Updates on Network Activities, Publications and Conferences
Blog Entries about WIO-RISE
Image Gallery
 

About WIO-RISE
WIO-RISE aims to build scientific and technological capacity and to catalyze excellence in research and training in marine science in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region for sustainable development, utilization and protection of coastal and marine resources and environment. It supports post-graduate students from the region; students are welcome from the WIO countries: Comoro, France (Reunion), Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa and Tanzania. The network’s priority areas of research and training are: (i) Marine Chemistry (marine natural products and bio-chemistry); (ii) Physical Oceanography and Climate & Atmospheric Sciences; and (iii) Applied Marine Sciences.

Leaders and their Institutions

	Academic Director and Secretariat Dr. Margareth Kyewalyanga, Institute of Marine Sciences University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
	Technical Coordinator Dr. Musa Chacha, School of Life Sciences and Bio-Engineering Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology, Tanzania
	Prof. Antonio Hoguane, School of Marine & Coastal Studies Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
	Prof. Chris Reason, Oceanography Department University of Cape Town, South Africa

Blog Entries about WIO-RISE
Life as a Scientist in Mauritius (9/12)
Siajali Pamba: Learning to Model River Flow (5/11)
Grace Mutia's Work on Seaweeds: An Update (5/11)
Perilous Times for the Squids of Kenya (2/10)
The Seaweeds of Zanzibar (2/10)
Research in the Service of Local Needs (4/09)

Updates on Network Activities, Publications and Conferences

May 2013:

	Francis Mwonjoria (PhD, UDSM) submitted his PhD Thesis for examination titled “Aspects of Biology, Ecology and Fishery of the Bigfin Squid Sepioteuthis lessoniana (lesson, 1830) in kenya” We would like to congratulate him for this achievement.
	Stephano Hanolo and Richard Clement (both MSc, UDSM) submitted their MSc theses for examination titled “Phytochemical Investigations and Antimicrobial Analysis on Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb” and “Phytochemical Investigations and Biological Analysis of Launaea cornuta (Hochst.Ex.Oliv & Hiern) C. Jeffrey, 1966” respectively. This photo shows Stephano Hanolo (Left) and Richard Clement (Right).
	Dr. Musa Chacha has moved to the Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) – Arusha, Tanzania. For more information about NM-AIST visit their website.

March 2013:

Ms. Tsinampoizina M. S. Randriamahefasoa has successfully completed her MSc degree of the University of Cape Town. The title of her thesis is "Variability of the Western Indian Ocean and Impacts on Madagascan Climate".

February 2013:

WIORISE Technical Coordinator Dr. Musa Chacha visited the Director of the DAAD Regional Office for Africa, Mr. Christoph Hansert, in Nairobi on 22nd January 2013 to discuss possible co-financing of WIORISE by Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD).

The Director of the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Bremen, Germany, Prof. Dr. Hildegard Westphal together with her three colleagues: Prof. Dr. Matthias Wolff, Prof. Dr. Hauke Leuter and Prof. Dr. Achim Schluter, visited the Institute of Marine Sciences in Zanzibar as part of the collaboration between IMS and ZMT, which started in 2009 (we have an MoU). During the visit, WIORISE Leaders got an opportunity to talk with the ZMT Team about possible collaboration between the WIORISE Network and the ZMT Center of Excellence. The outcome of the discussion was very positive. The photo shows the ZMT Team, IMS Coordinators of the Project: Dr. Matern Mtolera (also Acting Director) and Dr. Christopher Muhando, as well as the WIORISE Leaders Drs. Margareth S. Kyewalyanga and Musa Chacha.

January 2013:

Francis Mwonjoria attended an international course on “Conservation of African Wetlands” in Naivasha, Kenya from 17th September 2012 to 26th October 2012.

	Dr. Margareth Kyewalyanga attended the 7th Conference of Parties to the Nairobi Convention with a theme “Partnering for a Healthy Western Indian Ocean” from 10-14 December 2012 at Polana Serena Hotel in Maputo, Mozambique. In this conference, Dr. Kyewalyanga presented two papers titled “Ecosystem Based Management Ecosystem Valuation of goods and Services and Ecosystem Assessment in the WIO Region” and “Identification of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas in the Southern Indian Ocean.”
	Dr. Fialho Nehama was conferred a PhD degree of the University of Cape Town in the graduation ceremony held on 17th December 2012.
	Francis Mwonjoria has submitted a form for intention to submit a PhD thesis titled “Aspects of biology, ecology and fishery of the big-fin squid Sepioteuthis lessoniceana (Lesson, 1830) in Kenya. He is expecting to submit it early February 2013. This photo shows Francis Mwonjoria (right) and Dr. Narriman Jiddawi (left).

