Cohort Six
July 2022 - December 2022
Participants
Samuel Mwasya
Bachelor of Science Mathematics
Pwani University
I enjoyed my stay at icipe and am grateful to the MBBU unit. The bioinformatics internship was intensive, but I enjoyed learning from the generous facilitators, who were always ready and willing to help at any time. You also meet friendly scientists from diverse disciplines. The internship is a perfect program for any undergrad aspiring to pursue a career in bioinformatics, despite their background studies. The internship program helped me build confidence in furthering my studies in bioinformatics to the graduate level. Although I will miss my life at icipe, I am happy that I have developed a good network of mentors with similar interests.
Natasha V. Adongo
Bachelor of Science
Mount Kenya University
The bioinformatics internship at icipe provides a wholesome experience of what it takes to be a great scientist. The training taught me not to be myopic in my thinking and that where there is a will, there’s a way. I have learned how to collaborate with others and open my mind to different perspectives. This internship changes your thinking and equips you with various tools to solve different bioinformatics problems. I am grateful for this opportunity because it has set the pace for everything else I will do in science.
Jimmy K. Nkaiwuatei
Bachelor of Science Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
“You do not get what you want; you get what you go for.” This four-month training program at icipe has been a journey of great transformation and growth, courtesy of the outstanding trainers; Dr. Caleb Kibet, Ms. Ruth Nanjala, and Mr. Nehemiah Ongeso. The state-of-the-art facilities at icipe and the collaboration between interns made the training very transformative and impactful. The training opened my mind and enabled me to broadly understand bioinformatics and appreciate its roles and applications to other science disciplines. As a health-science research enthusiast, the program helped me answer the question “Why bioinformatics?” and has streamlined my career path and vision. Interestingly, the program enabled me to “learn how to learn." The mentorship part of the program has been very enlightening and has prepared me professionally to be who I want to be. Moreover, this was an excellent opportunity to interact, share our different ideas, and learn from the like-minded teams at icipe.
Ann Laigong'
Bachelor of Science
Jomo Kenyatta University and Technology
The bioinformatics internship at icipe exceeded all my expectations. The wholesomeness and intensity of the training have shaped me to be a better scientist in various aspects, including research and manuscript writing. Along with developing my soft skills, I have come out of the internship more confident, assertive, and able to collaborate with others with diverse personalities. I have also gained a network of mentors who are a force to be reckoned with in this field. I will always be grateful for the role of this internship in cementing my career as a bioinformatician. I am highly honored to have been a part of this journey.
Cynthia Kamau
Bachelor of Science Genomics
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
The bioinformatics internship at icipe was a game changer for me, as it helped lay the foundation for my career. It was a valuable and enlightening experience. I had the opportunity to work with a talented team of researchers, collaborate with my fellow peers who are brilliant scientists, and solve real-world problems using technology. I learned a great deal about the current state of the field and the various techniques used to analyze and interpret large sets of biological data. I also gained valuable experience in programming, data analysis, scientific communication, and how high-performance computing works and is configured. Our supervisors were very friendly and eager to help when we got stuck. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity the MBBU team gave me to gain hands-on experience in bioinformatics. I am excited to apply what I've learned in my future endeavors.
Mark Njama
Bachelor of Science
Kenyatta University
My tenure at ICIPE pervaded me with a plethora of learning experiences that equipped me with the necessary skills to handle practical bioinformatic scenarios. These same skills have helped pave the way for the next steps in my professional agenda. The MBBU staff walked my fellow cohorts and me through extensive training and mentorship modules that shaped certain aspects of how I think when tackling problems. With a strong emphasis on collaboration, working on various projects in teams enabled us to identify strengths amongst ourselves, fostering a smooth and healthy working environment in the office. It was an honour to be part of the 6th cohort at ICIPE.
Projects
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HPC Set-Up and Documentation
The project involved developing automated scripts for managing and maintaining the ICIPE's bioinformatics research high-performance computing infrastructure. The project entailed...
Tick-Metagenomics & Bee Metagenomics
This study aims at identifying fungi species present in the beehives across Madagascar, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya. You can...