2024 News

2024

2023 2025

Dec 16

The Upanzi Network joins civil society and academia advisory group

The Upanzi Network at CMU-Africa has been accepted as a member of the civil society and academia advisory group within the Digital for Development Hub.

Dec 11

CMU-Africa and Challenger Center collaborate to deliver STEM programs

CMU-Africa and Challenger Center will partner to deliver Challenger Center’s Virtual Missions to hundreds of secondary school students on the continent.

Dec 05

A workshop on product innovation for African entrepreneurs

This summer CMU-Africa’s Industry Innovation Lab and CMU’s Integrated Innovation Institute held a 5-day product innovation workshop in Kigali, Rwanda.

Nov 20

CMU-Africa expands digital public infrastructure initiative Opens in new window

The Upanzi Network will fund research projects in Morocco, Botswana, and South Africa, with plans for additional partnerships.

Nov 06

Breaking barriers together

In partnership with the Women in Tech Club, CMU-Africa hosted an AnitaB.org leadership event, themed "Breaking Barriers Together: Leadership Development for Tech Professionals."

Nov 01

Improving digital infrastructures for all

ECE Professor Theophilus Benson strives to realize Sustainable Development Goal 9 by improving the performance and accessibility of digital infrastructures.

Learn more about SDG 9 Opens in new window

Oct 24

Celebrating diversity

Last semester, CMU-Africa hosted its annual multicultural festival, bringing together students, faculty, and staff to celebrate the rich diversity within its community.

Oct 22

Malaria workshop equips laboratory technicians

CMU-Africa held a workshop focused on revolutionizing malaria microscopy through advanced digital data collection techniques.

Oct 17

Championing engineering at CMU-Africa and beyond

Kevin Rudahinduka (MSIT '14) reflects on his career and advocating for engineering practices and solutions all the way to the chief executive office.

Oct 14

EPP students developed research, met with stakeholders in Rwanda

Three CMU Engineering and Public Policy students spent part of their summer conducting research at CMU-Africa. They collaborated with educators and stakeholders there to integrate their research with the needs and expertise of the local community, and to strengthen ties between students in Pittsburgh and Kigali.

Oct 10

A honeynet infrastructure to battle SMS scammers

Bernard Odartei Lamptey from CMU-Africa's Upanzi Network hopes to combat mobile money scam transactions by collecting more data about smishing in order to develop ways that users can protect themselves.

Oct 08

Getting out of your comfort zone

Natasha Mutangana (MS EAI '24) reflects on her experiences at CMU-Africa and with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.

See More Stories

Oct 02

CMU-Africa students build strategic networks in the United States

A delegation from CMU-Africa recently traveled to the United States, connecting with various organizations to strengthen global networks.

Sep 27

João Barros named CMU-Africa associate director

Barros will work in partnership with the leadership team to advance the mission of CMU-Africa.

Sep 27

Exploring how melanin influences clinical oxygen measurements Opens in new window

CMU study explores the influence of melanin on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), an optical tool that leverages light-tissue interaction to measure changes in hemoglobin concentration and oxygenation.

Research paper Opens in new window

Sep 24

Tucker named Trustee Professor of Mechanical Engineering

CMU-Africa's Conrad Tucker is among eight faculty members to receive new endowed chairs in the College of Engineering.

Sep 19

Afretec Network signs eighth university partner Opens in new window

The African Engineering and Technology Network, led by CMU-Africa, drives inclusive digital transformation on the continent through research, education, and entrepreneurship.

Sep 12

Energizing a global partnership in materials Opens in new window

Ismaila Dabo brings his computational research expertise to the materials science and engineering department at Carnegie Mellon, and to bolster the department's engagement at CMU-Africa.

Sep 04

AI and healthcare — up close

Over the summer, five CMU-Africa students dedicated their time to EPFL’s rigorous research internship — and some participated in a new extension of the program held at Yale School of Medicine.

Related Article Opens in new window

Aug 28

Community means joy for one Mastercard Foundation Scholar

As a Mastercard Foundation Scholar alumnus, Oke Obadofin (MSIT '24) aspires to be a contributor to community problem solving with a technical prowess developed at CMU-Africa.

Aug 20

Improving air quality worldwide

Richard Djarbeng (MS ECE '24) participated in air quality research in Pittsburgh as part of CMU-Africa’s student exchange program last semester.

Related Article Opens in new window

Related Article Opens in new window

Aug 14

Kwan Lee, 2024-2025 Wimmer Fellowship recipient

CMU-Africa's Kwan Lee has been named a 2024–2025 Wimmer Faculty Fellow by Carnegie Mellon’s Eberly Center.

