News

Reaching the wider scientific community through publishing papers in reputable journals is an important way of sharing knowledge. To facilitate this, the project team convened a manuscript writing workshop from 4-12 December 2016 at the Royal City Hotel in Kisumu, Kenya.

The project team organised a seven-day dissemination exercise with various stakeholders at the national and Baringo county government levels. The exercise covered all the six sub counties (Mogotio, Koibatek, Tiaty, Baringo Central, Baringo North and Baringo South) of Baringo county. The exercise was conducted from 22-30 November 2016.

The project team participated at the 2016 Kabarnet Regional Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) Show held between the 12-15 October, 2016, at the Kabarnet Showground in Baringo County. This event presented the project team with a perfect opportunity to rollout the exercise of disseminating key study findings to the community and other stakeholders.

Sharing findings with different stakeholders is an important aspect of the TDR/IDRC research initiative. To ensure that research is shared as effectively as possible, the messages should be appropriately tailored to the key audiences. In preparation to roll out the dissemination of key research findings among the various stakeholders, Team B convened a five day Communication Strategy Materials Development Workshop.

In September 2016, Isabella Moraa, an Entomology student undertaking her PhD study within the TDR/IDRC Project B, attended and presented at the Annual Research Symposium at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's College of Health Sciences, in South Africa. Isabella gave a presentation titled Distribution and Variability of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) and Malaria Vector Species in Baringo County, Kenya.

We are proud to announce that the project's first MSc. Student, Dancan Athinya Kobia, graduated from the University of Nairobi on the 4th of September 2016. Mr Kobia graduated with a Master of Science Degree in Medical and Veterinary Entomology. The graduation took place during the 55th graduation ceremony at the Chancellor's Court, University of Nairobi.

A data analysis training workshop was held in Nairobi from 15-18 August 2016. The training was facilitated by Prof. Julius Oyugi, the lead of the virology component, and was attended by the TDR/IDRC Team B's four PhD students, one MSc. student, the data manager and five trainers.

Isabella Moraa, an entomology student undertaking her PhD, participated in the Global Change Impact on Disease and Alien Species Expansion workshop held at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) South Africa, from 2-6 May 2016. The workshop's aims were: 1) To share data on the studies and control of epidemiological diseases and invasive species, and 2) To facilitate networking of young researchers and postgraduate students with different academic backgrounds.

Team Kenya held a six-day data-sharing workshop from 6 to 12 March 2016 in Eldoret. The aim of the workshop was to discuss data management and sharing, publications, and research uptake activities. The workshop brought together the entire project team including researchers, field staff, Master's and PhD students, as well as journalists and officials from the County government.