FOSE Snake and Snakebite Training

The Department of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with the Eswatini Antivenom Foundation, are organizing a snake and snakebite training course.

Please note the following details of the training sessions, times and venues. For logistics and catering purposes, kindly indicate to your Head of Department, by no later than 12 noon on Tuesday 11th January 2022 if you wish to this training, including which session(s) you wish to attend.

Session 1 (8:30am to 1pm, IDE Lecture Theatre): This theory session. Please note the seating capacity of the venue is 70. This session will cover general information about snakes and the snakes of Eswatini, how to identify venomous and non-venomous snakes and what to do in the event of being bitten by a snake. This interactive session will also cover local myths associated with snakes and snakebites.

Session 2 (2pm – 4pm, venue to be confirmed on 14 January 2022 as weather dependent): This practical session will train participants on how to handle venomous and non-venomous snakes commonly found in Eswatini.

This session has a limit of 15 participants for safety reasons. All participants of this session MUST complete Session 1. Priority will be given to staff who regularly take students to the field such as those from EIRMIP and Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and GEP. Any staff member who is not from these departments and who wishes to receive practical training during this session should indicate this information to their HOD. We will do our best to accommodate such staff members should space be available, on a first come first served basis.

FOSE staff members wishing to watch this practical training but not receive training are free to come to the venue and watch quietly in the background. The limit in participant numbers is only for those who will be trained to handle the snakes.

Session 3 (3:30pm – 5pm, venue to be confirmed on 14 January 2022 as weather dependent): This practical session will train participants on how to handle the Black Mamba, the world most venomous snake.

For safety, this session has a limit of 10 participants, and only those who have successfully completed Sessions 1 and 2 will be allowed to participate in this session.

FOSE staff members wishing to watch this practical training but not receive training are free to come to the venue and watch quietly in the background. The limit in participant numbers is only for those who will be trained to handle the Black Mamba.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022
&
Thursday, January 14, 2022

EXPORING THE NEXUS BETWEEN COMPUTING AND MEDICINE TO SAVE LIVES

by Prof. Faith-Michael Uzoka, Professor of Computer Science and Information Systems, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada.

Abstract: Healthcare access in most developing countries is significantly challenged due to high population densities with limited health care facilities, most of which suffer operational inefficiencies resulting from manual processes. Affordability issues also force a number of patients to self-medicate or avoid medical attention all together, leading to avoidable mortalities. The COVID pandemic has imposed a significant level of challenge to health care access, especially in developing countries – where scarce health systems are overwhelmed; thus, exacerbating the access challenges faced by the poor and other vulnerable members of the society.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning present opportunities for utilization of information technology in enhancing access to health care services and support, especially considering the high level of penetration of mobile technology in most developing countries. We present a two-component study for improving health care access in sub-Saharan Africa. The first component is a study on the development of a system that would enable frontline health workers to diagnose common febrile diseases in places with shortage of physicians. The second component is the development of a smart medical assistant equipped with robotic features for dispensing medicines and supplies to patients, sanitizing hospital wards, and enabling remote consultation between the patient and the physicians. It is expected that the outcomes of our studies will save numerous lives by taking advantage of the nexus between computing and medicine

Bio: Faith-Michael Uzoka is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computing at Mount Royal University (MRU), Calgary, Canada. He has over 30 years university teaching and research experience in four countries. Michael is an accomplished researcher with over 100 academic publications that have made international impacts in various aspects of human endeavour, especially in medical decision support systems. He has worked with research collaborators to develop award winning innovations (e.g., smart pill dispenser). He served as a Canadian Commonwealth Scholar, Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow (MUST, Uganda and UniUyo), and Research Development Officer (MRU). He actively engages undergraduate and graduate students in his research, both as research collaborators and research assistants. He is passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and places high premium on the value of EDI in research and scholarship. He serves on the President Advisory Committee on EDI at MRU and is the Chair of the FST EDI Committee. Apart from academics, Michael is a successful entrepreneur in the fields of education and information technology. He is President/CEO of Cambrooks College, Calgary and Novena Educational Consult, Calgary, and Novena Systems and Technologies, Calgary.

Wednesday, 15 September 2021
4:00pm - 5:00pm

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81058420421
Meeting ID: 810 5842 0421