Aug 06

Responsible research and innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa

A team from the Upanzi Network at CMU-Africa seeks to transform the practice of responsible research and innovation in the Global South.

Aug 01

2024 Dean’s Early Career Fellowships awarded Opens in new window

The College of Engineering congratulates Eni Halilaj, Coty Jen, and George Okeyo, the 2024 recipients of the Engineering Dean's Early Career Fellowships.

Jul 16

The Upanzi Network and MicroSave Consulting (MSC) announce Digital ID Hackathon Africa

The Upanzi Network and MicroSave Consulting (MSC) have launched a series of regional hackathons for African university students to identify new and innovative use cases of digital ID across the continent.

Learn more about the hackathons

Jul 15

Bridge program preps students for grad school, touches lives

CMU-Africa hosts a six-week bridge program that invites recent graduates and students in their final year of study to discover the academic and technical skills that will promote their success in graduate school and beyond.

Learn more about the bridge program

Jul 10

Navigating digital financial inclusion in Africa Opens in new window

As the presence of mobile phones becomes increasingly widespread in Africa, digital services have allowed for more financial inclusion among low- and middle-income countries within the continent. A group of Carnegie Mellon University researchers led by Karen Sowon, a postdoctoral researcher at CMU’s CyLab Security and Privacy Institute, investigated these issues and recently published a paper on "The Role of User-Agent Interactions on Mobile Money Practices in Kenya and Tanzania."

Jul 08

Beyond engineering to entrepreneurship

The African Innovators Society at CMU-Africa empowers students to build various skills in entrepreneurship, form connections with other trailblazers, and make a positive impact in the world.

Jul 03

Fanti named Angel Jordan Associate Professor Opens in new window

With the approval of Provost James H. Garrett, CyLab core faculty member Giulia Fanti has been named the new Angel Jordan Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, effective July 1, 2024.

Jun 25

Combining passion with education

Arinloye, who graduated this past May, made the most of her time at CMU-Africa through academics, research, clubs, and the exchange program.

Jun 21

Refugee outreach welcomes students to the ICT space Opens in new window

Faculty at Carnegie Mellon University Africa hosted workshops to give educators important classroom resources, while Mastercard Foundation Scholars visited secondary school students to build their programming and computer skills. The goal is to get students interested in ICT early on so they can ultimately pursue careers in the field.

Jun 18

Afretec awards almost $1.7 million

13 grants, collectively led by researchers from all members of Afretec, have been awarded to make a positive impact on health, environment and sustainability, and energy in Africa.

Jun 13

Protecting software secrets in medical systems

A team from the Upanzi Network found that 83 percent of digital square global goods used in the health sector included secrets that were at risk of being exposed.

Jun 05

picoCTF-Africa inspires participants to learn cybersecurity

picoCTF-Africa, now in its third year, helps participants improve their skills in vital cybersecurity disciplines.

May 30

11th graduation ceremony celebrates innovation and excellence

CMU-Africa recently graduated the 11th cohort of students, which represented 16 nationalities.

May 21

Democratizing air quality data at nearly no cost Opens in new window

Using existing filter tapes collected by U.S. embassies in Africa, mechanical engineering researchers have found a way to measure black carbon concentrations in fine particulate matter with only a reference card and their cell phones.

Watch the Video Opens in new window

May 15

CyLab researchers present research at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy Opens in new window

CyLab faculty members and students presented their research on topics ranging from mobile money practices in Africa to uncovering and identifying side-channel and evasion attacks at the 45th Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Symposium on Security and Privacy.

May 10

Reeta Roy to deliver keynote speech at CMU commencement

Carnegie Mellon University’s 2024 commencement keynote speaker will be Reeta Roy, who has served as the president and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation since 2008.

May 07

Bridging worlds

In the remote village of Nkambe, nestled in the Northwest region of Cameroon, Gabrial Zencha embarked on an academic journey that would eventually find him at CMU-Africa.

May 02

The t-shaped learner

Ndze'dzenyuy Lemfon Karl is a MSIT student completing his last semester in Pittsburgh as part of CMU-Africa’s student exchange program.

Apr 25

Carnegie Mellon celebrates CMU-Africa Week 2024

In its second year running, CMU-Africa Week welcomed students from the land of a thousand hills to the city of bridges.

Apr 19

Design science in the age of AI

Recently, CMU-Africa and the NAE held a design science workshop that aimed to transcend the boundaries of traditional design thinking.

