghen time for getting publication: often about one person working in a research subject in Africa while teams in developed countries. You may have good ideas, good experience and be able to explain some questions in your geographical area, but as soon as you discussed it or present it at a conference, it will be pick up by stronger more powerful researchers and published ….
Lack of staff in general, and researchers: and researchers turn soon into administratives
All this makes research progress very slow: in some cases is worth it? Eg Limited area modeling versus global modelling
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

8. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
Challenges
Limited funds:
Difficulty to access to peer review journal and publish (more complicated! Some odd comments from revieweers)
Difficulty to participate to international conferences ( abstracts submission fees, registration fees, air ticket and visa and subsistance allowance) and interact with other researchers
Languages, cultural differences
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

9. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
Possible solutions
 Put research in the government priorities, and Met services
Financial support from the government to promote and encourage the scientific job.
Foster international win-win collaboration: develop international joined research projects where equipments can be acquired
Lower publishing fees and registration fees for scientists from developing countries
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

10. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
Possible solutions
Support for high level education and build critical mass researchers
 Keep down the brain drain by interesting early career scientists: some talents never return home after being trained outside or will leave soon after they come back.
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

11. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
Gender equality
Not for soon
Even at lower education level there is no gender equality
Low proportion of women in scientific disciplines and most of them do not pursue their studies until doctorate level for many social considerations such as, marriage, pregnancy, child care
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

12. WMO public-private partnership
should encourage and persuade public and private sectors to put together their different expertises and their means for a fruitful and win-win collaboration
Find ways of protecting talents: recent invasion of private sector in africa doing research, developping and disseminating services directly to users
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

13. How to promote the use of new datasets and tools
Advertise the data and tools so that people are aware of their existence
Provide regional training workshops and set up a users forum
And give access to the data and tools.
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017

14. CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, 20-22 October 2017
THANK YOU
for your attention
CAS Science Summit, WMO, Geneva, October 2017