December 2012:

RC Blamey and C. Reason. Mesoscale convective complexes over southern Africa. J. Climate, Dec 2012: 25, 753-766.

M. Chacha. Comparative anticancer activity of dolaborane diterpenes from the roots of Ceriops tagal (Rhizophoraceae). Int. J. of Biol. Chem. Sci., 2012: 6(2), 913-919.

The thesis for one of our students at UCT, Marie Sophie Tsinampoizina Randriamahefasoa (MSc.),  was submitted to the Faculty of Science (final submission).

Three UDSM MSc students; Stephano Hanolo, Richard Clement and Nyamisi Peter have started developing their theses. They are planning to submit for examination in a couple of months.

September 2012:

Mr. Christopher Robert defended successfully his MSc Thesis titled “Antimycobacterial, Antioxidant and other Secondary Metabolites from Heritieralittoralis and Sonneratia alba” on 12th September 2012.

August 2012:

	Francis Mwonjoria, Siajali Pamba, Johnson Grayson, Nyamisi Peter and Avelino Langa are attending a Remote Sensing Workshop from 13th – 24th August 2012 in Zanzibar, Tanzania. This workshop is jointly funded by EAMNET and WIOMSA.

July 2012:

The 6th WIORISE PSC Meeting was held on 20th July 2012 in Maputo, Mozambique. Eulalia Mugabe & Valera Dias (both UCT PhD students) and UEM administrators were invited for the meeting. A group photo from the event is to the left.

June 2012:

A. Hoguane. A long shore drift and leap currents in Xaixai beach. June 2012, Science and Technology National Symposium in Maputo.

A. Hoguane. Water masses and circulation in Sofala Bank. June 2012, Science and Technology National Symposium in Maputo.

	Ms. Eulalia Mugabe (PhD, UCT) presented a PhD proposal titled “Aspects of the biology, ecology and fishery of exploited bivalves along the Southern Mozambique Coast”. She is supervised by Prof. Charles Griffiths (UCT) and Dr. Adriano Macia (UEM).
	Mr. Christopher Robert (MSc, UDSM) submitted his MSc thesis for examination on 23rd May 2012. The title of the thesis is “Antimycobacterial, antioxidant and other secondary metabolites from Heritiera littoralis and Sonnertia alba.” We would like to congratulate him for this achievement.

May 2012:

Mr. Richard Clement and Stephano Hanolo attended a training workshop conducted at Muhimbili University College of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) from 9th to 15th May 2012. The training was on enzyme kinetics using UV-Vis Spectrophotometer as a detector. It was facilitated by Dr. Christopher J. Hamiliton from the University of East Anglia, England and Dr. Paul E. Kazyoba of MUHAS. The workshop was sponsored by DeLPHI Project.

Dr. Musa Chacha offered two courses (Marine Natural Products Chemistry and Marine Environmental Chemistry & Pollution Control) at the School of Coastal and Marine Sciences of UEM from 2nd to 18th May 2012.

April 2012:

C. Reason. Southern African climate variability and regional oceans. April 2012, 10 ICSHMO, New Caledonia.

	UCT PhD student Fialho Nehama submitted his final PhD thesis for external examination. We would like to conglatulate him for this achievement.
	UDSM MSc student Christopher Robert is hoping to submit his MSc thesis for external examination in May 2012.
	Two UDSM PhD students; Francis Mwonjoria and Grace Mutia are in the final stages of their Theses development. They are hoping to submit for examination in a couple of months.

March 2012:

C. Collins, CJC Reason and JC Hermes. Scatterometer and re-analysis wind products over the western tropical Indian Ocean. J. Geophys. Res., Mar 2012: 117, C03045, doi:10.1029/2011JC007531.

