L’Oréal-UNESCO awards doctoral fellowship funding to UJ student

L’Oréal-UNESCO awards doctoral fellowship funding to UJ student

Ms Oluwademilade Fayemiwo, an international student at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), was selected as a recipient of a doctoral fellowship of €5 000 by the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Sub-Saharan Africa initiative. This programme celebrates young female scientists from higher education institutions in Africa. Ms Fayemiwo was selected for her project, “Novel tannin-based adsorbents from green tea for the removal of organic pollutants in oilfield produced water”.
She is one of 14 African scholars awarded the funding. Two of the 14 students received €10 000 while the other 12 students received €5 000 each. Although some of the students hail from the other African countries, nine of the 14 students are enrolled at South African universities – Nigeria (2 students), Kenya (1 student), South Africa (5 students), Uganda (1 student), Zimbabwe (1 student), Botswana (1 student), Cameroon (1 student), Ghana (1 student), and Togo (1 student).
Since 1998, the L’Oréal Corporate Foundation and UNESCO have been committed to women in science and to increasing the number of women working in scientific research. The programme has since supported more than 2,700 young women from 115 countries and celebrated 97 Laureates, at the peak of their careers, including professors Elizabeth H. Blackburnand Ada Yonath, who went on to win Nobel Prizes.
The Awards ceremony where the scientists were presented with the fellowship took place on the evening of 8 November at The Venue Greenpark, Johannesburg.