R²frontiers

“It’s given a show of the calibre and the teaching and the facilities available, so overall it’s given me an insight into studying at Imperial. And the postgrads that came around provided a lot of feedback as well.”

non-Russell Group university student

Year 2 Mechanical Engineering

“I’m actually thinking about going to Imperial now, the whole experience was good. They were talking about the scholarships available and seeing the Chemical Engineering display, the facilities were really good, better than what I’ve seen elsewhere.”

non-Russell Group university student

Year 2 Chemical Engineering

“Reflecting on an Unforgettable Experience at the R2Frontiers Programme:

Over the past two weeks, I had the incredible opportunity to take part in the R2Frontiers Programme at Imperial College London – a full scholarship initiative designed to develop the next generation of black scientists and engineers driving global change.

From project-based research to entrepreneurship workshops, cutting-edge facilities, and inspiring speakers – every single moment was enriching. I was so invested in Leroy Gardner’s lecture on wire arc additive manufacturing – giving us an insight into the future of 3D printing steel structures and Keye Oduneye’s workshop on empowerment. He emphasised the importance of knowing myself – ‘I can’t sell what I do not know’.

I learned so much about myself – from discovering my personality type (which was scarily accurate), to improving my public speaking, to connecting with PhD students and postdocs doing impactful research and working in the field. I even got to tour the carbon capture and storage facilities at Imperial – the largest CCS research programme in the UK!

I’m incredibly grateful to Felicity Okolo for her supportive energy and public speaking workshop, and a huge, heartfelt thank you to Dr Sunday Popo-Ola the mastermind behind the programme! Thank you for your wisdom, humour, generosity, and for giving us this life-changing opportunity.

Thanks to you, I will always remember: ‘Practice makes permanence!’

Here’s to the next generation of Black scientists and engineers shaping global solutions!”

Zainab Sambo – University of Liverpool

“Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in Imperial College London’s R?Frontiers programme.

Throughout the 2 weeks, we attended several insightful talks from leading researchers and professors within their respective industries.

We also worked on a group project in which we had to pick a city from the C40 list of cities and propose a solution to tackle key issues and help redevelop the area. My group and I decided to tackle the flooding issues in Freetown, Sierra Leone as well as their traffic congestion.

Our final proposal was a cable car network where the stations were optimised to mitigate flooding within the area, and to reduce traffic.

We then presented our project proposal to an audience of hundreds of students and a panel of judges.

I would like to thank Sunday Popo-Ola, Sara Rankin and everyone else who helped organise this programme. I would also like to thank everyone that I worked alongside throughout the 2 weeks.”

Kairo Powell – BSc Computer Science

“I worked with an amazing group – Victoria lyamu Amelia Gustave, Crystal A. Kadar Saleh and Musab Ali to develop a regeneration proposal for Walter Sisulu Square in Johannesburg, South Africa – one of the C40 cities; focusing on increasing trade, boosting education, improving access to clean water, and reducing crime. Our group was honoured to win the overall prize and present our ideas to an audience including The Amos Bursary students and researchers. I couldn’t have asked for a better team – thank you guys for making the experience so rewarding!”

“We were also part of this year’s Africa Innovates conference, promoting Africa-focused STEMB (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine & Business) initiatives at Imperial. Two talks that really stuck with me: Anthony Bull – “Reconstruction and Rehabilitation: Frugal Healthcare Technologies” and Laure Sioné Ph.D – “Exclusion to Empowerment: Engineering a New Path for Women in Africa”.

Such powerful reminders of how STEM can be applied meaningfully and sustainably in underserved communities. I also had the honour of introducing the final keynote: Professor Washington Yotto Ochieng, CBE, EBS, CEng, FREng Head of Civil & Environmental Engineering and President of the Institution of Navigation.”

“We Won!..

Taking home a £1.5K Grand Prize after a landslide victory, pitching our innovation to over 200 scholars amongst academics and CEOs.