M. Chacha. Acetate pathway and biosynthesis of marine natural products. NAPRECA meeting. March 2012, Dar es Salaam.

	Christopher Robert, Stephano Hanolo and Richard Clement attended the 2nd NAPRECA Workshop from 22 – 24th February 2012. The workshop was designed to equip participants with the knowledge on biosynthetic pathways and structure elucidation of natural products.
	Mr. Edward Moto, a PhD student presented a PhD proposal titled “Phytoplankton Diversity and Biomass along the Coastal Waters off Zanzibar Island” at the Institute of Marine Sciences, Zanzibar.

February 2012:  Richard Clement and Stephano Hanolo are expected to attend NAPRECA workshop scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 22-24 February 2012.

The Institute of Marine Sciences has acquired a modular concept rotary evaporator which will be used by students undertaking Marine Natural Products research. A photo below shows Richard Clement and Stephano Hanolo using the equipment.

December 2011:

CJC Reason and JC Hermes. Climate change and climate variability impacts on South Africa. Pp 270-273 in Observations on Environmental Change in South Africa, Eds. Van Jaarsveld A., J. Pauw. ISBN 978-1-920338-24-4. 2011.

S. Hanolo. Phytochemical Investigations and Antibacterial Analysis of Secondary Metabolites from C. bonduc. NAPRECA conf. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dec 2011.

R. Clement. Phytochemical investigation on Antimalarial compounds from Launaea cornuta. NAPRECA conf. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dec 2011.

C. Robert. Phytochemical investigation of secondary metabolites from two mangrove species Heritiera littoralis and Sonneratia alba. NAPRECA conf. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dec 2011.

	Stephano H. Mlozi, Richard Clement and Robert Christopher presented at Natural Products Research of Eastern and Central Africa (NAPRECA) workshop held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 2nd – 3rd December 2011.
	Fialho Nehama (pictured, PhD student at UCT) and Robert Christopher (MSc student at UDSM) are currently developing their PhD and MSc theses respectively.
	Francis Mwonjoria and Siajali Pamba (both PhD students at IMS, UDSM) have finished data collection and are currently analysing them ready for the development of PhD theses.

Phase II students based at the Institute of Marine Sciences; Nyamisi Peter, Johnson Grayson, Stephano Mlozi and Richard  Clement presented their research proposals titled “Seasonal and spatial variability of phytoplankton distribution and abundance in Zanzibar and Pemba channels,” “Population genetic structure and inferred migration of Euthynnus affinis and Scomberomorus commerson off the coastal waters of Tanzania,” “Phytochemical investigations and antibacterial analysis of secondary metabolites from Caesalpinia bonduc (L) Roxb” and “Phytochemical investigations of antimalarials and other bioactive secondary metabolites from Launaeae cornuta” respectively.

November 2011:

IIE: Weaving Success - Voices of Change in African Higher Education. Nov 2011. Pp 198-200.

NJ Burls, CJC Reason, P Penven and SG Philander. Similarities between the tropical Atlantic seasonal cycle and ENSO: An energetic perspective. J. Geophys. Res., 116, C11010,, doi:10.1029/2011JC007164. Nov 2011.

	The 41st Graduation Ceremony of the University of Dar es Salaam was held on 29th October 2011. In this ceremony, Lightness Mrema, Avelino Langa, Pramod Chumun and Ravina Maurice were conferred MSc certificate awards.
	The 2nd WIORISE Workshop and the 6th PSC Meeting was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 13-17 November 2011.

October 2011:

TWAS profile of Institute of Marine Sciences in Zanzibar. Oct 2011.

F. Mwonjoria. Population characteristics of the bigfin squid Sepioteuthis lessonniana (Lesson, 1830) from the coast of Kenya. WIOMSA conference in Mombasa. 24 Oct 2011.

S. Pamba. Analyses of the dispersion and transport pattern of suspended particulate matter in the Pangani estuary, Tanzania. WIOMSA conference in Mombasa. 24 Oct 2011.

C. Collins. The Comoros Gyre: from observations to modelling. WIOMSA conference in Mombasa. 24 Oct 2011.

M. Manyilizu. Simulations of the annual cycle of SST over the coastal ocean of Tanzania. WIOMSA conference in Mombasa. 24 Oct 2011.

September 2011:  

C. Collins. Comparison of different wind products over the western Indian Ocean. South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences (SASAS). Pretoria, 23 Sept 2011.

M. Manyilizu. Simulations of the annual cycle of SST over the tropical Indian Ocean. South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences (SASAS). Pretoria, 22 Sept 2011.

