In a sunlit classroom in Kigali, Rwanda, Vincent Ogwal fixates on his computer screen, lines of code cascading before him. The young graduate student from Uganda grapples with questions that have long fascinated him, questions at the intersection of technology and neuroscience: How can we decode the brain’s intricate signals? What secrets of human cognition might computational models unveil?

Ogwal was one of 20 undergraduate and graduate students from across Africa selected to explore how computational neuroscience and machine learning might help us understand the brain’s deepest mysteries. In mid-July, they gathered at the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)-Africa campus in a highly competitive summer course organized by TReND in Africa (Teaching and Research in Natural Sciences for Development in Africa), a volunteer-run charity supporting scientific advancement across the continent.

This year, the charity partnered with the Allen Institute to further develop the TReND-CaMinA (Computational Neuroscience and Machine learning in Africa) course, utilizing the Institute’s free tools and datasets.

“Based on their experience last year, the organizers were eager for students to be able to conduct projects using real data,” said Saskia de Vries, Ph.D., associate director of Data and Outreach at the Allen Institute. “That’s where we came in.”

Several Allen Institute scientists, including de Vries and Michael Buice, Ph.D., associate investigator, traveled to Kigali to provide hands-on tutorials on resources like the Allen Brain Observatory.

“The students were very engaged and eager to dive into the course,” Buice said. “We received multiple accounts from the students that the initial day was extremely overwhelming, but that after some time for review and through the second day things started to coalesce.” 

For students like Ogwal, the course was a transformative experience.

“Working with the Allen Institute’s data sets provided an invaluable opportunity to apply advanced data analysis techniques to real-world neuroscience problems, leading to meaningful discoveries about brain function and organization,” he said. “The insights gained from this analysis contribute to the broader field of neuroscience and highlight the potential of large-scale data in advancing our understanding of the brain.”

His sentiment embodied the spirit of the program.

The TReND-CAMinA course aims to establish the fields of computational neuroscience and machine learning in Africa, nurture a new generation of researchers addressing challenges unique to the continent, and create a network that fosters sustainable development and contributes to global knowledge.

“African researchers primarily focus on applied and translation research. Opportunities for fundamental research are scarce, making it difficult to see the relevance of basic scientific questions,” said Artemis Koumoundourou, Ph.D., executive director of TReND. “Exposing our students to the Allen Institute’s work conveyed the necessity of fundamental research. Not only that, the participants felt motivated and inspired by the data and the magnitude of the effort put into it.”

Kigali, Rwanda

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

The students’ drive was impressive, de Vries said.

“Given the limited opportunities to study neuroscience in Africa, these students have already shown remarkable initiative,” she said. “They were very curious, highly motivated, and determined to make sure they understood the material as we were teaching.”

The experience also highlighted the importance of cross-cultural understanding in scientific endeavors, de Vries added.

The Student Experience

Simangele Shabalala discusses why she applied for the TReND-CAMiNA course.

“One of my big takeaways was how different the academic training environment is in Africa,” she said. “Better understanding their education system will enable us to better evaluate African candidates for our programs and job openings, and ultimately engage and collaborate more effectively with African scientists.”

The TReND team is eager to deepen the partnership, she added. “Working with the Allen team enriches our course and has a positive impact on our student’s careers and on the dissemination of computational neuroscience and machine learning skills across Africa,” Koumoundourou said.

The course culminated in small research projects and presentations, where students applied their newly acquired knowledge of Allen Institute data and tools.

“Learning from people with different areas of expertise and backgrounds has been incredibly rewarding,” said Ruby Etornam Adikah, who is studying to be an optometrist at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. “Over just two and a half weeks, we built lifelong connections, networks, and friendships, becoming more than just colleagues—we became family.”

All photos courtesy of the students, faculty, and staff of TReND-CaMinA.