The African Scientific Institute (ASI), a non-profit federally tax-exempt organization, was founded in 1967.  ASI inspires young people to pursue careers in science and technology, while simultaneously representing a network of scientists, engineers, technologists, and health professionals, mathematicians.

The objectives of ASI are implemented through:

• Publishing literature • Sponsoring conferences, seminars, workshops • Research and Consulting services • Lectures before various types of audiences • Making Radio and Television appearances • Counseling and providing special support services for scientifically motivated youth • Community Involvement projects—such as Achievement Award Banquets • Co-operative projects with private and governmental sectors—such as job fairs. • Maintaining a climate of high acceptance so that as increased needs require increased budgets, donors and volunteers, whether they be public, private, governmental, national or international, will join with ASI to provide the needed funds and services to maintain and continue the worthwhile objectives of the organization.• Employment Matching Program

Historically, ASI has concerned itself primarily with motivation programs for minorities entering scientific and technological areas. However, over the past few years, ASI has expanded its objectives to become project development oriented. Also, ASI renders consulting and research services, which are rendered on a fee basis.

Current Projects and Activities Summaries

ASI Fellows Program

This program represents a network of 363 “super stars” in science and technology from 27 countries. They continuously demonstrated their efforts to achieve higher goals in their areas of expertise and serve as a standard of accomplishments. They are role models who encourage our youth to further engage in science and technology.  Our youth can identify with these individuals and be encouraged that as they start their journey, they can also achieve high accomplishments, knowing that others have achieved similar goals.

ASI-Ghana NGO

The Ghana Division of the African Scientific Institute (ASI) is currently working on programs and projects in the Ghanaian health sector. These projects include “Project Helping Hand,” which assists Ghanaian healthcare workers and their families and also health/science students. Projects have been started involving seminars and workshops on the ABCs of hygiene, clean water and sanitation. Another activity of the ASI-Ghana NGO is the ASI-Malaria Travel Clinic Project, providing malaria education, prevention, consultation and proper treatment to Ghanaian residents, especially pregnant women and children under age five, and to international travelers to Ghana.

Institut Scientifique Africain (ASI-Democratic Republic of Congo NGO)

We recently initiated this NGO in DRC to provide assistance to projects requirements in this country through use of science and technology.

Consulting and Research

The African Scientific Institute (ASI) and the American Shea Butter Institute (ASBI) have signed a Letter of Intent to work collaboratively whenever possible and appropriate toward the creation of basic knowledge in the biosciences for the application of shea in medical, material, and technological discoveries; the pursuit of fundamental scientific advances through interdisciplinary programs and collaborations, and the education and training of researchers preparing to meet the scientific challenges of the next century. Building on our respective missions, collective vision and mutual commitment to Sub Sahara Africa­ - The American Shea Butter Institute and the African Scientific Institute seek to develop a strategic alliance to realize common goals and mutual respect, value-added benefit, integrity and shared ownership. This collaboration will be transforming and have the capacity of greatly influencing our mutually agreed upon strategic goals.

Health Delivery Projects

·         The training of individuals in research is a necessary factor for the improvement of health care delivery and in the implementation of an organized research infrastructure in Eritrea. The development of a graduate school of biomedical sciences at the Orotta School of Medicine and Dentistry will create an environment that promotes developments in basic science research, clinical research, and advances in industry and that will lead to the generation of knowledge that will benefit not only Eritrea but the continent of Africa and the world.  

·         In Eritrea there are no anesthesiologists for a population of 4.8 million individuals. The country has a few good but aging nurse anesthetists. The establishment of a graduate medical education program that will train residents in Africa in the field of anesthesiology is a necessity. African physicians  trained in the United States or who are trained in Africa and go to the United States for further training usually remain in the United States. According to the December 2008 issue of the national geographic magazine, in North America 1.3% of the physicians leave and practice medicine in other countries, however, in Sub Sahara Africa an average of 13.9 % of the physicians leave Africa and go to other countries. A solution to this problem is to train physicians and residents in specialty areas in their own country. Providing anesthesiology in Eritrea with the available equipment is different than providing anesthesiology in the United States.

·         The ASI Malaria Travel Clinic is to provide urgently needed malaria education prevention, standardize diagnostics, consultation and proper treatment to Ghanaian residents, especially pregnant women and children under age five and to short and long term international travelers to Ghana.

“Bridging the Divide” Mixers

Attendees at these mixers include graduate and undergraduate students, engineering and science professionals, educators and other professionals, parents and children.

We need more Black engineers and scientists. New professionals in these occupations come from our graduate and undergraduate students. We need more of our students majoring in engineering and science. New college and university students come from high schools. We need more high school students taking advance mathematics and science courses. Educators know the students who have potential to take these advance courses.