Mr. Johnson Grayson Mshana, PhD student under the mentorship of Prof. Yunus D. Mgaya and Dr. Rashid Tamatama, has completed the registration process at the University of Dar es Salaam. He will be working on a project titled “Population genetic structure and ecological studies of Euthynnus affinis and Scomberomorus commerson off the coastal waters of Tanzania.”

PhD student Mr. Edward Moto has been accepted for admission at the University of Dar es Salaam. He should be in a position to start his project soon. He is permanently employed at the University of Dodoma and will be working on a project titled “Impact of climate change on distribution of phytoplankton in the Indian Ocean.”

The 41st Graduation Ceremony of the University of Dar es Salaam will be held on 29th October 2011 and will coincide with the University’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. In this ceremony, Lightness Mrema, Avelino Langa, Pramod Chumun and Ravina Maurice will be conferred MSc Certificate awards.

Siajali Pamba, Charine Collins, Francis Mwonjoria and Majuto Manyilizu are expected to attend the 7th Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) Conference scheduled to take place in Mombasa, Kenya from 24-29 October 2011.

The 2nd WIORISE Workshop/6th WIORISE PSC Meeting is scheduled to take place in Dar es salaam, Tanzania from 13-17 November 2011. Preparations are underway.

August 2011:   Richard Clement and Stephano Hanolo have started developing their research proposals under the guidance of Dr. Musa Chacha and Dr. Regina Peter of the Institute of Marine Sciences. Richard Clement and Stephano Hanolo are tutorial assistants at the University of Dar es Salaam and are interested in discovering secondary metabolites with antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activity from marine sources. Nyamisi Peter is developing her research proposal under the supervision of Dr. Margareth Kyewalyanga.

Ms. Valera Dias has started PhD studies at the University of Cape Town under the supervision of Prof. Vernon Coyne. Her research project, entitled "Proteomic characterisation of the defence response of the commercially important agarophyte Gracilaia gracilis", will make use of ITRAQ and LC MS/MS analysis of the proteins expressed by the seaweed when exposed to disease elicitors. The research is cutting-edge and will provide important information regarding the defence response of the seaweed, and consequently, may allow the implementation of farming practices that increase the disease resistance of the seaweed.

July 2011:   1. Avelino Langa attended a workshop in Mauritius the first week of May 2011. The theme of the workshop was “Towards an Observing System for the Greater Agulhas System: Building links and Capacity for East African Participation.” He was sponsored by the Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Research (SCOR).

2. Siajali Pamba and Avelino Langa attended a training organised by the European Advanced Light Microscopy Network (EAMNET) at the University of Cape Town, South Africa which took place in May 2011.

3. Ms Kathryn Jolly graduated with an MSc degree from the University of Cape Town on 10th June 2011.

4. Avelino Langa, Joseph Ravina, Pramod Chumun and Lightness Mrema submitted their theses for examination, and they are expecting to graduate in November 2011.

5. Four MSc students under Phase II have begun their studies at the University of Dar es Salaam and Eduardo Mondlane University. These students are Nyamisi Peter, Richard Clement and Stephano Mlozi at the Institute of Marine Sciences, UDSM and Sidónio Chamo at the School of Coastal and Marine Sciences, UEM.

6. PhD students under Phase II are expecting to begin their studies by the end of July 2011. Eulalia Mugabe (PhD) from Mozambique has been undertaking an English course in Maputo to qualify for admission at the University of Cape Town.

7. Christopher Robert Mwita is currently at the University of the Witwatersrand undertaking spectroscopic data acquisition (NMR and MS spectroscopic data) hosted by Prof. Charles de Koning of the SABINA Network.

8. Siajali Pamba attended a training course at the University of Cape Town to learn MIKE-21 which is an advanced software created by the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI).

June 2011:

CJC Reason. Variability of Southern African rainfall and links with the ocean. Cardiff University, 21 Jun 2011.

