Directors

Dr. Jurgen Theiss Researcher Theiss Research, USA Tel.: +1 (858) 336-5461 Email:
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General

The Zanzibar Project represents for Dr. Theiss an ideal combination of his interest in both science and development co-operation. After his undergraduate studies in physics, he worked as an intern at UNESCO headquarters for five months in 1995. Inspired by UNESCO's objective to integrate the scientists in the developing world better into the global scientific community, Dr. Theiss devised a project that sends German physics undergraduate students to Nairobi, Kenya. His rationale was that as students they would primarily learn from Africans, which is paramount because many development co-operations fail because the partner in the industrialized world lacks a true understanding of Africa (e.g. Harden, 1990). This rationale is also inherent in the Zanzibar Project.

Dr. Theiss developed his UNESCO internship project into an organization called the Berlin-Nairobi Exchange. Together with a few dedicated volunteers, he sent from 1998 to 2007 in total 23 German physics undergraduate students through the Berlin-Nairobi Exchange each for one academic year to two universities in Nairobi, Kenya. The Berlin-Nairobi Exchange also developed a long-term co-operation in solar cells research, which in particular led to a two-week solar cells research summer school in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2007 with five lecturers from Germany and Kenya and 30 students from eight East African countries. Dr. Theiss raised funding to support all these activities from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Science Foundation (DFG), the Volkswagen Foundation, and UNESCO.

In 2005, the National Science Foundation (NSF) encouraged Dr. Theiss to develop in addition to his research in physical oceanography an education and outreach program that is similar to the Berlin-Nairobi Exchange but for US students in physical oceanography. This has lead to the Zanzibar Project.

Responsibilities

Dr. Theiss is the Principal Investigator (PI) on the two NSF grants that support international research experiences for US undergraduate and graduate students at the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) in Zanzibar (Grants and Contributions). In this position, he is responsible for recruiting US students, preparing them for their visit to Zanzibar, which includes defining appropriate projects in consultation with them, their advisors, and the other Zanzibar Project directors. While the students are in Zanzibar, he helps advise them and care for their general well-being. Upon their return to the US, he ensures that they remain involved in the Zanzibar Project. Dr. Theiss also maintains the various partnerships as well as contacts to all the advisors and supporters and actively establishes new ones.

Dr. Theiss will visit Zanzibar some time between June and August 2009.