We invite attendees to attend this mixer because we know they care about our youth and developments among us in the world of science and technology.

ASI Speakers Bureau

FESMAN III SciTech Sector 

·         The African Scientific Institute (ASI) and the U.S. National Committee of the World Festival of Black Arts (FESMAN III) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work collaboratively whenever possible and appropriate toward the development of presenting the science and technology component FESMAN III, scheduled to be held during December 2011 in Senegal. The theme of this event is “African  Renaissance: Diversity and Unity”

Africa

Namibian Oil Service Complex and Refinery

·        The project, to be housed on the coast near the port of Walvis Bay, Namibia, will be designed to resolve crucial issues that impede the growth of the African Oil Industry. Faced with expanded regional oil exploration and large scale discoveries, the African oil producers must enhanced their marketing, storage and refining capabilities to better serve the African and international consumers. The facility will be a private development multi service cooperative, engage in storing, marketing and trading of crude oil and finished products. The 1000 mega watt power plant will produce badly needed electricity to the Namibian Power Grid with the overage available for resale to neighboring countries. The facility and its byproducts will automatically help to reduce the cost of energy and refined products to Namibia and the neighboring local markets. The deep water terminal will provide a better organized and more efficient loading port for international off-shore tankers of African Crude Oil and refined products.

Project to provide (summary):

ü  Deep Water Oil Terminal to handle large 2 million barrel Tanker ships

ü  50,000 bbls. Per Day  Full Product Slate Crude Oil Refinery (Expandable to 100,000)

ü  30 million barrel crude oil and refined product Tank Farm

ü  1000 mega watt Co-generation Power Plant

ü  Pipe Lines and Support Vessels

ü  Housing for workers

ü  Infrastructures for facilities and residents          

All African Oil Producing countries have expressed interest in using the facilities; each is to be allocated 6 million bbls of storage during any one instance.

Africa Space Initiative

·        Operational oceanographic capabilities through GOOS-AFRICA - ASI is happy to join the Global Ocean Observing System in Africa (GOOS-AFRICA) program and network for the further reinforcement of this initiative in the best interest of the African countries. We are resolved to bring our world while network of Governmental and nongovernmental academic, research and business partners to support relevant programs of your Organization.

·        As a way to excite the next generation of Africans in Africa and Africa Diaspora about space science, we propose to initiate an international K-12 model rocket competition, starting with a few participating countries, then expand into other interested countries throughout Africa and the African Diaspora.

Some of ASI’s Recent & Past activities and projects have included:
 

2009:  PARIS CONFERENCE -  ASI, with support from UNESCO, presented “The African Diaspora Scientific Community Mobilization for Africa" (Adiascom Africa) Initiative”, a conference held in Paris on June 29 – July 1, 2009.  The purpose of this conference was:

·         To bring together African Diaspora scientists, futurists and technology experts who can assist towards alleviating some structural poverty.

·         To address developing infrastructures within Africa.

·         To increase networking within the African Diaspora, and also link notable black people with the next generation of black scientists and technologists.

2006 - present:  Sponsors its Mixers and continues this event today. Though this event is not in a regulated format, the thrust of the gathering revolves around the theme “Bridging the Divide”. We need more Black engineers and scientists.  New professionals in these occupations come from our graduate and undergraduate students. We need more of our students majoring in engineering and science, and they come from high schools.  Therefore, we need more high school students taking advance mathematics and science courses as prerequisites.  Our teachers and educators know that certain students have the potential to excel in these advance courses. Attendees to this mixer include graduate and undergraduate students, engineering and science professionals and educators from our local schools. We invite people to attend this mixer because they care about our children and future developments as they impact us all in the world of science and technology.

2006:  ASI Fellows Induction Ceremony

2003 – 2006:  Nursing and Allied Health Careers Outreach Program:  Sponsored its outreach efforts to direct Black men and women into the nursing profession, as well as allied health fields.  This event was been held every year in Oakland, CA to assure the success of our outreach efforts in the Black community.

2003:   National Black Nurses Association Convention 
(ASI partnered on Job Fair)

2002:   Commissioned to assess the physical condition of the Dolisie General Hospital in the Republic of Congo and provide a conclusive report that also indicates what is necessary to revitalize this war-torn hospital.

2001:   Sponsored U.S. Ambassador from Mozambique to the Bay Area, California to present the ill plight of devastation caused by floods to his country that killed hundreds and destroyed the lives of thousands of his fellow countrymen, women and children.

1996:   Initiated and developed a farming project in Ghana. We grew more than 3,000 pineapples and used this project as a test model to determine requirements to cultivate, harvest and distribute farm produce from agriculture fields to population centers.