It was an amazing end to an intense two weeks of group deliberation, daily presentations and world class lectures on a range of disciplines at Imperial College London.

• Topics included Engineering and Biosciences but also featured enterprise and business which may be overlooked but is vital when scaling any novel product or service.

A huge thank you to Dr Sunday Popo-Ola for organising such an inspirational two weeks on the 2024

Imperial R2Frontiers: Bioscience, Computing and Engineering Programme at Imperial for which I am so grateful to have been selected as a scholar for.

A Big thanks also to Professor Sara Rankin who arranged the financing for the experience as well.

• Across the two weeks I:
• Enrolled on Full Scholarship to a competitive program
• Won first place for industry style design pitch of a Rainwater Collection, Sanitation and Treatment System
• Presented 2 week collaborative group project to audience of 200 scholars & CEOs showcasing interdisciplinary teamwork
• Conducted Daily presentations to Lecturers and progress reports on research demanding time management and increased efficiency
• Toured the Data Science Lab with a visual demonstration of global crypto transactions and pattern identification
• Was selected to introduce a speaker in the annual Africa Innovates Conference

The next thanks is to my team: Yassir Muridi, Emmanuel Oloruntola and Prince Eze with an honourable Mention to Jasmine Reynolds-Hemmings too, for working with us during the early stages.

• What did we present?*
• The Mathare Hydrocycle project which collected rainwater using permeable pavements, filtered rainwater using largely natural processes followed by treatment and finally bottling at the source for local water companies.

• This final point added an option for funding of the project and utilised the preexisting distribution networks of established water companies, taking a royalty deal approach.

Interested in Africa Innovates? Take a quick look at the recording.

Finally the atmosphere on campus: an appetite for success.

I can’t wait to see what the contestants”

Samuel Vasilis – BEng Civil Engineering 3rd Year

“Two weeks of learning and unlearning. Two weeks of growth, collaboration, new friendships, and stretching beyond what I thought I could do. I’m incredibly grateful to have received a full scholarship to take part in the R2Frontiers in BioSciences, Computing, Engineering and Physics programme at Imperial College London.

This experience gave me so much. From developing my presentation skills through daily updates to strengthening teamwork as my amazing team and I worked on a sustainable regeneration plan for Church Square in Tshwane, South Africa.

It was exciting to build something with impact, alongside people from different backgrounds and disciplines.

As a computer science student, I really appreciated how interdisciplinary everything was. I saw how engineering, data, sustainability and public health come together to solve real-world challenges.

We also learned from a range of inspiring speakers. A few lessons that stayed with me: Dr. Ben C. Howard spoke about his work in Tamale, Ghana where passion and community feedback drove the process. It reminded me of user testing and building with people, not just for them.

• Professor Leroy Gardner shared his work on Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing and metal 3D printing in construction. I found it fascinating to see how software and hardware connect in this space.
• Professor Alastair Donaldson introduced us to his research on GraphicsFuzz and randomised testing. This gave me a new perspective on the testing challenges that exist deep in the systems we often take for granted.

• Joy Maitland MBE and Atiya Sheikh CBP FRSA guided us through the Lumina Spark personality assessment, which helped me reflect on how I collaborate and lead.

I also learned so much from the many brilliant speakers who joined us.

Another highlight was the Africa Innovates Conference, where I had the honour of introducing Professor Anthony Bull. His work in biomechanics and frugal healthcare really expanded how I think about engineering for human needs.

To Dr. Sunday Popo-Ola and Professor Sara Rankin, thank you for leading this programme. Your work made space for us to learn, reflect and grow.

To everyone I worked with, thank you.

Special thanks to Gabrielle Boafo, Simi Ayobamidele, Djibrill Ladjouan, Mya Banda and Idowu Ayomide. I really enjoyed learning and building alongside you.

I’m leaving this experience more confident, more curious, and more inspired to keep building meaningful things in tech. in teams and in the world.”

Ogochukwu Okoye – Computer Science Student