How Technology is Transforming STEM Education

Andreina Parisi-Amon, Ph.D.

VP of Learning & Teaching, Engageli

Andreina Parisi-Amon is the VP of Learning & Teaching at Engageli. She brings over 15 years of experience across academia and industry-driving innovation in education. Before joining Engageli, she spent three years in K-12 applied learning development, and five years creating and leading Coursera’s Teaching & Learning team. She has extensive experience in research, curriculum development, teaching, and building partnerships with university and industry leaders.

Andreina has a Ph.D. from Stanford University and a BSc from Duke University.

Denish Azamuke

IIP Fellow 2021, Uganda

Denish Azamuke is a Ugandan national and Pan-Africanist. He graduated with a master's in Mathematical Sciences from AIMS Rwanda (Class of 2021). He has always believed in research that drives the Industry. While for his master's, he carried out local context research that forecasted the volatility of forex returns in the Rwanda forex market. 

Prior to his master's studies, Denish studied Bsc. Computer Science from Makerere University. While for his bachelor's studies, he developed a mobile application to boost the local motorcycle riders' business thus promoting financial inclusion in the local spaces. Specifically, his app called "MobiFuel" enabled motorcyclists to access fuel on credit and they would pay back the micro-loan using mobile money technology integrated within the innovation. With an individualized credit score for each rider, the application would automatically suggest future fuel amounts that riders can access based on their repayment history.

After his studies, he joined MARINI Company as an intern and he has grown through the ranks in less than a year to be the Regulatory Technology (RegTech) Strategy Lead. Specifically, he works at the technology service arm of the company and leads technical teams that develop regulatory technologies using Artificial Intelligence to resolve compliance issues of many financial Institutions (Banks) in the country. 

He is passionate about Financial Inclusion in Africa and he believes in STEM leading the African Continent to achieve financial inclusion through building practical and deployable technologies to promote financial Inclusion in the local space as well as RegTechs for the global focus.

Pius Illah

Industry Officer, iiAfrica, Nigeria

Pius Illah is a passionate, multi-skilled and talented professional with several years of experience in the University based startup entrepreneurship industry and Industry engagements. In the last 8 years, he worked with early stage entrepreneurs at LaunchLab, a University incubator based in Stellenbosch South Africa. He currently leads Industry Engagement for Industry Immersion Africa and Coordinates innovation and partnership at The Machine Intelligence Institute of Africa. In his private consulting capacity, Pius leads a team focused on Data science training research, innovation, software development and design. Pius is also experienced in coordinating with stakeholders engagement

Natalie Cynthia Namugga

IIP Fellow 2022, Kenya

Natalie Namugga has recently completed her Bachelors of Business Science in Actuarial Science from Strathmore University Kenya. In her research, she focused on the implementation of enterprise risk management on commercial banks in Uganda.

Whilst at Strathmore University, she had been given avenues in which she could gain work experience. In her second year, she was able to work as a voluntary teacher. In this role, Natalie provided support to the teachers to finish the syllabus on time while also helping students understand material that they have not understood fully in the classroom.

In her third year, Natalie was also given an opportunity to intern at Utawala Applied Research Institute, as a research analyst. In this role, she was able to obtain information on whether or not the measures enforced by the Kenyan government shielded their citizens on the adverse effects of the pandemic.

In addition to that, together with a group of international students, they were able to create a club called the Strathmore International Students Association which focuses on helping international students in Strathmore easily navigate in Kenya.

In her engagement in school club activities and her work experiences, she has been able to add on many qualities to her skillset which include proficiency in Microsoft office and also in data analysis tools. She aspires to work in fields that deal in portfolio management, management consulting, investment analysis and also data science.

Ylaney Ramlall

IIP Fellow 2018, South Africa

Ylaney was born in the sunny east coast of South Africa. She completed her undergrad and honors in Mathematics at the University of KwaZulu Natal. She then joined AIMS-SA in 2018 and completed  Industry Immersion Program with an internship at BBraun in Johannesburg . 

Ms. Ramlall has a passion for using Mathematics to solve real problems and has experienced the wonderful challenge of putting her skills to use in the Insurance Industry. She is currently a Reinsurance Underwriter for Santam RE working in the South East Asia and Indian Subcontinent Reinsurance market.