1995 – present: Develops its network of notable scientific and technical super-stars through its ASI Fellows Program. These Fellows are loosely networked throughout 11 countries.  The thrust of this program is to show our youth about individuals who represent “standards of par-excellence” in their fields of expertise.

1990 – 2000:  Sponsored and presented the Science and Technology Awareness Fair in Oakland, California. Initially, this fair included children from 8 school districts. During the last three years, we jointly sponsored this event with the Oakland Unified School District.  Over the years, this most successful two-day event reached 35,000+ Bay Area children.  We held this fair in Oakland to make sure African American children and other children of color were exposed to companies and agencies that were excited about the future of our children in the world of science and technology.

1986 – 1997: Published “Blacks In Science Calendar” and distributed them throughout the U.S. and overseas.  This calendar, which featured contemporary Black scientists and technologists super-stars, reached into thousands of homes.

1995:   Hollywood, Our Town

1992:   Africa Focus Series

1986 – 1992: Published “SciTech News” newspaper, which was distributed to 25,000+ people throughout the U.S.  This publication focused on bringing the world of science and technology into primarily African American homes, churches, barber shops and beauty salons, and wherever we believed Black people congregated.  We distributed over 7,500 of these newspapers throughout the Bay Area, with an emphasis on Oakland.

1984 – 1986:  Published “Technology Transfer” magazine, which was distributed to about 5,000 professionals throughout the U.S.

1979 - 1981:  Sponsored Bay Area Job Fairs with Black Engineering and Science Students Association of UC Berkeley as a partner. These events were held in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, California Bay Area. These fairs were well attended by students and professionals from Bay Area communities.

1978:   Sponsored “Food: A – Z” conference at U.C. Berkeley to enlighten the public about worldwide food production and distribution.  The Director of FAO, Director of Northern CA Grocers Association, and Black Nutritionist Organization representative were featured speakers.

            Initiated the “Kajola Farming Project” in Nigeria, a cooperative to support agriculture development within 15,000 acre area. Nigeria’s instability made this project too difficult to move forward.

1976:  Launched the International African Science Conference to be held for the first time overseas, scheduled to be held in Lagos, Nigeria during 1978, with Black scientists and technologist participating from around the world. Many scientists from Canada, Europe, Japan and China all wanted to participate.  The U.S. State Dept. contacted us with interests and concerns.  Nigeria had a Coup in 1978.  Though this unfortunate turn of events led to the cancellation of this conference, ASI had developed international ties into the scientific and technical communities.

1975:   Sponsored Fourth International African Science Conference was held at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley. Attendees included African American scientists and students throughout California.  Featured speakers and panelists included leadership from the Northern California and Los Angeles Councils of Black Professional Engineers (Lee O. Cherry co-founded NCCBPE).  NCCBPE was responsible for initiating the Interface Program at Allen Temple to assist Black youth to develop in science and math.

Dignity Institute of Technology changes its name to the African Scientific Institute (ASI).

1973:   Sponsored Third International African Science Conference
held, but this time at his Lordship’s in Berkeley. Attendees included primarily Bay Area African American scientists and students.  Featured speakers and panelists included Dr. J. Alfred Smith (Allen Temple Church), Dr. Marcus Foster (Oakland Schools Supertindent), Ken Coleman (Hewlett-Packard HR Director and later founded the Peninsula Assoc. of Black Personnel Administrators), Ms. Gerri Lange (film, TV, stage personality), Dr. Edington (of the Bay Area Chapter of NMA).

1971:   Sponsored Second International African Science Conference held in Oakland, California. Attendees included primarily Bay Area African American scientists and students. Dr. Pete Bragg (then Chair of UC Berkeley’s Dept. of Material Science), Dr. Kountz (then Co-Chair of UCSF Med Center’s Organ Transplant Operations), and Maurice Dawson (then Director of Oakland’s Model City’s Program) were featured speakers.

1970:   Sponsored First International African Science Conference held in Oakland, California. Attendees included primarily Bay Area African American scientists and students.

Co-Founded UC Berkeley’s Black Engineering Science Students Association (BESSA - primarily through the efforts of James C. Cherry and Bill Harris) to facilitate Black students not failing and being retained in engineering and science coursework at U.C. Berkeley.  DIT and BESSA coordinated activities to assure Bay Area Black communities stayed aware of developments in science and job opportunities in science and technology.  Bill Harris was BESSA’s first President. Rodney Maxwell later became one of BESSA’s Presidents.  Today, Bill Harris is ASI’s Executive Secretary and Rodney Maxwell is ASI’s Comptroller. This organization became a cornerstone for initiating NSBE (National Society Black Engineers), which today has 15,000+ Black engineering and science students on every major university and college in the U.S.

1967:  A group of young men founded Dignity Institute of Technology in Oakland, California (name changed to African Scientific Institute in 1975).