May 2011:

	Mr. Alan Anderson from SIG visited the Institute of Marine Sciences in April 2011 on a TWAS mission. This photo shows Mr. Alan Anderson (center), Dr Aviti Mmochi (left) and Dr. Narriman Jiddawi (right).
	Nine postgraduate students have been recruited from the WIO region making a total of twenty one students supported by the WIORISE Project. The names of the students are as follows: PhD students are Eulália D. Mugabe, Valera L. Dias, Edward Moto and Johnson M. Grayson. MSc students are Richard P. Clement, Stephano H. Mlozi, Sidónio J. Chamo, Manuela E. Amone and Nyamisi Peter. This photo shows Valera L. Dias (left) and Eulália D. Mugabe (right) and the School of Marine and Coastal Sciences administrators (Ana Cristina and Dona Rosa).
	In the implementation of the WIORISE Project on Faculty Exchange Programme, Dr. Musa Chacha has been invited to teach at the School of Marine and Coastal Sciences, University of Eduardo Mondlane.

April 2011:

M. Chacha. Terpenoids from the roots of ceriops tagal induces apoptosis through activation of caspase-3. International journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Volume 5, Number 2, Pages 402-409, April 2011.

March 2011:

D Manatsa, CJC Reason and G Mukwada. On the decoupling of the IODZM from southern African rainfall variability. Int. J. Climatol., 32, 727-746, doi: 10.1002/joc.2306. Mar 2011.

PJ Mumby, R Igleisas-Prieto, AJ Hooten, PF Sale, O Hoegh-Guldberg, AJ Edwards, CD Harvell, ED Gomez, N Knowlton, ME Hatziolos, M. Kyewalyanga and N Mutiga. Revisiting climate thresholds and ecosystem collapse. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol 9, Number 2, Pages 94 - 6, March 2011.

Dr. Margareth S. Kyewalyanga was invited to give a memorial lecture (titled “Regional Interaction and Networking in Coastal and Marine Sciences: Development in the WIO-Region”) during the opening ceremony of the academic year 2011 at the School of Coastal and Marine Sciences of the University of Eduardo Mondlane on 16th March 2011. Other guests who attended the occasion are Prof. Filipe Couto (Rector, Eduardo Mondlane University), Hon Francisco I. Meque (Governor of the Province of Zambezia) and Mr. Pio Matos (Mayor of the city of Quelimane).

In the implementation of regional mobility of academic staff in the WIO-Region, Dr Benaaih L. Benno of the University of Dar es Salaam was invited to teach a course in Fish Stock Assessment to MSc students at the School of Coastal and Marine Sciences of the Eduardo Mondlane University.

February 2011:  

A Grimm and CJC Reason. Does the South American monsoon influence African rainfall? American Meteological Society, Vol 24, Number 4, Pages 1226 - 1238, February 2011.

Kathryn Jolly (centre in the photo to left) submitted her MSc thesis for examination on Thursday 10th February 2011. Francis Mwonjoria and Grace Mutia moved to Kenya for field work activities under the guidance of their respective co-supervisors based at the University of Nairobi.

January 2011:

S Sankar, MRR Sankar and CJC Reason. On the relative roles of El Nino and Indian Ocean dipole events on the monsoon onset over Kerala. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, volume 103, Number 3 – 4, pages 359 - 374, January 2011.

AJ Manhique, CJC Reason, L Rydberg and N Faucherau. ENSO and Indian Ocean sea surface temperature and their relationship with tropical temperature troughs over Mozambique and the Southern Indian Ocean. International Journal of Climatology, Vol 31, Number 1, Pages 1-13, January 2011.

IMS was appointed by the Secretariat of Nairobi Convention, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to organize and host a training course on Leadership in Environmental Management for Oceans and Coasts in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Region in 2011.

The 4th WIORISE Steering Committee Meeting was held on 13th January 2011 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A group photo from the event is to the left. WIORISE has sent out the call for applications for the 2011-2013 renewal funding in January 2011 with a deadline for 15th March 2011. Successful applicants will be informed on 31st March 2011.

December 2010:

J Cretat, Y Richard, B Pohl, M Rouault, CJC Reason and N Fauchereau. Recurrent daily rainfall patterns over South Africa and associated dynamics during the core of the austral summer. Int. J. Climatol., 2012: 32, 261-273, doi: 10.1002/joc.2266. Dec 2010.

	The WIO-RISE Academic Director, Dr. Margareth S. Kyewalyanga, has appointed Ms. Sharifa Yahya to be the new WIO-RISE Secretary following the retirement of Ms. Fatuma Kilungo who served the University of Dar es Salaam for more than 30 years. This photo shows Dr Margareth Kyewalyanga (sitting) and Ms Sharifa Yahya (standing).
	Mr. Siajali Pamba, a Ph.D student at the Institute of Marine Sciences is deploying a current meter at Pangani estuary. He has done significant work in modeling the estuary, a study which is being conducted for the first time.

