People of CAS Archives - Center for African Studies

People of CAS

Student Spotlight – December 13, 2025

Saturday December 13, 2025

Phumelele Ndlela is a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) for IsiZulu in the Program in African Languages (PAL) at the Center for African Studies at the University of Florida.

The Global Faculty Feature: Dr. John Muchira

Wednesday October 22, 2025

Dr. Muchira recently published two open Access textbooks, Hujambo! A Standards-Based Approach to Introductory Kiswahili, Volume 1 (June 2025) and Hujambo! Volume 2 (July 2025). The textbooks are part of an evidence-based, open-access curriculum that seeks to fill a gap in the literature on Open Educational Resources (OER) for teaching Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs)

Student Spotlight- Week of September 24th

Wednesday September 24, 2025

Selome Medemaku is a Nigerian writer and currently a master’s student in French and Francophone Studies in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. His academic and creative journey are shaped by a passion for storytelling.

Greg Kiker named chair of UF’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department

Wednesday September 17, 2025

Greg Kiker, a UF alum and faculty member for over 20 years, has carried out research on southern Africa’s savanna ecosystems as well as a range of other environmental and engineering challenges. A long-time CAS Affiliate and member of the CAS Natural Resource Management Working Group, Kiker was recently named chair of the University of Florida’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) Department after serving as interim chair.

Happy 20th Anniversary Dr. Renata Serra

Wednesday September 10, 2025

Congratulations to Dr. Renata Serra, instructional professor at the Center for African Studies, as she celebrates 20 years with the University of Florida! Dr. Serra is an economist with more than 25 years of experience in research, teaching, and consultancy on African development, with a focus on the Sahel region. At the Global Food Systems Institute, she leads the Sub-Saharan Africa Working Group and advances high-level collaborations and research projects.

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of April 30th

Monday April 28, 2025

The Center for African Studies congratulates Nduka Mbadugha on his latest achievements as he graduates from the UF’s College of Communications and Journalism with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and a minor in History and fall internship with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of April 9th

Tuesday April 8, 2025

Rebekkah Hudson is a third-year UF undergraduate double majoring in History and Linguistics with minors in African Studies and English, whose research—rooted in Gikuyu perspectives—reexamines the role of African agency in colonial-era forestry scouting in Kenya, with aspirations to pursue a Ph.D. in African History.

Meet Kevin Kelsey: Teach Africa Summer Institute

Friday April 4, 2025

Kevin Kelsey, an ESOL teacher at Gainesville High School and the current chair of the ESOL department. He participated in the K-12 Teach Africa Summer Institute, and his article is featured in the latest Teach Africa publication.

CAS Student Spotlight: Week of February 5th

Tuesday February 4, 2025

Baba Adou was born and raised in Mauritania. He earned a BA (Maîtrise) in English from the University of Nouakchott and an MA in Global and International Studies from the University of Kansas, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. He is a 4th-year Ph.D. student in the UF Department of Political Science. His research […]

Furious Joy: Afrofuturism Week 2025

Wednesday January 29, 2025

Gainesville is set to transform into a vibrant center of Black creativity and imagination as the University of Florida Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship, known as CAME, hosts the second annual Afrofuturism Week from Jan. 16-30.

CAS Interdisciplinary Graduate Workshop: The Environment in Africa

Wednesday December 4, 2024

The Center for African Studies recently hosted its first interdisciplinary graduate workshop “The Environment in Africa,” that invited graduate researchers, faculty, and attendees to explore critical environmental issues across the continent. The event featured student presentations on diverse topics, including climate change, conservation, public health, and gender dynamics in fisheries. Joshua Benjamin explored macroinvertebrate shifts […]

30th Annual International Student Achievement Awards

Wednesday December 4, 2024

The 30th Annual International Student Achievement Awards recognized the outstanding contributions of our international student community. The event started with an opening and welcome by Dr. Marta L. Wayne, the Dean of the International Center and Associate Provost, and a keynote by Elias G. Eldayrie, Vice President & Chief Information Officer for the University of […]

TEACH AFRICA 2024: TAKING AFRICA TO THE CLASSROOM

Thursday November 14, 2024

Each Summer, the Center for African Studies offers a virtual summer institute for K-12 teachers. The articles in this 2024 publication were produced by K-12 teachers who participated in the Center’s summer institutes of 2022 and 2023.

CAS Student Spotlight

Saturday November 2, 2024

Fallon Jiménez was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, where she did an MS and BS in Animal Production Sciences at the National University of Colombia.

Remembering Rwanda and Looking to the Future

Tuesday October 8, 2024

Thirty years since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the Center for African Studies commemorated this terrible landmark event in African history.