Apr 15

Releasing private population analytics: How should we do it?

Population analytics is a concept that has important downstream applications, like determining funding allocations, but these analytics can leak sensitive data about individuals.

Apr 04

One student, two continents Opens in new window

CMU-Africa student Farida Eleshin (MSIT ’24) is concluding her master’s program with a final semester in Pittsburgh, where she’s working on several research projects in the CHIMPS Lab that focus on privacy and security.

Apr 01

Taking microbial research from nano to global Opens in new window

Tagbo Niepa presented at symposia in Colombia and Morocco to facilitate international collaboration and apply innovations from his lab to global health challenges in different contexts.

Mar 28

CMU-Africa Innovation Summit 2024

CMU-Africa’s Center for Inclusive Digital Transformation of Africa held their 2024 Innovation Summit earlier this year from January 24 to 26, hosting students from 17 different countries across Africa as well as from CMU’s own Tepper School of Business.

Mar 18

French Club and outreach to Francophone Africa

French Club at CMU-Africa celebrates its students’ diversity and cultures from various Francophone countries in Africa.

Mar 11

CMU faculty selected for UN-led working group on DPI safeguards

Assane Gueye and Giulia Fanti have been selected by the United Nations Office of the Secretary-General Envoy on Technology to be part of a working group for the DPI Safeguards initiative.

Mar 06

Elevating basic systems into tech solutions

Arsene Muhire (MSIT '23) is an example of how entrepreneurial success is driven by a deep-seated passion for technological solutions.

Feb 29

Bridging the gap: Student Guild helps students and administration connect

A team of nine students works closely with CMU-Africa’s administration to serve and connect with the student population.

Feb 23

AI accelerates process design for 3D printing metal alloys Opens in new window

Researchers use AI and high-speed in-situ imaging to optimize process parameters for 3D printing metal alloys.

Research paper Opens in new window

Feb 22

Students from across the globe are gearing up for the 11th annual picoCTF capture-the-flag competition Opens in new window

picoCTF’s 11th annual capture-the-flag hacking competition for middle school, high school, and college students will take place from March 12 through March 26. Students interested in participating can register now by signing up for a free account at picoctf.org.

Feb 21

Avocados and agro-machines: effective control and monitoring systems for agriculture

CMU-Africa’s Jema Ndibwile and collaborators from the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology develop a solar-powered control and monitoring system for agro-machines using IoT technology.

Feb 08

Patents and passion: One alumna uses both to create social change

Tanya Akumu (MS ECE '21) is an artificial intelligence research engineer at IBM and recently filed her first patent application in the field of trustworthy AI.

Jan 25

A centralized data portal about Africa

Researchers from the Upanzi Digital Public Infrastructure Lab have set out to make it easier to find and explore data about the African continent.

Jan 18

Master’s and music

CMU-Africa student Sebastian Dakey pursues both a master’s degree in information technology and musical endeavors as a way to contribute to Africa’s transformation.

Jan 10

Research opportunities enrich the student experience

Three CMU-Africa students presented their research projects to fellow scholars and industry leaders at IEEE Africon in September and IEEE ICMEA in November.

Read more about IEEE Africon Opens in new window

Mentions

Cell

Luhanga discusses human-centric AI

CMU-Africa’s Edith Luhanga was interviewed by Cell about her work using human-centric AI to advance maternal health, child nutrition, online safety, and financial inclusion in several African countries.

Africa Clean Air Network

Presto joins Africa Clean Air Network Advisory Council

MechE’s Albert Presto has joined the Africa Clean Air Network’s Advisory Council to provide strategic guidance for the network.

Biometric Update

Musoke quoted about digital ID hackathon

CMU-Africa’s Andrew Musoke was quoted in Biometric Update about the Upanzi Network’s Digital ID Hackathon. This event brings together students from across Africa to develop use cases of digital ID across the continent.

Dark Reading

Gueye and Kearns quoted on African cybersecurity training

CyLab’s Megan Kearns and CMU-Africa’s Assane Gueye were quoted in Dark Reading about new cybersecurity training initiatives in Africa. Competitions like picoCTF-Africa create accessible opportunities to grow cybersecurity talent.

More Mentions

Media inquiries

We offer early insights into newsworthy stories in engineering and exceptionally qualified scientific sources. To schedule interviews, film crews, or media-related visits, please contact the Marketing and Communications Office.

Learn more

Does your project or program have a news story to share with us?

Let us know.