November 2010:   WIO-RISE Academic Director Dr Margareth S. Kyewalyanga participated in a 2 day meeting organized by Carnegie Corporation of New York in Nairobi, Kenya from 15th to 17th November 2010.

September 2010:

1. Dr. Musa Chacha was invited to lecture at the School of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Eduardo Mondlane University on Marine Natural Products Chemistry from 30th August to 18th September 2010. This photo shows Dr Musa Chacha and the second year students at the school. 2. The School of Marine and Coastal Sciences held its 2nd graduation ceremony on September 18, 2010 in which 24 graduands were conferred Bachelor of Science in Marine Sciences. 3. Mr. Avelino Langa, Joseph Ravina and Shashi Chumun presented their MSc proposals at the Institute of Marine Sciences on 13th September 2010. Proposals were approved for implementation.

August 2010:   

	Ms. Arlen Hastings, the Executive Director of the Science Initiative Group, visited the WIORISE Secretariat on Wednesday 14th July 2010. This photo shows Ms. Arlen Hastings, Dr. Margareth S. Kyewalyanga (WIORISE Academic Director), Dr. Musa Chacha (WIORISE Technical Coordinator) and WIORISE students based at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam.
	Mr. Robert Christopher presented his MSc research proposal at the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam on 28th July 2010. The proposal was approved for implementation.
	Mr. Avelino Langa, Joseph Ravina and Pramod Chumun sat for the second semester examinations in July 2010. They are currently developing MSc research proposals under the guidance of their academic supervisors.

May 2010:   Dr. Musa Chacha participated in a project planning workshop May 14, 2010 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania . The workshop was organized and funded by the British Council in collaboration with the Tropical Health & Education Trust (THET).

April 2010:  

Ms. Grace Mutia and Mr. Siajali Pamba, PhD students at the Institute of Marine Sciences, gave departmental seminars in which various issues pertaining to their research projects were discussed. This photo shows Ms. Grace Mutia presenting her work.

Preparations for the forthcoming WIO-RISE Workshop are underway. It scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 20th to 21st May 2010. Faculty members and students from the WIO-RISE nodes have confirmed their attendence.

March 2010:  1. Robert Christopher Mwita has been offered a WIO-RISE scholarship effective March 1, 2010 and has been admitted to pursue an MSc in Marine Natural Products at the University of Dar es Salaam. He is currently developing a research proposal under the guidance of Dr. Musa Chacha and Mr. Stephen Samwel.

2. The WIO-RISE Secretariat has submitted a supplementary research proposal to SIG/RISE to facilitate a workshop which is being planned for 17th May -19th May 2010. Prof Sven Beer from Tel-Aviv University, Israel has been invited as a resource person in this workshop. Participants in the workshop will include postgraduate students and some selected faculty members from WIO-RISE nodes.

February 2010:

	WIO-RISE and SABINA Secretariat members had a meeting in Zomba, Malawi discussing possible areas in which the two RISE networks can collaborate. A group photo from the event is to the left [from left: Dr. Musa Chacha, Prof. John D. Saka, Dr. Margareth S. Kyewalyanga, and Mr. Frank Ngonda].
	1st semester university examinations at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, started on 8th February 2010. A photo showing Joseph J. M. Ravina, Avelino A. A. Langa and Kumar P. Chumun in the examination room is to the left.

January 2010:  

Ms. Charine Collins have been awarded a WIO-RISE Scholarship to undertake PhD studies at the Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, South Africa. She will be working under the supervision of Profs Christopher Reason and Juliet Hermes. Her research topic is “Dynamics and Physical Processes of the Comoro Basin”.

December 2009:   WIO-RISE ACADEMIC DIRECTOR ALFONSE DUBI HANDS OVER TO MARGARETH KYEWALYANGA

Effective December 1, 2009, Dr. Margareth Kyewalyanga has been appointed the new academic director of WIO-RISE, taking over from Dr. Alfonse Dubi, who has accepted an appointment as deputy vice chancellor of AIST-Arusha. Since April 2009 Dr. Kyewlayanga has been the director of UDSM’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Zanzibar, where she was previously head of the Department of Marine Biology and Resources Management. Dr. Kyewlayanga received her PhD in biological oceanography from Dalhousie University in Canada.

