06/09/2026
This year’s annual African Women in Science (AWIS) trip to North America took place in Winnipeg, Canada where nine of the twelve 2026 cohort members participated in leadership training, capacity building, and exploring the Canadian province of Manitoba.
The 2026 AWIS cohort represents scientists from Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia. Their research scopes range from eDNA to citizen science to discovering new species of fish!
It was a very busy trip—some of the activities included the Human Rights Museum, The Manitoba Museum, the Lake Winnipeg Research Vessel in Gimli, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Freshwater Institute, University of Manitoba, Fort Whyte Alive, and the Assiniboine Zoo.
There were also lots of opportunities for professional development during this trip. The group met with Dr. Margaret Docker from the Journal of Great Lakes Research (JGLR) to learn about the process of journal publications. They also attended a leadership training with Lorrena Black at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and even visited their Experimental Lakes Area (ELA).
The second half of the trip included attending the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) conference where everyone gave great presentations about their work while expanding their networks of great lakes scientists. For many in our cohort this was their first large conference and first time in North America.
Overall it was an amazing and fulfilling experience. Congratulations to the 2026 AWIS cohort for all their hard work in preparing for this trip, their conference presentations, and showing the awesome work done by women in science!
