Scientific research important for strategic areas of development

The government of Rwanda has in recent years been focused on identifying and supporting various areas of research and education with potential for contributing to national needs.

Monday, August 27, 2007

The government of Rwanda has in recent years been focused on identifying and supporting various areas of research and education with potential for contributing to national needs.

Rwanda has a long tradition of supporting research in areas with intrinsic scientific interest, and this strategy has a renewed commitment to supporting areas with the potential for social and economic benefits for the nation.

It should however be understood that the government need to interact with its partners on various  grounds such as industry, state and local governments, private foundations, and other sectors of society to determine issues of national importance that would benefit from investments in research and education.

The government has played a pivotal role in the progress of science and technology and specific persons have been assigned with its activities. They are entitled to identify key areas of development in this sector and coordinate their support through various programmes.

The major role played by the leaders in charge of science and technology is to provide an appropriate balance of support among research areas of strategic national importance such as science and engineering education.

Also along with the research on other activities aimed at re-sharpening the knowledge of the citizens.

Science and technology is applied on various aspects such as computing and communication, Biotechnology, environment, global change and environment.

The importance of computing and communication programme is to increase the nation’s capacity for computing and computer networking in order to spur productivity, build economic competitiveness, support research that requires high levels of computing power, promote innovation in software design, and create education and training opportunities for individuals of all ages.

It is important also to learn that modern research is increasingly dependent on computer systems that can assist in the visualization, modelling, simulation, and analysis of complex technical phenomena.

The National University of Rwanda, Rwanda Development Gateway, among others provide adequate means for ICT development in Rwanda. Several ICT research centres in Rwanda provide instruments that are being used by scientists, engineers, and students in various departments of high institution of learning as well as secondary school pupil.

 These instruments are used for research in various activities such as manufacturing and design, Biotechnology is also another major field of interest that should be inspired by ICT activities in the country.

The rapidly emerging field of biotechnology enlists living organisms to make and modify products.

It improves particular aspects and functions of plants, animals and develops micro-organisms for specific use.

Biotechnology is already producing benefits in the form of new pharmaceuticals, better crop species, and new ways to remove hazardous waste such as oil spills.

Biotechnology also includes computationally intensive research in areas such as neuroscience and molecular biology.

It should also be noticed that research on environment, agricultural biotechnology, and the social and economic implications of biotechnology are all topics of national importance.

Today, ICT knowledge is being used in developing and testing highly complex computer study of neuron activity in the human brain. These models also help to test and refine our understanding of human cognition, which includes processes like reading and learning.Scientific research is also important on environmental studies. Maintaining the quality of our environment while sustaining economic growth is a global issue, and it is very important to understand and have initiatives on the geochemistry of near surface of our environment.The role of biodiversity in maintaining the health of the environment, and the development of technologies for preventing and remedying environmental damage, among others are key aspects of focus.

High technological environmental facilities like the top mass spectrometer application of the scientific research in order to make use of it.

The top mass spectrometer instrument measures stable isotopes which provide important information for a variety of environmental research problems. Various Isotopes are useful in studying the mechanisms used by plants to take up nutrients, particularly carbon and nitrogen.

And by tracing the movement of these nutrients through nature, yields important information on plant productivity, the biological and geological cycling of these nutrients, and the impact of these cycles on the environment.Circumstances like climatic change, ozone depletion, greenhouse warming, the impact of human behaviour on earth processes, and other global change research issues offers broad knowledge of national importance.

Scientific research on the management of the nation’s civil infrastructure such as its roads, bridges, buildings, and tunnels will dramatically benefit from science and engineering research.

Research investments that produce new designs, more reliable and long lasting materials, will yield social and economic dividends for a long time to come.Ends