Novermber 2009:

YL Everingham and CJC Reason. Interannual variability in rainfall and wet spell frequency during the New South Wales sugarcane harvest season. Int. J. Climatol.,31, 144-152, DOI: 10.1002/joc.2066. Nov 2009.

October 2009:   1. Avelino A. A. Langa, Pramond K. Chumun and Joseph J. M. Ravina have started attending coursework in the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Dar es Salaam.

2. Siajali Pamba has started his PhD at the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Dar es Salaam. He is currently working on his PhD Research proposal under the supervision of Prof. Alfred Muzuka.

3. Mr. Majuto C. Manyilizu, who has recently been awarded a WIO-RISE Scholarship, has been accepted for admission in the Faculty of Science at the University of Cape Town. He is currently in Cape Town for registration and commencement of PhD study under the supervision of Prof. Christopher Reason.

4. Fialho P. J. Nehama, Francis M. Mwonjoria, Grace M. Mutia, Lightness E. Mrema and Kathryn A. Jolly are making satisfactory progress in their studies.

5. Dr. Phillip Griffiths visited WIORISE on 30th September 2009.

August 2009:   1. USD 20,000 has been remitted to each WIO-RISE node as research funds. Research funds will be awarded to the best proposals. Research and publication policy of the respective node University will be used to evaluate implementation of the awarded proposals.

2. Mr. Fialho Nehama is in Mozambique for his PhD field work. Prof Antonio Hoguane will help him with all logistics associated with his field work.

July 2009:   1. Mr. Francis M. Mwonjoria and Ms. Grace M. Mutia are working on their PhD thesis proposals which are due for presentation in August 2009 at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam. Mr. Francis M. Mwonjoria is supervised by D. Narriman S. Jiddawi (main supervisor), Prof. Michen Ntiba and Dr. Agnes W. Muthumbi (Co-supervisors). Ms. Grace M. Mutia is supervised by Dr. Matern S. P. Mtolera (main supervisor), Prof. Micheni Ntiba and Dr. Bhalenbu Bhatt (Co-supervisors).

2. Ms. Lightness E. Mrema is working on her MSc thesis proposal which is due for presentation on September 2009 at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam. She is working under the supervision of Prof. Alfonse M. Dubi (main supervisor) and Dr. N. Mtega (Co-supervisor).

3. Mr. Fialho Nehama is making satisfactory progress in his PhD study at the University of Cape Town. He will be travelling to Mozambique in the first week of August 2009 for field work.

4. Prof. Alfonse M. Dubi has been appointed to be a Deputy Vice Chancellor-Administration and Finance at the Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology in Arusha, Tanzania. Congratulations Prof. Dubi for a well-deserved appointment.

May 2009: Ms. Kathryn A. Jolly from South Africa has been registered at the Faculty of Science, University of Cape Town for her MSc by dissertation. The title of her research topic is “Aspects of the biology and fishery of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) in South African waters”.

Mr. Fialho Nehama, a Mozambican, has been accepted for admission at the Faculty of Science, University of Cape Town. He has finalized issues pertaining to his visa, and he is in a position to start his project soon. He will be working on a research topic titled “Numerical modeling of the Zambezi river plume.”

The WIO-RISE Project Steering Committee will convene a meeting scheduled to take place on Tuesday 26 May 2009 in Dar es Salaam to confirm the scholarship awards of the provisionally selected students.

April 2009: WIO-RISE received 29 applications: 15 were Tanzanian, 3 Mozambican, 4 Mauritanian, 6 Kenyan and 1 South African. 6 Tanzanians, 2 Mozambicans, 4 Mauritanians, 3 Kenyans and 1 South African have been selected. Successful applicants have been notified. Scholarship letters will be issued soon after receiving the admission letters from the applicants. 10 students will be pursuing their PhDs and 5 students will be pursuing their masters.
 
March 2009: In December 2008, WIO-RISE announced the RISE scholarships by visiting the University of Nairobi and the University of Mauritius during a workshop launching the EU-funded African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) Project at Quatre Bornes, Mauritius. The announcement was further circulated through WIOMSA and the website for the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam. WIO-RISE has received many applications from Tanzania, Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa.