Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World

The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) (formerly, the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS) is an international membership organization that provides research training, career development and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world at different stages in their careers. Its programmes include postgraduate and early career fellowships and annual awards for research excellence[1].

OWSD was established in 1993. The OWSD Secretariat is based in Trieste, Italy on the campus of the International Center for Theoretical Physics, and is hosted by the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), a programme unit of UNESCO.

Leadership

OWSD is governed by an Executive Board, composed of a President, four regional Vice Presidents and four regional Members. The Executive Board is elected by OWSD members at a General Assembly every four years[2].

The OWSD Secretariat is headed by the OWSD Programme Coordinator who is given the authority to make decisions and implement operations and programmes according to the direction set by the Executive Board. The Secretariat acts as chief point of contact and liaison between regions and the national chapters, and administers the programmatic activities.

History

The idea for OWSD was first raised at a conference on The Role of Women in the Development of Science and Technology in the Third World in 1988, organized by the World Academy of Sciences, where more than 200 leading women scientists from 63 developing countries participated. A study group was formed to explore the possibility of creating an organization that would champion the experience, needs and skills of women scientists in the developing world. At a further meeting in Trieste in 1989, the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS) was established and a constitution adopted. TWOWS was officially launched four years later in 1993, at the First General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt[3].

Name Change

On June 29 2010, members voted to adopt a new name - the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) - at the organization’s Fourth General Assembly in Beijing, China.

Funding

OWSD is funded by external donors.

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) has supported OWSD financially since 1998 and provides full funding for the postgraduate fellowship programme.

Since 2010, the Elsevier Foundation has provided funding for the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists, given to five women scientists from the developing world each year.

In 2017, an agreement was signed with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to fully fund a new OWSD fellowship for Early Career Women Scientists.

Membership

OWSD has more than 6,000 members from 137 countries.  Over 90% of OWSD members are women living and working in developing countries who have master's or doctorate degrees in scientific subjects[4]. 

OWSD has three categories of membership:

  • Full members are women scientists from developing countries who have completed a master’s degree or higher in the natural sciences (including engineering, technology and innovation) or social sciences.
  • Affiliate members are women scientists from developing countries who have completed a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in the natural sciences or social sciences.
  • Friends of OWSD are women and men from developed and developing countries across all disciplines (including science, social science, arts and humanities) who are committed to promoting the objectives of OWSD and who are not eligible for the Affiliate or Full membership categories. Friends of OWSD engage with OWSD and its members through support activities such as mentoring, fundraising, networking, and promoting.

National Chapters

OWSD has national chapters in 20 countries. National chapters organize regional conferences, seminars and workshops, lead national and regional initiatives for women in science, and provide OWSD members with networking opportunities. National chapters have been established in:

  • Bangladesh
  • Bolivia
  • China
  • Cuba
  • Egypt
  • Ghana
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Kenya
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Myanmar
  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Yemen
  • Zimbabwe

Programmes

Postgraduate fellowships

OWSD postgraduate fellowships are offered to women from selected science and technology-lagging countries in the developing world to undertake PhD research in the natural sciences, including engineering and information technology, at host institutes in another developing country. A small number of fellowships are also available for MSc students[5].

These scholarships cover all costs related to undertaking research in a host country that are not covered by the host institute, including travel, visa and health costs, tuition and bench fees as well as a monthly stipend for the awardees' board, accommodation and living expenses. The fellowship also includes additional funding for each PhD fellow to travel to international workshops and conferences of relevance.

The fellowship is offered as either a full-time (up to 4 years) or sandwich option, in which the fellow is a registered PhD student in her home country and undertakes a maximum of 3 research visits at the host institute for minimum 6 up to 20 months.

More than 240 women scientists have graduated from the fellowship programme with PhDs since 1998.

The programme is funded by Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

Early career fellowships

The OWSD Early Career Women Scientists (ECWS) fellowship is a prestigious award of up to USD 50,000 offered to women who have completed their PhDs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects and are employed at an academic or scientific research institute in selected science and technology-lagging countries in the developing world. ECWS fellows are supported to continue their research at an international level while based at their home institutes and to build up research groups that will attract international visitors[6].

The ECWS fellowship programme is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada.

The first cohort of ECWS fellows will be awarded in 2018.

OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists

The OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards are an annual prize given to reward and encourage women scientists working and living in developing countries who are in the early stages of their careers. Initially launched in 2010, the Awards are presented to five scientists each year, one from each of the four OWSD regions plus an additional exceptional winner from any region. The eligible scientific disciplines for the Awards rotate between the biological sciences, physical sciences and engineering. Each winner receives USD 5,000 and presents her research during a special awards ceremony at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting[7].

Awardees must have made a demonstrable impact on the research environment both at a regional and international level.

Executive Board

2016-2020

President

Vice Presidents

  • Babalola Olubukola Oluranti (Nigeria) Africa
  • Nashwa Eassa (Sudan) Arab region
  • Atya Kapley (India) Asia-Pacific
  • Jana Rodríguez Hertz (Uruguay) Latin America & the Caribbean

Regional members

  • Esi Awuah (Ghana) Africa
  • Huda Basaleem (Yemen) Arab region
  • Hasin Anupama Azhari (Bangladesh) Asia-Pacific

2010-2015

President

  • Fang Xin (China)

Vice Presidents

  • Dolly Ahbor Ighoroje (Nigeria) Africa
  • Samira Omar (Kuwait) Arab region
  • Farida Habib Shah (Malaysia) Asia-Pacific
  • Mayra de la Torre (Mexico) Latin America & the Caribbean

Regional members

  • Esi Awuah (Ghana) Africa
  • Rokhsana Ismail (Yemen) Arab region
  • Sudha Nair (India) Asia-Pacific
  • Miriam Diaz (Venezuela) Latin America & the Caribbean

2005-2010

President

  • Kaiser Jamil (India)

Vice Presidents

  • Dolly Ahbor Ighoroje (Nigeria) Africa
  • Rokhsana Ismail (Yemen) Arab region
  • Fang Xin (China) Asia-Pacific
  • Elsa Quiroga (Bolivia) Latin America & the Caribbean

Regional members

  • Doreen Semali Kisamo (Tanzania) Africa
  • Aida El-Azzouny (Egypt) Arab region
  • Farida Habib Shah (Malaysia) Asia-Pacific
  • Mayra de la Torre (Mexico) Latin America & the Caribbean

1999-2004

President

Vice Presidents

Regional members

  • Christiana Nso Mbi (Cameroon) Africa
  • Hilweh A. Malhas (Jordan) Arab region
  • Farida Habib Shah (Malaysia) Asia-Pacific
  • Elsa Quiroga (Bolivia)

1993-1998

President

  • Lydia Makhubu (Swaziland)

Vice Presidents

  • Grace Alele Williams (Nigeria) Africa
  • Farkhonda Hassan (Egypt) Arab region
  • Filomena Campos (the Philippines) Asia-Pacific
  • Ana María Cetto (Mexico) Latin America & the Caribbean

Regional members

  • Christiana Nso Mbi (Cameroon) Africa
  • Fatima Abdali (Kuwait) Arab region
  • Qiheng Hu (China) Asia-Pacific
  • Patience Dennis (Jamaica) Latin America & the Caribbean

References

  1. ↑ "What is OWSD? | OWSD". owsd.net. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  2. ↑ "Structure | OWSD". owsd.net. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  3. ↑ "History | OWSD". owsd.net. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  4. ↑ "Membership | OWSD". owsd.net. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  5. ↑ "PhD Fellowship | OWSD". owsd.net. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  6. ↑ "Early Career Women Scientists (ECWS) Fellowships | OWSD". owsd.net. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  7. ↑ "Awards | OWSD". owsd.net. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
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